We had our first ridiculously rainy Oregon experience in quite a while last night.

Shawn Colvin opened for the Cowboy Junkies last night at the zoo, an outside venue with no shelter. A little before Shawn took the stage, it started to sprinkle. Then it rained. Then the wind picked up and it rained horizontally. We were out there in shorts and t-shirts, having poo-poohed my mailman's assertion that it would rain "later tonight." Apparently nearly everyone took the same weather report to heart, because instantly, there was a sea of umbrellas in front of us and water dripping down the in side of my shirt. After about a song's worth of feeling like a drowned rat, and watching several pissy interchanges between grumpy concert-goers, I had a flash of brilliance. I would drive home and get fresh, waterproof clothes!

I don't need to tell you that, after missing 30min of the concert and most of Shawn, it had stopped raining. But having dry clothes and a little bit of gore-tex really made it possible to enjoy the rest of the show. It still didn't entice me to go stand in line to talk to Margo afterwards, with 30lbs of sopping clothing and picnic supplies to hold.

The Junkies are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and it shows. Hearing them live is little differrent from hearing a studio cut (in a good way), except when Margo forgets the words, which she did twice. I still love to see them. The last time I saw them live was probably 8 years ago at the Electric Factory in Philly. T was in Portland still, and I had Margo sign my ticket to her. A week after, T did the same for me. So sweet, isn't it?

I was just amazed at the number of people who did stay despite the truly nasty rain conditions, even by Oregon standards. An added bonus was that the two 50+ couples sitting next to us did not get into a physical fight over whose feet belonged where. That would've been ugly.