HEIDI RUBY MILLER

Shows Wilco's album A.M. Jason and I saw Wilco recently with our friends Bruce and Becca at the Carnegie Music Hall in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh . What a magnificent (and I'm not overstating it) venue and what a memorable show. Carnegie Music Hall image from the website The lighting was exceptional with floor lamps and what I can only describe as electric candelabras that pulsated in time to the music. The soft lighting gave the elaborate marble and gold-leaf designs of the music hall a laid-back haunted mansion feel. The atmosphere was perfect for the sounds of Jeff Tweedy and company.

Show Last week we saw Gaelic Storm for the first time at the Palace Theater in Greensburg, PA . They were incredible. I don't know how we never found them earlier. The mix of Irish and World music made for a fun, uplifting show. So much energy, even at the very end. Incidentally, they were the band playing on screen in the movie Titanic . And, they'll be playing at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival this September. You can get a free download from their new CD Cabbage on their website: http://gaelicstorm.musiccitynetworks.com/ and hear some of their hits on their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/gaelicstorm

Shows Last month we saw two wonderful shows as part of the West Virginia University Arts Series . The Drowsy Chaperone The Drowsy Chaperone reminded me of when I would watch Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in movies like Shall We Dance and The Gay Divorcee . I loved the dancing in those old movies, especially since I had thirteen years of lessons, and I loved the costumes. As a child I assumed everyone lived like Fred and Ginger did way back in the 30s because you would never know there was a depression going on by the opulence of the characters' lives. But maybe that was why people liked them; they were an escape. Escape was the premise of The Drowsy Chaperone, with its winking satire and endearing narrator. The highest compliment to an artist, in my opinion, is knowing you provided someone a place to go and pretend for a little while. That's what I'd like people to say about my fiction one day. The Opera Show didn't bring as much nostalgia as opened my ey...

Shows This season Jason and I subscribed to the University Arts Series at WVU . Last month we saw RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles which was so exciting since we bought The Beatles Rock Band as soon as it came out. Sitting further away from the stage allowed me to imagine I was seeing Paul, John, George, and Ringo up there. RAIN's multimedia stroll through the ages completed the illusion for me. If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend seeing RAIN. This is a tribute band which goes the extra mile for a memorable show. Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles Just last week we saw The StepCrew , a Canadian troupe featuring dancers, musicians, and vocalists: some of the troupe had a combination of these talents. I loved the dancing best, probably because I took thirteen years of tap as a child and teenager. Jason, of course, loved the music, probably because he has been playing guitar for over twenty years. Certainly something there for us both. The StepCrew