Knoxville is Blessed

We have been blessed by the presence of the master. Tom Waits performed here Sunday evening at the Civic Auditorium. The show was, in a world, heavenly.

I'm always a little shocked to hear that people haven't heard of Tom Waits. The fact is, too, that a lot of people have not heard of him. In the long run, I take the ignorance of the masses as my bliss; but it's still funny to me that so few people are actually tuned into his genius. He is one of the most iconic and sincere musicians of all time. I heard someone say recently, "there's been no good music since Miles Davis" and I laughed out loud. Of course there are others, but Tom's the reason why that statement is utterly false.

I've had the privilege of seeing him live 6 times, twice now in places I consider home. The best trip was when my dearest and I flew to Seattle to see him after Real Gone came out in 2004. The best venue was the Ryman in Nashville. The best show and set I've seen falls on Knoxville. It was stupendous, miraculous even.

The ticket prices this time were high: around 85 bucks a pop, as opposed to the 65 dollar price point in tours past. I heard a bit of grumbling about the prices, because, yes, that is a lot of money. The grumbling is understandable. The thing is, it wasnt a question for me. Not going to the show was not an option. That's just me, but that's the truth.

Very few cities in this country can claim they've hosted Tom Waits; and now we can. We're lucky that way. We're in the club.