A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

I got a chance to see Tommy Emmanuel last night, he played at our lone local theater venue, along with Guest Gareth Pearson. We occasionally get a major/national act coming through town in between Minneapolis and Chicago that makes a stop, so it was an opportunity I could not pass up.

It was a great show and Tommy is indeed the consummate professional - his playing is ridiculous and he is just as good of a storyteller as a player. His connections to Chet Atkins are showing up 30 years later in his support of young musicians like Gareth Pearson, passing the torch so to speak.

Tomorrow AM I"m off to Houston TX for work, but I strategically scheduled my trip to be able to see Monte Montgomery in the Woodlands on Thursday night. It's his annual Birthday Bash so who knows who else might show up. My brother is flying down for the night for the show too. For those that may have not heard of Monte, he's worth checking out and an Austin native who can light up the fretboard like few others can. He's played with Tommy E many times too. @fullonshred was also a big fan and we used to watch his livestreams together during the C19 lockdown/craziness.

I almost made it a trifecta and kept going to Dallas to see Warren Haynes/Govt Mule in Red Rocks the following week ( @tlarson58 ) but alas not enough time or travel dollars left for the summer

Are there any AGF'ers in Houston with recommendations for things to do while I'm there? I got a VRBO that's on the west side of town and will have a rental car at my disposal. I will need good coffee for sure, and maybe another concert or at least a guitar shop to check out.

Tommy is awesome. I watch a lot of videos of him playing with all kinds of folks. When are you coming back to Florida?

The thing I particularly like about Tommy is not that he is probably the best guitar picker on planet Earth,
but that he isn't too good to sit cross legged in a hotel lobby's floor showing a 12 year old kid the easy way to play something (I've seen him do it.)

tonebender wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 11:44 am Tommy is awesome. I watch a lot of videos of him playing with all kinds of folks. When are you coming back to Florida?

Yes, he seems to be about as down to earth as you can get, especially for a guy that has skills that come from another planet. I've seen several of those videos of him playing with other famous folks, or fixing people's guitars before the show, or just watching other people play. I've never seen him in person though, and it was a treat. I have also seen him describe his practice habits for 4-5 hours every single day, and I believe it.

I'll be back in FL sometime in September, not sure which week but i'll let you know. On a somewhat related note, our local airport ( which has 4 total gates ) is adding direct flights to Orlando starting sometime this fall. I usually fly Delta from here to MSP or ORD and direct to JAX, but I might mix it up and fly to ORL and take a tour on my way to Fernandina beach.

Please let me know, especially if you hit Orlando. That is pretty close.

Oh! been all over Texas but the only places where I've really enjoyed the food are Austin & Port Isobel.