Or! An entry wherein I reveal my gene composition more truthfully.
On June 19, I bought tickets to see The Dillards perform at Oakboro Music Hall. I had hoped then that Lindsey might be able to go; but, she needs to be home to practice for the beach dance. My dad went with me today.
It was to begin at 2:30, and so we left at 12:40. We needn't have done that as our seats were reserved—we had seats 3 and 4 on the front row. When first arriving we saw a replica of Mayberry's squad car parked in front, with a marquee on the building above anouncing The Dillards performance today. We first went into the diner because we didn't know what we were doing. We eventually made our way to the music hall. It was very warm in the building, and people slowly piled in. We were very close to the action. Speaking of which, a camera crew from the Action 64 television station that sponsored the event was there. As everyone was setting up, they were taping the two brothers and Maggie Peterson speaking about The Andy Griffith Show and recording promos.
After the 90 minute wait, it began. Maggie came on first, looking to have aged very well. She sang three songs, beginning with "Put on a Happy Face" (she pulled a friend on stage to comically personify the song), followed by a song about having the feel-too-good-blues. Lastly, she sang a song she dedicated to the Darling family's father, actor Denver Pyle, which may've been called "Buddy".
Jeff Branch, the man who owns the music hall (and who looks a bit like the The Andy Griffith Show character Howard Sprague) was the host of the event. He ran the videos that opened the show for Maggie, lead into the Dillards performance, and which helped to end the show with a tribute to Howard Morris.
After Maggie came The Dillards, who consisted of Doug and Rodney, as well as another younger man on mandolin and fiddle, and another older gentleman on a large bass in the back. Rodney was the speaker of the group, and they joked around a great deal between songs in addition to telling funny, interesting, and touching stories about their lives and their wonderful experience on The Andy Griffith Show. Songs they played included "The Old Home Place," "Dooley," "Doug's Tune," and "The Andy Griffith Show Song". (I need to learn about punctuation). Overall, the crowd gave the greatest cheer for "Dooley". The Dillards also did a cover of Bob Dylan's "Walkin' Down the Line". It was amazing to see Doug and Rodney play as well as they did considering their age. They sounded as good as they did forty years ago.
Terry Smith, whose wife works with my mom, got up on stage and played with them.
After many songs, it was time for questions and answers. One very small boy asked, "What happened to the Darling's mother?" The boys didn't know the answer, but Maggie reminisced about Charlene's wedding, before which Mr. Darling said that she looked like her Ma, who had been run over by a team of hogs. My dad asked how long their day usually lasted on the set.
At the end, "Charlene" came back out and sang with the boys. She sang the salty dog song and "There is a Time," which was excellent.
After everything was finished and they left the stage, most filed out behind them to buy things and get autographs. My dad and I got two pictures, which were signed. I met Maggie and Rodney. I talked with Maggie briefly, and noticing that Rodney was very tired, I simply shook his hand and said, "I just wanted to thank you." Doug, who was noticeably tired at the end of the show, had gone to lie down.
Every so often I let the southern hick in me burst through. That's all right though, because The Andy Griffith Show was a nice part of my youth, and I still watch today.
Here is a video of their performance of "Dooley". It was recorded with my wimpy digital camera, which was also balancing on my knee at the time, so give me a break.
Comment Preview
Posted by: