The last 36 hours were a whirlwind of activity. We left early Monday morning for KC and encountered a monster of a rainstorm right outside Springfield. We were crazy to drive through it, especially when we found out they had closed the road in Brighton shortly after we were on the other side, but we survived thankfully. After 45 intense minutes, we were out of the worst of the storm and joked that we weren’t sure if we needed a drink or a nap. We took neither, but stopped in Lowry City for a break and some water. We arrived in KC around noon and went straight to [Oak Park Mall](http://www.thenewoakparkmall.com/shop/oakpark.nsf/index) home to Nordstrom and other shopping faves. Steve was looking for cool boots, a jacket and new shirts while I was shopping for cosmetics and shoes. I want a leather motorcycle jacket, but am thinking vintage so Nordstrom wasn’t where I wanted to look for it. We puttered around, ate lunch, bought a couple of goodies (including [these cute shoes](http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2932363/0~2376778~2372811~2373742~2373744~2375104?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2375104&P=1)) and waited for Ralph and Blair to arrive. They did around 3:30 and Ralph and I made a quick trip to the Plaza Banana Republic while the guys hit Streetside Records. Then it was time to get ready for our evening.
Thanks to the Embassy Suites, we had free shuttle service to dinner. The driver was very impressed we were eating at the original Peanut rather than something, say, classy. The Peanut is what my sister calls a “towny bar.” It has probably never been really cleaned, it’s smoky, the food isn’t remotely healthy, they have lots of beer, and if you’re wearing coordinated clothing you’re probably overdressed. They do, however, have the best food around. Knowing we were going to eat junk for dinner, I tried to cram in vegetables and nutrition earlier in the day so I didn’t feel too guilty about my meal. We started off the The Peanut’s famous wings. They are real chicken wings (not the drummies) drenched in mouth-watering sauce and served with home made blue cheese dressing. They were heavenly. On Ralph’s recommendation, we ordered the BLTs and cheese fries for dinner. Thankfully, we split an order of the fries which were deliciously crunchy and smothered in Rotel. The BLTs were the best I’ve ever had and people who say they don’t like bacon are lying (that’s a direct quote from my sister). After a couple of pitchers of beer, it was time to go so we grabbed a cab and we were off to the show.
The concert was spectacular! It was held at the [Uptown Theater](http://www.uptowntheater.com/index.shtml) which was a really cool remodeled old theater. The fun part of the show was that you could take your drinks into the auditorium which is something you usually can’t do here. Here’s a picture of us taken before the concert started:
The band played for 2 straight hours and it was rockin’! They sounded really good and we danced off all our excess calories. Blair did double time as he was playing air guitar and drums during most of the concert. I did regret wearing the cool wedges I had chosen as we were standing most of the night, but the extra height made looking over everyone easier. Apologies to any short people behind me. We ended the evening with a very fun cab ride back to the hotel with the cab driver playing Journey on full blast and us singing along like idiots. It was hilarious. We had a quick nightcap in the hotel bar while Blair tried to locate the hotel where the band was staying (he was unsuccessful). This morning, we did just a bit of shopping before heading home. All in all, a fantastic extended weekend and a great concert. Thanks again to Ralph and Blair for the party planning!
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 