May 22, 2004...Nashville, Tennessee Tennessee Performing Arts Center

It had been four years since last I had been to Nashville, and less than two since the last time I had been to a Smothers Brothers concert. But this one, above all the ones I've ever been to, was different. This was a symphony show (my first one), and the first in the six shows I've been to (this one included) that I would get the opportunity to meet Tom and Dick in person. And with meeting Tom and Dick would be the chance for me to be a Swede bearing gifts: an award rfom an entertainment fan club as Lifetime Favorites, and a scrapbook. And not just any scrapbook...a scrapbook put together in the 4-6 weeks before going to the May 22 show, containing photos and words about their career, and photos and memories from many they have encountered in their career as well as some of their fans. In 2002, their 43rd year in the business, the scapbook barely got off the ground; in 2004, their 45th year, the scrapbook took wings and flew.

The show itself was pretty much like every other--and that's always a good thing. Tom's usual audience warm-up via the P.A. (in deeper tone of voice) had a bit of a symphony spin...first he had the orchestra tune up (the usual pre-concert tune-up that everyone has probably heard),..then had the audience do the same. When it gets to showtime, Tom announces some of the "guests" to the concert: the June Taylor Dancers, the Mormon Nabertacle Choir (not a misspelling--that's exactly how he said it). Former longtime accompanist Michael Preddy would be there...YAY!!! Now I knew I was in for a treat! I would mention to Dick later that while this was my first symphony show, the last time I saw them with Michael was 1989. Turns out we got Michael's appearance by luck--I would find out later that he only appears with them for the symphony shows. My luck...hmmm...

Their playlist went a little something like this:... Cabbage/This Is Our Song I'm An Airline Pilot the history (Tom--I can't in any way do justice to Tom's phrasing to show how funny this was--says that the difference between a symphony orchestra and a philharmonic orchestra was that the philharmonic orchestra is paid more) Madrigal Dick begins an intro for Cuanto Caliente El Sol when Tom sends it on a tangent--a BIG tangent... Had A Hound Dog (don't remember hearing this one) Don't Pet The Dog What Kind Of Dog Is It? (Tom was definitely in a dog mode that night) Qark Song Cuanto Caliente El Sol (finally!) Poor Wandering One (haved missed this one since Michael Preddy had moved on to other green pastures) YoYo Man [around the world/with a twist; Sleeping Beauty AKA The Flying Saucer; Rock The Baby/Premie/Cha Cha Cha); Walk The Dog (regular and with the strut); Shoot The Moon; Man On The Flying Trapeze; Brain Twister; Blast Off--he made it!] Before going into the last tune, The Impossible Dream, Tom made mention onstage about country music legend Roy Acuff and his interest in yoyos, wishing he had had the chance to share the stage with him in the State Of Yo.

After the jam-packed show (which included an opening segment by the Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, helmed by a very entertaining conductor), we were led to the meet-and-greet area (a very small room considering that there were three in our party, plus at least a dozen other people, then eventually Tom and Dick, cramped even further by a very large table in the middle of the room). Tom entered first, greeted us (we were the first folks he would see coming in--a surprise to mee since I thought they would come in from the door in the opposite corner), signed our albums, then went over to other folks. Dick came in a bit later, greeted us, signed our albums (making a pleasantly surprising comment that the original album cover look for the CD edition of Curb Your Tongue Knave, the album of my choice to have them sign). It was obvious that we were the only people in the room who didn't seem to know Tom and/or Dick previous to tonight. During the entire excursion, Tom and Dick would rotate schmoozing with a group then coming back to us, schmoozing with another group then coming back to us.

After biding my time (didn't want to interrupt their schmoozing--other folks were there to see them also), I presented the scrapbook. Dick was the first to see it. I think at first he thought it was just a little something that I had brought with me just to show them--when I said it was a gift for them, his eyes lit up. They lit up further when he started perusing it, and we even traded comments about a few of the shots inside at the point during their 1967-69 Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (which included Nancy Sinatra, Mama Cass Elliot. and Paul Revere And The Raiders). He used "awesome" and "wow" among his compliments, had given me a big hug, then started showing it off to Tom and the others there. He apologized for not looking at the whole thing then, but was definitely interested in seeing the rest of it (wasn't expecting them to and that's fine--they would have to wait to see the memory contents, which included an 11th hour entry from Comedy Hour alum Mason Williams).

Earlier Dick (a chatty one that night, even without the scrapbook as a point of conversation) grabbed one of the other folks there to snap a pic of Tom and me. I asked if he would pose with the entertainment fan club award I had also given them,...and he did--along with the scrapbook! He opened it randomly to the page that would have been about their 1988-89 variety show (if only he knew the sentimental value I have for that particular page) but I could tell he was showing it off proudly.