Too good to be true

Saturday night was the 11th Anniversary show of my second-favorite Seattle band, the Dudley Manlove Quartet (my favorite is the Sh*tkickers, which is the same band wearing cowboy hats and singing cowboy songs). They played the Croc and we managed to get a crew of 27 to enjoy the show. Paul told me that I would win a free pony (as supplies last) if I could get 25 people to show up. He even announced on stage that I'd won the pony, so now I'm getting the backyard ready. I'm gonna name him "Switters".

I'm not going to try to list everyone that came to the show (especially the poor gal who was sick right outside the window so everyone could watch), but it was fun to wander around the Croc and realize that you know every fourth person you see. Except for the part where every fourth person you see asks you to get them a beer.

The show was great, with DMQ playing a bunch of new material based on their Fan Favorites poll (next year I'm going to stuff the ballot box and make them play "I Wanna Be A Cowboy"). Everyone was having fun during their first two sets, but the third set was really something. Just as Duane left (so he missed the ensuing excitement), who strolls into the Croc? None other than the members of Super Diamond! I did the only thing I could do, given the circumstances. I started taking pictures of my strategically-positioned friends so that I could capture Super Diamond in the background (see picture at right for a view of Margaret "posing" with Surreal Neil).

Just when I thought it couldn't get any more exciting, DMQ invited Super Diamond to join them on stage. DMQ and Super Diamond, on one stage?? It was almost too much to handle. Then, the previously cool and collected Krissy suddenly disappeared from our side and reappeared right up at the front of the crowd. Way to go Krissy! And Meg grabbed me out of the crowd and pulled me to the front too -- way to go Meg!

What an amazing night. DMQ always delivers a great show, and this year's anniversary show was top-notch. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if the Sh*tkickers opened for them like they did last year. Regardless, we had a great night and I'm so excited to tell Switters all about the night I won him at the Crocodile Cafe.