Music Monday: If I Was

If I was
A better man
Would all my friends
Come to my party?

It's only two weeks away, and while I'm really excited to see one of my favourite performers of all time return to the Ottawa area after a 25-year absence, I'm really touched by the number of people who have told me that they are coming out to share this evening with me. To date, I have heard from more than 20 friends and loved ones who have told me that they are coming.

And as awesome as that is, I want more. I want all of you. I want to pack the Black Sheep Inn to the rafters.

I know it's a Tuesday. I know it's a 30-minute drive from downtown. That's what makes it so special to me.

In the months leading up to my 50^th birthday, my wife asked me how I would like to celebrate it. I considered reserving a hall or a private room at a hotel, restaurant, or pub. I considered Mill Street Brew Pub. I considered Bier Markt. I considered the Centurion Conference Centre, on Colonnade Road, in Nepean (also about a half hour from downtown).

When I learned that Midge Ure is coming to the Black Sheep Inn on March 3, two days before my birthday, I knew that the stars had aligned. I knew I had found my venue.

If you're able, get yourself a ticket and make your way up to Wakefield. With the new highway expansion, it's even easier to get there. Come early and see the beauty of the town. Have dinner at M.J.M.D. Pizza de Luigi, or The Village House, Le Hibou, or even the Black Sheep itself. The doors open at 6 and the show starts at 8:30.

I don't want gifts: I just want you. You're presence is your gift to me.

Speaking of gifts, I thought I would jog your memory of Midge Ure songs by sharing his hit single from his 1985 album, The Gift: "If I Was." The Gift was Midge's first solo album after Ultravox (though he did put out one more album, U-Vox, with the band in '86), and "If I Was" did reach number one in the U.K. charts.

I love the song, but seeing the video now, with the clothes and the dance moves, I can't help but smile. It was the '80s, after all.

Enjoy, and I hope to see you on March 3.


 
Happy Monday!