The Mann Center + Gelato!!

I love a good outdoor show. My brother Greg will see anything and I mean, ANYTHING. He once watched G.Love at Sassafrass on 3rd Street play an entire show will only two guitar strings. He said it was awful in an awesome way, but it was G.Love and he would not have missed it even if he knew that he only had two strings. When my brother pronounced that a show at the Mann is Zen and that going to every show possible was what you should do in the summer, I was like, "Okay. You must know." He was always asking me to take him to this show or that show at the Mann (I'm the older sister with a job when he was a student). "Come on, Steph. So what, Julio Inglesias could be awesome. All those older couples? It could be a scream. Let's go. You cannot turn me down!" It is a perfect summer concert setting, but Julio, please Greg. See? He enjoys all live shows. I have seen everything with him from Ice T to Courtney Love to Sonia Dada. All outdoors, all fantastic.

The Mann is one of those outdoor arenas that is perfectly covered, not a bad seat there, with the perfect breeze blowing over at just the right moments. It is a frenetic place with mellow music. It is usually not very hot and crowded and people are always moving. Somehow, it does not seem to bother me. I have seen Ray Charles there and David Byrne. I have seen Lyle Lovette at the Mann more than 3 times. John and I have been to at least 10 Lyle concerts. I think I saw the Cowboy Junkies there, but that may have been the Keswick. Not sure.

We now have our cute little cart at the Mann selling gelato to the mellow music lovers. Imagine, excellent music in a perfect setting now comes with gelato!! My brother is happy even though he lives in New York. "That's awesome. Does that mean you can get great seats to any show?" Always, the big sister.