Jackson Free Press

When I heard James Taylor was coming to the Pyramid in Memphis on Friday, May 23, I snapped up two tickets. I got great seats on the floor. Well, two weeks later tickets went on sale for his Jackson concert, which was two days before the Memphis one. I got even better seats, on the floor, row 6. James was just as I remembered him, his hair being the exception. Excellent.

Friday, the day of the Memphis concert rolled around, and I still owned two tickets. After coercing a friend into a road trip, we left for Memphis at 2:30 p.m. Since the concert didn't start until 8 p.m., we had plenty of time to get to the Pyramid and sell the tickets. After passing Batesville, I warned Linda, the coerced friend, that I had a history of missing Memphis and ending up in Arkansas. Sure enough, as we approached Memphis, the interstate forked, and our choices were St. Louis and Little Rock, no mention of Memphis. I chose Little Rock. Sure enough, as we were crossing the Mississippi River, Linda proclaimed, "I can see the Pyramid," and I read the highway sign that said, "Welcome to Arkansas."

We did make it to the Pyramid, but I didn't want to sell to the scalpers. So, Linda suggested that we watch the first half and at the 20-minute intermission, give our tickets to a couple who was sitting in the nose bleed section. I agreed, but determined the couple should be first-generation James Taylor fans. Linda had the binoculars, so she was in charge of fan selection. I was in charge of the proposition.

She found the perfect couple, late 60s early 70s, and I walked across the arena floor and climbed the steps to their seats. When I stood in front of them, the little lady leaned forward as if she knew me, waiting for me to speak. I said, "I have a proposition for you." She looked around at her husband and back at me. I pointed down to the floor. Linda stood and waved her arms so they could see their new seats. The little lady said nothing like this had ever happened to her, and that the concert had been a birthday gift to her from him. They were the perfect couple.

After I returned to my seat, Linda and I watched them through the binoculars and could see them talking to everyone around them, presumably about the proposition. At intermission, we could see them scurrying down those steps. After escorting them to their seats, we walked to the upper level and watched them once again through the binoculars. They were having a blast.

I believe Linda and I received as much enjoyment from giving those seats away as the couple did in receiving them. The next time I buy tickets, I'll get four so I can give two away.

As we were leaving, I asked a policeman the quickest way out to the interstate. I then proposed a sign coming in that said "Memphis."