Just a couple of months ago, I was playing for the line of folks waiting to get in to see one of Dylan's recent concerts here in Seattle. The line was several blocks long and thick with fans. I live about an hour away from the big city and got down there to play a little late. It wasn't long before they opened the doors and everyone went inside.

After the line disappeared, I packed up my guitar and thought about moving closer to the entrance doors to offer some more songs to those who might step outside for a smoke during the show. When I walked down to that area, I noticed that there was already someone there offering some music. I didn't want to compete with the busker already in place near the entrance. So, I turned toward my car to head back home.

Just as I turned around, there was a young woman standing next to me. She asked me if I was looking for a ticket. I explained that I was just playing for the folks standing in line at the concert. She told me that she had heard me and liked what I was doing. I told her that I didn't think that I had made enough during my brief set for the price of a ticket.

She explained that a friend was supposed to meet her and couldn't make it to the show. So, she was going to give the extra ticket that she had to a fan. She asked me if I was a fan. I enthusiastically replied, "Yes!" I asked her, "You want to give me a ticket?" She handed me the ticket. I thanked her and introduced myself.

I knew that the door guys for the event weren't going to let me inside with my guitar. So, I ran my stuff back to where my car was parked, about three blocks away. Before I made my way back, while putting my stuff in the car, I glanced at the ticket closely. The price printed on it was nearly $50. What a sweet gift!

I've only been to a handful of concerts in my short life. I was looking forward to seeing and hearing Bob play. Unfortunately, the kid working the sound board for the event mixed the bass drum, bass guitar and lead guitarist so loudly that it drowned out most of what Bob was doing throughout the entire show. If I had paid for that ticket, I would have been demanding my money back from the ticket office.

One of the things that I noticed about Bob's show was that he did "borrow" heavily from the blues genre in his compositions. I didn't know what to expect when I went in to see his show but I didn't expect to hear that. He started one song with a typical blues pattern, sang a verse from an old blues standard and then went on to offer his own lyrics using the structure as a framework for his message.

Until I heard him that evening, I wasn't aware of how heavily he relied on older melodic structures to support his songs, specifically older blues melodies. Then it occurred to me that I've been doing exactly the same thing with my music. Could the fact that we're both Geminis have something to do with it?