Chastain Park is an idyllic area situated near the Northern edge of Atlanta. The area was originally occupied by Creek Indians, near the floodplain known as Nancy Creek. Nowadays, it is the largest city park incorporating jogging paths, playgrounds, tennis courts, a golf course, swimming pool, horse park and of course the Chastain Park amphitheater. Our departure from Nashville came all too soon and we headed to the airport and boarded the Challenger ready for the 1 hour flight South. I figured it was about time I occupied the jump seat in the cockpit for landing. It’s always an amazing experience, something that is quite rare these days of course. It really makes you want to fly a plane. Coming in on approach, we flew at 2000 feet above downtown Atlanta before making our final turn towards the DeKalb-Peachtree airfield.
Recent visits have often involved extreme weather and Georgia can be prone to rain, storms and heat at this time of year. Our visit on this trip is dominated by the heat and humidity. When we arrived at the venue the temperature was well into the high 90’s and the crew were pretty sweaty. Brent, my tech was having some issues with the rig which could have been due to auto-updates but one of the Mainstage rigs saw the interface as alien. Then another cable issue. In fact, the show was quite beset with gremlins. It happens sometimes.
Evening at Chastain was descending fast and the doors opened at 7pm. I had invited my Atlanta golfing buddy (we played last time) Morten Andersen, a bit of a local hero here, and we met pre-show for a quick catch up with his lovely wife Jennifer.
Events such as these, ie. outdoor park venues, often have a slow walk-in and we had to delay the show accordingly. We went on 20 minutes later than scheduled at 8:20. This was definitely a slightly different type of audience as compared to recent theatre shows. I noticed a lot of people on their phones throughout the show. Whatever. By the time we got to the encores, everyone was on their feet, as has been the case pretty much everywhere. We left the area with huge cheers behind us. The local staff enabled our getaway beautifully by holding some of the strategic the exit gates until our bus convoy had passed. Police escort not required.
Knowing a 2 hour flight lay ahead, I had merely picked at dinner and consequently I was famished. Almost as hungry as Danny! The plate of Salmon with dill sauce that Natalie served up as soon as we were airborne was a sight to behold and duly despatched. 2 hours and several drinks later, we descended into San Antonio and headed for our hotel for the next few days. A complete contrast to our Nashville stay. Every detail is beautifully considered as opposed to every detail being dysfunctional or ugly. Hotels are fascinating and often an enigma. We may have a new favourite here.
spot the Ryman Nashville 
