I stalked Martin Sexton.....

After arriving in Vancouver too early to check in to our hotel and too early to collect our tickets at will call here at the Vogue, we wandered and window shopped our way to Gastown to meet some friends for a quick trip to the Fluevog store and then a little lunch. Then we all piled into their car and cruised for a parking spot at Granville Island....no easy feat, believe me. Eventually, we found ourselves among the fruit vendors, the meat sellers, artisans and street performers. It was sunny and Sunday and the market was packed, roasted chestnuts warmed our hands, and sweet strawberries topped it all off.
Our friends left us there, and we tottled off to the water taxis to find our way back downtown...to collect our tickets and check in to our hotel...find somewhere for an afternoon coffee or even a pint of microbrew...
And here, window-shopping our way along Granville Street to the Vogue(for the second time in one day), Michael pointed out Martin Sexton himself strolling along the sidewalk going in the opposite direction. AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At which point, I reversed direction and followed along behind him...yup. I did. I stalked Martin Sexton. I followed along behind him into a store and then another.... completely inconspicuous in my bright red hoody and giddy demeanor. I was so sure he hadn't noticed until, as he looked at jeans, and I idled at the table of Converse tennis shoes directly behind him, he pulled his sunglasses down and glanced over at me...just to let me get a good look at him, I guess...I hope, anyway. I nearly fell over my own feet on the way to the front door of the store...where I swooned on the sidewalk a while near Michael(who refused to participate in my stalking exercise). Then, when he came out of the store, Martin, er, Mr. Sexton looked our way, smiled a smirky, half-amused smile, reversed his direction and wandered off down the sidewalk.

Of course, in reversing his direction, he was now walking the way we had originally been going! So we fell in step behind him again, this time a little further back...until he passed the Vogue. We stopped at will call and got our tickets and then moved on to our hotel to check in...my eyes peeled for another glimpse of Martin, er,...Mr. Sexton. Didn't happen, though.

If you ever have a chance to see Martin Sexton live, don't hesitate. GO!!!!! GO!!! GO!!! He is amazing. Honest to god....he is all about the music, the audience, the experience. He absolutely IS everything that is right with American music...gifted musician, songwriter, showman, honest, creative, embracing, true...and funny. In an age where studio wizardary can make the album, it is just such pure joy to have one man and his guitar take an entire audience away with him during a performance...in the journey.

I can't believe it took me 12 years for us to be in the same town at the same time in order to see him... it was worth the wait....though I hope I don't have to wait that long again.

Certainly, I hope he isn't afraid to come back to Vancouver thinking that Canadians are crazy stalkers or something. If that is the case, Mr. Sexton, I assure you, I am a fellow US citizen and that is where I get that from....I apologize for stalking you. I wasn't trying to be unnerving. I was really trying to get up the nerve to come thank you for extending your tour to Vancouver, and to thank for all the music over the years...but I was too nervous...so, if you read this?

Thank you so very much.

And that's all I've got to say about that.