Guest Book

THE BIG HOUSE PARTY 2008 The Big House Dinner Concert was off the charts, somewhere in the stratosphere. A capacity crowd at Macon, Georgia's Armory Ballroom, cozy and ambient with great music, all wonderful people, dress code casual cocktail attire, blue jean, tie-dyed optional great fun, community spirit, and communion. Paul Doppelt flew in from Chicago, Big Dave drove from Augusta thru a winter storm to get here and our musicians survived ice and snow on interstate highways enroute to Macon from Birmingham, Nashville, and Atlanta. There's never been anything one can compare with a Big House Benefit Party in Macon. Kirk and Kirsten West serving as the event's Music Directors really helped make this a hot ticket. The show opened around 7:30 p.m. with the wonderful Caroline Aiken accoustic guitar and vocals. She did a soulful rendition of "Ain't My Cross to Bear" plus a song she wrote several years ago about H&H Restaurant to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd of attendees that included Mama Louise Hudson, Macon's newly elected Mayor Robert Reichert, Red Dog Campbell, Alan and Tosha Walden, Grant's Lounge heiress Cheryll Grant, Col. Bruce Hampton, and Chank Middleton. Caroline was followed by Tommy Talton and his phenomenal band, showing the audience why he was an early slide guitar hero of Derek Trucks. While there were concerns earlier in the day regarding ever-changing forecasts of snow and ice on the ground, Ma Nature decided to be kind to our musicians and attendees. Skies cleared outside while Jack Pearson made his guitar talk with Jimmy Hall throwing in a few old Wet Willie Favorites such as "Grits Ain't Grocerys" and "Keep on Smiling" as the dance floor directly in front of the stage filled to the max during the last set. What an awesome night .... The Big House Benefit just gets better every year. www.thebighousemuseum.org