Prairie Home Companion

We returned home to resupply and then headed to the Macalester College campus for a taping of A Prairie Home Companion. It was the 1,433rd show.  We arrived just after the gates had opened so we could find a good seat on the lawn.IMG_3859

Good seats obtained, program and ticket were photographed.

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Then it was time to eat.  We had more than just plates.  There were sandwiches and salads and olives.  It was a feast.

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I spotted this NPR shirt, probably a pledge gift.

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In the middle of our feast/waiting, a band of pipers came by.  Just you wait, they will return.

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Sara and I went to wander/find more beverage (it was very hot in the sun)/perhaps locate bubble tea.  We did not find bubble tea, but we did find lemonade.

I took pictures of the lineups for this show.

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This smartly dressed ice cream seller was hanging out on the outside of the fence.  I liked his style.

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And his display board.

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Waiting around feet shot.  You can see we’ve been eating cherries.

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As the show began, we broke out the dessert: angel food cake with strawberries.

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Because we were so early, we got to hear Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele rehearse, and see them perform.

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Joe Newberry told us a story and sang us some songs.

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I really liked this woman’s skirt.

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Fred Newman, Tim Russell and Sue Scott perform the Lives of the Cowboys.

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JD McPherson was once a middle school art teacher. But he was laid off.  So he became a singer songwriter and brought along a band.  The saxophone looks like he’s not far out of middle school.

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I like to take pictures of the camera guy. And I enjoyed the “On Air” sign.

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Mr Keillor reads from his script.  I didn’t grab a picture of him telling us about the “Quiet week in Lake Wobegone” but he does that extemporaneously.  This picture makes him look like a scary old man, but I like it.  He can be quite curmudgeonly.

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This guy found a good tree.  My hips didn’t like sitting on the ground for so long.

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Look who came back! It’s the Macalester College Pipe Band!  I didn’t realize that when they were wandering through before it was their rehearsal.

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Self-Portraits are everywhere!

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Fred Newman is my favorite part of the show.

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I was quite happy to (finally) see a live taping, especially since Garrison Keillor’s retirement from PHC is immanent.  I figured they taped the show and then cut it down, but our performance came in right at 2 hours, so they must not do as much cutting as I think.

2 thoughts on “Prairie Home Companion”

  1. It is always just so much fun to see a live taping. Our goal is to get to one at the Fitzgerald before GK retires. I think we may go to the fair performance again this year. We shall see. I am very hopeful.

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