i speak because i can, to anyone i trust enough to listen

I should preface this post by saying I met Laura before her show tonight in Chicago. I unfortunately did not bring anything for her to sign and I didn’t dare ask for a photo, but I’ll always remember her blue eyes peeking from behind her Ray Bans as she talked to me. I’ve heard that she’s quite shy and quiet, but I really had no idea that she was that shy and quiet. Just talking to her made me a bit weak in the knees.

Yet, when she came on stage, she demanded our attention. Little Laura, sitting on a stool in her long black dress. She played Rambling Man first. Everything seemed to disappear around me and all I could do was just listen. Listen to what she has to say. She’s been with me through some tough times, and it’s almost as if she knows it.

I am not a crier. I do not cry. But she sang every song with such force and passion that it made my emotionless heart break. I became quite misty eyed during I Speak Because I Can. She’s such a part of my life now, and I wish I could have told her that. I wish I could have told her how her music helped me get through hard times. Alas, I think I would have broken down, right then and there on the streets of Lakeview if I had even tried.

I don’t think we understand her, and she doesn’t understand us, but in the end, it all makes sense somehow. I’m terrible with my words, and I think anyone who has been moved by a piece of music will never be able to find the right way to put our emotions into words.

I guess all I can say though, is thank you, Laura, for such a divine night.