Free Tickets: Dinner & A Show, on Me…

Some of you may recall that I have been a big admirer of the pop singer Gilbert O’Sullivan ever since he came to prominence in the early Seventies.

Two years ago, I bought tickets so that Mrs. Orr and I could go to see Mr. O’Sullivan in person. After many years of waiting for him to return to the USA, we learned that he was launching an American tour and would be appearing in Nashville, Tennessee in early April of 2020.

And then the Covid freakout started, and the tour was cancelled. The venue where O’Sullivan was to appear has a strict no-refund policy, but they did announce that they were holding all tickets unless/until Gilbert O’Sullivan rescheduled the tour.

Tonight, after not a single word for two years, I received an email from the venue, which is the City Winery in Nashville. They told me in breathless words how excited they were to see Mrs. Orr and me tomorrow freaking night at the City Winery, because the show was rescheduled and Gilbert O’Sullivan will be playing the gig. I am beyond enraged, and will be writing to the City Winery with a strong complaint. I’m also going to write Mr. O’Sullivan himself. I know he’s not responsible for this, but I hold out hope that he might want to do the right thing for someone who has followed him and bought his records for more than a half-century.

Needless to say, what with the short notice and my new job, we will not be able to attend. So after two years, Gilbert will be within a few hours’ drive but we won’t be able to go and see him.

The email reiterated the no-refund policy but noted that if I email the concierge, I can have the tickets changed to someone else’s name.

So, then. If any of you are within driving distance of Nashville and would like free tickets to the show AND to dinner at the City Winery restaurant before the show, please email me and let me know, and I will notify the concierge to hold the tickets under your name. I hate to see them go to waste, because we can’t afford to just toss a few hundred dollars out the window.

~ S.K Orr