I get to see Dave and the other guys in We Banjo 3 tomorrow!! (Well, tonight now) and then every night in a row though Sunday night in Minneapolis!!!!

I don't have anything else to say -- I'm just really happy and excited to see them. Doesn't even bother me that much that I don't have guaranteed hugs at every night since they're not doing free meet and greets after the show (as they've done from the start of their career as indie musicians from Galway Ireland) due to Covid-19 and not wanting to be a path of spreading it. Honest, I'm not worried about me getting sick, but I'd hate to know that I was asymptomatic and spread it to someone who died from it -- and I know all four of those guys well enough to know they'd feel absolutely gutted if they were guilty of that. So I'd rather not have the meet and greets right now and not get sweaty Irish hugs every time I see them for the duration that it's a real possibility they could be stuck living with that on their conscience. And right now, with covid-19, for at risk people it's a real possibility...and so not hugging people and being a vector to infect an elderly fan or one with comorbidity factors you don't know is the responsible thing and I'll forego something makes me happy for that reason. (it's my personal belief from the science and the anecdotal timing of everyone getting sick with these exact symptoms that it's been in the US since early January if not late December. Which means it's already here, just not been properly testing for it. if i had a sore throat or any of the symptoms right now, i'd not be touching anything that could be a vector for getting anyone else sick -- just in case. i'm actually on self imposed quarantine from helping my grandma with her errands for 2 weeks following my trip to Kirkland where it's known to have been.) 

And also, I know that as soon as it's safe to do so, they'll go right back to giving every fan the attention of truly seeing them to thank them by whatever hugs, signatures, and selfies the fans desire. It's their way of saying thank you for being there for them and giving them their entire life and supporting their livelihood so they can spread the message they're trying to spread. That's the POINT of free meet and greets for EVERY ticket purchaser after the show -- it's to say "thank you for supporting us so we could do this" to EVERY fan and not just those who can afford to pay you more than the original ticket for the honor of being in your presence. (Paid meet and greets are elitest bullshit scams to make money, NOT a way of thanking the fans. They're a way to extort money by giving someone an ego boost that they're "better" than the average fans because they're willing to spend more money.  It's about the ego and competition, not about genuine gratitude or love. And as a fan and someone who has worked with indie bands since I was 17, I will never change my mind on this. Ever.)

Anyway. I don't have guaranteed hugs after every show across these five days and that's alright. I still know they love me and that as soon as it's safe to do so, there will be hugs for me and everyone else who loves them and their music enough to make their livelihoods possible. I can forego hugs now knowing that it will mean more hugs and better hugs later.  I'm just excited and happy to get to see them again so soon and to have 5 nights of seeing them in a row to look forward to! Then I'll see them next on March 21 in St. Louis (I have Aoife O'Donovan tickets at Stoughton Opera House on the 20th, and then driving down to St. Louis afterward to get to spend the day there before the WB3 show.) And then I don't think I have plans to see them til July when they'll be back in Chicago. At least as far as I know at this time, there are no plans to see them in between. But I could be wrong..