February 19, 2026 – 10 Years since my first Al Stewart concert!

I was just lamenting about how we hadn’t received much snowfall here in Omaha, and now there’s a fresh blanket at least 5 inches thick that fell this afternoon. And on Monday, it was 72 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. Ah, Midwest weather…

But that’s not what today’s entry is about. It literally occurred to me just this afternoon that tomorrow marks a whole decade since my first time seeing Al Stewart perform! I thought today was said anniversary, but upon inspecting my now very faded ticket stub from that evening, realized tomorrow was the day. I have no photos or videos from that evening, but I have plenty of memories. The show took place at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, CA. Since being introduced to his music two years earlier by my friend Dylan, I had been checking regularly for an opportunity to see Al perform, but could never find any shows in my area. Then the McCabe’s show was announced, so my Dad and I jumped on it. It was a tiny place, but perfect for an intimate show. My dad and I sat right in the front, something that became a sort of tradition of mine when attending further Al shows over the last ten years. I think the only shows of his where I wasn’t in the front row were my second show in Thousand Oaks, and on Cruise to the Edge in 2022. Those first two shows at McCabe’s and in Thousand Oaks were my only times seeing him without The Empty Pockets, who have since become special friends of mine, since I became a familiar face.

I want to say I’ve attended around 15 Al shows in the last ten years. That could be an overcount or undercount, but I know for a fact I’ve been to at least 12. I had the pleasure of meeting the man himself numerous times, some of which included extended interactions, like chatting with him before his show in Montclair, CA, joining him, his wife Jill, and fellow musician Marc Macisso for lunch on Cruise to the Edge, and receiving my first taste of (white) wine from the man himself after a show in San Juan Capistrano. Despite all those interactions, it wasn’t until the cruise that I finally got a photo of us together!