Old Crow John Snow.

As I was winding down another Friday, dreading the commute from Sandy Springs to Decatur, there was an unexpected development. My cell phone rang and it was my friend, Al.

She said she had an extra Avett Brothers ticket and wanted to know if I could join her. There are some things in life that are no brainers. This was one of those things.

The concert was at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta. I have to say, I was impressed with this venue. Lots of wide-open seating and ample parking. Parking is always my major hangup with Chastain Park Amphitheater in Buckhead. I usually don’t like to end my concerts by randomly rolling into a stranger’s driveway so I can make a U-Turn.

Verizon also has another wonderful feature: a roof! It rained all around us but we were shielded by an architect’s outside-the-box idea of putting something in between us and the rain. We have the technology. We never have to get rained on at an outdoor concert ever again, people. Tell all the architects you know. This is important.

Old Crow Medicine show opened, but I think I would’ve appreciated them at a more intimate venue. The Avett Brothers were amazing. I have to say that I’ve never seen people rock out to bluegrass. I’ve seen people roll their eyes to bluegrass and cover their ears while someone’s playing it, but rocking? No.

I jumped in place and danced like I was beaten up in middle school, which is true. I will say there is one Avett brother who is considerably better groomed than his shaggy, may-not-be-employable sibling. I’ll let you make that determination for yourself, but whatever, it works. Then at the end of it, they proceeded to rock out. It was as if they said, “Hey, we love that you dig our bluegrass-folk-gospel fusion music, but we wanted to make you aware that we can also tear it up. Just good to keep in mind.”

We rolled back into Decatur at 1 a.m. I’ve been meaning to mention this, so now is as good a time as any. Decatur, you don’t have late night dining options, save for Victory Sandwich. Don’t get me wrong, Victory is awesome. We went there, ate amazing food, spent surprisingly little money and the customers weren’t obnoxious or anything. Is there simply no other restaurant owner that sees a market for this?

The only other option is going into the Taco Mac across from the CVS, which is literally like stepping into some bad novelist’s dystopia.

One of the things I enjoy about Victory is their Jack and Coke slushy. Pro tip: get them to toss a shot of Fireball in there. You’re welcome. 🙂

I also like the slushy machine because it’s a source of perpetual disappointment for children who think it might be some delicious desert. If you want to find a place in Decatur where you can hear a parent telling their child “no,” this is the place.

When I was a kid, I used to think my dad’s coffee was hot chocolate. Then he let me try it one day and I thought it was the worst hot chocolate I’d ever had in my life and they needed to fire the moron who concocted it. I expect I would’ve liked the Jack and Coke Slushy if I were allowed to try it at 10. Then again, I’d probably have grown up in a foster home after that.

I am glad I remembered Victory had moved to town so I could get something delicious at 1 a.m. I hope Decatur gets outs and supports them. They are providing a public service.