Friday evening started out with a trip to the Library of Congress to see a performance by Antares -- a quartet with piano, cello, violin, and clarinet. The amazing part about concerts like the one Michael and I attended on Friday is that they are all free! All you have to pay is the Ticketmaster charge of $7.50 for two tickets. I really enjoyed the pieces that they chose for the concert -- all very different -- some ultra modern, and some more traditional pieces. The guest soprano who sang during one of the songs was also very talented. I definitely plan on attending more of these free concerts as interesting ones come available on the Library of Congress schedule.
The second musical event of the weekend was Shamrock Fest, a festival with everything Irish and a bunch of non-Irish stuff, too. They had a bunch of stages with Irish-esque bands and Irish dancing, a bunch of food/drink stands, carnival rides, a lady on a unicycle, and vendor pavilions.Michael got a VIP ticket -- with unlimited "good" beer (Guinness, etc) -- and I got a regular ticket since I don't like beer. I had a really fun time listening to the music, laughing at all the debauchery and drunk people, and eating a tasty crab cake sandwich. Yes, I bought seafood from a food stand, and I did not get sick. That is a very good thing. It was also nice because I got to hang out with some friends I had not seen in quite a long time. One of my friends from high school, Josh, was also there for the concert with a friend, so I hung out with them for a while. Then my friend from college, Caitlin, came with her boyfriend, and we had a great time catching up. Events like Shamrock Fest are always much more fun when you get to share them with old friends.
