Back Stage

Hot Summer Days

Has anyone else noticed how dadgum hot Austin is this summer? Now, I’m no geography whiz, but I swear I-35 is really the equator cleverly disguised as a highway. And this is coming from someone reared in scorching San Antonio, educated in boiling East Texas and further educated in the searing South. I know hot, and folks, Austin is H-O-T. Every day, I’m becoming more and more tempted to yank my car onto the shoulder of the section of Mopac bridging the Colorado River, park, and dive into the water below. Just dive right in and splash about until someone from the office comes and fishes me out.

But for those people whose brains haven’t been baked by the sun, the Frank Erwin Center offers many alternatives to cooling off rather than violating city ordinances: enjoy the air-conditioned comfort at one of the many summer shows! Catch 70s rock band Boston on August 14, Hilary Duff on August 18 and Disney on IceSM Presents Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. on August 26-29. September brings more relief from the heat with Metallica on September 3 and Incubus on September 15.

So make the short trip down I-35 a.k.a Equator Road to the Frank Erwin Center and enjoy the air-conditioned time indoors. And while we’re on the subject, I don’t know how I have survived so long in Texas. I don’t like the heat, I won’t touch barbecue and I love when the Dallas Cowboys lose. Is that bad?