Seniors treated to social distancing concert
Houston musician John Curry was singing Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” His audience? The senior residents of The Village of the Heights, an assisted living facility in the nearnorth Houston neighborhood. About two dozen of them and staff members sat on chairs spread out in front of the building. Several more viewed the show from the balconies above. The attire was casual, although a couple residents dressed up for the occasion; a two-piece ensemble covered in a red rose pattern could be spotted in the crowd.
Curry looked the part: man bun, shades, tattoos, ripped jeans, hunched over an acoustic guitar stitched with black duct tape, his blue velvet-lined guitar case lying beside him.
“I’ve got to be honest, this is the first time I’ve played in quite a few months, so I’m super excited,” he told attendees from under the Greenwood King Properties-branded tent pitched in the parking lot.
The team at the real estate firm’s Heights location organized the concert as a way to give back during the pandemic. The staff at the retirement community told them the seniors needed new activities. They were bored, unable to go outside or receive any visitors.
“We wanted to do something for the community,” Realtor associate Cassandra Craig said. “Put smiles on faces.”
The residents enjoyed an hour of live music, with classics from the likes of The Animals and Tom Petty, as well as some John Curry originals. They gently swayed and bopped along, tapping their feet and clapping to the rhythm of the songs.
“Yeah! You’re good,” yelled staff member Theresa Pinkney from the audience, her words of encouragement slightly muffled by her face mask. She gave two enthusiastic thumbs up as if to confirm her message.
Craig said Greenwood King Properties is considering throwing more social distancingfriendly events in the future to bring cheer to people in the neighborhood, hopefully involving local musicians, who are having a tough time.
Across the street from The Village, a man sat on his porch listening to the music as he typed on a laptop. Another one paused for a few minutes on his front lawn, curious about the spectacle, before ducking in his car. Perhaps there’s interest for an encore.