Even without the Cuervo Gold and the fine Columbian, Saturday night was a wonderful thing.

I spent an evening with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker in an amphitheater with incredible ambiance and enjoyed a great concert. How many other bands could open and close a show with the same song (more on that later)?

A few months ago, a friend saw Steely Dan perform in Orange Beach. It was such a great concert, she started looking the next morning for a way to see them again. Memphis was sold out. Atlanta was in.

So Saturday morning, I set out for points east. On a side note, don’t always trust internet maps and Atlanta has way too many streets with Peach or Peachtree in them. I got slightly disoriented but was never lost. I KNEW where I was. I just didn’t know where the hotel was.

About an hour before the concert, Luanne and I headed out to find Chastain Park. We followed the signs and then just followed the car in front to find somewhere to park in the wooded countryside. As we left the car, we noticed people hauling coolers toward the theater. I thought it was strange but plodded on.

The lady at the gate scanned our tickets and commented on my Polygamy Porter T-shirt. Soon we found ourselves in a wonderful arena. Located in the middle of a park among statuesque old trees, the amphitheater is like nothing I have even seen. Stone terraces. Nice wide aisles. Metal seats. A visually pleasing elliptical shape curving gracefully up the opposing hillside.

But as we made our way across the arena to our assigned seats, we started to notice all the coolers again. Not only did they allow you to bring in your own food into the arena, you could bring adult beverages. The lax attitude helped create a laid back vibe. Just a glance around and we saw plenty of TV trays, food and not only bottles of wine but actual glass wine glasses. A couple in front of us brought baked fish and rice pilaf and real metal flatware. The lighters of 80s rock concerts were replaced with votive candles on the TV trays.

A jazz combo serenaded the informed masses as they ate. We depended on the kindness of the strangers next to us. I felt like a stray cat who showed up uninvited at a door as our kind neighbors fed us pretzel sticks and pimento cheese on crackers.

Soon, Fagen ambled out, sat center stage behind an array of keyboards and started playing.

“Your everlasting summer, you can see it fading fast.”

The lyrics were familiar but something just didn’t seem right. It took a while to figure out he had changed not only the tempo but the rhythm of “Reeling in the Years.” Knowing Fagen’s jazz roots, it wasn’t that strange.

After two hours of songs I knew almost by heart — and just one whiff of not so fine Columbian in the air — Fagen, Becker, the eight-man band and the three backup singers returned for the encore.

“I had a request for the original version of Reeling in the Years,” was all Fagen said. The crowd erupted and 6,000 people started singing the classic right along with him.

The busy weekend was capped with a late lunch Sunday at The Varsity, the world’s largest drive-in. Located right across from Georgia Tech, it covers two acres and can handle 600 cars plus another 800 people inside. The order counter has to be 60 feet wide. Even at 3 p.m., the place was packed.

It wasn’t the healthiest meal I have eaten in a while but it was by far the best tasting. I mean, how can you go wrong with a chili dog, chili cheeseburger and a huge pile of fresh made and deep fried onion rings?