50
50th show. I wanted it to be special, a celebration, a...
It all started back in February, standing in line for one of the mainstage BNL shows, when Jeff found me and we started talking. He talked about how cool it would be to have a private BNL for those who had been to 50 concerts or more. At the time, I thought, "Huh, he's talking to me like I'm already there and there's no way I have been...at least I don't think so." So I got home and relayed this and many other stories to the wife, so Terri says, "Well, how many shows have you been to?", and I, in typical guy-like fashion said, "Oh, I don't know...15, maybe 20."
So she proceeded to go through all my lj entries, my facebook entries, and my old concert tickets and came up with 49, counting cruise concerts and an in-store appearance. 49? Really?
So, I determined that the 50th show should be someplace "special", with special people, or with the special person that is my wife, or...
Then the dates started coming out oh so sporadically. Las Vegas? Nah, it's GA, I'd be standing in the hot sun waiting 6+ hours, and it would be Memorial Day weekend, which to me would equal a lot more drunks and unpleasant people to deal with. No LA show yet? San Diego? It would not have been my first choice, but at that time, it did not look like anymore dates with be forthcoming in these parts, nor did it look like any dates would be happening in the East before I went back to school at the beginning August. So...
And so, I built it up. Made my own concert shirt with a heat transfer of my ticket on the front and "Show 50" on the back. I didn't get the meet and greet because frankly, I didn't want another friggin' copy of AIGT (although I have now realized that I paid just $25 less for a second row seat and dinner without a guarantee of seeing the guys). I thought I'd meet the guys outside the buses before or after the show. They'd think it was cool that it was my 50th show and I'd maybe get a bone tossed my way during the show....Okay, are you all starting to see what's happening here?
So, I got there friggin' early because one never knows how the traffic will behave between LA and San Diego. The venue is in a hotel complex right on the harbor, and across the street are the landings were the small boats come in and out. Wandering about the complex for a bit, I decided to go across the street, sit out on the rocks and read before dinner.
That was where I met Tyler coming back and we had a nice conversation about various topics including Gloustonbury ("Are you going? That would make an excellent trip." uh thanks, uncle Ty but there was that cruise not too long ago), cottage country in Canada, among other things. And the whole time I'm trying to think of some lead-in to say it's my 50th show. He gets ready to leave and say goodbye, and I blurt something out like "Well, it's my 50th show, so I'm looking forward to a great one! See ya!" And we parted company. Good...I got it out there, so let's see.
I met up with Vic and Jeanne who are staying at the hotel and we hung out for a while. Had a great dinner and even spotted Kevin wandering just outside the venue entrance and waved "hello".
Found my seat, 2nd row on the aisle, center. The skies are beautiful.
The opening act is lost to memory, but she and her band played an entertaining set.
When they set the stage for the boys, they put the uni-mic up, front and center, which I thought was interesting. They came out and played their acoustic mini-set first, which was a nice way to warm up this sit-down crowd. But they stayed sitting down throughout, and I felt kinda forced to sit and seat dance, looking for all the world like I needed to take a serious pee the whole show. Only when they played "Pinch Me" late in the set did the crowd finally get on its feet.
With no new songs or album, the setlist was a little AIGT-deemphasized (in fact, I don't recall You Run Away being played). Stunt and Maroon songs received the most love (including TITNIFAATW). Banter was good, but now lost to memory, 3 days removed. "Brian Wilson" was actually played in the middle of the set, not the end. I felt bad for abandoning Terri yet again, so I cradled my phone hoping for Northern Lights (her favorite AIGT song), but no luck. No photos either, the venue is notoriously camera unfriendly.
And, to top it all off, I think I found myself doing my "wooo!" thing a little too loudly in between songs, either trying to coax the sitting crowd, or something else.
They were done by 10:15 (it's a hotel venue) and gone. Great show, nice setlist...but was this want I wanted for my 50th show?
Here's where I finally selfishly admit I was kinda disappointed, but looking back upon it, what was I expecting? I picked a venue I knew had a sit-down crowd (I'd been here last July), I didn't pick one that friends were going to or at a time where Terri could go with me (we kept waiting for an LA show that never materialized), I spent $$ on making a stupid shirt to emphasize my own selfish importance, and worst of all, I thought I'd get a shout out for my 50th show.
In other words, I set myself up perfectly by doing the things that I normally don't do (well, other than show up at random BNL shows by myself), and shouldn't have done in the first place. What the hell was I thinking?
So, I'm having a nice bit of humble pie right now. Packed away the shirt (originally was going to get it signed and framed on the wall, but now I'm a embarrassed at myself, so it won't see the light of day again). Now I've wrote down all thoughts and feelings about it in this entry, so now I've effectively flushed it from my system.
And hopefully, I won't let myself get into that kind of headspace ever again.
It all started back in February, standing in line for one of the mainstage BNL shows, when Jeff found me and we started talking. He talked about how cool it would be to have a private BNL for those who had been to 50 concerts or more. At the time, I thought, "Huh, he's talking to me like I'm already there and there's no way I have been...at least I don't think so." So I got home and relayed this and many other stories to the wife, so Terri says, "Well, how many shows have you been to?", and I, in typical guy-like fashion said, "Oh, I don't know...15, maybe 20."
So she proceeded to go through all my lj entries, my facebook entries, and my old concert tickets and came up with 49, counting cruise concerts and an in-store appearance. 49? Really?
So, I determined that the 50th show should be someplace "special", with special people, or with the special person that is my wife, or...
Then the dates started coming out oh so sporadically. Las Vegas? Nah, it's GA, I'd be standing in the hot sun waiting 6+ hours, and it would be Memorial Day weekend, which to me would equal a lot more drunks and unpleasant people to deal with. No LA show yet? San Diego? It would not have been my first choice, but at that time, it did not look like anymore dates with be forthcoming in these parts, nor did it look like any dates would be happening in the East before I went back to school at the beginning August. So...
And so, I built it up. Made my own concert shirt with a heat transfer of my ticket on the front and "Show 50" on the back. I didn't get the meet and greet because frankly, I didn't want another friggin' copy of AIGT (although I have now realized that I paid just $25 less for a second row seat and dinner without a guarantee of seeing the guys). I thought I'd meet the guys outside the buses before or after the show. They'd think it was cool that it was my 50th show and I'd maybe get a bone tossed my way during the show....Okay, are you all starting to see what's happening here?
So, I got there friggin' early because one never knows how the traffic will behave between LA and San Diego. The venue is in a hotel complex right on the harbor, and across the street are the landings were the small boats come in and out. Wandering about the complex for a bit, I decided to go across the street, sit out on the rocks and read before dinner.
That was where I met Tyler coming back and we had a nice conversation about various topics including Gloustonbury ("Are you going? That would make an excellent trip." uh thanks, uncle Ty but there was that cruise not too long ago), cottage country in Canada, among other things. And the whole time I'm trying to think of some lead-in to say it's my 50th show. He gets ready to leave and say goodbye, and I blurt something out like "Well, it's my 50th show, so I'm looking forward to a great one! See ya!" And we parted company. Good...I got it out there, so let's see.
I met up with Vic and Jeanne who are staying at the hotel and we hung out for a while. Had a great dinner and even spotted Kevin wandering just outside the venue entrance and waved "hello".
Found my seat, 2nd row on the aisle, center. The skies are beautiful.
The opening act is lost to memory, but she and her band played an entertaining set.
When they set the stage for the boys, they put the uni-mic up, front and center, which I thought was interesting. They came out and played their acoustic mini-set first, which was a nice way to warm up this sit-down crowd. But they stayed sitting down throughout, and I felt kinda forced to sit and seat dance, looking for all the world like I needed to take a serious pee the whole show. Only when they played "Pinch Me" late in the set did the crowd finally get on its feet.
With no new songs or album, the setlist was a little AIGT-deemphasized (in fact, I don't recall You Run Away being played). Stunt and Maroon songs received the most love (including TITNIFAATW). Banter was good, but now lost to memory, 3 days removed. "Brian Wilson" was actually played in the middle of the set, not the end. I felt bad for abandoning Terri yet again, so I cradled my phone hoping for Northern Lights (her favorite AIGT song), but no luck. No photos either, the venue is notoriously camera unfriendly.
And, to top it all off, I think I found myself doing my "wooo!" thing a little too loudly in between songs, either trying to coax the sitting crowd, or something else.
They were done by 10:15 (it's a hotel venue) and gone. Great show, nice setlist...but was this want I wanted for my 50th show?
Here's where I finally selfishly admit I was kinda disappointed, but looking back upon it, what was I expecting? I picked a venue I knew had a sit-down crowd (I'd been here last July), I didn't pick one that friends were going to or at a time where Terri could go with me (we kept waiting for an LA show that never materialized), I spent $$ on making a stupid shirt to emphasize my own selfish importance, and worst of all, I thought I'd get a shout out for my 50th show.
In other words, I set myself up perfectly by doing the things that I normally don't do (well, other than show up at random BNL shows by myself), and shouldn't have done in the first place. What the hell was I thinking?
So, I'm having a nice bit of humble pie right now. Packed away the shirt (originally was going to get it signed and framed on the wall, but now I'm a embarrassed at myself, so it won't see the light of day again). Now I've wrote down all thoughts and feelings about it in this entry, so now I've effectively flushed it from my system.
And hopefully, I won't let myself get into that kind of headspace ever again.