[live shows] The B-52's at the Fillmore Philly, Sun. 10/30/16
I was so excited to go see the B-52's! I got tickets on Groupon with my friend Eric. And then my Groupon order didn't go through and I didn't find out until the Friday before the concert, and I had to buy a new ticket full price at the last minute, but that was okay, because B-52's!
Eric and I met up at a bar called Barcade at 5 for dinner. We had tacos: there was a mushroom taco and a seitan/vegan taco, and both were delicious, and we also had nachos. There was a delicious dessert, too. But there were also many beers. I had four beers that I am sure of, four large craft-brewed high alcohol content beers, and also one glass of pinot grigio that disappeared far too quickly. Hence I can picture the dessert but can't tell you what it was called, for I was already far gone in beerland by the time it arrived. And after dessert, Eric and I had fun, for Barcade is not only a bar, it is an arcade full of lots of old games. We played Ms. Pacman (a fun multiplayer version where you try to eat each other) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Q-bert, and the one with the little bartender sliding beers down the bar to angry customers. I rocked at Ms. P and the bartender game; Eric rocked Q-bert, and we both flailed at Ninja Turtles.
After Barcade, we headed to the Fillmore, which was only a block or so away. Here is where my night gets hazy. I've never been to the Fillmore before but I can only really tell you that it is a large venue with a large bar. (I think I only had water there, but my credit card shows a $22 charge, so perhaps I bought Eric a drink.) Eric got a B-52's T-shirt, but they didn't have any shirts that I wanted (because I like the girly fit shirts rather than traditional T-shirts) so I abstained. The opener for the show was DJ Robert Drake playing an 80s dance party, but it wasn't particularly dancey or partyish, so Eric and I sat and watched people come in, in their costumes, because there was a costume contest (I did not dress up; Eric had an inflatable costume that transformed him into a bunch of grapes. It was hilarious). Soon some friends of Eric's arrived: Kat, a lovely girl in a vintage dress, and Bobby, whose face was painted with dripping blood and looked like his skin had been peeled off. We spent the evening telling him how gross he looked.
When the B-52's finally went on, my beers had hit me to the degree that I was almost too drunk to see straight. I remember that Cindy was within my eyeline (left side of the stage) and was dressed in an angel costume, with huge silvery wings and a halo. Fred was center stage in a dress, and Kate on the right side, but I don't think I ever got a clear look at her. They sounded great. I remember hearing "Deadbeat Club", one of my all-time favorite songs of theirs, and of course "Love Shack" and "Rock Lobster". Now I'm looking at the setlist and discovering a lot: they opened with "Cosmic Thing", which I do vaguely remember, and I also remember hearing "Is That You, Mo-Dean?" which I was excited about. I definitely missed "Roam", which is sad - I must have been in the bathroom because I would have wanted to hear that - and I think I missed at least some of "Channel Z". There were apparently four encore songs, the only one of which I remembered was "Rock Lobster", so I think I must've been in the bathroom again for "Planet Claire". (I was in the bathroom for normal reasons: I was falling-down drunk, but never, thankfully, throwing-up drunk, and Kat like a good friend to an older stranger accompanied me to the bathroom each time). I remember thinking during the show that I was unhappy to be so drunk, and that I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been, and had been able to see the stage clearly, but I did have a really good time; I remember dancing a lot, with Eric and Kat and Bobby, and being so excited when they played my favorite songs.
After the show, we took our time heading out because we figured a lot of people would all be calling for Uber rides at the same time. We walked a little way away from the Fillmore together, and Eric called an Uber for Kat and Bobby. Then Eric simultaneously summoned a Lyft for the two of us (I didn't even know you could do that). Our Lyft driver was a big kind black guy named Jeremiah who works with troubled juveniles in the afternoons and evenings and then drives at night. We had a really nice talk as he drove us first to Eric's house in South Philly and then took me home. I got home safely, and though I tried to be quiet, I'm sure I woke F up as I got myself ready for bed. I was in bed at 12:20 or so and asleep shortly after.
Monday morning was a little rough. After I was up so late, my little one crawled in with me at 6:15. I was actually still drunk at the time, so we had a sweet snuggle, and my hangover didn't hit me until after my shower. After F & f left for work and school, I checked my work email and followed up on some things before going back to bed. An extra couple hours in bed, coupled with a walk to get my phone fixed (note: phone being broken was not related to concert stupidity, but rather just to general life stupidity, as I dropped it in the toilet on Friday morning), was a big help, and I was back on my feet in time for Halloween night, thankfully. Not at my best, but I was able to tromp around the neighborhood and enjoy Freya's joy.
Ultimately, there was definitely at least one beer I shouldn't have had, probably two, and I would have been a better dance buddy and enjoyed the concert more if I'd had more restraint. I'm old enough to know better, and I was feeling really ashamed of myself and angry at myself - Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and my actions at the concert really could have affected my ability to enjoy the holiday. I only get so many of these while she's little, and I want to be fully present for all of them. So I think a big part of feeling rough the next day was emotional rather than physical. I think I probably have to do something really stupid every once in a while, and this was my stupid thing. That said, I did have a really good time! And I'm glad I wrote this all out, because now I see that I remember way more of the evening than I'd thought I did.
Eric and I met up at a bar called Barcade at 5 for dinner. We had tacos: there was a mushroom taco and a seitan/vegan taco, and both were delicious, and we also had nachos. There was a delicious dessert, too. But there were also many beers. I had four beers that I am sure of, four large craft-brewed high alcohol content beers, and also one glass of pinot grigio that disappeared far too quickly. Hence I can picture the dessert but can't tell you what it was called, for I was already far gone in beerland by the time it arrived. And after dessert, Eric and I had fun, for Barcade is not only a bar, it is an arcade full of lots of old games. We played Ms. Pacman (a fun multiplayer version where you try to eat each other) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Q-bert, and the one with the little bartender sliding beers down the bar to angry customers. I rocked at Ms. P and the bartender game; Eric rocked Q-bert, and we both flailed at Ninja Turtles.
After Barcade, we headed to the Fillmore, which was only a block or so away. Here is where my night gets hazy. I've never been to the Fillmore before but I can only really tell you that it is a large venue with a large bar. (I think I only had water there, but my credit card shows a $22 charge, so perhaps I bought Eric a drink.) Eric got a B-52's T-shirt, but they didn't have any shirts that I wanted (because I like the girly fit shirts rather than traditional T-shirts) so I abstained. The opener for the show was DJ Robert Drake playing an 80s dance party, but it wasn't particularly dancey or partyish, so Eric and I sat and watched people come in, in their costumes, because there was a costume contest (I did not dress up; Eric had an inflatable costume that transformed him into a bunch of grapes. It was hilarious). Soon some friends of Eric's arrived: Kat, a lovely girl in a vintage dress, and Bobby, whose face was painted with dripping blood and looked like his skin had been peeled off. We spent the evening telling him how gross he looked.
When the B-52's finally went on, my beers had hit me to the degree that I was almost too drunk to see straight. I remember that Cindy was within my eyeline (left side of the stage) and was dressed in an angel costume, with huge silvery wings and a halo. Fred was center stage in a dress, and Kate on the right side, but I don't think I ever got a clear look at her. They sounded great. I remember hearing "Deadbeat Club", one of my all-time favorite songs of theirs, and of course "Love Shack" and "Rock Lobster". Now I'm looking at the setlist and discovering a lot: they opened with "Cosmic Thing", which I do vaguely remember, and I also remember hearing "Is That You, Mo-Dean?" which I was excited about. I definitely missed "Roam", which is sad - I must have been in the bathroom because I would have wanted to hear that - and I think I missed at least some of "Channel Z". There were apparently four encore songs, the only one of which I remembered was "Rock Lobster", so I think I must've been in the bathroom again for "Planet Claire". (I was in the bathroom for normal reasons: I was falling-down drunk, but never, thankfully, throwing-up drunk, and Kat like a good friend to an older stranger accompanied me to the bathroom each time). I remember thinking during the show that I was unhappy to be so drunk, and that I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been, and had been able to see the stage clearly, but I did have a really good time; I remember dancing a lot, with Eric and Kat and Bobby, and being so excited when they played my favorite songs.
After the show, we took our time heading out because we figured a lot of people would all be calling for Uber rides at the same time. We walked a little way away from the Fillmore together, and Eric called an Uber for Kat and Bobby. Then Eric simultaneously summoned a Lyft for the two of us (I didn't even know you could do that). Our Lyft driver was a big kind black guy named Jeremiah who works with troubled juveniles in the afternoons and evenings and then drives at night. We had a really nice talk as he drove us first to Eric's house in South Philly and then took me home. I got home safely, and though I tried to be quiet, I'm sure I woke F up as I got myself ready for bed. I was in bed at 12:20 or so and asleep shortly after.
Monday morning was a little rough. After I was up so late, my little one crawled in with me at 6:15. I was actually still drunk at the time, so we had a sweet snuggle, and my hangover didn't hit me until after my shower. After F & f left for work and school, I checked my work email and followed up on some things before going back to bed. An extra couple hours in bed, coupled with a walk to get my phone fixed (note: phone being broken was not related to concert stupidity, but rather just to general life stupidity, as I dropped it in the toilet on Friday morning), was a big help, and I was back on my feet in time for Halloween night, thankfully. Not at my best, but I was able to tromp around the neighborhood and enjoy Freya's joy.
Ultimately, there was definitely at least one beer I shouldn't have had, probably two, and I would have been a better dance buddy and enjoyed the concert more if I'd had more restraint. I'm old enough to know better, and I was feeling really ashamed of myself and angry at myself - Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and my actions at the concert really could have affected my ability to enjoy the holiday. I only get so many of these while she's little, and I want to be fully present for all of them. So I think a big part of feeling rough the next day was emotional rather than physical. I think I probably have to do something really stupid every once in a while, and this was my stupid thing. That said, I did have a really good time! And I'm glad I wrote this all out, because now I see that I remember way more of the evening than I'd thought I did.