And Maybe, We Were Made, We Were Made For Each Other.
I was driving home just a few minutes ago and I was listening to a CD that I made that has a bunch of MP3's, about 20 of the songs on the CD were the Jack's Mannequin show from that wonderful Valentines day show, 2007. I got to the last two songs on the CD, "MFEO", part one is "Made For Each Other" and part two is "You Can Breathe." No two other songs could ever have as much meaning as these two. The adage is that a picture is worth a thousand words, but for me, it seems that music has always had more meaning. A song crystallizes in my memory and can bring me back to a particular place, time, moment or feeling. I got a little choked up when I was listening, because it brought be back to that night, and well, that probably was NOT the best thing to do while driving. Either way, I made it home safe and sound as you can tell.
I finished last talking about the drive to The Pageant with Libby and Dave, Alana-less. It was a cold fucking night. So when we got there, we go into the place and after being in there about 10 or so minutes, I sneak out to "try and sell the other ticket." What I was really trying to do was meet the road manager for Head Automatica. Because the original plan was to try and get it mentioned while Head Automatica was on stage. I thought it would be easier for them instead of Jack's Mannequin. I had sent an e-mail to both bands with no response of course, so I knew this was my last shot. I discussed my plight with the two ticket ladies up front and they allowed me to come back in and out, which most places that use Ticketmaster usually don't because they are cocks like that. But these women were really cool, and I showed them the ring and everything, they were nice. I also talked to the security guard back behind the doors of the backstage about what I was trying to accomplish and he helped all he could but that was very little. So instead I was waiting outside in the LOW single digit, nearly zero degrees like 1 or 2 and with a wind chill of well under zero and close to double negative temperatures. This wouldn't be such a bad thing except Libby had my big grey coat inside with her and we put it in the coat check. That is one thing that I think Dallas needs. In the winter it can get cold enough to warrant a big jacket or coat, but you don't want to hold onto it when you are at a show or club, all I am saying is that it was very handy. Anyway, so I will describe what I was wearing, hot yes, I know: Jeans with no longjohns or anything, a white undershirt as always, a blue long sleeve shirt of libby's and my light blue Polo. I also had on Libby's LIGHT (in substance) brown jacket. Sounds like a lot, BUT IT WAS FUCKING NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES! I was freezing. Pacing back and forth to get warmth, all the while talking to Ben to stay sane and keep me on track. After about 20 minutes, nearly frostbitten (not really) I saw a guy from a band, We Are The Fury I think, and I ask him for dire help, show the ring, the whole spiel. That actually works for me. He does what he can, talks to Head Automatica's road manager and lets me get backstage!
I am thawing out backstage waiting to talk to HA's road manager and I spot the guys from the band since they are about to go on. I can kinda see Daryl, but he is so far towards the stage I could not get close without getting tackled I am sure. He is really who I would have loved to talk to, but I know that would prove to be an improbability. After a few minutes I talk to the guy, quickly let him know what I am trying to do and all he says over and over is there is absolutely no time and then I ask if I can speak with someone from the band. It was all a blur really, all I can remember is my heart beating faster and faster and seeing the one chance I had to make it special slip away. After that I am ushered out and thrust back into the cold. I had failed in my attempt, and again, felt it could not be salvaged. My plans in order were Jacks Mannequin during "MFEO" trying to get a mention or get onstage, then HA druing "Beating Heart Baby", just during "MFEO" while they are performing and the last chance was at the Gateway Arch the next day. I had written to a radio show asking for advice on whether or not a public proposal was cool or not, and the two hosts said no, but said that it was also gay to do it on Valentines Day. I thought it sweet, and it is all the romance I have really, so I made the executive decision to go ahead with plan C. Once I knew that was the definite plan, I head back inside, heart beating faster still, heartbeat, probably a steady 90.
The nice ticket ladies talk to me for a little bit and are saddened that I could not get to talk to the band. I head back in and find Dave and Libby. It was another great Head Automatica set, and while I vaguely remember it, I know it was good and quite long as their show the night before had been. I love that they played a longer set, I felt they owed us that for the long trip. Heart rate 100... the setup for Jack's Mannequin had begun and I knew the moment was nearing. Though I knew it would be at the end of the show, I could feel the pressure growing. Did she know what I had planned, or suspect that I was going to propose? Could I muster the courage? These were soon to be answered. Andrew McMahon takes stage, starts with "Holiday from Real", same as the night before. He has always been a genius in my book and one of the best songwriters ever, plus a reason why I moved here, and also Jack's Mannequin was the first national act Libby and I had seen together, so it was all starting to come to shape. (that was a hella run on sentence) By the time they had gotten to the second straight night of an acoustic "Punk Rock Princess" and "Message in a Bottle" by the Police, only Dave's hilarity calmed me down. He yelled out about Punk Rock Princess: "If you're gonna play a Something Corporate song, don't play a shity acoustic of Punk Rock Princess!" And said about the cover: "If You're gonna play a cover, Don't play the Police! And if you play the Police, Don't play "Message in Bottle!" But that was right before the moment. As soon as "Message in a Bottle" was completed, they started to play the opening chords for "MFEO: Made for Each Other." It was time, the time for me to become a man, and take that final step. Purchasing the ring and trying like hell to do it how I wanted was almost not enough to convince me really, because by now, my heart rate had to be at least 120. It is not as though I did not know they answer, but it was still hard to do it in public and just get the courage to do it in general.
So I started taking deep breaths, one after another, handed the camera to Dave, and got the ring into my hand out of the box. At this point I put my arms around her, held her as close as I could and just started saying things from the heart, about the show, the trip, the whole relationship, just trying to set the stage. As Andrew began to belt out the beautiful lyrics to the song, each word was a reminder why this was the perfect moment. Then, before I knew it, I tell her to turn around, and I go down on one knee. I looked up from the floor of the Pageant, and she looked so beautiful, angelic from that angle. The obvious came after that, but that image of her beauty and my question are intrinsically captured in this image.
Our camera was jacked up because Libby had dropped it, so the lens was really out of focus, but Dave got the best picture he could. It was the best possible moment of my life (at the time, since this writing, I am now married and that was better) but to that point, nothing could have topped it. It was perfect in every way I hoped it would be. She had no clue, so that was great, I did it how I wanted to, eventually, and just the moment and now the song are forever united together in our history as a couple and in each other, just as our hearts as one. I felt we are truly "Made for Each Other" and we even had engraved on our rings. To top it off, it was the first song we danced to at our wedding played by Smile Smile. It was amazing.
Few people knew what was going on around them, and the ones that did just looked and didn't really say anything. It didn't cause a big scene, and that was good because it just left us there in the moment.
When I tried to get up, I was so weak in the knees because of the moment, and required her hand to help me up. I could be gay and say that is a metaphor for our relationship, and I might as well because that sounds good, but really, I needed the help. As we walked out of the show, I showed the two ladies up front that I did it and then we headed out the door, newly betrothed. I don't remember too much else about the night except for the two or so hour sex marathon that Dave claims to have heard, though I swear he could not have unless he was right up against the wall listening, that perv. All I know is that when I laid down to sleep, for the first time in my life, it was not next to my girlfriend, but my fiance.
If you want to listen to the "MFEO" from that show, you can download it at this sendspce link.
I finished last talking about the drive to The Pageant with Libby and Dave, Alana-less. It was a cold fucking night. So when we got there, we go into the place and after being in there about 10 or so minutes, I sneak out to "try and sell the other ticket." What I was really trying to do was meet the road manager for Head Automatica. Because the original plan was to try and get it mentioned while Head Automatica was on stage. I thought it would be easier for them instead of Jack's Mannequin. I had sent an e-mail to both bands with no response of course, so I knew this was my last shot. I discussed my plight with the two ticket ladies up front and they allowed me to come back in and out, which most places that use Ticketmaster usually don't because they are cocks like that. But these women were really cool, and I showed them the ring and everything, they were nice. I also talked to the security guard back behind the doors of the backstage about what I was trying to accomplish and he helped all he could but that was very little. So instead I was waiting outside in the LOW single digit, nearly zero degrees like 1 or 2 and with a wind chill of well under zero and close to double negative temperatures. This wouldn't be such a bad thing except Libby had my big grey coat inside with her and we put it in the coat check. That is one thing that I think Dallas needs. In the winter it can get cold enough to warrant a big jacket or coat, but you don't want to hold onto it when you are at a show or club, all I am saying is that it was very handy. Anyway, so I will describe what I was wearing, hot yes, I know: Jeans with no longjohns or anything, a white undershirt as always, a blue long sleeve shirt of libby's and my light blue Polo. I also had on Libby's LIGHT (in substance) brown jacket. Sounds like a lot, BUT IT WAS FUCKING NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES! I was freezing. Pacing back and forth to get warmth, all the while talking to Ben to stay sane and keep me on track. After about 20 minutes, nearly frostbitten (not really) I saw a guy from a band, We Are The Fury I think, and I ask him for dire help, show the ring, the whole spiel. That actually works for me. He does what he can, talks to Head Automatica's road manager and lets me get backstage!
I am thawing out backstage waiting to talk to HA's road manager and I spot the guys from the band since they are about to go on. I can kinda see Daryl, but he is so far towards the stage I could not get close without getting tackled I am sure. He is really who I would have loved to talk to, but I know that would prove to be an improbability. After a few minutes I talk to the guy, quickly let him know what I am trying to do and all he says over and over is there is absolutely no time and then I ask if I can speak with someone from the band. It was all a blur really, all I can remember is my heart beating faster and faster and seeing the one chance I had to make it special slip away. After that I am ushered out and thrust back into the cold. I had failed in my attempt, and again, felt it could not be salvaged. My plans in order were Jacks Mannequin during "MFEO" trying to get a mention or get onstage, then HA druing "Beating Heart Baby", just during "MFEO" while they are performing and the last chance was at the Gateway Arch the next day. I had written to a radio show asking for advice on whether or not a public proposal was cool or not, and the two hosts said no, but said that it was also gay to do it on Valentines Day. I thought it sweet, and it is all the romance I have really, so I made the executive decision to go ahead with plan C. Once I knew that was the definite plan, I head back inside, heart beating faster still, heartbeat, probably a steady 90.
The nice ticket ladies talk to me for a little bit and are saddened that I could not get to talk to the band. I head back in and find Dave and Libby. It was another great Head Automatica set, and while I vaguely remember it, I know it was good and quite long as their show the night before had been. I love that they played a longer set, I felt they owed us that for the long trip. Heart rate 100... the setup for Jack's Mannequin had begun and I knew the moment was nearing. Though I knew it would be at the end of the show, I could feel the pressure growing. Did she know what I had planned, or suspect that I was going to propose? Could I muster the courage? These were soon to be answered. Andrew McMahon takes stage, starts with "Holiday from Real", same as the night before. He has always been a genius in my book and one of the best songwriters ever, plus a reason why I moved here, and also Jack's Mannequin was the first national act Libby and I had seen together, so it was all starting to come to shape. (that was a hella run on sentence) By the time they had gotten to the second straight night of an acoustic "Punk Rock Princess" and "Message in a Bottle" by the Police, only Dave's hilarity calmed me down. He yelled out about Punk Rock Princess: "If you're gonna play a Something Corporate song, don't play a shity acoustic of Punk Rock Princess!" And said about the cover: "If You're gonna play a cover, Don't play the Police! And if you play the Police, Don't play "Message in Bottle!" But that was right before the moment. As soon as "Message in a Bottle" was completed, they started to play the opening chords for "MFEO: Made for Each Other." It was time, the time for me to become a man, and take that final step. Purchasing the ring and trying like hell to do it how I wanted was almost not enough to convince me really, because by now, my heart rate had to be at least 120. It is not as though I did not know they answer, but it was still hard to do it in public and just get the courage to do it in general.
So I started taking deep breaths, one after another, handed the camera to Dave, and got the ring into my hand out of the box. At this point I put my arms around her, held her as close as I could and just started saying things from the heart, about the show, the trip, the whole relationship, just trying to set the stage. As Andrew began to belt out the beautiful lyrics to the song, each word was a reminder why this was the perfect moment. Then, before I knew it, I tell her to turn around, and I go down on one knee. I looked up from the floor of the Pageant, and she looked so beautiful, angelic from that angle. The obvious came after that, but that image of her beauty and my question are intrinsically captured in this image.
Our camera was jacked up because Libby had dropped it, so the lens was really out of focus, but Dave got the best picture he could. It was the best possible moment of my life (at the time, since this writing, I am now married and that was better) but to that point, nothing could have topped it. It was perfect in every way I hoped it would be. She had no clue, so that was great, I did it how I wanted to, eventually, and just the moment and now the song are forever united together in our history as a couple and in each other, just as our hearts as one. I felt we are truly "Made for Each Other" and we even had engraved on our rings. To top it off, it was the first song we danced to at our wedding played by Smile Smile. It was amazing.
Few people knew what was going on around them, and the ones that did just looked and didn't really say anything. It didn't cause a big scene, and that was good because it just left us there in the moment.
When I tried to get up, I was so weak in the knees because of the moment, and required her hand to help me up. I could be gay and say that is a metaphor for our relationship, and I might as well because that sounds good, but really, I needed the help. As we walked out of the show, I showed the two ladies up front that I did it and then we headed out the door, newly betrothed. I don't remember too much else about the night except for the two or so hour sex marathon that Dave claims to have heard, though I swear he could not have unless he was right up against the wall listening, that perv. All I know is that when I laid down to sleep, for the first time in my life, it was not next to my girlfriend, but my fiance.
If you want to listen to the "MFEO" from that show, you can download it at this sendspce link.