Rock That Body

Yes, those are THE "flip-flops".

“I gotta feeling

That tonight’s gonna be a good night

That tonight’s gonna be a good, good night”

- Adams, William; Ferguson, Stacy; Gomez, Jaime; Guetta, David; Pineda, Allan; Riesterer, Frederick Jean. “I Gotta Feeling” Black Eyed Peas.

This spring, Black Eyed Peas tickets went on sale, and it seemed like a good idea at the time for my husband and I to go as a joint anniversary gift. The concert was for 08/03, and we’d be on the floor, general admission.

The last time I’d gone to a concert on the floor, general admission was for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1997. Before that ages me, know I was seven-years-old at the time. I was not prepared for the floor turning into a mosh pit. After getting sucked in a couple of times, my husband and I backed away from the action. We had a lot of fun, even if we weren’t moshing. I guess I was rusty from my moshing days in the 1980s (when I was in negative digits because I was so young).

The day after the concert, a coworker said he saw me from his higher seat, and teased me for avoiding the mosh pit. He lamented how he wasn't on the floor and how I’d wasted being on the floor. I was a little embarrassed.

I like the Black Eyed Peas. They’re not my favorite band, since I gravitate towards alternative music. I know their songs especially since I’ve played them so many times for my students when subbing. And I figured there’d be plenty of dancing.

This past week, I’ve been reluctant about attending the concert. A friend of mine took his teen daughter the last time they came around, so I had visions of a bunch of barely teenagers with their parents. Or maybe it would be all older teens and college students. Either way, my husband I would look out of place.

Before the concert, my husband I got dinner right by Boston Garden (or, if you’re a fan of corporate names for your stadiums, TD Banknorth Garden). To go inside, I was carded. When I ordered a drink with dinner, I my I.D. was checked again. That made me happy. Maybe I wouldn’t look so out of place.

After I got my smiley face bracelet, we got to the floor, and I realized we weren’t out of place. There was a huge mix of ages, with the majority being somewhere in their 20s. And we weren’t too far from the stage.

Once the concert began, I realized there was a runner stage down the middle, and we were very close to that. So close, I can verify that Fergie and Will.I.Am are actual human beings. And over time, as gaps opened, my husband and I edged closer and closer to the stage. The photos and video make the stage look even farther than we were.

Here’s almost the exact music list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_E.N.D._World_Tour

The only down part was when my son called (who was supposed to call only in an emergency) because my daughter missed me at tuck in time. She rarely does this. It was a LITTLE inconvenient to leave the concert to call back. My husband went out to call first. It was hard for me to appreciate when one band member got up on a motorcycle that flew across the stadium. Then my husband texted me two times because he couldn’t find me. Of course, with me being 5’3” on a good day, that was not surprising. Once he located me, he gave me the message, and then I had to leave to deal with my bawling daughter.

Suddenly, I felt much older than the typical concert attendee.

Will.I.Am did a long DJ part, with samples of Michael Jackson, Journey, Annie Lennox, Kurt Cobain, and Bush.

If I had to drink a shot, every time Will.I.Am and Fergie mentioned “Boston”, I’d have alcohol poisoning. It reminded me of the time on the TV show “The Simpsons” when a band came to play in Springfield. The singer had the name of the town written on the back of his hand, and then made fun of the neighboring town of Shelbyville. Did you see that episode?

I sang and danced and had my arm in the air. During “Where is the Love”, everyone held up their cell phones to light the room. This was much easier than in the old days when I’d burn my fingers on a lighter when the metal got too hot.

On the way out, my husband looked for a “shortcut”. He does this in parking lots when there’s gridlock, often trying behind the store. There’s almost always a dead end. This time, he found an unmarked stairwell that (of course) nobody was using.

“I don’t think is a good idea,” I said.

He ignored me. Reluctantly, I followed him, wondering if the door would open from the other side if we needed to get back out. We went down the hallway.

Just as we got to the first set of stairs, I saw a woman who said, “Don’t let the door close!”

I ran back, but it was TOO LATE. I got to the door just as it clicked shut.

The woman (who was with three other people) explained, “The door at the bottom of the stairs has a sign that the alarm will sound.”

Great.

I knew nobody would hear us if we pounded on the door we’d come from. Should we wait for someone to make the same stupid mistake as the rest of us?

My husband said, “Let’s just open the door,” and began to head down the stairs. Exchanging looks, the rest of us followed him. When we were near the door with the offending sign, my husband opened it. A piercing shriek ripped through the air, and we hurried out the door. The funny thing was, on the other side there were so many people were on the street, I don’t think anyone noticed.

Then my husband and I walked home on a beautiful night.

A half-hour later, I checked e-mail and realized how exhausted I was from dancing and singing. Maybe I am getting old for this.