Wednesday, August 4, 2010

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.


41 comments:

  1. Huh... Cell phones? That actually sounds really neat. I can actually picture a sea of sweeping LCD screens, tiny pixelated pulsars piled one on top of another!

    According to wiki, on average the members of Black Eyed Peas are thirty-five... Shrug.

    I've never been to an event like that. Sounds like you had fun, minor setbacks set aside.

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  2. Teresa, I can't find a contact link for you on the blog. I jumped over from this blog:

    http://bit.ly/9K46qz

    Where Nicole is reviewing a kidlit book. Check out the publisher and if you like them and think your ms. would fit their focus, they are accepting submissions right now at info@littlepicklepress.com Also there is another blog book tour coming up that is more teacher-oriented and your blog would be a great host for them. Thanks and sorry to post in an unrelated thread!

    Dani
    http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com

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  3. Oh I am envious!! Envious!! Green with it even!!

    Oh but you look so young in your pic and should be ID'ed!!! Lovely!!!

    Glad your daughter was ok - and great your hubby found you. And best of all was your fab escape at the end!! It pays to be a little daring sometimes even past 30 hehhehe!- to have that youthful exuberance to just go for it you know??

    Oh but one can't help the aching bones and tiredness later - that really is age!

    Glad you had a great time, thanks for sharing!

    Take care
    x

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  4. Would love to see them too, don't think you're too old!

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  5. @ Alesa, if you watch the last video, you can see the lit cell phones in action.

    @ Dani, thank you so much for this information. I'll check out the links.

    @ Old Kitty, sorry! They just finished their European tour. Did they play near you? You should see them next time.

    I like your phrased "youthful exuberance". That's what we've got!

    @ Words A Day, I hope you get to see them. The concert was a lot of fun.

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  6. I've never been to a concert, and I know one day I need to put my aversion to crowds on the back-burner JUST ONCE so I can at least say that I've been to one; they do sound like a lot of fun.

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  7. I had watched it, but I try not to let reality interfere with my imaginings, even if in this case the reality looked pretty neat. : j

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  8. You're never too old!!

    Sounds like you had a good time! :)

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  9. So funny how our kids can bring us back to earth! And you look great in the photo!

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  10. Sounds like a good time, though.

    I laughed about your husband and short-cuts. Mine always does this and it drives me MENTAL! Of course he never listens to me. And of course it usually ends up being a dead end!

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  11. @ Amanda, I'm sorry you have an aversion to crowds. Don't stand in the general admission section. Sit in the seats. It will seem less crowded. If you go near the top, especially back row, you may feel even more comfortable.

    @ Alesa, your imagination probably is better because like all of my posted videos, it looked better in person.

    @ Jemi, it was awesome.

    KarenG, thank you. Kids do bring us back to earth!

    @ Talli, YOU understand! I'm just so glad one entrance opened or we would've been trapped.

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  12. Sounds like a fun time! I enjoy the Black Eyed Peas -- like you, they're not my favorite artist, but I like their music and I bet they put on a good show. And I don't think you're too old, especially adding in the fact that you got ID'd!

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  13. It sounds like you had such fun! You definitely got nice and close to the stage. I'm glad you weren't stuck in that hallway for too long.

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  14. Lucky you for getting to go to that concert! I like their music too. I usually stay away from the mosh pit too. The last concert I went to was for the band Simple Plan, and I sat up in the balcony with all of the parents.

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  15. Robert is always taking shortcuts, some of them turn into longcuts

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  16. I have a husband that does that sort of thing.

    Sounds like an exciting night. Would love to see them in concert. I love live concerts!

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  17. Dude, I was TWENTY in 1997, so your lies will not work on me. (Hee, hee.)

    I'm glad you had a great time. My husband teases me about being "past the concert stage of my life" because he still loves to go to a concert. I hate the noise and crowds. But I do it. For him. Not, of course, to prove that I'm still young and spry and into such things. :o)


    Thanks for sharing!

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  18. I just noticed we picked the same background for our blogs. How funny!

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  19. LoL, Cell phones instead of lighters! Man has clearly moved on since fire was discovered.
    I saw the Chili's on tour.
    I get a crap just getting out of bed now....I know I'm too old for this stuff. The problem now is finding things I'm young enough for.

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  20. Even though big events like that can be tiring, I think it's good to get out and do them every once in awhile. Otherwise we risk being the 60 year olds who plug their ears at restaurants and only talk about the good old days. ;)

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  21. @ Shelley, since the Black Eyed Peas are the youngest-attracting group I listen to, I'm probably safe for any other concerts I want to attend.

    @ Belle, I'm glad I wasn't stuck too. I guess I could've called the stadium to say we were trapped in some stairwell.

    @ Neurotic Workaholic, I don't know Simple Plan. I'll have to check them out.

    @ Sheila, I like your photo. Now I know where my husband gets this "short cut" thing from!

    @ Ann, definitely see them if you can.

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  22. @ Jackee, no comment. Okay, I wasn't 7.

    I don't like loud bars, but I like concerts.

    @ Barbra, yes, cell phones are higher in the evolution scale to show you're enjoying a sappy song at a concert.

    @ Rebecca, my father wouldn't get his hearing aid until 70!

    I wasn't this tired after The Killers and Coldplay, but I don't think I danced as much.

    And I'm sick today, so that may have been why I was so tired last night. I think I have a virus. When I first posted this piece, it was littered with mistakes. I think I've fixed them. I hope.

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  23. Umm, lately I feel the same way. Like, I thought I wasn't old, but if I saw a mosh pit, I'd also avoid it!

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  24. Lighting cell phones instead of cigarette lighters? I love the image of that sign of the times observation.

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  25. Sounds like y'all had fun. Did you have the app that lights up your cell phone like a flashlight or the one that turns it into a lighter light? I don't have either but have thought about the flashlight one. (Sorry, I rambled off topic.)

    Happy Anniversary.

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  26. You look great!

    I've noticed lately that I'm not listening to anything too current. This worries me. I also should go to a concern some time.

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  27. I set off the alarm once at a hotel in Vegas, kind of like you guys did. I was on my cell phone and didn't want to take the elevator, so I took the stairwell and wasn't paying attention, and when I opened the door, the alarm sounded- and nobody even noticed.

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  28. @ Lydia, in all fairness, I bet quite a few teens would avoid most pits too!

    @ Walter, the lit cell phones did look very cool.

    @ Helen, I've heard of that app. Sadly, my phone is not that sophisticated. I just had to keep lighting the whole screen. In the dark they all looked the same.

    @ Medeia, I went through a long phase of not listening to much new music. Two years ago I got a new iPod, and I've been downloading a lot of new stuff.

    @ Missed Periods, you must've been surprised! At least we were expecting the alarm to go off.

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  29. Hi Theresa.. firstly you look so young you would never look out of place at any concert - and your photo verifies this!

    Isnt going to concerts brilliant. And it is so easy to say 'oh nah. too many people, too loud, where will we park etc etc'

    I went to a The Who gig two years ago (yep, thats how old I am) and once they started playing I was 17 again. It is wonderfully liberating!

    Sounds like you had a great nite!

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  30. The last time I went to a concert (a long, long time ago), I felt totally out of place because my husband and I were probably in our late-20's and everyone there was in their teens. So I haven't been to one since, even though there are a few I would have liked to go to. I'm glad you had a good time and made it out of the stairwell!

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  31. Anybody would be tired after an experience like this, but it is SO COOL you got to go to this! HOB often looks for those "shortcuts" too. Drives me crazy. I enjoyed reading this post!

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  32. @ Barbara, thanks for the compliment. As soon as I spy pictures of me, I think, I look so old! I know what I used to look like, I guess.

    The Who? Did you read my post about trying (and failing) to see The Who?

    @ Susan, when I was in my mid-20s, I felt more out of place than I do now. I think the age range now is huge for most of these concerts.

    I'm glad I made it out of the stairwell too.

    @ Bossy Betty, funny that you're HOB looks for shortcuts too. I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

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  33. Looks like fun! And I wouldn't have gone hear the mosh pit either:)

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  34. I still love going to concerts...and I'm old.

    I'm glad you had fun...and setting off an alarm now and then is good for you. ;)

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  35. @ Olive, I knew someone in high school who had his nose broken at least twice in mosh pits. But then again, that was at CBGB's.

    @ Lola, I like that idea. Alarms are therapeutic.

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  36. When I look back at pictures of myself I'll have to say i think I look much better.
    The mullet worked for me back then but I would rather sport the "doo" I have now.

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  37. @ Barbra, sadly, I sported a curly mullet for a number of years. Dark times indeed.

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  38. That sounded like you had a great time, wow. The Black Eyed Peas! You like alternative? Curious....Some people don't like to get carded. I remember the last time I did. I'm sad now, so cherish it! My husband likes short cuts, too. Often, they end up in the opposite direction or taking twenty extra minutes. Must be a guy thing. At a conference once, my co-workers and I got stuck in a stairwell and we set off the alarm, too. Hotel security came but we ran faster!

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  39. @ The Words Crafter, I'm an ex-punk girl.

    I used to not like getting carded until I got older. Now it's not so bad.

    I guess the shortcut issue is a guy thing.

    Your last line made me laugh.

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  40. You're never too old & you always look too young! It sounds like a great night :)

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