Note: this just what I learned and not a comprehensive account of my experiences.
1. Rules of the Road
Once upon a time, I knew how to set the cruise control on my car. Then I didn't drive any long distances for a while and the indicators had worn off and I had forgotten how to set it. 190 miles of interstate driving'll fix that. I went for a Sunday drive and verified that I had, indeed, learned to set my cruise control. (Hold the button about 3 seconds, use the lever thingy to get to speed and tap the button again.)
For years, I've seen "Uneven Lane" signs. I've always that meant one lane was wider than the other. At about 1:30 a.m. on Friday, I learned it means one is higher than the other. If there's an alternative meaning, you can bet I'll find it.
2. All About Crowd Surfing
Some people started leaving before the last song, which made me happy because I wanted to totally rock out to Last Ride of the Day, without having to keep an eye on Elbows McGee (see lesson 4) in front of me. During that same song, some kid wanted to go crowd surfing. He walked up to Elbows, tapped him on the bicep and pointed to Elbows's hands. Elbows apparently knew what that meant and hoisted the kid over the crowd. Which was not ready for him and nearly dropped him. He was hanging by his ankles at an angle for a good 15 seconds on at least twice. It was quite the fail of a crowd surf. (Unlike Saturday's epic wave at the Husker game.)
3. Escape Routes
I had looked up ahead of time how to get to the venue, took good notes and the roommate had her GPS (Harriet Jones) with her. We didn't need it getting there, but I had failed to come up with a plan to get back to the interstate. Harriet helped a bit there. If my roommate and I had wanted to, we probably could have Tetrised up towards the front but we liked being close to the door. Getting trampled in the case of a fire was not on our setlist for the night.
4. Make It Do or Do Without
I'm short. People know that. There are lots of tall people, and many of them were there that night. I got numerous sympathetic looks for my situation. One girl looked almost worried for me. I didn't see it as that big of a deal; I was mostly there for the music, anyway. If I wanted a better view of the stage, there were a few people holding their phones/cameras over their heads and I could watch through that. Not much different than nosebleed seats, right? There were a couple of guys between bands who turned around, saw me and my roommate (5'8") and offered to stand behind us since one was about 5'11" and the other was around 6'2". The crowd got Tetrised and I ended up behind Elbows McGee. I'm guessing he was 6'6" so even if he had turned around to see whose view he was blocking (poor guy, no getting around it) he might not have even seen me. Not exaggerating, I spent about a third of "Ghost River" unable to rock out to my fullest because I was protecting my face and upper torso should he bring his arm a little too far back.
I realize I could have asked him to let me in front of him and he probably would have let me. I mean, he was nice enough to snap this poorly lit shot after the show, but then whoever was behind me would have had their view completely blocked. Since I still wouldn't have been able to see the stage, I didn't see any reason to inhibit someone else's chance of seeing it.
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| Gosh, it's even more difficult to see the outline of his head on the computer than on my phone. Sorry about that. |
5. Things Are Not Always As They Seem
Little did we know that when we arrived, it would be the last show the lead female vocalist would do while officially affiliated with the band. She got violently ill the next night and announced she will be leaving the band after finishing out the week on tour because of it (in part). Which explains the lack of an encore.
My roommate and I were both under the impression we would have seats since we had seat numbers on our tickets. Wrong. It was general admission and we had to stand the whole time (3 hours for both bands). Not to mention the 90 minutes we stood in line to get let into the venue.
*Bonus tracks*
6. Keep Your Ears Dry
While showering before leaving, I managed to get water into my ear, which I was worried would impact my concert experience. I paid to hear Nightwish live, not like they were in an echo chamber. But my roommate saved the day with Google. Mix equal parts white vinegar and rubbing alcohol and pour into effected ear. Tilt head to allow the mixture in and tilt head the other way to let it out. Worked like a charm.
7. Hugs Are Free
There was a girl wearing a leather corset (that was all) and cherry red lipstick holding a sign that said, "Free Hugs." She was near the front of the line, so as people were walking down the block towards the end of the line, she would solicit hugs from folks. We declined; we wanted to get in line. Later, she came down the line and my roommate gave in. I would have given her a hug if she had been wearing more clothes.
8. Always Wear a Cape When Running
As the block was filled with people waiting in line to get in, there was a man running through the street. He was wearing a red cape while running around the block. It seemed as though each lap took him less and less time. Normally, after running so long, people slow down. Not this guy. It must have been the cape. On either the 5th or 6th lap, the guy in front of us tried taking a picture/video and my roommate called for a high-five from him. She got it, too!
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| I know this looks like two people dancing in the street, but if you look to the right of the girl, you can see a bit of the cape. |
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