Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Mojo- Part 4

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I called my Mom (to both see if the phone worked, and to have her know I WAS THERE!!) , 5 bars, it was like she was in the next chair.  I looked around, and noticed people had drinks.  Booze drinks.  I was about 14 chairs from the bar.  Considering it was near 90*, I was not surprised to see a lot of people getting libations.  I was surprised that they were allowed to carry it out to their seats.  (Either the rules are different in Washington, or the booze patrol wasn't paying attention.)  The speakers were almost in line with me, and I decided to put my ear plugs in before anything started.  I love Tom Petty music, I am not willing to go deaf over it... 

One fun crazy man plopped himself down dead center front row.  The security asked for his ticket.  (I could barely hear this, but it sounded something like he just wanted to see what it was like to be up front.)  They told him he could not sit there, leave.  (Killjoys... I was thinking it might be fun to go up and take a picture from there, and they weren't allowing that, either.)  But, anyway, the fun crazy man, unbroken, stood up, pirouetted, then jumped up on the chairs and trotted along, until he reached the end of the row, then jumped down, danced across the aisle, then jumped up to the next row, and repeated, until he reached his seat, about 2 rows ahead of me.  Then he proceeded to dance, ON HIS CHAIR, to the piped in music they had while setting up.  Considering they were just plain ol' metal folding chairs, I was wondering if he realized how not sturdy those things were.  Not that I cared, he was having fun, and it was a tickle to watch him.  

I saw a lot of people getting something that I would like to have gotten, but didn't, because I didn't know if it was a booze drink.  (I don't drink.)  I call it the "Guitar Slushie", it has ground ice with green and red stuff, and it was served in a guitar shaped container.  I sipped my water and took a picture instead.  (It's not a great picture, but you can see it near the center, in the man's hand.)


I waited, and wondered why that there were so few people in the seats.  I was nearly alone for most of the Joe Cocker concert.  It sllooooowly filled, and I was hearing more than one person fuming about the line. (And yes, there was a line, I am guessing 4 to 6 people deep, and several blocks long, so if they had to check all of them like they did me...  Wow.) 

I sure enjoyed Joe Cocker.  I was somewhat unfamiliar with his music, except for one or two songs, I shall have to remedy that.  He had a great sound!  His saxophonist, and guitar lead were terrific, as well not hard on the eyes, either.  People were dancing, some were singing, and it was very relaxed.  Every so often, Joe Cocker would give this big leap, and people would cheer.  He sang "With a Little Help From My Friends", and I think everyone in the venue sang along, from those that were old enough to have seen his first time on stage, to my age, from hearing it on the show "Wonder Years", to kids, that probably heard it from either of the above.    Then he played "You Can Leave Your Hat On".  That was so much fun, the band was all swaying and sultry, and then I noticed this one guy in the audience.  70, if he was a day.  He was doing this mock striptease to the music, and approval of all around, and the only thing was, he kept taking his hat OFF!  I don't know who received more applause when the song was over, Joe, or that guy! 




So Joe Cocker finished up, and they started changing equipment for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  They started with the piped in music again, Aerosmith, Rolling Stones, la la la, then came on Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London".  I was just watching the crew doing the switch over, when the part, "Ah OOOOOOOOO, Werewolves of London" played, and without thinking, I howled.  So did approximately 5000 other people.  There was a startled silence, (even the crew doing the switch over looked up), then everyone started laughing, and it became a great big sing along.  That was great fun, and everyone laughed and clapped lightly when it was over.

A small group was walking at the front, and I noticed that one man was staggering.  Next thing I know, he falls.  Not a slight stumble, but flat out like a cut down tree.  He went face first into a bunch of chairs, and his idiot friends, what did they do, laugh and tell him to get up.  Well, he didn't.  Moreover, the chairs he knocked down, knocked a few behind, like dominoes, so security had to set up probably about 30 or so chairs.  I didn't see what happened to him, I just hope he was all right, and that his friends get the karma they so richly deserve for not helping him...  Grrr.

A Face in the Crowd

This was the seats behind me just before Joe Cocker came on...


Aaaand, this was the best picture I could get right before Tom Petty came on. I believe they said there was about 20,000 or so people.  I believe them...  The area in the back was grass, and you just sat.  There was no room that I could see anywhere on that hill.  I think even farting might have been a real problem, your butt cheeks would have been squashed shut from all the people you were shoehorned in with!

The people who were going to sit next to me showed up, and it was a youngish man and his girlfriend.  They had a cooler.  He then took out a beer.  I am guessing a quart size or so.  He handed the same to his girlfriend.  They drank, and necked, until Tom Petty came on.

It's Good to be King
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers came on, and everyone rose from their seats.  Ok, I am a dork.  I freely, freely admit this, but my first thought was, why is everyone standing?  We aren't playing Handel's Messiah here...  But then I realized, maybe it was a good thing I brought my cane. NO ONE WAS SITTING BACK DOWN.  And no one did, during most of the concert.  The concert music was tremendously powerful.  I mean this literally, as well as musically.  They started playing, and the sound hit me.  It pulsated!  I felt like I was being hit by waves.  Those guys started fast, and kept it fast all evening.  I started taking pictures, and somewhere along the line, my camera said, forget IT, not going to work no more.  I then snarled, cursed it and all of its respective parts, and then remembered my camera phone.  However, it helps to know how to USE the camera on the camera phone.  I ended up getting a picture or two, and somehow a 5 second movie of them.  So, coming to the conclusion that I wasn't going to get many more pictures, I stood back and enjoyed the craziness...


I am hoping to crop and brighten some of the pictures I did get, for obvious reasons (glaring blond hair just sorta takes away from the effect for me...)

She was an American Girl...

6 comments:

Sharon said...

That sure does bring back memories for me, not Tom Petty.... but the crowd, the booze, the horsing around. I would say that you had a really great time! (Bleep cameras, they always seem to let you down for the real important stuff!)

Chicken Boys said...

Sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed yourself. I must say, I HATE Werewolves of London. That's gotta be one of the most annoying songs I've ever heard.
~Randy

messymimi said...

A Tom Petty concert! Wow! I'm thrilled you got to go, and wish I could have, too.

The problem with cameras is you sometimes get so caught up in taking the pictures, you miss the action and fun. Maybe your camera knew that, and did you a favor.

That said, I am looking forward to the pics you did take.

Cat said...

messimimi:

I was pretty pleased, too! Yeah, well, it might have been, but I still would have preferred it didn't die right when Tom was directly in FRONT of my area! Poo...

Cat

Cat said...

Randy:

Yes, I did enjoy myself, mostly. I guess that you might not have been thrilled with the sing along, (trust me, I don't think Husband would have been wild about it either, he rolls his eyes when I am singing it), but the NOISE from so many people howling WAS pretty cool... But hey, we can't all like everything.

Cat

Cat said...

Sharon:

Well... It was... fun, in a unique way... Just not what I was expecting. But I was enjoying it, so what the heck.

Cat