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Thursday, November 12, 2009

How to tell when you're becoming a curmudgeon.

Well, I guess that title is really an exaggeration...

So, last Thursday, I had a really bad day at work.  I don't really want to make any further comments on it, but let's just say that Corporate America can suck it.  Anyway, I had asked my friend Kristin to get me tickets to see Ben Folds that night and she had agreed to join me, because she's a really good friend!  The concert was being held in a gymnasium at the university where I went to graduate school.  I really didn't want to go out.  (REALLY)  I was in a terrible mood, I was being angsty, overly dramatic, and crotchety, and I certainly didn't want to run into any of my old students while I was in such a terrible mood.  I went anyway, because Kristin always cheers me up, and I definitely needed it.


We decided that neither of us wanted to get there early to get front row seats (which would have meant standing in an overcrowded gym for multiple hours).  This is when I realized that I'm either growing up, or becoming a curmudgeon. I should probably mention that I've been to *nearly* every Ben Folds concert in my area in the past seven years.  I'm a bit obsessed, and in every concert that has taken place in a gym of some sort, I have been close enough to touch his piano.  I was also a member of his fan club until recently, when I was chided by my coworkers (but I'm probably going to secretly rejoin, because that's how I roll). 

We went out for a drink and some appetizers and missed the entire opening act, which neither of us were upset about.  We made our way to my preferred Ben Folds Concert position, which is on the left side of the stage so I can see him play, and we weren't even too far away for being so late.  Some of the curmudgeonly commentary included:

"If it goes past 11:00, we can leave."
"If these kids start getting rowdy, I'm going to stand by the wall."
"I think my ears are bleeding from standing underneath the speaker."
"He sounds like he has swine flu."
"These people are annoying me."
"There are too many people wearing Ugg boots and skinny jeans... I may vomit."




As you can see from my crappily snapped phone camera picture (gosh, I need a new phone), we weren't too far away, but things did get a bit rowdy and loud, so we skipped to the back of the crowd where we could see just as well, and actually hear the melody and vocals.  The people at the concert were really annoying.  A lot of the people were there to socialize and not really there for the music.  I couldn't really understand how people could be more interested in last week's episode of 90210 as opposed to the super talented person on the stage who managed to break off two piano keys while playing...  for real.  I will say that I was surprised that there were actually people in attendance who knew some of his older songs, but it didn't really make up for the annoying kids.  I can't believe I actually said rowdy.  

I left the concert feeling relaxed and rejuventated, even if it wasn't his best performance (and it wasn't -- he improvised a song about how he wasn't even going to accept this gig until his friend got cancer and needed money to pay for treatment).  Despite his obvious (to me, at least) ambivalence for the concert, it was exactly what I needed, and I made due note of that fact for future reference.  I was never a "concert-goer," but I have always been appreciative of different types of music, so I'm usually up for most concerts.  Lately, I just haven't been into it.  I haven't really had any desire to go see live bands and the fact that I had to seriously consider whether I wanted to go see Ben Folds perform at a venue that took me 10 minutes to drive to is crazy.  I'm hoping that it's just a passing phase, and I know that I'll probably go to see Ben Folds whenever I get a chance, but you can mark my words that I'll never go to another concert in a gym.  Ever.



i don't even know what this entry is about... sorry for the incoherent drivel.
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