chelelev | I think I am too old

We used to be fun people. We would go to concerts, have a great time, stay until the end and then bop our way home (or to the hotel depending on where the concert was). No more, can't do it. I first noticed that we (well he) was getting a little crabby at other people who violated his space at a show (we won't go into teh crabbiness while driving when another driver is deemed an idiot). I will admit, even I was on the bitch train last night too.

Last night was the Black Crows and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert at the <la href="http://www.hob.com/venues/concerts/gorge/">Gorge</a>.. The Gorge is a beautiful place, the backdrop of the Columbia River and the cliffs is breathtaking as you first enter and start walking down the hill. Lots of hills going down. And we all know, what goes down, must come up. More about that later.

We were late leaving Richland. We have never been this late for a concert and the road was bumper to bumper from the time we got off 90 to arriving at the Gorge. It was amusing to watch people jumping out of their car and watering the sage brush or the cow corn. It was even funnier then traffic started moving and he was still standing there. These people must have been traveling in groups since a car did pull off for the 1st pee pee boy and then shot down in the wrong lane (with an oncoming car) to get back in the moving ever so slowly line. Mark is now the Ride Educator within the local Goldwing Chapter and at times is a bit "over safe". Cars are not allowed to pull to the side of the road without thier flashers on.

We got to the Gorge and the Black Crows had already started playing (that is a first, the opening act is actually on time, I think the only other time that has happened was Survivor but they needed to get thier 3 hits over and done with. We stopped and got some overpriced food which wasn't very good and a diet coke. A 6.00 diet coke. Sucker was huge.

For the first time, the Gorge is allowing beer to be brought into the venue instead of keeping the drunks corralled in the beer gardens. Bad idea. The cans of Coors are huge and people were buying two at a time. Recipe for disaster. We went in (down another hill) and found our seats. The Gorge has changed the way the seats are arranged and quite honestly, ours sucked. The good thing was that we were on the end, the bad thing was we were on the end. I could care less about the Black Crows but managed to get through it. The kids next to us were nice (and young). Some drunk stumbled over us and the kids noted that they were so glad we were sitting next to them and not some obnoxious drunk. I was grateful for the same thing. Even these kids, under age, wondered why someone would come to a concert and get so drunk that they don't even realize what is going on? They got points for that.

People back and forth, back and forth. The huge soda was under Mark's chair. Finally the show begins and the last of the people in our row decide they want to find their seats in the dark. The men are not small people, I am not a small person. The last one in managed to spill the remaining at least 4.00 of the 6.00 soda. At least they stopped selling beer at 9:00 which was the time Tom Petty began singing. The Black Crows began at 7:00. This is why I don't like opening acts, it is so late by the time the main attraction begins.

Oh, during set changes they play canned music. 2 rows behind us was singing girl. She liked the Stone's songs and sang along, loudly and extremely off key (I am tone deaf but I realized she was off key). And she might have considered shaving before she put on the tank top.

A few songs into Mr. Petty I noticed dancing girls. I am used to such dancing from going to a Dead show but it just didn't seem to belong at a Petty show. That would have been fine if one hadn't picked the end of our row and the row in front of us as her dance location. Um, we were downwind. Oh. My. God. Not only was she a bit ripe, contributing to that ripeness was pits that have never had a visit from a razor. She finally went closer to the stage. Lack of hygiene, that is twice for the Gorge. The other time was at the Who concert and I could smell this guy across the aisle. Didn't thier Mommies show them the ropes? Is that no longer covered in health class?

Mark suggested that we leave at 11:00. I added if not sooner, which is was. We had a late arrival to our row, clueless pretty much to where she was. The boys next to us had spread out a bit and she plopped down in one of their seats. Mark leaned over and asked her what was her seat number, she didn't know, the usher told her 4 seats in, (it should have been 5). She was in seat 3 in. We got her moved one over but now she has divided up the boys. They seemed ok with it, we offered to get her to move one more seat over. She only lasted a few songs and then stumbled back to where ever she came from.

At about 10:00 or so, I decided 2 more songs. We lasted one more. I knew the hike out would take some time. As we started out, I compare the first hill to the Madison Street hill between 1st and 2nd Streets in Seattle (with no building elevator to cheat with). I have not climbed a hill like that in a year. Sucking major wind, stopped for a bit and the top of that part. Now another hill, more like Cherry, between 3rd and 4th. Sucking more wind. Flat for a bit. While resting, it gave me a chance to realize how sold out this show was and if we did not kick it into at least something resembling forward motion, we were going to spend the night in the parking field. Final hill, Yesler Street to 4th. This one is lighted enough I can do my old San Franciso trick, walk backwards. We were not the only ones working their way of out dodge, I think I was the only one sucking wind as badly.

We got home about midnight and it was after one before I started falling asleep. Day was clingy and wanted to be petted and petted and petted. It wasn't a good sleep (I didn't take the sleep meds since I did not want a drug hangover today). We have a ride scheduled on the Goldwing and I need to go put on those god-awful boots. I am not up for chaps today (and I am not even sure how hot it is going to be). Please don't make me wear the leathers, I will die.

Off to breakfast with the leather crowd.