Anyway....
By The Final Say - Jeff Say
Published: February 21, 2011
Some people like to bird watch, others like to whale watch. Me? Give me people watching any day.
OK, some might think people watching is creepy, as some stranger takes a miniscule part of your day and dissects it, but I find it fascinating to see how people act in public.
So anytime I witness something strange, funny or heartwarming, it’s filed away in the old memory banks for future reference.
What I witnessed this past Saturday falls in the strange and funny category and will likely be fodder for stories I tell for years to come.
For Sarah’s 30th birthday back in December, I surprised her with tickets to Jon Bon Jovi. She has a severe crush on Bon Jovi and has admitted he is the only man she would leave me for. So I was taking a calculated risk in bringing her in close proximity to JBJ, but she behaved herself and didn’t try to jump from our seats in the nosebleed section onto the stage.
Sadly, that couldn’t be said for some of our fellow concertgoers.
Now, I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my day. I’ve been part of a circle pit with tattooed and pierced folk who have collapsed inside a tent that probably reached 150 degrees on a sweltering summer day. I’ve seen bands fling fecal matter at each other. I’ve seen fights, huge bonfires and lots of public indecency. Somehow, a show by 50-year-old man brought out more crazies than any of the other shows I’ve been to.
As we sat in the parking lot, waiting to brave the cold before going in, I counted at least 1,000 articles of leather passing by us.
I’m also surprised I didn’t read a story about the great hair spray shortage of 2011 after watching fans walk by, the smell of Aquanet permeating the parking lot.
Yes, it was like I had taken a time machine back to 1989. Leg warmers, gold sparkly pants and leather spiked gloves — they were all on display.
If it was young teenagers wearing them in 1989, I wouldn’t have been fazed. But those young teenagers and young adults in 1989 are grown adults now — and they were proudly showing off their late 80s closet.
I’d make fun of them, but I’m pretty sure people would mock me for my late 80s Metallica T-shirt I still wear in public.
I guess I just wasn’t prepared for the level of intensity Bon Jovi fans bring to the table. As we sat down, we had three ladies sit beside us during the opening act. At first, I thought they were younger than I was based on the way they were dressed. But then the lights came on and I discovered they could probably be my mothers. It’s amazing what a hat and trendy clothing can do for you in the dark.
As Bon Jovi hit the stage, the ladies beside me regressed to their teenage years. They danced drunkenly, spilling beer on my lap and yelled “I love you Jon.”
OK, that was all cute. Until one of the ladies yelled loudly, “my son is in surgery and I don’t care because I’m at Bon Jovi.”
Um, really? Meanwhile, my wife and I were going through separation anxiety, as it was the first time both of us had left our baby alone with the grandparents. With the way my wife was frantically texting her parents for updates, you would think they had never seen a baby before.
Thankfully, and predictably, our baby was just fine.
Hopefully the lady’s son beside me was too.
But, yet, that wasn’t the strangest spectacle of the night. Two rows below us were two manly men, I’d guess in their mid-20s. They looked like burly loggers, beards shining in the Bon Jovi spotlights.
As the music started, the two jumped to their feet hugged each other and yelled loudly, “I love you man, this is awesome.” There were folks in our row videotaping their actions instead of the concert it was so hilarious.
That’s the part of people watching I enjoy the most, the spontaneity of moments when people forget others are watching and just let go. I’m pretty sure those two guys had the time of their life, and somewhere they’re recalling singing along to “It’s My Life.”
Good for them. I just hope that in 20 years I don’t take my daughter to a concert and she says, “Dad, please stop singing along, you’re old.”
Because now I know if you wear enough leather and hair spray — you can be young again.
1 comment:
Haha that was a cute article! Although I cringed at "I took her to see Jon Bon Jovi", then "she's always had a crush on Bon Jovi." GAH. And Jon's not 50. And I've never seen THAT much of an 80's flashback at my shows.
But still. Funny review, and I enjoyed it. :p Thanks!
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