I'm the queen!

Yesterday I went to a concert. It was a concert that I was very excited about. It was Lagwagon. It's been a long time since I was really into skate punk, but Lagwagon was one of the bands that really got me into skate punk in the first place, and when I found out they were coming to town I bought tickets right away!

Olivier and I met at our usual place so that we could play pinball before we headed off to the concert (we play a lot of pinball these days!) and ended up staying there for a little longer than expected, so when we got to the hall the first band was already playing. We grabbed some beers and made our way to the front of the crowd. I never did figure out what the name of the band was, but they weren't terrible. They weren't great, but they weren't terrible. They were German, but I'm not sure if they were from Munich or not. Either way, a pit started, which I thought was pretty weird for the first opener, but I guess if they're local... We got jostled a few times, but it was pretty innocent. That set ended and I headed off to the bathroom while Olivier grabbed a couple more beers. I kind of couldn't believe how many people there were in this little hall, but, again, Lagwagon is a fairly popular skate punk band, so maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised.

We were standing around, again near the front, waiting for the second band to start and drinking our beers when Olivier looks down at my beer and starts laughing. Know what was so funny? There was someone drinking it. He had a straw and he was stealing my beer! We talked to him for a couple of minutes before sending him on his way and then the second band started. They were called A Wilhelm Scream and I had only heard a couple of their songs before. I got the songs off of their website, and really liked what I'd heard. After hearing more than two songs, though, I really didn't like them. Neither did Olivier. They had a few songs that were pretty good, but they had the same problem that the band from the Riff Raff concert had: they changed tempos too many times! It's just really hard to enjoy a song when, as soon as you get into the rhythm, it changes and then again, and then again. They did have a few songs that I liked though, I'll give them that. It wasn't terrible, but the best part was when it ended. I should also mention that the crowd was really starting to get crazy. Right from the start, there was a fairly large pit that was pretty violent; as soon as the band hit the stage, I got hit from behind and all but poured my beer on the guy in front of me. I felt bad, but it's how it goes; he wasn't too mad.

A Wilhelm Scream finished and I toddled off to the toilet again; grabbed a couple more beers, too (I finally understand why people like to drink beers at concerts). As we were standing around the Beer-burgler came by again. I was trying to joke with him, but he seemed out of it. I figured he'd probably stolen enough beer by this point that he was pretty drunk. He was trying to explain to us that he normally drinks really cheap beer, so he didn't want to pay 3 EUR for a beer and that's why he brings a straw and steals beer... or something like that. Anyways we were trying to talk to him but I kept feeling like something was up, then he finally reached up and pulled the earplugs out of his ears. Olivier and I just started laughing and laughing - no wonder he couldn't understand us!! Fortunately, his friend came and took him away, so we didn't have to try and talk to him anymore.

Anyways, right about this time Lagwagon was doing their sound check, so Olivier and I knew that we had very little time to finish our beers before we would be wearing them. So we cheersed and slammed what was left. Lagwagon's pit was crazy. Everyone was everywhere. At first it was kind of fun, but it was seriously too intense for me; so I told Olivier that I needed out. He said, "Head for the back," so I did. When I hit the back of the pit I turned around and he wasn't there. I waited and watched for a bit, but still couldn't see him. I went back in to find him, but to no avail. I finally figured that he either must have left the pit and was looking for me or that he was still in there having a good time, so I headed all the way to the back of the hall. He wasn't there, so I grabbed a beer while I was back there. I headed around the perimeter. I hit the very far right and felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Olivier! He hopped back over to a table that was right there. Yes, I said hopped. He'd lost a shoe in the pit.

Apparently, he hit the ground at one point, people pulled him back up and he realized he didn't have one of his shoes and at pretty much that exact moment someone thrust a shoe in the air. Olivier, assuming it was his, grabbed it and headed off to the side to put it back on. It wasn't his. It wasn't even the proper foot. So he sat down. Here's where I'm not clear on what happened: I don't know if he lost said shoe as he was trying to escape the pit with me, or if he did it on a subsequent trip back in to find me, but I know he went back in to try and find me, and I'm concerned he might have made the trip with only one shoe. What a guy. Anyways, after we found each other again we sipped at my beer and he said, "I guess it's just not my night." "Don't worry, Olivier, I'll find your shoe." "You don't have to worry about it," he said, "we'll find it afterwards." Well, nuts to that! So I took a big drink, handed him my purse and headed back into the pit; crazy as it was, it was pretty fun for a short amount of time!

See, here's the thing: I'm no dummy. I know that there is no way that shoe is in the middle of the pit. Pits are always shaped like a capital D, with the straight line at the stage and the curvy part going out from there. The shoe would have to be somewhere on this D. So I headed into the pit and tried to look around, but the song was too crazy and there was no light making it to the floor at all, so it was pretty much hopeless. It was funny, though, because I kept my arms out in front of me and my head down so that I could try and make some room and see, I think I was also holding onto my hair, too, because it was down and falling in my face. Anyways, this guy stops me at one point and puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me right in the face and says, "Are you okay?! Are you okay?!" And I realize now that it probably looked like I had either taken a strong shot to the head, or that I was going to yak, but I was like, "I'm fine! I'm fine!" I'm actually really glad I went into the pit to look for the shoe at that point, because they played my favourite song from back in the day, so I stopped searching and just jumped around for a bit. I headed back to Olivier after that, empty handed.

After another song and another bit of beer, I told Olivier I was going in again. He tried to discourage me, but I knew I could find that shoe, so I went. I did the loop of the D first, because that was the easy part; it's not as crowded and some light can actually hit the floor. Nothing. I realized that I had to pee again (I think I'm 4 beers in at this point, well, three and a half if you don't count the stuff I spilled all over that guy) and I was pretty much at the bathrooms anyways, so I figured I'd make a pit stop and tackle the straight line at the front afterwards. When I came out of the facilities I took a deep breath and plunged in. I made it all the way to the front and started working my way along. A very short ways in, something caught my attention. I reached down and picked it up. It was a shoe! A left shoe! I flipped it over: Airwalk. Hallelujah, I've found it!! I took off through the pit and came out on the other side with a triumphant smile, waving the shoe in the air! I was so proud. I AM so proud, even today! Anyways, Olivier was thrilled and we started laughing and hugging and I started dancing around; there was a guy sitting next to Olivier, too, who I think put together pretty quickly what had happened and he started laughing, too. I did a victory dance along to the music and Olivier bought me a beer in gratitude. I danced around for a couple more songs, feeling very, very pleased with myself and then Olivier and I headed to the back of the pit to enjoy the last part of the concert.

The problem is that, if I'm at the back of the pit, I just want to get into it. So I did, and Olivier did, too. The pit wasn't any less crazy this time, but we held onto each other at all costs - just like at the Franz Ferdinand concert. We hit the floor once, maybe twice, but - as crazy as the crowd was - people would always stop and pull us up. That's one good thing about shows, people really are there to have a good time, and they will always help you up if you fall. Anyways, we hit the ground yet again, but this time there were about 4 or 5 people on top of me and my ankle was fully extended. This wouldn't have been so bad except that I rolled my ankle really bad the other day (again with the motor skills complaint) and was still having problems with it. I was actually afraid it was going to snap. We got pulled up and I told Olivier that we had to leave the pit; so we did, and very shortly thereafter the show was over.

We wandered around the hall for a bit, I bought another beer and we headed over to the merch table where I bought a shirt and Olivier bought a bunch of pins (some of which were for me!), then we left. I realized that I had lost one of the balls (yes, okay, laugh now, and then get over it because I'm about to use the word "balls" a bunch) for the earrings that I just bought at Tollwood. I don't really care because the earrings were only, like 2 EUR, or something, but the fact of the matter is that now I kind of like having balls in my earrings and will have to find a piercing studio so that I can get a replacement, and that's a hassle. I'm also afraid that if I walk into a piercing studio, I'll walk out with a new hole in my body because I have been thinking for a while that I want something new done. Anyways, Olivier and I made it back to Stachus and stopped in at McDonald's to chit chat while we waited for our buses to come. Then, when I made it home, I found out that I had lost the ball for my conch piercing, too! What a burn! I've had the thing pierced for 3 years and have never lost the ball!! Grrr... well, I was going to head to a studio to get a ball for my one earring, anyways, so now I'll just have to buy two while I'm there.

Yeah, that's the story of the Lagwagon concert; I'd say I'm sorry that it's so long, but... I'm not! Happy Sunday!!

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*SIGH* I posted what is written above and then reread it, and it occurred to me how long it's been since I posted any pictures. Admittedly, there haven't been many to post. I took some at Christmas, but forgot the camera at New Year's and then I don't bring it with me when I go play pinball or crib, and that's pretty much all I've done. However! Every now and again I am struck with how great my view is and I take a picture or two (there has been a ridiculous amount of hoarfrost on the trees these last few days, and from the ninth floor it looks pretty neat). Or, even less often, while I'm dancing around in my room, I think that I would like to take pictures to capture the moment. I have figured out how to use the timer function on the camera and I dance and dance. Last night, as I was getting ready for the concert, this compulsion hit me and I took out the camera. Several timer settings and self-portraits later, I grabbed my purse and headed out. Today I looked through them and now I feel that I should post one of myself, (taken yesterday!) so that you can all see how I'm doing, what my hair looks like, and the big bump on my forehead (I can see it in this one, at least)!