One Sweet World...*

When I was a young concert-goer, I used to envy the people who had great seats. I'd watch them walk down, down, down to the area in front of the stage, and wonder if I'd ever be so lucky.



And in recent years, I HAVE been lucky that way...with really great seats to some concerts. In the first six rows, for several Barenaked Ladies shows, for instance. And I've seen a certain Latin pop singer's bon-bon up close.


But I could never manage to get really good seats for Dave Matthews Band concerts. It's a challenge to get reserved seats at all, and not get stuck on the fucking hideous lawn at the venue where they play most often. Once, when I was flush with cash, I went to a scalper...uh... I mean... ticket broker.... and got 20th row seats, which were cool... but they were off to the side of the stage. Another time, at a different venue, I somehow ended up with 15th row seats, and I was really happy with those. But usually, I'm just glad to have seats at all (not that you can sit during their shows). They have a huge following here, so just getting to see their shows at all is a treat.


Last night, I thoroughly enjoyed that long walk down to our 9th row center seats. I stopped at one point, turned around and looked at my friend Sherri, and she was already wide-eyed, well before we got to our row. And the show was amazing. AWE. SOME. Well, both shows were, but it's a totally different experience when you're up close and personal the way we were.


And we lucked out both nights, in that we had really friendly, easygoing people around us. I tell ya, it's crapshoot at these shows. At some, we've been surrounded by drunken boors. Once, there was a thoroughly inebriated couple behind us that made out so furiously during the concert, we thought they were going to have sex on the spot.


On Friday, though, we had the extra entertainment of two guys hitting on us right after we sat down. They were seated in front of us, and as we got settled into our area, they gave us both the once over, and then started chatting us up in the most hilariously obvious manner possible. One even asked me -- and I'm not kidding -- to wrap myself around him, if he got cold.

Yeah. Okay, he was cute and all... but still.

I seem to have missed my cue, when he leaned back for warmth, as I was too busy, you know, WATCHING THE BAND I PAID GOOD MONEY TO SEE.

Don't feel bad for him, though... He found female companionship a short time later, a few seats away, and we never saw them again.


All in all, a great weekend. And I didn't want last night to end.

*no, they didn't play this song - which is one of my faves -- this weekend, but i forgive them.