August 13, 2011: Once in a while, I do something right, like last Wednesday night (Aug 10) when Janessa and I went to a concert in downtown SLC that featured four young, up-and-coming boy bands. One of the bands, Hot Chelle Rae (big hit - "Tonight, Tonight), has been on J's fave list for quite some time--she's their biggest fan!--so it was pretty much a given that we'd have to go. I bought the tickets almost a month ago for the unbelievable price of $15 each. That should have been my first clue that it was NOT going to be your normal, arena-type concert. No, this one would be held on the same street as the homeless shelter, in a "club" called The Venue. One Monday night (for Family Home Evening - haha!), we bribed Dean with ice cream cones and gave Mag (our GPS) the coordinates so we could drive by. Not only did Mag take us on a tour of the lovely Rose Park area (tongue in cheek), but we actually winced when we saw our destination. Scary only barely describes it! Bars on the windows, cheap-looking sign, and of course, the ever-present wandering homeless. I have to admit I was nervous. J and I started to joke that it would be an adventure, as long as we didn't get mugged or killed! A week or so later, she and I happened to be at The Gateway and decided to make another pass during daylight hours. Funny how things look a bit better coming from a different direction. The Gateway kind of "classed" up the place and we decided it wouldn't be too bad - we hoped.
The day arrived with excitement and a little nervousness. This would be J's first concert and my first in a place where there would be no seating, just lots of bodies standing in front of a stage (yes, we've both led a very sheltered life - and it's not always a bad thing). J and I were both playing hookey from our usual Wednesday night church meetings, so there was already a sense that we were truly going out on a limb. One of our first choices ended up costing us a bit in the end - we both decided to change out of our summer shorts and wear jeans - a "hot" mistake. I had bought the tickets online and had printed off the copies. I didn't want to take my big, bulky purse, so a quick trip to the D.I. scored me a tiny bag with a long strap to go over my head for 75 cents. The printed start time was 6 PM, so we left our house about 5:10, not quite sure what type of crowds to expect. I was grateful to have already scoped out the place, so I knew right where I wanted to park - under the streetlights, less than a block away. There was a spot waiting for us, but so were the lines of kids, snaking around the building and halfway down the street. We quickly made our way to the end (in the shade -whew!) and began to wait.
J and I both decided that people watching is all part of the adventure - and there were some choice specimens! For the most part, the kids were junior high and high school age (yes, this club and this concert were for ALL AGES, not 21 and over like most), but J was quick to point out that there were a few "old" people, like me. Thanks, kid. I felt kind of old, but once in a while, my young teen self emerged. A couple of cute boys with the band, Paradise Fears, from South Dakota were canvassing the line, trying to sell their first CD. They gave J and I headphones so we could hear a track from the CD and it was pretty good. Unfortunately, I had only brought $20 cash, so decided $10 for an unknown CD--when there was no telling what treasures we would want once we got inside the concert--was risky. They said, thanks, and moved on down the line. About that time, a guy from the club came out to make sure we were all in the right lines, and that those of us with print-at-home tickets would have to come to Will Call to get our regular tickets. I panicked. We were in the wrong line? It proved to be a blessing though, as he whisked us away to the front doors of the building, where we stood behind a few other Will Call people, and only had to get our names checked off the online list to go inside. We were IN!
Imagine an old warehouse with everything inside painted black - high ceilings, cement floor, not a lot of light, a sort of "catwalk" above and to the side where we could see the sky and (sort of) feel the outside air. There was also a little concession stand and a place where the tee shirt/CD/poster people had already started selling their goods. We bought J a HCR tee, stuffed it in my little black bag, and slipped past the lighting guy's roped-off area to the floor in front of the stage. Music was already blaring, though the stage hands were still setting up instruments. We were close enough to see the whites of their eyes! There was a ripple of excitement in the air, but I soon realized that was ALL that was in the air - no A/C! The temp outside was about 95 degrees. The temp inside? Stifling. And as more noisy, chatty, hot-blooded teens entered the building and took up their spot around us, the more warm it became. I had visions of the Michael Jackson concerts I've watched, where security people carry away dripping wet, fainting fans from the floor. Oh dear. Give me strength. Don't let me faint in front of all these teeny-boppers!
The concert began. I was armed with J's iPod to take videos; she had my camera to snap pics. More than once, we said how grateful we were that we were tall and could see above most of the heads in the crowd. I was instantly semi-deaf from the volume, but had to admit the booming beat was catchy. The first act was "Action Item", a band from New Jersey, who quickly had us all dancing and waving our arms in the air (yep, me too). They were good. I was tuned in to one of the guitarists, who was very animated. Short dark hair. Cute. They played five songs and the crowd was in a frenzy. A group of boys (who had pushed their way in front of J and I) seemed to know all the words. When the band looked our way--which was often--they reached out their hands, as if to touch them, or made "hearts" by putting their two hands together. Okay. They were fans. When the band finished and left the stage, we pulled papers out of my bag and started fanning ourselves in create a breeze. It was HOT! There were sweaty bodies everywhere! But when Jamie, the drummer of Hot Chelle Rae, appeared and started setting up for their part of the show, all that was forgotten. J and I looked at each other and couldn't stop smiling. Here came the boys! And, oh, they were good! J said the five songs they played were just the ones she was hoping for. She took dozens of pictures and I held my arms up to take videos of each of the songs. (You can actually hear me singing in the playback!) I felt giddy and happy, like they were MY teen idols! The crowd was rocking and singing along, and it was amazing. I think the boys standing next to me were rolling their eyes that this "old lady" knew all the words to the songs, but I didn't care. It was worth the heat and the cost and the scary club...
And then I sort of fell apart. As HCR left the stage, I realized my face and neck and arms were dripping wet. No amount of fanning helped. I was light-headed and my ears felt plugged. It was taking a long time for the next band, Summer Set, to get their gear together. We were on the side where a chain-link fence separated the floor from the stairs leading up to the catwalk, so I motioned to J that I needed to go lean against the fence where it wasn't quite so jammed with people. Once there, I realized I'd better sit or I was going to faint. I plunked my body down on the cement floor and started fanning myself like someone possessed. That's when I felt the oldest. That's when I felt like a cancer patient. I looked at all those young, skinny legs and feet surrounding me and I felt like an invalid. I heard the new band start to play and I couldn't get into it like I had with the first two. I secretly hoped J would say, "Okay, I've seen my guys - let's go," but she was still having fun, taking pictures and enjoying the show. I tried to stand up a few times - awkwardly, stiffly, like an old woman - but after about 30 seconds, had to sit again. Oh, I was embarrassed. By the time the band was finished, I was somewhat cooled off, but still woozy. There was one last band to go, the mainliners, We The Kings. When J leaned over and motioned to the lobby area of the club, I could have kissed her. Finally, an escape from the mushed-up crowd. We found a place near the tee shirt vendors where a huge fan was blowing out of a post. Kids were planted in front of it, their hair and shirts billowing in the breeze. Ah, relief from the stifling heat. J said the boys standing next to her had said, "Let's go get Hot Chelle Rae to sign something for us," so that's why we had come back away from the main floor. But instead of HCR, we saw the guys from Action Item and J was brave enough to approach a couple of them for a picture. Nice, nice boys. Very polite. Asked us our names and shook our hands. Said thank you for coming to the show. Gave hugs when asked. Posed for pictures. Signed autographs. I was impressed. Sad that we didn't get to meet HCR, but happy that we saw this side of the concert experience, something that would never have happened in a big arena-type show. We found a place to sit. I bought us a cold bottle of water for $3 each. I felt TONS better. I could enjoy the show again. We The Kings put on an amazing set, and even though I wasn't close enough to see the pores of their skin, I could see them - especially the red-headed lead singer, who reminded me of Shawn White, the skateboader/snowboarder. J and I watched the people, snapped more pics of the show, bought a HCR poster (just in case we saw someone to sign it), and gulped down our water. I was actually a little sad when the show ended, and as we left, I felt like it had been the adventure we were hoping for. As J and I walked the short way to the car, we both said that we hadn't felt afraid, and that this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Who knows where and when Hot Chelle Rae will come to SLC again? Will they be big stars then? Will we pay mega-bucks to see them on a Jumbotron? Yep. Glad we did it.
If someone had said to me that five months after I'd been diagnosed with skin cancer, had major surgery, gone through 30 radiation treatments and countless doctor/hospital appointments, I'd be STANDING in a club with my beautiful teenaged daughter, singing to "Bleed" and "I like it like that" and "Tonight, Tonight", I wouldn't have believed them. I would have been hopeful, but it would have seemed impossible. And even today, when my right arm muscle still aches from holding the iPod steady to take videos (what a wimp I am!), I'm amazed that we were there, that we were dancing and singing, that we touched (wooo!) a couple of boys from Action Item, that we saw Jamie and RK and Ian and Nash from Hot Chelle Rae up close and personal. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow, wow, wow.
My sister is soooo HIP!
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