ShellBeThere
War Child
So, I took my son to his first rock show, the only first rock show to have, U2!
He's 9.
He really hesitated; I had to work to convince him. And I had to be willing to let him bring both earplugs *and* those serious noise reduction muffs, like Gwyneth had over Apple's ears at live8!
I really didn't want him to put those things on, but he doesn't like loud noise and no way was I going to be willing to just take him out, so...
I had planned on doing a floor trip, but thought seats would be best. Got a great deal last minute on ebay for aisle seats side stage! I was very psyched. Gave my other single ticket to a friend and off we went, ready to ply the boy with junkfood for before and a big ol' coke for during the show (that was one thing I really liked about the Palace--the drink holders on the seats!).
He and I both were having a fantastic time, til SBS. This song apparently brings out a lot of crap in the crowd. The alcohol has had its huge effect by then, the cell phones come out to broadcast for friends, the vibe gets weird. How long, how long must we sing this song infuckingdeed.
First, a person decides to visit with a friend in front of my boy. Fine, he hangs out a while there, blocking his view more (he happened to be right behind a very very big person, so the aisle was nice..he could scootch over a tinge and see much better), and then as he leaves, stands right next to my boy and calls someone on the phone, loud loud. I ask him if he could move from that spot, he does and says sorry, very polite. So, I was thinking the tension was gone by the end of Bullet. And the whole feeling of the greatest-hits casual crowd doing their thing sorta ends for a little while...
But then the hellwitch comes, apparently from the row just behind, though I wonder...
There was this little sudden crowd action just behind and on the aisle, and then during Pride now there's this woman and her friend standing in the aisle dancing, rather wasted I'm guessing. Annoying, but whatever as long as it's over soon, and it better be soon. But it wasn't. The usher comes over and asks them to move into their row, and so she stands right in front of my son! Just pretending like this was where she should be! The usher didn't hear me say this isn't where she belongs, just nodded and the chick thinks this is just great and smirks away, heads back out a little as soon as she thinks he's safely out of the way. I tell her as politely as I can muster that 'you're going to have to move', smiling nicely. She nastily says "fuck you". I tell her a good couple times, you know, you can move now or later when security comes by, so why not leave now? She tells me fuck you a couple more times, replies with the bizaare and rather sad 'oh yeah; well you belong in the gutter' when I tell her "you don't belong here". The usher from a bunch of rows away motions for her to move in, and she once again stands basically in front of my kid's feet in front of his seat, with her buddy sorta leaning in to make some more aisle room. It seemed I was either going to have to actually leave my seat to get someone to throw her out or make something happen, and I was pissed enough now that I decided to make something happen. I switched places with the boy, and started 'dancing' with her, since she seemed to want to dance! I sent the orbit of my hips onto a crash course with hers, and did my best (I'm small!) to send her further into the aisle and prompt some action. She laughed I think, then I did it harder and I guess she pushed me back (my son told me later that...I don't even recall it, my adrenaline was running so high). *That* got the usher over and made him actually figure out where she needed to be, and it seemed her ticket was for the row right behind us, maybe midway or less in. She didn't leave without pushing and cussing at the two women behind my son and I, who I believe must have said something about how rude it was for her to do that. I asked the usher to please keep an eye on her, that she was potentially dangerous, and he tried I suppose ( Iwas feeling it was all pretty lame at this point, the intervention they were willing and/or able to make)to reassure me that if she acted up again he'd have her removed.
This was all during Streets and the lead-in to One no less! Can you imagine cussing at some woman with her little boy because she didn't want your drunk ass standing on his toes at his own seat while Bono was doing the intro to One?!
And he was talking about Rosa Parks, her death having occured just that night prior, and it was just surreal. Should I have stood by and taken it? Didn't need to be violent, 'tis true, but my adrenaline just ran so high it was all I could do to contain it to just that hipcheck level, and I took all kinda crap as a kid...but mess with *my* kids
I tried to brush it all off me quick, but it was tricky. I was into the show so much already that it was strangely easy on the one hand to get right back into the stream of it, but then surreal-y disruptive when I think back on the whole experience. It's like, there was the U2 concert, and I thought it was the best I'd been to, and then there was my experience of this sad thing, this ugliness in humanity, with an actual *live* U2 soundtrack...this rather distinct image of seeing Bono with his guitar talking about Rosa Parks and about to launch into One while I'm coming off this charged confrontation, this feeling of waving my hand in the air with 'in the name of love' between attempts to get this woman to do the right thing and move away now.
I was very confused
I wanted to thank the two lovely young women sitting behind us! I thanked them there, but didn't get a chance to say how much I appreciated how they made my son feel better about the whole dancing at a concert scene by chatting with him for a bit, being playful with him, and relieving some of the tension created by that nastiness. I think he mostly didn't process too much of that person's crap, and had a great time despite the little incident. And because of them didn't end up feeling like the people one might meet at a concert are mostly going to try to mess with you, at least if you're young and vulnerable...
Now, as silly as I later thought I was for failing to expect that the floor would include some jockeying and unpleasantness about positioning, I *really* didn't think anything like this happens in the stands?!
I had only good experiences in Chicago nosebleed section...
Somehow the United Center generally had a better feel to the crowd, more love. Not that I added to the love vibe at the Palace indeed...I could have just dragged my boy off to get an usher, but jeez did she push my buttons...
It was a great show anyway, and my son had a blast I think!
cheers all...and I hope nobody else experiences this sort of thing...
He's 9.
He really hesitated; I had to work to convince him. And I had to be willing to let him bring both earplugs *and* those serious noise reduction muffs, like Gwyneth had over Apple's ears at live8!
I really didn't want him to put those things on, but he doesn't like loud noise and no way was I going to be willing to just take him out, so...
I had planned on doing a floor trip, but thought seats would be best. Got a great deal last minute on ebay for aisle seats side stage! I was very psyched. Gave my other single ticket to a friend and off we went, ready to ply the boy with junkfood for before and a big ol' coke for during the show (that was one thing I really liked about the Palace--the drink holders on the seats!).
He and I both were having a fantastic time, til SBS. This song apparently brings out a lot of crap in the crowd. The alcohol has had its huge effect by then, the cell phones come out to broadcast for friends, the vibe gets weird. How long, how long must we sing this song infuckingdeed.
First, a person decides to visit with a friend in front of my boy. Fine, he hangs out a while there, blocking his view more (he happened to be right behind a very very big person, so the aisle was nice..he could scootch over a tinge and see much better), and then as he leaves, stands right next to my boy and calls someone on the phone, loud loud. I ask him if he could move from that spot, he does and says sorry, very polite. So, I was thinking the tension was gone by the end of Bullet. And the whole feeling of the greatest-hits casual crowd doing their thing sorta ends for a little while...
But then the hellwitch comes, apparently from the row just behind, though I wonder...
There was this little sudden crowd action just behind and on the aisle, and then during Pride now there's this woman and her friend standing in the aisle dancing, rather wasted I'm guessing. Annoying, but whatever as long as it's over soon, and it better be soon. But it wasn't. The usher comes over and asks them to move into their row, and so she stands right in front of my son! Just pretending like this was where she should be! The usher didn't hear me say this isn't where she belongs, just nodded and the chick thinks this is just great and smirks away, heads back out a little as soon as she thinks he's safely out of the way. I tell her as politely as I can muster that 'you're going to have to move', smiling nicely. She nastily says "fuck you". I tell her a good couple times, you know, you can move now or later when security comes by, so why not leave now? She tells me fuck you a couple more times, replies with the bizaare and rather sad 'oh yeah; well you belong in the gutter' when I tell her "you don't belong here". The usher from a bunch of rows away motions for her to move in, and she once again stands basically in front of my kid's feet in front of his seat, with her buddy sorta leaning in to make some more aisle room. It seemed I was either going to have to actually leave my seat to get someone to throw her out or make something happen, and I was pissed enough now that I decided to make something happen. I switched places with the boy, and started 'dancing' with her, since she seemed to want to dance! I sent the orbit of my hips onto a crash course with hers, and did my best (I'm small!) to send her further into the aisle and prompt some action. She laughed I think, then I did it harder and I guess she pushed me back (my son told me later that...I don't even recall it, my adrenaline was running so high). *That* got the usher over and made him actually figure out where she needed to be, and it seemed her ticket was for the row right behind us, maybe midway or less in. She didn't leave without pushing and cussing at the two women behind my son and I, who I believe must have said something about how rude it was for her to do that. I asked the usher to please keep an eye on her, that she was potentially dangerous, and he tried I suppose ( Iwas feeling it was all pretty lame at this point, the intervention they were willing and/or able to make)to reassure me that if she acted up again he'd have her removed.
This was all during Streets and the lead-in to One no less! Can you imagine cussing at some woman with her little boy because she didn't want your drunk ass standing on his toes at his own seat while Bono was doing the intro to One?!
And he was talking about Rosa Parks, her death having occured just that night prior, and it was just surreal. Should I have stood by and taken it? Didn't need to be violent, 'tis true, but my adrenaline just ran so high it was all I could do to contain it to just that hipcheck level, and I took all kinda crap as a kid...but mess with *my* kids
I tried to brush it all off me quick, but it was tricky. I was into the show so much already that it was strangely easy on the one hand to get right back into the stream of it, but then surreal-y disruptive when I think back on the whole experience. It's like, there was the U2 concert, and I thought it was the best I'd been to, and then there was my experience of this sad thing, this ugliness in humanity, with an actual *live* U2 soundtrack...this rather distinct image of seeing Bono with his guitar talking about Rosa Parks and about to launch into One while I'm coming off this charged confrontation, this feeling of waving my hand in the air with 'in the name of love' between attempts to get this woman to do the right thing and move away now.
I was very confused
I wanted to thank the two lovely young women sitting behind us! I thanked them there, but didn't get a chance to say how much I appreciated how they made my son feel better about the whole dancing at a concert scene by chatting with him for a bit, being playful with him, and relieving some of the tension created by that nastiness. I think he mostly didn't process too much of that person's crap, and had a great time despite the little incident. And because of them didn't end up feeling like the people one might meet at a concert are mostly going to try to mess with you, at least if you're young and vulnerable...
Now, as silly as I later thought I was for failing to expect that the floor would include some jockeying and unpleasantness about positioning, I *really* didn't think anything like this happens in the stands?!
I had only good experiences in Chicago nosebleed section...
Somehow the United Center generally had a better feel to the crowd, more love. Not that I added to the love vibe at the Palace indeed...I could have just dragged my boy off to get an usher, but jeez did she push my buttons...
It was a great show anyway, and my son had a blast I think!
cheers all...and I hope nobody else experiences this sort of thing...
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