It may only be April, but for me, this weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. No, it's not because of the gorgeous weather outside. Rather, it's because this Sunday some friends and I are driving to Williamsburg to see Ben Folds in concert. And from my personal experience, a good concert is the best way to kick off a summer.
I'm not a hardcore Ben Folds fan, but I am a concert enthusiast. As far as summer entertainment goes, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with something better. Now don't get me wrong: major league baseball is great summer fun too, but the energy level is decidedly lower. If you're like me, once in a while it's a good idea to get a little rowdy, and concerts are the best place to do that.
Every summer, my friends and I always go to at least five or six shows, and we never leave disappointed. The genre of music usually doesn't matter. Although the crowds might look different, you can have as much fun at one concert as the next. Whether you like Britney Spears, Dave Matthews, Naughty by Nature or Huey Lewis and the News, seeing any one of them live will leave you begging for more. I should know, because I've seen all of them.
I saw Britney Spears two summers ago, and believe me when I say it was worth every penny. My friend Denis and I decided to do a little tailgating before the concert, and apparently we were the only concert-goers with that idea. The entire Nissan Pavilion parking lot was just that -- a parking lot. Empty minivans as far as the eye could see. We might as well have been drinking outside a shopping mall.
Actually, there was one group near us having a "tailgate" of sorts. Two women in their 30s were eating Gummi Bears and Skittles with their 10-year-old nieces. We ended up talking with them for a while. As I recall, the conversation went something like, "So, what are boys your age doing here?" "Uh ... we won tickets in a raffle ... a charity raffle." Bullet dodged.
The concert itself was as wild a time as any 10-year-old girl could have hoped for. I think Britney even sang a couple of songs live. As she asked her legion of fans to "e-mail her heart," I scanned over the crowd. I was easily the oldest male there, except for a few disgruntled fathers impatiently waiting for Britney to lip-sync "Baby One More Time" so they could get the hell out of there. I won't complain, though; there were never lines outside the men's room or at any of the beer vendors. Maybe if those dads had made their way to the vendors, they wouldn't have looked so disgruntled.
Those dads definitely would have been in better spirits had they been at the Huey Lewis and the News concert last summer. For a band who last cracked the top-40 in 1987, they actually sounded pretty damn good. That crowd was completely dominated by nostalgic 40-year-olds, all desperately trying to recapture that 1980s feeling. Upon the suggestion of my pal Clint (and the influence of my other pal, Jim Beam), I decided to help one of those ladies in her cause.
She may have been past her prime, but she was still attractive in a Suzanne Summers kind of way. As Huey was rocking out to "The Power of Love," I approached her and started making small talk. I can't tell you how flattered she was, but she knew I was too young for her. "Come on," I teased. "I'm 21, that's only like six years younger than you."
"I'm married -- My husband is up front with our children!" she laughingly responded, trying not to blush.
"Happily married?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Her nervous laughter let me know I should probably stop there. After all, it's always awkward when someone excessively younger is hitting on you.
How do I know? It happened to me at the Naughty by Nature concert I went to earlier that summer. (Truth be told, I only went because Michelle Branch was on the same tour -- I have her autographed 8 x 10 glossy photo hanging in my room). Anyway, at that concert a 13-year-old girl sat behind me. She and her friends thought it would be cute to keep brushing their tickets against the back of my neck, giggling all the way through. After about the seventh time, I turned around.
"Sorry cutie!" she said.
"Cutie? I'm old enough to be your dad!"
Needless to say, we didn't have any more incidents the rest of the night.
I can't promise your concert-going experiences will be as embarrassing as mine, but they will be memorable. As college students, I'm sure each of you has a favorite band, and chances are they'll be touring this summer. When they come to town, go out and see them. Have fun, rock out and say hello to any attractive 40-year-olds for me.
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