Hello, again! (Or, Hello! if you're a first-timer here.)
I'd go on and apologize about my lack of postings, but then I realized it would sound really self-absorbed - I mean, I'm not, like, The Bloggess or Hyperbole and a Half. Now THOSE are legit blogs that are AWESOME and make me laugh so hard I pee...sometimes...
Anyhoo, I've recently been inspired to really do something creative, and while I do have many avenues in which to let my creativity flourish, I decided that writing would serve me best at this juncture in my life. After much debating, I finally decided on what my (not) first blog post will be! So, here we go!
About 2 months ago, I got a text from a friend of my fiance's (oh, yes, I got engaged, huzzah!! Sorry, you'd think I would be all about posting that, but you get engaged, and then you suddenly have NO TIME for ANYTHING...wow, I'm totally going off-topic here. Start over!)
About 2 months ago, I got a text from a friend of my fiance's, and she and I have become really close. Like, close enough that she's helping in a big way for planning the wedding! She's married, so she knows what to expect, and she lives in Toronto, which is where the wedding will take place. Very handy! I like to describe her as me, but raised with really liberal parents – we approach things in a similar way, but with different backgrounds. It's awesome.
She wanted to get together for more wedding-planning talk, and some Girl Time. Coincidentally, she had two free tickets to a Led Zeppelin tribute band, and wanted to know if I wanted to go with her. “Heck, yes!” I replied. “Between you and Jim (my fiance), my musical knowledge will be completed!!” I was very excited, especially after I did a quick YouTube search of “Led Zeppelin songs”...after I read the Wikipedia entry on them. (What? I wanted to be informed.)
In my defense, I only became a fan of The Doors after Jim got me into them about 2 years ago. I know enough about music and musical history to get by, but in some cases, I'm that girl going, “Oh, THIS is Such and Such? I love this song!” I came to the Music Party a little late in life, but on the plus side, I caught up really fast and can hold my own in most conversations about musical topics.
So, after realizing that I do indeed like Whole Lotta Love and Black Dog (I already loved Immigrant Song...Stairway to Heaven? Still debating. I feel it's not as epic as everyone makes it out to be), I was super-stoked to hang with Cole AND talk wedding AND see a tribute band I'd more than likely really enjoy!
Cut to Cole and myself at the show, trying to talk over the opening band, self-described as...what was it? Classic Rock ScreaEmo? Blues-y ScreaEmo? Something Awesome ScreaEmo. It was AWFUL. Finally, the ear-violating band was done, and we could talk again. I was getting more and more excited for the band to start playing, and transport me to another place. After the show, I would emerge, more...enlightened, musically. I'd maybe not be a die-hard fan, but I would certainly want the Best of Led Zeppelin in my CD collection.
The lights started dimming, and it was time!! The Led Zep Tribute Band Show was about to start! I was giddy with anticipation! Oh my goodness, is that...IT IS! THE IMMIGRANT SONG!
“VIKINGS!” I yelled enthusiastically. (This is because the song IS about Vikings, and there was a picture on the screen of a Viking ship. Cole later told me I yelled loud enough to freak out some 40-year-old guy standing near me, who ended up moving away from me.)
We moved up closer and really got into the whole “Ahhhhhh-ah!” part of the song. This night was gonna be magical, I could tell. Solid start to the show...I mean, I was a little curious as to why they'd start with such a bona fide crowd-pleaser, but hey, I'm not a performer.
I couldn't tell you what the 2nd song was...or the 3rd...or the 4th. By this point, my enthusiasm had waned to the point where I was more interested in looking around the venue at the older folks re-living their rock-and-roll days (and, judging by the clothes and actions, some still hadn't left those days). It may seem quick to lose interest, but you have to realize – Led Zeppelin songs are not 3 minutes long for easy radio play. No, these songs are usually about 5 minutes, PLUS. So, we're nearing the 40 minute mark into a show, and Cole and I only recognized 1 song.
It was at this point that the singer started to talk a bit about the band. He then told us that the band is currently doing a tour for EACH Led Zeppelin CD. It was like one of those movie-moments where the camera focuses on your face, coming in for a close-up, and everything is moving quickly around you.
“What?” was all we could say. This tribute band wasn't going to be playing all the hits and some fan faves! Oh no, they were HARDCORE – they were doing EACH CD in its entirety! And touring for EACH CD!
Because I'm endlessly socially polite, I stood there with a forced smile on my face. Cole turned to me and said, “If you wanna leave, that's ok. These tickets were free. I won't care.”
I hemmed and hawed (trying to be polite), but my resolve broke - “YES. Let's get outta here!!”
We ventured outside, and I should probably mention at this point that most of Canada has had a VERY mild Winter this year. We've had some snow, but it's generally melted in no more than 2 days, and it's been very tolerable, temperature-wise. Well, naturally, that evening was one of the rare cold days. And when I say cold, I mean, like, you NEED gloves and a scarf because you WILL get frostbite kinda cold. Cole and I knew we'd be having a few beers, so we opted for public transportation. Of course, the bus does not go near the venue – we had to walk about 20 minutes to get to the bus stop, with a Canadian Winter Wind biting at us, both ways. We got into the bus stop booth to stay a little wamer, and Cole checked the schedule.
“Uh oh,” she said, pulling out her cell. “I'm gonna call my husband...” She called to ask him to go online and check the bus route times. Turns out, we would be waiting for about 30 minutes at that point in the evening.
She thanked him, and hung up the phone. “Well,” she started, “we have two options. We can stand here for 30 minutes, and hopefully the bus shows up, or we start walking and catch a bus sooner.” We decided walking would keep us warm, and give us the feeling like we were accomplishing something. So, we started marching. I don't know how we did it without passing out, but we made it to another bus stop – we walked through un-shoveled walkways, unfamiliar areas, and kept up a brisk pace while talking. I couldn't feel parts of my body, but after all that exercise, I knew I had earned a cheeseburger. Thankfully, Cole felt the same.
We stumbled into her house, teeth chattering and joints stiff. It was decided that Cole would drive us to the nearest subway station so Jim and I could head home. We stopped at a McDonalds to satiate the Cheeseburger Cravings, naturally, because you don't ignore the Cheeseburger Cravings.
That's pretty much the story. I slept with my clothes still on because my legs hadn't warmed up in the travel from Cole's place to Jim's. My Quarter Pounder with Cheese was awesome, in that special way that food eaten when you're drunk/way too hungry/craving that specific food is awesome.
I guess if you wanted a moral of the story, it'd be that free tickets do not always equal awesome shows/events/whatever the tickets are for. Also, memorize your city's public transit schedule, and plan your escape accordingly.
...although, now that I think about it...Cole and I ventured out somewhere slightly unknown to us...had some beers...realized this is not the place for us, so we left...braved the cold...and noshed on delicious dead animals like champs. So, maybe I was on to something when I yelled “VIKINGS!” earlier in the evening!
...I'm some kind of Classic Rock Psychic!
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