Bumbershoot slayed me
I won’t lie to you. I was eagerly anticipating this year’s Bumbershoot and wasn’t shy about geeking out about Blondie’s performance from the moment they announced it until, well, now. And like the other authors who attended, I had a very good time. Except…well, there’s always an except isn’t there?
No, it wasn’t the price. All the acts/movies/shows I saw would have been at least twice as much had I seen them separately.
No, it wasn’t the crowds, although wouldn’t it be nice (for me at least) if I were the Queen of England and was capable of demanding (and receiving) personal shows?
No, it was the moment when I realized I’d crossed The Line.
There I was, sitting in the beer garden in the Exhibition Hall listening to 3 Inches of Blood and bobbing my head in between sips of pale ale. I was enjoying it. Until that point, I had never seen a heavy metal band live. It was fun.
Looking at the crowd around the stage, I had the thought that heavy metal fans might be the best music fans there are. They never seem to be too cool to jump up and down and scream and yell from the moment the first note is struck. But then my musings began to be interrupted by a strange feeling in my head. I had only barely begun to consciously acknowledge said feeling when my entourage turned to me and said:
Alex: This band is not fucking around.
CRo: I know! (pause) (realization) (pause) I cannot believe I’m going to say this, but, the music is so loud my ears actually hurt.
So there it is, the moment. At approximately 8:03 p.m. on Sunday, September 3, 2006, I crossed The Line and officially became old. Excuse me while I go change all my radio pre-sets to Adult Easy Listening.
There’s nothing wrong with wearing earplugs if the music is too loud. Musicians do this too and they’re still young & cool, right?
How I would love to see the response if Queen Elizabeth II sent Three Inches of Blood’s publicist a request for an audience at Buckingham Palace.
Don’t feel too bad. I didn’t make it into Ex Hall this year, but I remember it as having the worst acoustics. They probably compensated by turning up to twelve.
Yeah, the Ex Hall always sounds awful, and they do seem to turn things up too much. I was in there for part of the Thermals and it sounded terrible. Aside from the fact that Three Inches of Blood is just a loud band.
I do appreciate you turning officially old on my birthday, though.
hahaha! i missed bumbershoot! too bad … but yeah.. i know how you feel! I remember when I loved rock soo bad that I’d always go with my brother if he had a gig (back in the Phils) now I can’t stand it… the moment my head starts hurting.. it’s time to go home. :-p
nothing wrong with earplugs. i always carry some in my pocket, and have for a couple of years. so volume isn’t quite “the moment,” i think it’s more when you aren’t as willing to try new things. so if you’d said something along the lines of “i don’t know, 3 inches of blood is heavy metal, i’ve never seen a heavy metal band, and i’m not going to start now,” that’d have been the moment. so don’t worry…yet.
I’m feeling so much better now, y’all. I totally appreciate the cheering up.
Although, “Granny goes to Hump” would have been a good headline.