On Saturday we had errands to run but with soccer deferred to Sunday we were able to do the shopping together, grabbed a coffee at Chocxo and drive home along the river in the most glorious sunshine. Then we cooked a batch of weeknight meals, tunes pumping, kids coming and going, puppy watching for falling vegetables ...
It was lovely to have an ordinary day together.
And then we headed downtown with friends to dinner and a concert.
There may have been early signs we missed that the night may not unfold as we hoped but being an optimistic bunch we didn't take the restaurant we were going to eat at being closed, as in windows papered over, under renovation closed as any sort of set back. iPhones activated and a new dinner place found, table secured and cocktails ordered in no time.
The fact some of us maybe underestimated that a 45 minute line up outside would be chilly.... Silly us we forgot it was February still and after a clear day the temp was dropping. We used various strategies to keep warm. Drinking the offered free Red Bull was not one of them although in hindsight this was yet another missed sign.
" We don't want to be up all night after a couple of those we quipped"
Our early line up and some very quick footed work by EV got us primo seats. Right by the bar, centre balcony!
The attentive waitress who we grew to really like over the half our lifetime we ended up spending there soon had us supplied.
Eventually...the opening band came on. A moment that was as excruciating as it was comedic. These newbies who won some radio talent show (where people would not have had to see the deranged head flinging guitar players with their skinny arms in their tank tops flinging their ever more sweaty long hair around) started to play and honestly our only hope was that they only had 2 songs.
By now you know this mercy was clearly not going to be shown to us.
We continued to get to know our waitress... The lovely Tracey.
By the end of their set E and I were literally crying with laughter... I was starting to throw my own head around to get some relief.
I was hoping this was the light and sound system blowing up but.... No... Of course not.
The very large and minimally talented troop finally did their last big head fling and left the stage... 10pm... My usual bedtime and finally, we very mistakenly thought, Sam Roberts Band is up.
And then we heard that no, no that was not happening, there was another band and Sam would be up around 11pm.
"Tracey... TRACEY...... Over here!!!"
The next band whose entire extended family were seated in front of us including Gran and Gramps ( I saw them turn off their hearing aids and I cursed those old people) came on and I think most people thought it was Sam for a moment and then they realized the game!
This young, unrecorded band, were tolerable, they had some musicality and kept their heads where they should be. But after 3-4 songs I was back to wanting to stab myself with the drumstick I had found on my chair....... Or beat someone with it.
Also wondering if there were any free Red a Bulls left?
Finally at 11ish Sam and the Band came on but by now we were avoiding eye contact with Tracey for fear of the stairs we had to negotiate to exit the building. Also I am sure we were contact high from all the weed smoke in the non smoking venue and TBH I was quite tired.... But Sam and the boys were good ... We sort of danced while stifling the odd yawn and watching the clock to make sure we didn't miss the last train at 1:15am because by now we knew the odds were most definitely not in our favour.
After the first song of the encore we beat the crowd out and made the train home.
Our 6th concert together was memorable and the fact it ranks in the top 4 only tells you our concert selection skills are below average.
But if it produces a story we can bore our kids and friends with for years to come and grow old reminiscing about "that time we saw Sam Roberts in the middle of the night" then all is well.
Sunday was spent in a slight fog shopping for clothes and shoes for NYC for the girls and soccering for the boys and my bed is literally screaming my name....
Night!
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