October 15, 2013

Anthem Tour: Salt Lake City & Las Vegas

Salt Lake City, UT, Sept. 20th, 2013

SLC was a lot of fun because I got to see a few friendly faces I hadn't seen since the last tour.
I know, my tan is your pale.
That day was a toss up between San Diego for the hottest day of the tour for me because the line was sitting in direct sunlight all day. Salt Lake City is probably where I started working on this serious watch tan I had by the end of the trip ----> 

I accidentally found an Old Navy behind the venue and bought shorts, partly because I wasn't prepared for all the heat, and partly because I don't know how to exit an Old Navy without buying something first. After that, Zac wandered out past the line to shop for some kind of sport/game equipment and was nice enough to stop and talk to the fans in line and take pictures. It's one of the few times I've met the guy in daylight, not counting walks. Rachel and I chose that day to wear our semi-matching nerd shirts, so we took advantage of the situation and added a third nerd to the herd for a quick picture.
The most memorable part of the show for me was finally getting to hear "A Song to Sing" with the extra verse (click for an instant replay. Video courtesy of Taylor M., not me). It started out as a Taylor solo, but then his brothers quietly joined him for that final chorus and extra verse. It was the rare kind of moment I just wanted to watch silently and not sing along for fear of missing something I might never see again.

After the show we had a fun conversation with Isaac that turned out like some kind of "Greatest Hits" compilation because we discussed punching and kermit, both topics we've covered with him before. Perhaps we just look like people that want to discuss physical violence and puppets. (My muppet shirt was even hidden by my hoodie at the time). Just as we started talking to Taylor, some guy showed up behind us and Taylor's face lit up as he jumped the rock next to us to get to him. He was nice and came back to talk to us and the rest of the line after a quick bro-hug. We found out via twitter later that it was Matt Wertz and we just didn't recognize him in the dark.

Las Vegas, NV Sept. 21st, 2013

In Vegas we picked up two more friends for the trip and spent another hot day in line and seeing a little of the city. I spent my obligatory 25 cents in a slot machine just to say I've gambled in Vegas, and that was that. I felt more accomplished for buying a $1 hot dog, to be honest. The barefoot walk was easily the hottest walk I've ever been on, and I saw some really brutal blisters in the aftermath. Mine were just filthy. 


There were two distinctly memorable moments for me during this show. The one that I prefer to remember was that Zac played a request for a friend's birthday for a song that meant a lot to her. I was so happy she finally got to hear it! The second moment was getting gum in my hair.

Here's how it happened. I was the last person in the front row on Isaac's side, and the barricade wasn't long enough for me to be on it with my friends. There was just enough room for ONE person to stand where the gap was between the security guard and the barricade. It wasn't a good spot, but I took it because the one draw was that nobody was in front of me.

Naturally when a tall drunk girl in a dress the size of a tube sock wedged herself between me and the security guard, I didn't appreciate it. She turned to me and said "Oh I'm sorry, you can still see, right?" I guess she wanted me to put on a fake smile, grudgingly lie and say "yes," and whisper angrily to my friends behind her back for the rest of the night. Instead I gave her the truth which was a big fat "No?" infused with a DUH! She turned back around and acted like she had done her duty by asking and had no intention of moving. Options ran through my head, and I picked the one that seemed the most civil that would still get me my spot back: I just squeezed back in front of her and refused to move. No pushing or elbowing or anything violent, just a quick squeeze back into my own space that I held onto a little better this time.

A few seconds later, I felt a light touch in the middle of my back, and though it's never happened to me before, it was so predictable I knew exactly what was happening. I pulled my long hair over my shoulder, and sure enough there was a wad of nasty purple gum stuck near the bottom. Did she want me to cry and leave? I don't know. I pulled it out easily (thankfully!) and told the security guard. He didn't seem interested in doing anything about it, so I did.

I turned around and asked her, "I'm sorry, did you want this back?"

She threw her hands up and shrugged, opened her mouth wide, and gestured animatedly inside as if showing me that there wasn't gum inside proved that it wasn't hers. Right. Her mouth was empty because her gum was sitting in my hand. At a loss for what else to do, I said "Here you go!" and stuck it to her arm to be rid of it. I heard the security guard laugh and didn't see her again.

Problem solved I guess, but is there gum sticking etiquette, guys? My brain didn't even come equipped with the proper response to such a silly action. What should one do in that situation?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

idk what proper etiquette would be. You handled it better than I did once when 2 girls got physically violent trying to get me out of front row. I ended up having to cave and leave, or else pass out.