October 11, 2013

Anthem Tour: Denver

Denver, CO, Sept. 18th, 2013

Every city has at least one street everybody knows to stay away from in that questionable area of town. You know the one where you live. At home for me, it's part of Racepath. In downtown Charleston, it's Spring Street. And in Denver (correct me if I'm wrong, locals), apparently it's Colfax--the street The Bluebird Theater is on. No one told us this before we booked a hotel a mile down the street from the venue.

Of course no one told us there would be flooding and all the decent hotels would be booked and that we would be idiots to wait until the day of the show, or that a homeless man would be camped out sunbathing next to our car, either. It was a little Victorian themed bed and breakfast, and on such short notice, we were put in the basement where the owners lived with one shared bathroom for the "floor." The Great Gatsby Room was introduced to us as "the dungeon," and we were told not to worry, that only the second floor was haunted. It set the tone for a couple of overly paranoid out-of-towners to be a bit more jumpy than usual.

     
The basement stairs leading down to our room.                                      Our room door.                        
                     Our door from the inside.        Creepy file cabinet in the bathroom. Live, Laugh, Love, Linger.    

The show was fun, minus a little scuffle with a fan who didn't seem to think it was fair that we managed to save ourselves room to dance and she didn't. Digression time.

Front Row 101

Having front row is 50% getting it and 50% keeping it. Your struggle is not over the minute you step into your favorite space; you have to be proactive once you're there or you won't be there for long. I'm not suggesting that you throw elbows or go all Incredible Hulk on the people around you; I'm saying that if you bend down or turn to the side or make any sudden movements at all, that space will inevitably shrink from the people around you edging into it. It's not always intentional, but it's show science. You move, and your spot will, too.

So to the girl who so rudely screamed at me for holding my own space: I'm genuinely sorry you didn't hold your spot better; I know it sucks to have front row and not be able to enjoy it because you can't move. I'm sorry your friend didn't come early enough to save a spot for herself up there with you, and that you thought if I would just move over and crowd all the people to my left, she could squeeze in, too. I wasn't fond of the idea of pushing my new friends into the wall on that side. I'm sorry Isaac didn't see you slamming your elbow down onto my friend right on top of his sound pedals--that would have been gold to watch. I wish you better luck and manners at your next show. P.S. You should have been eyeing the girls on your other side; they were the ones that took your beloved space while you were glaring at me.

In all seriousness, I know that probably sounds a bit harsh/too mean, but it was really unfair for Rachel and I to be screamed at and elbowed when we never moved an inch to take anyone's space. I wish it had gone better for everyone, and as snarky as I sound, I really am sorry this person didn't have a better experience. I'm just also sorry it was taken out on us for no apparent reason.

*puts soapbox away* Back to the show.

For having a spot right up against the stage in front of Isaac, I saw very little of him that night. The spotlights were so intense that I wore sunglasses for most of the show and still could only make out his silhouette at best.



I was excited to hear "Need You Now" for the first time, and Taylor's solo of "Weird" was a nice surprise, too. I'm a sucker for piano, and I really enjoyed getting to hear the piano part stand out so much with nothing but his voice. It was nice hearing "Already Home," too, but it felt like maybe it went back into the vault for reworking since we didn't hear it again.

After the show, security greeted fans by the bus with shouts and threats to call the police. Naturally, everyone responded well to that kind of treatment and showed the same courtesy to the venue as they extended to us. Meaning of course that everyone moved to the other side of the street and stood, if anything, more determined to stay than before out of spite. I had to laugh a little watching two brave fans literally skip past security on the sidewalk knowing that nobody can be faulted for skipping in public.

All three guys eventually came out and were nice enough to chat and take photos for a while with those still waiting, much to security's annoyance.


The next morning we got brave and looked in the "Linger" drawer at the hotel:

     
         Nordstrom "Body Bags"
                                                                                                                

1 comment:

BrokeWhoregan said...

Line/spot drama stresses me out so much that I got anxiety just reading about your experience. I hate it sososososo much. It RUINS shows. I'm sorry you had to deal with that :(