Concert experience #419 Gogol Bordello

Last night Farmer Ted and I went to a concert. It was our first concert since the concert of utter disaster last December when we saw Tool with our friend The Drummer. We saw Tool in the Idaho Center which is probably the crappiest place in Idaho to see a show. When we arrived we could already tell they were severely over serving alcohol which isn't the best idea for a metal/rock show. We found our seats which were two rows from the back wall and quickly realized that the five dudes sitting behind us were extremely drunk, and the opening band had not yet started. I was not happy. By the third Tool song I had beer poured down my back and decided to stand so that I wouldn't have it spilled on my head. Let's face it, that wouldn't be the best combo with an already soaking sweatshirt. Farmer Ted tried to sarcastically suggest that beer should go into the belly and not the floor but I don't think they heard. It didn't matter much since I was already in bitch mode. It was the beginning of a long night of standing, of yelling, of scaring everyone around me and of having to do everything on my own since The Drummer and Farmer Ted did not want to fight five drunk dudes. About six songs in more beer was spilled and the cigarettes came out! So we were ashed on. No, let me rephrase that, we became THE ashtray. At this point I again let my wrath out and the drunken a$$hole claimed he wasn't smoking when in fact he was so drunk he couldn't see his cigarette in his hands and his friend bent over backward to apologize. It wasn't working. About another song later he started falling on me and I had had enough so I let it all out and they shut up. None of the five dudes could look at me. They were pretending not to be with their drunken friend. It was around this time that their mohawk friend came back and heartily said "aren't you glad he doesn't have any more beer!" to which I replied, "I'd be happier if he didn't have any more F*#$%#@ing cigarettes!" He was embarrassed, shocked that I was that angry and shut up. Just because we're at the same concert does not make us friends. And just because you have a mohawk doesn't make me fear you. I went to the Prom with a mohawked dude. Meanwhile, Farmer Ted and The Drummer are still just sitting there most likely pretending not to know me. Things settled down for the most part. And I am grateful that he chose to piss and vomit against the wall and not on me. I still had to hear it, smell it and see it though. It was the worst concert experience ever and I've been to many shows over the years.

So we decided it was time to try the show scene again and one of our favorite bands came through last night, Gogol Bordello. It was the best $17.50 show I've seen. They played their asses off, the energy was crazy and the dancing sublime. The opening act, Skindred, was also incredible! We had so much fun and we didn't have any drunken a$$holes to deal with. Gogol Bordello played for two+ straight hours and the encore was unbelievable! All on a Sunday night! It was crazy. It was fabulous!