YUCK!

I posted a little bit of my experience the other night on FB, but I thought I would elaborate.

First let me tell you that I never was allowed to go to concerts as a kid. My parents at one point went to see Paul McCartney, and said that there was so much marijuana smoke in the balcony where they were seated, that they got high themselves, just on the smoke. So thanks to Paul McCartney, I was never allowed anywhere near any kind of live music.

THANKS PAUL!

So I never really experienced much in the way of live music until I was an adult, and by then smoking- in any form- wasn't allowed indoors. Now, I love concerts. There is an excitement there that just can't be matched for me. When I heard that this band I really like was in town, for a free concert no less, I got very excited. I had been to these kind of concerts as a vendor, and had always wanted to participate as an actual spectator, so I jumped at the chance.

This was the first concert of the series, and there was a change of venue, so they could accommodate a lot more people. I don't however, think they anticipated that there would be quite so many people.

(I think we are in one of those pictures!)

When we arrived (two hours early) it wasn't bad at all, a little wait in line, and then we found our little space in the grass for our blanket. As things started to fill up, there was a great party atmosphere. We lived in down town SLC for the first two years of our marriage, and I really like, and miss the feel of the outdoor parties. Emanhaud of course whipped out his camera as quickly as possible, was practically drooling at the possibilities, for crowd shots. (Don't worry there will be more to come.)

About the time the warm up band went on, things got very crowded, but we were still holding our own. Then all of the sudden, the Mayor of SLC got up to speak, and a little ripple of discontent went through the crowd. This was the time that we were suppose to be listening to music, not to the Mayor. I looked at my husband and asked if this was the season opener of the series, and he said he though it was. Well that would explain the enormous number of people. This was the point when we started to loose all patience with this particular crowd. This was the point when the alcohol started to settle in on most of them. This was the point when they started to trample anyone sitting down, including the baby that was sitting with her family right behind us!

All of the sudden, all decency and respect for human life just floated away on the breeze. I didn't mind that occasionally people would step on our blanket, I didn't even mind when they would occasionally would trip. Hey I am not the most sure footed person either. But when, they started blatantly trampling the people on the blankets, that made me mad! Eventually we had to stand up, because the density of the crowd just made it too hard to be sitting anymore. Eventually we had to put our bags (my purse and his camera bag) between our feet, to keep from being stepped on. Eventually we had to get used to being kicked, and stepped on.

And eventually we just had to leave.

Two songs into the main act.

We just couldn't take it anymore.

Maybe we are getting old...

but this kind of thing just isn't what it used to be.

I can tolerate people drinking around me, even though the smell alone was making me want to throw up. I get that not everyone feels the same way that we do about alcohol.

What I can't tolerate it people getting sloppy drunk and then trying to trip their way over everyone in their path.

Lets just say that when I said NEVER AGAIN... I meant it!

I wonder if this will make me never want to let my kids go to outdoor concerts....

As for myself, I'll stick to the arena concerts, thank you!