An aligment of the universe; Incubus in the pavilion

Have you ever had one of those adventures that was amazing not because of anything it particular that happened, but because it was a freak occurrence of proper universe alignment that made it all happen in the first place? One of those nights that starts out as a maybe, a do I want to, should I and ends up at this was SOOOOOO meant to be thank you GOD!!!.  This was me last night, at my first concert alone, Incubus!

The Universe

Things working against the universe:

I’ve been a concert freak this year already: If we go this is concert #9, the gild is starting to fall off the Lilly on my sordid affair with live shows this year.  I’m not quite to GW half life level yet, but the staggering amount of money spent of shows, sitters, hotels and alcohol is starting to get to me with Birthdays and Holidays coming on the horizon. Plus The Husband and I saw them in 08.  So it’s not like I haven’t crossed them off the list.

Incubus 2011

1. Jimmy  Eat World
2. Cake
3. Motley Crue
4. Alkaline Trio
5. Alkaline Trio yep twice in two nights
6. Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger
7. Train, Maroon 5
8. Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow
9. Incubus
10. Jack’s  Mannequin is next

I’m overscheduled:  I originally thought the date of the concert was next Tuesday. Not only is this a school night, it is also a group run night, and I am going to the Jack’s Mannequin concert on Monday.

The potential for disappointment is high: Cake and Incubus are both bands that The Husband and I love.  Both released new albums this year and both were personally disappointing to The Husband.  Cake was a phone in C- level effort for me, the Incubus I found a few songs I absolutely loved on, but it wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped for.  I am still slightly tainted by the disappointment that Alkaline Trio didn’t play anything from This Addiction.

There was waffling between The Husband and me over this concert. Our finances remain separate after reconciliation ( I  love it this way) and though the Incubus discussion had occurred several times, no one was running to empty their bank account further for two tickets or get a sitter or figure out the crazy scheduling that would be required to make this concert happen on a school and run night.  It quite frankly was looking like it was not meant to be.

The emotional crux of the situation:

But for some reason I hadn’t ruled it out in my heart yet.  I think I like Incubus a little better than The Husband.   Drive and Stellar are big songs for us as a couple, but overall he and the SIL are into the harder stuff from the earlier albums.  I like some of that too but I am much more emotionally connected to songs like Wish You Were Here or Promises, Promises or Warmth or Dig or…you get the point.   I was motivated to start a funeral play list for myself by Incubus Wish You Were Here. Mostly because of the line And in this moment I am happy.   On point I absolutely love this band and hearing them live is a very in the moment transfixed by the music and the emotions time for me.

The Universe starts to shift:   Who else is picturing the moving parts of the map in Game of Thrones opening sequence??

Saturday night BGC attended Kid Rock with husbands in tow.  While there they are selling Incubus tickets for $15.  Which is compelling in itself, but the kicker is that the show date is yesterday, not next Tuesday.  This removes one of the obstacles. It no longer makes it two concerts in two nights week.   I point it out but The Husband is just not feeling it. So I ask if maybe I can ask  my friend who works at Live Nation to get me in by myself for free that night and  I’ll go by myself.  He is open to this and so I file it away under options.  But I’m still not compelled to do anything about making this happen.   It’s not really in the front of my mind for the rest of the weekend. There are too many other things  competing for my time and attention right now and I find that I am literally living my life in about 36 hours increments. It’s like extreme rolling wave planning over here and I can’t seem to get ahead.   Which explains why I forgot Meet the Teacher night at school was Monday night until about oh 4pm.  It seems some time pruning is going to be in order but for now anyway the plan is to continue to just go like gangbusters until I hit a wall.  I know I should just run on Tuesday night come home and take care of  something  anything on the to do list. Like maybe that Thursday post I still haven’t written.

Yesterday I got up early, showered, packed a run bag and went to the office.  Lunch was spent running to the local sporting goods store to buy a new pair of Brooks. I have to break them in before the 13.1 next Saturday.  It was during lunch that it finally hit me.  I’m going to kick myself over and over if I don’t go to that show.  I have no fear of going to that show by myself, and if my friend can get me in for free it would all be worth it.  If I can make it work under those conditions then I’ll go.  I’ll do my downtown run, speed home and maybe shower but def change, meet him there at 9 when Incubus should be going on and then hope traffic isn’t bad getting home.  I decide I’m going for it. I will see if I can get the universe to align.

The Universe Aligns:

I text my friends wife and beg for the favor.  I haven’t used this favor before and he is fairly open with it so I keep my fingers crossed.

He usually has to request the tix the day before and have them held at will call

But he can do it, he’s in

All I have to do now is somehow run, eat something get ready and get cash for parking all prior to 9.

I’m supposed to run at about 6:40, at 5:15 at the office it really looks like rain.  I bought new shoes and packed the rain maker outfit to run in, of course it’s going to rain on my run.

I check the radar, it’s a pretty big wide front and we are on the first edge of it, there is red and yellow coming but it will only be green radar colored thunderstorms if I run NOW.

I decide at 5:21 that I’m going for it. If I’m going to get wet anyway I’m not waiting until 7pm to do it. I’m taking the bull by the horns heading out now, stay close to work and get my 4.0 in.

For the next  19 minutes there is the chaos of my running skirt is in my car in the lot, I am on the 2^nd floor and the bathrooms are closed for cleaning I don’t have the right badge, keys, clothes with me to be able  to change just yet.

FINALLY I get my 4.0 in and change into dry comfies at the office to drive home barefoot.

Meanwhile The Husband tells me a buddy of his that I know has scored tix to the show and will be there on the VIP deck.  It occurs to me once I get home that I’d like to not have to drive there and back.  If I can get his buddy to take me home maybe I can get my Live Nation friend to take me there.  I ask for the buddy’s cell phone number, ask for the ride home and score, he’ll do it.  All the while I am racing around like a mad woman changing  back into my work clothes, bling Jeans and a ruffly tank top, sans shower,  letting my got soaked running in a pony tail  hair dry and hope it doesn’t turn out too crazy. Make-up is confined to get raccoon mask off skin and declump eyelashes from rain run.

At 8:06 I text my friends wife again and ask her if he can take me up there with him.

8:21 he can, he’s ready whenever I am just tell him when.

Text updates from the buddy at the venue report the opening act is over

8:40 we go, park  for free in  half full lot and walk the ½+ mile from the lot to the entrance very very quickly  while they come on stage and open with Pardon Me..  I can’t see it but it’s clear as hell and I know this song. I sing the lyrics under my breath as we walk and talk. It’s going to be a good show if this is the opener. Life is good.

As we are walking he’s telling me about how in the 11 years he has had this perk he’s never seen Incubus. And he thought about having them hold tix for him yesterday but was iffy on going and didn’t want to request them and not use them.  I had provided an excuse to come to the show.  He is going to stay for a few songs and then head back home.

We are almost to the entrance and they start playing Wish You Were Hear.  I scream out loud, “Oh this is my song” and two girls behind me scream out this is our song too. We giggle and share a little bit.

He checks in for what we think will be lawn passes and instead are handed tickets in the upper pavilion. This is just getting better and better.  This is my 4^th trip here this summer and my first seat in the pavilion.

Incubus August 2011

We stand in the always at least 5 times longer than it should be line to get in and I’m just listening to wish you were here, and swaying and tearing up a bit.  It won’t be the first time I cry at this show, I just have emotional reactions to live music of songs I really connect with.   It’s not like sobbing crying, it’s more like somehow tears are just falling while I’m so happily listening and being transported elsewhere, crying. It’s hard to explain but it also happens in church almost every Sunday,  it stops before or as soon as the song ends.  🙂

Incubus Set List

I tell him I’m buying him a beer as a thank you, even though I’ve been ridiculously gushing the whole time about how thankful I truly am to be here.

We score the beers, and I get a look at the lawn, it’s packed. There are a heck of a lot more people here than what it looks like in the parking lot.

Seats are awesome, I love the lawn but the pavilion has concrete, and your own space, and speakers in the  back of you that music comes out of, I can actually see the stage instead of getting a  view of it on the big screen.  I  took some crappy pics with my iphone  just to show you the difference  in view between the lawn and the pavilion.

And then they play Promises, Promises, complete with a video that has  a racing cars on the road vibe..

As I’m screaming my heart out “I’m on the road of least resistance”  it hit’s me. This is the perfect adventure.  .

I’m here when I wasn’t supposed to be. I’m here for free, parking was free, I didn’t have to drive there or home.  Because of me he gets to see the band for a bit and I get to have a transition of a person I know for a bit before I enjoy the rest of the concert dancing and singing and fist pumping and shaking my hair with strangers.   It’s Incubus, the show is a good one and the night could not get any better.   Well, it would have been nice to have The Husband there during Drive and Stellar, but it’ll do just fine.

I am where I am in THIS moment because of the choices I made to get here and the help of the perfect alignment of the universe.

PS- The Husbands buddy is a get out of the lot rock star and I was home complaining about how my left foot is trying to get a stress fracture and eating a dinner of cherry cobbler and frozen custard by 11pm.   Tonight I will take a look at the long list of things that are due in the next 36 hours….  You might not want to hold your breath for tomorrow’s post to arrive at 7am on the dot.