That Little Old Lady Just Called Me An ASSHOLE!

So, I mentioned I was at this great Johnny Reid concert last week.

And it was.

Overall, he put on an awesome show, sang his heart out, and we all loved him.

However, (you knew that 'however' was coming didn't ya!), as with many of my concert experiences, it didn't quite go as smoothly as planned.

I bought the tickets shortly after they went on sale, and after the first show had already sold out. That meant we were going to the Tues night, 8pm show.

We agreed Cass would meet me at work, we'd leave from there, grab dinner at the bar, and be there in lots of time before the doors opened for the show.

Since we'd be there so early, about 3hrs before start time, there was a good chance we'd have good seats too!

Yeah. That was the plan.

Late afternoon, I heard on the radio that the doors were going to open early, 5pm.

Apparently there had been a HUGE lineup at the Friday night show, so they were trying to move the lineup along a little easier by opening the doors earlier.

OK. According to the original plan, we'd still be there in plenty of time.

Cass met me at work, we left on time, got to the bar on time. It was 4:40 and there were about 20 people or so lined up waiting to get in.

It was a crappy day, cold and drizzling, so we decided to wait in the car. Not even five minutes later, the doors opened.

Once we got in, and handed over our tickets, we set off to find seats.

And AWESOME seats we got!!! Almost front row centre!

We managed to grab two seats at the table centre to the stage, three seats in. WOOHOO!

This was our Pre-Show view





Where those three women are standing, that's the front of the stage.

Yeah! Showing up early paid off! Three hours until showtime and the place was already starting to fill up.

We DID get awesome seats!!! I was ecstatic!

Until showtime.

First, I have to point out that rope going along the length of the stage. Along the whole row of tables.

On the other side of the rope, is the dance floor. We expected people to be standing on the dance floor.

However, because there was a 'Please Do NOT Stand HERE!' sign along the rope, (not visible in pic above) we knew that we'd have a clear view of the stage, over the heads of the people on the dance floor.

For FOUR HOURS (yes FOUR HOURS because the show started an hour late!) the Bouncers were moving people who blatantly ignored the sign, and stood by the rope.

They moved people along who stopped by the rope to have a chat, and scope out available seats.

They moved people who supposedly didn't see the sign, and stood there anyway.

Not only our table was affected by the 'rope view', but all the tables along the front of the stage, so we were ALL very pleased that the bouncers were doing their job of keeping people out of our way.

We had made the conscious decision and EFFORT to show up there three hours early, which turned out to be FOUR hours early, specifically to get GOOD seats.

THAT'S the point of going early. Not for the pub food! Not to chat with the strangers at the table! Not to get loaded in the three hours beforehand.

To get a good freakin' seat!

For four hours the bouncers did their job, and they did it well ... when the show began, all hell broke loose!

It started with only a couple of women. One in particular who decided to plant herself in front of the rope, centre stage ... right in our line of Johnny!!!

Then a few more moved on over to the rope.

Although many at our table, and neighbouring tables were muttering about 'people blocking the view', and 'people standing by the 'DO NOT STAND' sign', we waited for the Bouncers to do their job.

And we waited.

And waited.

A few women yelled from tables to 'move!' but of course the Rope Delinquents pretended not to hear.

Halfway through the first song, I'd had ENOUGH!

I got up and went to the Bouncer standing at the rope and asked him what the deal was? Why had they moved people all night, and now, they were letting people line up along the rope and block the view of the people who had been sitting there for .... FOUR HOURS!!!!!

Did I mention ... FOUR HOURS!!!!!

His reply?

'The owner said it was OK for them to stand there now.'

Excuse me? WHAT?!?!?!

Realizing it was useless to argue with him and his 'just doin' what I'm told' attitude, I went back to my table and continued to grumble with the others.

At the end of the second song, when there was a break in the music and crowd noise, I picked that moment to cup my hands around my mouth and yell at the top of my lungs ...

"HEY! People at the rope ... MOVE!!! WE CAN'T SEE!!!"

Cass told me later "At first, I didn't realize it was you who yelled because I was looking the other way. Then, you yelled a second time and I turned around and realized 'Holy Shit! That's Kim!', the THIRD time, I knew you were PISSED!!!"

Yeah. Pissed I was.

I hadn't just sat in the freakin' bar for FOUR HOURS just to watch some chicks shake what their Mama gave them.

I wanted to see JOHNNY shakin' what his Mama gave him!!! How was I going to get any half decent pics through all those freakin' heads?!?!?!

Ohhh I was pissed. Almost walked out right of there.

Of course, I quickly realized that the only one who would lose out on that action was me.

The chicks at the rope didn't care if I left. The bar owner didn't care that the people who had sat in her bar for the last FOUR FREAKIN' HOURS and drank her drinks and ate her food, couldn't see, so she certainly wouldn't care if I left.

And Johnny didn't care! But I can't hold that against him, he was just singin' his little Scottish heart out.

The only one who would have cared was me.

And I didn't care to miss Johnny, for the sake of a bunch of RUDE, INCONSIDERATE, latecomers, who blatantly didn't give a crap that they were blocking the awesome view of the people at the table, who had been sitting there for hours.

So ... what was I going to do now?

I did what ANY pissed off Canadian Chick would do - I marched up to the rope, elbowed my way next to the 'front and centre' Chickie, and took my pictures.

Then I sat down again, so everyone else at the table could see.

Then I got up to the rope again, muscled my way in, and took more pics.

Then I sat down, so everyone else at the table could see.

See a pattern here?

I couldn't simply stand there at the rope for the whole show. I mean, I COULD have, obviously none of the staff was going to stop me. But I couldn't do it simply cause it wasn't the RIGHT thing to do!

Everyone else at those tables had sat there for FOURS HOURS right along with me. I couldn't do that to THEM.

Yes, some people finally did just go out to the dance floor and watch the show from there. But I stubbornly stayed where I was, alternating between the rope and table.

It was at one of these trips to the rope, immediately after I yelled at the Rope Delinquents, that this little old lady, (I'm not kidding, we're talking grey haired granny!) called me an Asshole!

For yelling at them to move.

HUH! ME? The Asshole?

Listen Lady! I'm not the one who ....

Sigh. Oh what does it matter.

I saw Johnny.

And the little old lady? Wasted her breath! Didn't bother me a bit that she called me an ass. I completely ignored her.

For all she knew, I hadn't heard her at all, because I never even acknowledged her.

It might have been her last breath and she wasted it on calling me an Asshole. Three times actually LOL.

There's a pot and kettle phrase that springs to mind here ...

Yeah. Go ahead. Call me an Asshole.

I'll be sure to add myself to my next Open Letter To Assholes.

I did learn my lesson though. That's the LAST time I'll go to a concert early, and waste my time and money on trying to get the 'good' seat.

At least at that particular bar it will be.

Next time, I'll show up late, have nothing to eat, drink only water, and stand in front of everyone else and earn my Asshole title the right way!

K.