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Old 02-26-2021, 03:00 PM   #20
GraceBuckley
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
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Re: From "DMB who?" to sitting next to Dave in a club booth @ TR3 in FIVE SHOWS

Quote:
Originally Posted by HonestDenver1 View Post
Strange how you can be so close that you'd meet the moms, but then fall out just a short time later.. I'm in the same boat. What I wouldn't give to go hang out with their families back stage during a show again. Talk about politics and golf, love of sailing etc... I miss it.
It's cool, I guess I don't feel like it was "a short time later" in my situation. I had a great 9 yr run, that started off pretty quickly with hanging out a lot, so I feel very good about that run. And I had a choice, I could have kept hanging out, but I think it was time for me to make some changes in my focus.

But I know what you mean, and if I were to go to a show in 2022 say, it would be SO nice to just waltz backstage and pick up where we left off. I did see Tim, some crew at a Radiohead concert and after a moment of "Whoa, yeah, hey!" he introduced me to his wife and we had several great exchanges (we were sitting right behind them). At the end Dave & his wife raced by (they were sitting several rows behind us) and with both it was only the quickest eye contact but with both they looked, did a double take, and the smiles were sweet, it was good vibes for sure. And that was just 2 yrs ago. So if I go and just keep to myself in the audience, cuz I am curious about what they're like live now, it'll be weird, and I'll miss old times, but it'll be good too and I am at peace with it all. 2020 gave me lots of perspective on blessings!

Also, - you should know by now I'm about to go on another rant, so read at your own peril LOL! - even though having kids definitely has taken me out of the "Just jump on the traveling circus for the East Coast when you want to" adventures I loved so much then, every now and then I still experience the joy of hanging out with artists I admire greatly. I'm a much bigger Pearl Jam fan and though I've also drifted far away from their circle, in 2018 I went to 2 Seattle PJ shows, 2 Boston, and had "extra special" experiences at all, including getting to say hey to band members, VIP access to when they showed the Night 1 concert footage at a theater between Nights 1 & 2, VIP tour of the PJ exhibit at MoPop as part of a party hosted by band staff, and a crazy unexpected bonding experience with a band member's family during the best show (Seattle 2, 2018).

I actually found my journals from '95-'96, '98 and '00, which include PJ shows, DMB shows, and other bands. There was so much I'd forgotten, and I think even more than missing hanging and talking to DMB & their families, I think I miss the times it really sank in that I was "one of the guys". As a woman, you're often worried about people getting the wrong idea about why you're there or how they need to act in your presence. Damn if the band didn't "let their hair down" so many times and I just LOVED IT. I jumped right in with the banter and I'll always treasure those times most of all.

Now I go to far fewer shows in gen'l (and no DMB), but I did get to "Use my powers for good" for someone else in 2019. My tween daughter had found her 1st music obsession that was HER artist: Billie Eilish. By the time she got fully obsessed, the current theater tour Eilish was doing at the time was long sold out. But I trusted my gut, found a date in a nearby city on a weekend, and said to my daughter "Ok, look, we're gonna do a road trip and there are NO GUARANTEES. The most we may get out of it is some pre-show people watching & a good meal. Can you live with that?" We drove to another city and as we pulled up at the theater, there were 2 tour buses in front and a lot of guys in black with passes. But there was this one guy... I said out loud "HIM, that's the guy! Come on!" and almost hit a pole parking the car so fast and trying to race out so we didn't miss him.

I'd never seen this guy, had no clue what his role on the tour was. Went up, introduced ourselves, and made one request, which was NOT for tickets nor was it to meet EIlish. It was something very simple. At first he was like "Oh, that's not my area, I don't deal with that." But then he said "Well, check the box office for tix, but if you don't get any I may be able to help you. Wait in front AFTER they start letting people in."

Checked the box office, no tix (it was SO sold totally out and it was a ZOO, almost dangerous outside because it was largely a GA show). But he came out after they started letting people in and pulled us aside. He said "Ok, for your request, here, take these-" and gave us 2 wristbands, and said "Go do what you asked, and then... enjoy the show!" we looked at the wristbands, VIP! We found out inside that our section were tix originally sold at $399/ticket We had great sightlines (one level up from floor so almost even with the stage) and my daughter cried for joy. And we BOTH sang along for most of the show and rocked out!

I think the guy was going to try to get my daughter to meet her too after, but the crowd outside got too crazy so we were just happy to have seen the show. Found out what this guy's job is... let's just say I couldn't have lucked out more on asking a better person.

At times like that, I don't miss not being able to go to DMB or other shows now, I'm just glad I had the times I had. And that I remember a thing or 2 about how to act in case it comes in handy now

I don't know what happened with you that created the distance, but I do hope for you that sometime soon, with the reflective treasures that Covid & lockdown have given so many of us, I hope you get to another few shows and luck just happens and you find yourself where you want to be. And then please come back and write about it so I can live it vicariously thorugh you!
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