Observations from a (Small) Rock Concert

On Saturday night I went to a small venue to watch a favorite, if aging, rock band, and came away with the following observations:

1. It's not good to sit in the fifth row if you're sitting right in front of the speakers.

2. The roadies don't get paid much. One couldn't afford suspenders (or underwear, for that matter), so we got a little bit more a view than we bargained for.

3. The lead singer in the opening act looked like Jessie Duke from Dukes of Hazard. (That's Jessie and not Bo, Luke or Daisy). Thankfully, he sang much better.

4. The table selling t-shirts and CD's was a far cry from what you see in the big arenas for the big draws. It just goes to show you that there's a pecking order in almost everything, and that includes rock music. These guys played for their enjoyment as much as the bucks, which couldn't have been that big, even for the big names that headlined each group. The lobby scene, at least around the t-shirt and CD table (which was about the size of three card tables), reminded me of the memorabilia/autograph show from The Wrestler. Yes, it's hard getting old.

5. Artists are interesting. They typically want to play their new stuff as opposed to playing their hits, the ones that everyone knows. I didn't expect that, but, as a result, the audience wasn't as pumped up as it could have been.

6. We saw a sign on the ride home that advertised "1/2 Keg Rolling Rock $62." I fake swerved the car toward the beer distributorship that touted the sign. It takes a pretty discerning mind to know whether this was a good deal, but, obviously, it's all in the eye of the beholder and the customers who must drive down this busy road (where there is competition). I got a chuckle, though, either because the owners know for a fact that this advertising works or whether they just think it does. Either way, it struck me as funny. I can see touting gasoline prices, but beer by the half keg?