20 Before 20: Go to a Real Concert

Let me first say that I am slightly embarrassed that I am almost 20 years old and have only recently been to my first real concert.  My dad may contest with this, but somehow going to a concert with your parents don't feel "real" even if it is a Van Morrison concert (it was great, just didn't seem quite right).  I feel like this should have happened ions ago.  I should have been sneaking out at night to go to concerts that my parents didn't want me to see and paying far too much money for crappy seats where I couldn't see anything.  I guess I just didn't have that kind of a childhood.

I did however, go to what I feel was a real concert this past April.  A friend of mine who used to go to a school right outside of Chicago called me saying I should come and visit her for the concert her school was having.  I agreed somewhat reluctantly as I had just spent all day on a shoot for my final project.  All I wanted to do was fall down and collapse into bed, but I decided to say yes anyway.  Funny that what I feel was my first real concert almost didn't even happen.  Hmmm.

Anyway, I got on the train and texted her saying I was on my way.  Her imediate reply was "Yeah!  Plain White T's!!!"  Wuht?  I was so excited that I didn't even remember how tired I had been only moments before.  I was going to see a real band at a real concert!  It got even better.  After a shady walk to her school's campus as I half stalked a guy to be sure I was going the right way, I found out the concert was free!!!  How much better could it get?

The concert was awesome!  We squished in to get as close as we could to the stage.  We cheered.  We sang as loud as we could and still couldn't hear ourselves.  We drooled over concert t-shirts and sweatshirts we couldn't afford, and then stopped each other from buying them.

Near the end of the show Tom Higgenson left the stage.  Everyone was so confused.  We knew it wasn't over yet, he had promised us Hey There Delilah.  We stood there, breathing down the backs of each other's necks, wondering what he would come back with and why he left while the band kept playing.  All of the sudden there's a spotlight behind us and he is standing on a chair by the audio board saying, "Come on over here and we'll sing Delilah."  It was incredible.  Instead of him singing Hey There Delilah he played guitar while the crowd sang.  So awesome.

At the end of the night I left with a few photos (not the best quality, sorry about that) and an awesome memory.  Even though I was exhausted I had trouble falling asleep because I was so hyped up.  All in all definitely worth it (I would have paid money for it too, but free was even better).  I can't wait for my next concert.  Hopefully then I'll be a little more prepared.