So, I am going to try my best not to post sad memes this year.
Yes, we all miss concerts. I know this. You know this. WE…know this (I am beginning to sound like a Saturday Night Live skit (click here if you have no idea what I’m talking about). I’m just going to try not to add to the misery. (best of luck to me on that one, right?!)
Instead, I give you this:
I admit, I laughed when I saw this meme. A radiator??? Of course, the 50-year old mother in me thought, “Oh my God…what if that person or people DROP it?!?” *sigh* Can’t take me to a good old mosh pit these days, can you?
Granted, I’ve had my phone at a good many shows, though. I’ve taken pictures and video before. I’ve grown to hate doing it though because it forces me out of living in the moment. I realize why others do it, I just don’t like it when their phone blocks my view. Imagine that.
Anyway, the radiator being held up did remind me of when I used to hold up signs at gigs. I didn’t do it often, but there was definitely a concert or two back in the Astronaut days when I held up my “Roger, Can I twirl your stick?” sign.
Don’t worry if you’re cringing. I am too. It’s fine. The sign has since been “retired”. I think Amanda might still have it, I’m not sure.
I think about the people whose view I blocked at gigs, and I feel bad about that. I didn’t hold up the sign for the entire show, but I did hold it up enough to where I’m sure the people behind me wanted to strangle me. Fair enough. It’s kind of how I feel about the phones. There is nothing worse than having to watch a gig play out on a screen because you can’t see around, under, or over a person in front of you. It’s not just about being short, it’s about someone – like me back in 2005 – thinking that their wants and needs matter more than yours. In the heat of the moment, you want that video, that photo, or that band member to SEE YOU. I get it. Like I said, I really was that person once. Even so, I felt bad enough to recognize that I was being a crappy person, and once they’ve seen the sign anyway – why bother?? That’s why I stopped carrying signs to shows, never mind radiators.
-R
I do agree with your comment about how it sucks to have people behind you NOT being able to see because you are blocking their view with posters…. I have to admit, that I have brought 1 poster to a Duran Duran concert and it was the night that I was front row in 2011. It was a concert in the city where I live in, Windsor, and it was because I was front row and I knew that the boys would see me. I never had any interaction with the band for all my life being a fan, so I just wanted that 1 second smile or wink towards me and then I would be satisfied. My poster said that I had waited 20 years to see Roger and John up close and personal. I held the poster when they walked on stage and then, when they were done after the encore. That 2 seconds made my day because the boys did see my poster and the bonus of it, Roger handed me his drumsticks. That was a #LifeGoals to have the attention of my favorite band and that was achieved. Now I will NEVER need to bring a poster at a DD concert again… when concerts are a thing again.