I've always joked around that my life could be described in a series of song lyrics and titles; my own personal soundtrack to life. In this particular instance, I couldn't help but think that a few particular BRMC song lyrics were the components of the "theme song" to the adventures I would have in less than 24 hours, across two different states.It's a complicated situation
It's a complicated situation, mama
I'm a complicated situation
When I first saw that BRMC was playing in Vegas, it seemed like a no-brainer - Get my partner in crime, HRC, and make the trip out there! Upon further investigation, HRC was unable to go and I was horrified to discover that the two shows were in the middle of the week. The kiss of death for the teacher/concert maven. I can pull off late night shows in LA with a big 'ol Starbucks the next morning, but Vegas? How am I gonna pull this one off?
You want it, you need it, the words slip away
You're crying your eyes out, your mind wants to break
Between the time I found out about this show and the time I decided to go, something massive happened in my professional life... something that will change everything about my existence as a teacher... may even warrant the changing of this blog. (Hint: Don't teach in a cash-strapped state.) I have a habit of falling into despair for a brief moment and within a day or two my courage (or insanity, depending on how you look at it) grows and my attitude totally changes. For about a day or two, I thought that there was just no way to make this work, but after finding out my bad news, I decided to just seize the moment and do it.
There ain't no easy way
No there ain't no easy way out
So, here was the plan. Head to LAX after school. Hop on plane to Vegas. Get to hotel and drop off stuff, clean up, attempt to nap. Go to venue, rock out. Back to hotel for little sleep. Head back the next morning on the first flight out of Vegas back to Los Angeles and go straight to school. Yeah, not so bright in theory, but it could work. Granted, nothing could possibly go wrong - no delayed flight, no traffic on the 110... or the plan is toast.
Try keep your head up high
Time burns so deep inside you
Get to LAX with lots of time to spare and I spend a good hour chatting with one of my best buddies Amateur Chemist. Apparently my conversation with him was so interesting that someone asked me after I got off the phone if I worked in the music business. Sadly no... and looking at my current situation, wishing a bit that I was. Soon, I'm on the plane and know that I should be getting some sleep since there isn't much in my future, but I'm too excited to even close my eyes. I'm in Vegas before I know it and I'm off to the hotel. I've got a bit of time to spare so I again try to take a nap and instead end up watching Law and Order while I get cleaned up and ready for the show. I decide to head out at 6:40 pm for a show that starts at 10 pm. If you knew how early I left for NIN shows in the past, this seemed pretty reasonable. I arrived at the Cosmopolitan at 7:00 and nearly walked right past the "venue". I use the word "venue" very loosely as it was really just a bar with a stage behind it. So bizarre. But, I snag the seat closest to the stage and I've even got a blackjack game to occupy my time. The waiting begins...
I'm ready for you, all ready for you
Come and get me darling, you know I'm gonna get you darling
Of course, after all this waiting, the show wouldn't start right on time. Anticipation builds. Finally, the lights go out and they come on stage. There was one emotion overriding all the others I was having at this moment - worry. I was so worried that this show wouldn't go well and my trip would have been for naught. I soon came to find that I had nothing to worry about and this would end up being one of the best BRMC nights I'd ever had. Surprisingly, the bar being between me and the stage wasn't all that bad. I'd still rather not have it there (having people coming up to order drinks next to you can be a bit irritating, but it's nothing that a well-placed bar stool and a glare can't fix), but it wasn't a deal-breaker. Often I am so close to the stage with them that I am looking almost straight up at them, so it was kind of nice, for once, to look straight on at them and take it all in together.
You make me feel so free
The plan was for there to be one show at 10 and another at 12. Instead they just blurred the two together and played into Thursday morning. Overall the setlist was incredible - a good mix of the songs I love to hear as well as ones that I don't get to hear that often. A lot of my favorite songs are the slower ones where Peter sings, so having Shade of Blue (which gives me goosebumps every single time I hear it) and Screaming Gun in the set was pure bliss. I was also happy to hear some of my favorite live songs In Like The Rose and Stop (which could be my anthem for BRMC) and was surprised to hear High/Low which proved to just be absolutely epic. I want that on the setlist every time now!
Today, my soul is unscathed
I can't touch the ground
A magical show turned into an even more magical evening. Items were checked off the bucket list and HRC was let off the hook. I strolled out of the Cosmopolitan hotel around 2 am, got back to the hotel and got a whopping hour and a half of sleep before waking up to head out to the airport.
Keep me high, keep me low
I don't want to tell you where I've been
You know you are checking out too early when the automatic check-out on the TV isn't even available yet. But despite it being way too early, I had a spring in my step... I was still on my concert high. I arrived to the airport, acquired my Trenta (thank goodness for that!) Frappucino with an extra shot, got on the plane and headed home. We got in 5 minutes early, I hit the freeway and ended up at school earlier than I do on a normal day. The plan may have been crazy, but hot damn, I pulled it off. No one had any idea where I had been or what I'd done. Probably not a good thing in the end... It will only encourage me more the next time I think about doing something like this... ;-)
Photos:
Video of "Screaming Gun":
Video of "In Like The Rose":
Setlist:
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