Thursday, June 17, 2004 = John Vanderslice & Pedro the Lion Concert

I know this was a few days ago, but I just don't want to forget so I'm just going to relive it in my head and write... here goes

Christy and Melanie came to my house adn it had been raining monsoon style earlier in the day so I didn't think we'd be able to go out to DC but luckily it stopped by the time they came over. So Christy is the driver and we take the toll road out to DC to try to get to the Black Cat... emphasis on the "try." And of course, we were smart and left an hour and a half before the doors opened because WE KNOW how much NoVa traffic sucks and it sucked indeed that day. It took us about 45 minutes to get past 66... grrrrrr. Christy had Mapquest directions (and I don't know if you noticed but lately Mapquest directions have been SUCKING). Anyway mapquest told us to go on roads that didn't exist so we ended up taking the "scenic route" which really means we got lost but ended up driving through Georgetown so that was nice. Who doesn't love Georgetown? It's gorgeous. Anyway thank's to the way DC is set up aka intertwining roads we ended up finding the Black Cat somehow... but parking spaces is a whole different story. So we see everyone lined up outside waiting for doors to open but there is no parking garage at this place so we are left to fend for ourselves in DC (which can be SO SKETCHY if you don't park in the right place). So anyway we quickly learned that we definately didn't want to park in a random dark alley so the only option was to parallel park in front of houses and I think everybody going to the concert realized that too because there was absolutely NO parking. We drove for an hour before we found a spot on a road connected to "hot guy street" which I named after a hot guy who lived in one of the houses there. So finally we get to the Black Cat only to realize we have to stand in line because Christy bought her ticket online and she had to pick it up but because of the storm earlier the computers were down and they didn't know who really had a reserved ticket. So that was fun, but the manager came down and told us that they wouldn't start the show until everyone who was waiting got their ticket which was AWESOME.

Before I go on, let me just tell you how much I LOVE the people who go to these concerts. Maybe I'm just attracted to these indie band loving guys - who knows... but everyone was so chill and I really liked the environment that was created. Props to the Black Cat and the people that go there - I LOVE YOU. Okay so anyway, she finally gets her ticket and we go upstairs to the stage and I was so excited because I saw that there wern't that many people there so automatically I knew the setting was really intimate which I love. It wasn't packed nor was it a full house. Everybody had their own space which was a nice change after going to HFS a week or so before where you were up against thousands of people. The opening act was John Vanderslice - I didn't know who he was, but we listened to him on the ride to DC and needless to say he was phenomenal - his music is very laid back and there was no moshing or anything. Everyone was just very relaxed and calm just standing there and taking it all. It was a really good set MINUS the fact that this couple in front of me was ridiculous. The girl had really poofy hair which is fine, I don't mind, but then she started dancing in a moshing and bouncing up and down kind of way which would be okay HAD WE BEEN LISTENING TO THURSDAY or harder music. No this was like listening to coldplay and she hit us all in the face with her hair and I couldn't really see... and as far as her boyfriend goes, he didn't care, he was dancing along with her. Great, thanks life! Though I was annoyed at the time, it's really funny now that I look back on it - it makes for a really memorable experience and a good story. So you're probably thinking? Hey if you couldn't see why didn't you move? And I have an answer and the answer is because everyone was kinda already settled in and I didn't want to just stand in front of them so they couldn't see. But anyhow, once John Vanderslice finished his set, the couple left so that made me happy... only I think I just spoke too soon because the couple was then replaced with two guys who went to William and Mary claiming they were from Arkansas. And so - we're all standing there waiting for Pedro the Lion to set up and start playing so they strike up a conversation with us which is fine, I'm a friendly person, I like meeting people so that was cool... only they were hitting on us and using extremely cliche lines that explain why girls like me just don't date. So I mean we're talking and all and they ask us what schools we attend and what we're all majoring in and then when it comes time to ask them what they're majoring in... one guy says "Women's Studies..." Wow, Mr. Original strikes again. Great! And then he follows that one up by saying, "yeah I'm a flaming femenist at heart..." so I asked him if he went to the march in DC (there was a pro-choice march not too long ago) seeing as how he's such an advocate for women's rights or what not and he says, "yeah I held up a free martha poster!" By this time Christy isn't part of the conversation anymore so Melanie and I are forced to kinda talk to them so they ask us where we're from and we said NoVa and they say, "why is everyone here from NoVa? - we're from arkansas!" First of all they didn't have accents and not to sterotype, but most people in Arkansas do have accents... and secondly everybody here is from NoVa because you guys are currently in the Northern Virginia area where people live inside the BELTWAY. Encounters like this make me wonder if decent guys exist... please exist... PLEASE!

Anyway, Pedro the Lion finally came on stage and they were absolutely amazing... and since the setting was so intimate the audience got to ask questions which I've never seen happen at a concert before so it just made me like Pedro even more just because they actually gave their fans the time of day. After Pedro, we went to the merch tables and John Vanderslice was back there making his rounds just talking to fans and what not and we met him while Melanie and I were buying his CD Cellar Door (which is amazing by the way - Pale Horse is a great song). He was such a nice guy and he thanked us for coming out and was just such a genuine person. I really enjoyed the concert because it was one of the most relaxing ones I've ever been to, everyone was great from the crowd (with a few minor exceptions) to the bands. So after a great time we left and on our way out we saw one of the William and Mary guys and that was awkward but really funny at the same time so we just said bye to him because he made our night pretty memorable. On the way home, we got a little lost on Constitution Avenue but we got the chance to see all the monuments at night and they were absolutely astounding. They were spotlighted against a black canvas - I have never seen DC like that before so I'm thinking maybe I should get lost more often. On second thought, knowing me I'd get lost in an alley and not Constitution Avenue so that might not be such a good idea... But all in all... it was a great concert experience and I had such a great time.