Show was very mellow. It was a very different show: I heard a couple things I hadn't heard before -- and I'm also reminded that I haven't listened to any new Dave stuff in a long-ass time. Which I think I'll start changing.
I'm kinda hoping that someone will come up with an offer for free lawn tickets to the Mansfield show in
b0st0n like they did to the show last night -- if I see them, I'll totally grab them. It was also the first show I've been in where I was on the lawn. It was a somewhat different experience -- though I can't say for sure how much was "lawn" and how much was "Meadows" (or "Dodge Music Center", as I guess it's actually called now).
In any case, the show was a lot of fun, and I'm sort of hoping I can hit another one before this tour is over. Of course, that would have been easier had I assumed that people would be giving away tickets for free online, and I didn't need to buy them. :)
Also, should you ever return, try to go back against the fence. You'll still see just fine, and it's easier to catch the dimebags as people from outside toss them over. This applies to pretty much any show there, not just DMB.
Oh, Connecticut.
Which wouldn't have even been *so* bad if they had just been left alone to pee -- I'd probably have not noticed after awhile -- but then they have the people in those towers around the back with super-powerful flashlights shining them at anyone who starts taking a leak, so you can't avoid seeing it...
And then there was the *girls* who were pulling down their panties, squatting against the back wall, and pissing there. Watching a chick get hit by a spotlight, and watching her pull her panties and pants up is really the straw that broke the camel's back as far as sitting against the fence.
Also, I really like being the center of attention. (Kristan doesn't. This makes the two of us attending a concert together somewhat awkward at times.) I like dancing in a crowd. I like singing back and forth with other people around me. etc. etc. This tendancy doesn't really lend itself well to sitting against the fence.
I didn't notice either selling or sharing -- though I was asked by someone who was stumbling along if I had any 'J papers'. I politely declined, and he stumbled on.
I'm still not sure how much of a contact high I got -- I walked out of there without feeling weird at all, but I was completely unable to drive later. I got past the MA border and traded places with Kristan -- at least, I think it was the MA border, since I don't really remember that much of the drive. She did well getting us back, thank goodness. However, this was 1AM, and I'd been dancing like a crazy man, so I could well have just been tired -- it was just a kind of bone-deep tired that I often associate with getting way too drunk.
I actually didn't mind the venue too much. The people were a bit worse, but I think I would have minded less had I been with someone who wanted to be more 'in the crowd' than 'out of it' -- the problem is that being far enough back, you end up in the 'walkway for drunks', as opposed to being part of the crowd where people can't really walk through.
In any case, it was a decent venue -- I'd have no problem returning, so long as I had someone else I could make do the drive back -- or I had a nap first. It actually wouldn't even be so bad had I gone tonight -- show started at 7 instead of 8, and the extra hour makes a *ton* of difference.
Also, I now know how to get relatively close to your house! The drive isn't bad at all -- the 1am bit would be the problem ;) -- so I'm happy to come get you sometime if you want to come up.
The Meadows isn't bad, but the people can absolutely be obnoxious, though in my experience that tends to be somewhat exclusive to the DMB shows. The lawn is, as my father would say, an act. When I was younger, that was where I sought out seats, but I've become an inside person now, at least for the most part. I tend to be more like you – I'd rather sing and dance and have fun – but the lawn crowd there can be a turnoff at times.
I've only seen one guy pee out there, and yes, it was a DMB show. They had tried to crack down on misbehavior, but I suspect that's kinda hard to do. At least no one is flipping over cars and lighting them on fire anymore.
And yeah, I'm actually about 20 minutes closer to you on I-84. You passed through my town to get there.
In general, the crowd wasn't bad. *Very* drunk, but not particularly impolite. I liked the lawn area, and as I said, it's *small* compared to the previous concerts I've been in. At Alpine Valley, the seats themselves go back to where the back fence is of the lawn at Meadows. I definitely felt very close by comparison.
And yeah, I saw the exit for Manchester, and thought of you. I didn't know which direction to wave though. :)