Ashamed of My Generation

Pedrojperez

Since I’m a novelist and Dear Hubby has his own small business, our free time would fit into the period at the end of this sentence. In other words, there is no spare time. We steal time away from our epic to-do lists and occasionally sleep, go to a late movie, or see whatever concert comes within driving distance. Last year we saw both Motley Crew and Herman’s Hermits just because they were nearby. I’m totally a Herman’s Hermits fan now.

You do know what happens to people who don’t get out much, right? It’s like when I’m eating vegan and I happen to be traveling somewhere and my only food option isn’t vegan. After every bite I bellow, “OH MY GOD! THIS IS FANTASTIC!” Dear Hubby just shakes his head, “Yeah, real food tastes good.”  And I’m all, “SERIOUSLY! This is soooo good! Taste this!”* It’s sorta the same thing when we finally get to go out. You know, a little Thelma and Louise, a little tween without adult supervision, a little someone left the gate open all mixed together.

In other words we stand up at rock concerts. Kinda wild, right? Apparently it is. Somewhere between birthing our first child and when we could afford to go to concerts again, everyone else got tired and sat down. What's that about?

Pedrojperez

If the people behind me fuss, I will sit down. Sometimes people can’t stand up, but that certainly isn’t usually the case. It’s mostly that they’re just not into interactive fun. They’re just digging Bat out of Hell from their lawn chair. Is this what television has done to us? Turned us into passive voyeurs? Entertain me but I cannot move…

Dear Hubby tries to reform rock concert sitters. “The Beach Boys are older than my Grandparents! They’re standing! Get up! Show some respect!” “Come on! It’s Bob Dylan! Stand for the legends!” “Joe Cocker is dancing! This isn’t your living room! Stand up!” Of course this means that I occasionally feel the necessity to apologize after the concert. “Sorry, we don’t get out much.” Dear Hubby fusses all the way home. “What’s wrong with these people? Did you see the guy with the walker? He was standing up!”

After a particularly colorful Boston concert—during which I kid you not, a woman who looked like Mrs. Brady sat in her seat picking things out of her pocketbook to whip at those people standing up in the rows in front of her**—I pointed out to Dear Hubby that maybe we could go see some newer music once in a while. I’m a huge Alternative Rock fan, I appreciate Classic Rock, but I like to hear new stuff. I’m dying to see Muse, Vampire Weekend, and Imagine Dragons in concert—even Blue October, The Black Keys, or Mumford and Sons! But we can’t afford Lollapalooza in Brazil. Like ever. I so hate the reality of mathematics.

But the Goo Goo Dolls came within driving distance, with Plain White T’s! Goo Goo Dolls aren’t exactly new, but still, I haven’t heard all of their songs a bazillion times! Dear Hubby cracked me up too. At the concert he was all, “They’ve been around twenty years? I guess I’ve been really busy.” But from the second the first band walked onto the stage everyone STOOD UP and they remained standing the entire concert. This was epic for us and sort of payback for me—since I have wicked shin splints right now, but I stood despite it!

Dear Hubby bellowed at some point, “I’m ashamed of my generation! People still stand up at concerts! Just not my generation!” We debated it later, why life loses its thrill or why we forget to have fun. For some reason it reminds me of that Dumbledore quote.

Pyglori Cafe

Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young…

No matter what your age, have you forgotten how to have fun? Are you a concert sitter? Physical limitations aside, give me one good reason why?

***

*Vegan food is quite tasty, except if you’re me and soon deteriorate into Crispin Apples and natural peanut butter for dinner every night. So don’t send me vegan hate mail. Do feel free to cook me a delicious vegan meal if you are so inclined.

**The rock concert standing rule everywhere we’ve gone is that you can stand in front of your own chair the entire time if you like. Security had to drag away the lady whipping the contents of her purse at people. She was awesome at it. Whenever people looked, she’d put on a totally innocent face. It was like middle school study hall.