Stratos-fear

By Beckie Carlson

I took my daughter to a concert last night. It was not her first, darn her grandmother..... She took her to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra last fall. That was cool...I guess, but this was real rock and roll last night!
Okay, maybe it wasn't Rock and Roll in the Rolling Stone or Aerosmith way of thinking, but it was a big deal. We saw Bruno Mars. Many of you may know who that is. I am a bit embarrassed to say I didn't really know until last night. I mean, I had heard his name, heard his music, possibly even seen his picture, but I had never put all those clues together.
I remember when I was a teenager, I 'KNEW' my bands. I knew all their songs, all their lyrics, and every dimple on their shaggy headed faces. Okay, maybe I wasn't that obsessed as a teenager, but I did have my closet doors plastered with teen 'rock star' pictures for a time. Duran Duran, Thompson Twins, Depeche Mode....yeah, I was a teen in the 80's. Good times. Good memories. Good songs. I don't remember having to sensor the lyrics of my favorite songs before I let my mom listen to them. Heck, I didn't know what half the songs were even about back then. The 80's was a time of confusion in a lot of ways. Did those song writers even know what they were talking about? Or were they all high on glue and white out fumes? One has to wonder....
Last night, I felt like I touched the sky at the concert. I was really high. Before you think I started smoking funny things, let me explain a bit. My daughter's friend had the idea of going to this concert as a mommy-daughter kind of date. They picked the seats and we paid our share. I had never been to a concert at this arena so, I didn't have a clue what I was seeing when I clicked on those tiny little circles on the 'map.' The good news is we were able to get away from the massive crowds and find our seats in peace. The 'bad' news was that our seats were on the second to highest row in the arena. I don't know exactly how many rows of seats there were, but I'm thinking it was close to 80,000. Yes, I would bet our row was somewhere around 78-79,000. It was in the 20 floor for sure. My nose started to bleed as we made our way up the last flight of stairs before we reached our floor. By the time we reached our seats, I was being hefted over the back of a bouncer. They had to strap us into our seats to keep us from falling to our deaths. We signed a waiver naming the stage crew as our next of kin and left our car keys in a bowl at the end of the row.
Okay none of that really happened, but it felt like it should have. I seriously felt like I was going to burst into a storm cloud. I was smashed between feeling the vastness of the fall below me and the crushing of the ceiling only a few feet above my head. It was a crazy feeling
The music was pretty good. I decided I liked Elli Goulding pretty well and that Mr. Mars had a slightly less extreme Prince complex in regards to his male-ness. They walked the line with a few of the songs, but I can't help but enjoy watching musicians have a great time on stage. They were dressed classy, smiling, laughing, dancing like pros, and really good at what they did.
The people that go to concerts are interesting. There were all types there last night. People with shaved heads, mohawks, bowler hats, and Dechanel bangs. There were old people,  kids, teenagers, and the ageless people that annoy us all. Some people dressed up with their sequins and feathers, while others had they pajamas on minus the bunny feet.  I guess that is the thing about music. We all enjoy it our own way.
I especially enjoyed seeing the myriad of shoes on the women. Now I know where to wear all those amazing prop shoes I see! They are way too uncomfortable and high to actually walk any distance in, but they are apparently perfect for sitting in a rock concert. I think I need to go shopping. I am going to a Train concert next week...I need my prop shoes! Cause I said so!