Z-Trip
Aaron’s birthday is in a week. For his big day he wanted to go see Z-Trip.
Now, I normally don’t like to stay out late enough to see a show because I have to be with the kids the whole next day (I usually send him with a buddy.) …and this was on a Thursday, so it looked especially sketchy, buuuuut since it was a special occasion and all and we’re NEVER in town when anyone he wants to see is here, I said I’d go. (Not without whining, mind you.) It also helped that Jenn agreed to keep the kids so that we wouldn’t have to pay a sitter until the wee hours of the morning. Between this and them keeping our dogs while we were in Switzerland, we owe them big time.
So, I bucked up, and we went to dinner beforehand at the Coach and Four Horses where we ate the best gastro pub faire yet. Aaron had chicken, rabbit, and leek pie, and I had a salad and hummus. He shared his pie. It was mighty tasty.
The doors opened at 8, and we showed up at about 9.30. The opener was still playing, but he was supposed to stop at 10. It was about 10.15, but he did finally cool it. I didn’t particularly care for him.
I was glad that all of my dread about going to the show melted away when Z Trip started.
He’s amazing. If you’ve never heard this guy and you like hip hop AND Journey - or liked Journey at one point in your life, or even just know the words - you should check him out.
The dude is absolutely BRILLIANT. (I also kind of have a history of having crushes on music nerds, so that might have something to do with it, but still.)
Some of the people at the show, however, were not quite as smart - or sober, for that matter.
The girl in front of us started doing a strange version of head banging when he mixed in some heavy metal hair band (can’t remember, but think it might have been Guns ‘n Roses). She had her hair in a ponytail and kept slapping us in the face with it. Aaron finally started pushing her away and she turned around, looked at him, did it again, and smiled like it was funny.
We were not impressed. I wanted to yell, “do you not realize that I am THIRTY-THREE? I do not have the skin elasticity to tolerate your ponytail in my face - it makes me squint and therefore will make my wrinkles worse,” but since I had my earplugs in, it was difficult to talk without sounding as though I was yelling at myself.
Yes, I did say earplugs. Aaron bought some for me on his lunch break. Isn’t that just true love?
Anyway, the earplugs are important, along with the not being able to hear anything but the music and my own breathing patterns, because when the weird dude standing beside me said something to me, I obviously didn’t hear him. I took out one plug and asked him what he wanted and he responded, “guhly bpvvvv nbody stooopid,” in slurred British English, which is nearly indecipherable at times anyway.
Of course, being the polite, old woman I am, I assumed he needed to get by or something, waved him on, and put my earplug back in. But instead of leaving, he started doing this lunge thing at me where he’d step right up next to me - his face in mine - and then back away. I think he was asking me if I was “with the lad,” because he was gesturing toward Aaron, but I just tried to ignore him.
It wasn’t long before I changed places with A. I was sure he’d leave me alone then, but the dude
did. not. take. the. hint.
I was watching the show when out of the corner of my eye, and I saw the guy coming, but it was too late to move. He was on me like flies on shit.
Within a second, Aaron was pulling him off of me while yelling, “GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY WIFE,” the guy in front of me was also trying to push him off of me and out of the way. I was afraid someone would get hit, but a bouncer magically appeared to escort him from the premises and it was over.
At some point during the scuffle, someone grabbed my National Geographic boob, but it really could have been anyone considering all of the hands coming at me at once, and I’m sure it wasn’t what anyone really wanted to feel. So no physical harm done on my end, but they probably have a little emotional scarring.
I was actually pretty freaked out though. (Earplugs and not talking to anyone else gave me plenty of time for reflection - plus I could hear my heart beating.) I mean, I’m OLD. And I was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, and Target knockoff chucks with the always essential black hoodie tied around my waist. Seriously, I had on more clothes than the three women in front of me put together. I honestly thought I was just blending in, and really, there was so much young, hot boobage in that room - what was the dude thinking? Unless it was pity grinding…you never know.
And because I had so much time to think about it, my mind took it a little too far and I started thinking about how serial killers pick their victims. That whole “why me” thing. It was a little freaky
Yeah, I know…too far.
Anyway, I enjoyed the rest of the show knowing that he was gone and when we left, he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I so wanted to thank that bouncer, but unfortunately he wasn’t around either. I’ve never been so happy to see one of the dudes who used to toss me out before I was 21.
All in all, it was an exciting evening and we were home around 12.30…which was better than we initially thought.
God bless mini cabs.
