I'm not a big fan of concerts.
While I love music, I hate big crowds.
I also hate having to pee and being trapped somewhere that doesn't allow me to enjoy a concert. I know there are many bathrooms at any concert venue, but fighting your way through a mosh pit or dozens of screaming girls with 1980s hairstyles isn't exactly easy. I know it sounds ridiculous that my number one reason for avoiding live concerts relates to my bladder, but that is truly the case. That said, I recently took a chance.
The only reason I took a chance was because my girlfriend said it would just be me and her going to see Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden. She said it would be romantic. Like most men, I don't care much about romance. I only pretend to care about it when necessary, but if this was something that would make her happy, then I was all for it. A happy girlfriend usually means less hassle in the long run. (Puts foot in mouth) Well, I'll stop there. What actually happened with this "romantic concert" is more interesting anyway.
The next day, I found out that my girlfriend invited her best friend to head to the concert. There went the romance, but I figured I could deal with it. This girl liked to party, and she never hesitated to purchase a drink regardless of the price. Thankfully, this meant free drinks for myself so I didn't complain...too much. It would also mean an increased need to urinate, but hey, I was trying to look at the positives of the situation.
Two days later, my girlfriend carefully revealed that she had two more friends coming. Not only that, but their boyfriends would be coming as well. I didn't know these guys well. I had only met them once. I wasn't thrilled. How many guys want to sing Uptown Girl with two other guys they barely know?
Since we now had a large group, we needed more than a car. We ended up going with a conversion van. This thing was impressive. It came with a TV, a DVD player, a gaming system as well as comfortable seating. We all piled into the conversion van and we were on our way.
For the first half of the ride, everyone was on the quiet side, and I was watching a football game on TV. That was pretty cool since I had never watched a football game from a moving vehicle before. The bad news was that one of the other guys decided it would be a good idea to play I-Spy. What? I didn't know if it was a joke at first, but it was for real. Suddenly, I had gone from a romantic evening with my girlfriend to playing I-Spy with a bunch of grown adults I barely knew. To make matters worse, I wasn't good at I-Spy.
I tried my best to keep an eye on the football game while saying things like, "I spy something that you would hang a coat on." I just wanted my turn to pass, and I wasn't looking forward to the remainder of the evening.
As it turns out, we all had a blast at the concert. I guess Billy Joel has the power to bring people together. I think it has something to do with Piano Man. On the way home in the conversion van, we had fun playing more silly games and laughing. Since that day, we have all been good friends. I never would have expected that. I'm happy with the way it all worked out.