Third time's a charm...

At least that's what they say, LOL!! Well...I had wanted to take Taylor to see Jack's Mannequin, but after numerous emails and phone calls with Live Nation and the Fillmore Auditorium...it was finally established that NO one under 16 is allowed in (not even with an accompanying parent). Originally thought that perhaps it was 16+ to attend without parent/guardian...but according to the gal I spoke with (finally a live person), it's the artists who set the age limits. So...short of getting her a fake ID (yes, everyone must have ID to enter)...there is just no way to get her in. She was a little disappointed (though she and I did see JM back in 2006 at Magness Arena)...Anyway, I decided that I still wanted to see them...so I bought tickets today. This is the same venue that we saw them again in 2007 and got caught up in mosh pit mayhem. Though JM is very mellow (I like to call them a "piano band"), the mosh pit incident occurred during one of the opening acts. See, here's the thing...for the life of me, I can't remember exactly how...but some how when I bought the tickets (I believe it was thru the fan club site in a pre-sale), I ended up with meet and greet passes. OMG, this is my favorite band, so to get M&Gs were really awesome. Well, we had taken Nolan's son/gf and stopped in Castle Rock to eat...well, unfortunately, we got stuck in rush hour traffic and missed the M&G...ummmm, I was a little upset...Okay, I was pretty pissed...but hey, spilled milk, whatcha gonna do? Anyway, we still got in early (before the general admission)...so we got a spot real close to the stage. The fillmore is a very old roller skating rink that was converted into any number of businesses over the years. Anyway, the floor (general admission) is open and standing room only (no chairs/seating). Then there's an area that goes around the floor (several feet higher) in which there is table seating, bar area, etc...

Well, needless to say...I spent a few bucks more to get us table seating as I do not want to stand the entire time or go thru that "floor" experience again. What happened when we were there in 2007 was like I said, we got in early and were able to secure spots very close to the stage (about 10 ft. back). Anyway, the first opening band (Get Back Loretta, I think was the name) came out and played. They were pretty "alternative" but pretty good music. Everything was cool...we're enjoying the show...drinking our beers, etc...Next band comes out...and for the life of me, don't remember their name (I think due to trauma, I probably blocked it out, LOL). They were very unlike the first opening band or JM....hard to describe, but I would call them like "acid rock"...just screamers...horrible, horrible...I wouldn't even call it music, but anyway...All of a sudden...a group of people from the back of the auditorium (probably 50 or so) formed some kind of "V" and rushed the stage...we all went flying several feet from where we were standing as we never saw or heard it coming. In the process...I spilled my beer on one of the guys who rushed us and he began yelling at me "...you spilled your beer on my shirt..." and I'm like, "...dude, you ran into me, remember?..." then J and him were starting to get into it and then Nolan jumped in all the while, after this "rush" thing, the area around the stage (where we were) was like being in the firey pits of hell, LOL...people slamming into one another, throwing things, etc...just mass mayhem. Nolan was like, "...we've got to get off this floor..."...so, slowly...we inched our way horizontally until we reached the stairs to go up on the outer level. I can laugh about it now, but at the time, it was seriously scary. I lost my camara too (found it after the show, but it was smashed to smitherines).

So...we find a standing area above the handicap accessable area. At that point, I excused myself to the restroom, where I had a little mini "break down" LOL. I just sat on the toilet bawling my eyes out. First we missed the M&G and I was so disappointed...and then the "riot" incident. So, after about 5 minutes of sobbing...I put my big girl panties on and went back out to the concert. At this point, we were standing there watching the concert (from the side...nice thing about the FA, it's small enough that no matter where you are, you've got a pretty good view)...anyway, I look down and see this little teenage girl in an electric wheelchair. The back of her wheelchair is covered with stickers (both words and pictures)...however, the main sticker on her chair said..."It's all good" (that was the first time I'd ever heard/read that expression) and realized...wow, if this poor girl in a wheel chair can have such an awesome attitude...then so can I...and from that moment on, we enjoyed the show (from the sidelines, LOL).

So, IDK...maybe I have to prove to myself that I'm not going to be afraid or intimidated by the Fillmore, LOL...but just to be on the safe side, I went with the (little bit more expensive) table seating!! The show's on April 10th (Friday night) so of course, I gotta see if Clay and Tim are up for a little Denver adventure,LOL!!