So in May my friend K started talking about going to the Live Earth concert. Instinctively I said I would love to go too. Right now I am not sure if that pesky little voice in my head escaped and responded on my behalf but once verbalized I had my doubts that I would follow through and remain committed.
K being not only extremely excited but also extremely organized ran with my exclamation and started promptly sending emails about tickets and the event logistics. I was sucked in without formal admittance. We were going to the concert. Once I realized and was convinced by her persuasive arguments my only limitation was that I would not pay an exorbitant ticket price.
We bought tickets for the upper mezzanine level of Giants Stadium and put the matter to rest until about a week or so before the show when we had to hash out the logistical details of getting there and back.
The tickets said the doors opened at 1pm and we knew the show would start at 2:30pm. We left DC at around 8:45 am on 7.7.07 for the 4 hour drive. We were psyched! The Police, Kanye, Ludacris, Alisha Keys, John Mayer, Bon Jovi, Fall Out Boy and Kelly Clarkson and more on one billing...unmatchable. We took the usual route to NJ, I-95, NJ Turnpike - the Stadium - 1pm we’re early, happy, pumped excited.
Now for the buzz kill.
Confusion at the stadium. No where to park! No clear directions on where to go. Everyone pointing and ignoring us. We are confused. 20 minutes later almost an hour before the show starts we find someone who answers our questions on where to go without brushing us off. He says we should take route 3, Merge unto route 17. Follow directions to parking. 5 miles. Easy breezy and you are there. Ummm...cool. How hard could this be. Parking was farther away than we expected BUT we were early.
Yeah so we and the other 1000 or so (exaggeration) pollution enabling cars were in line with us at route 17 an hour and fifteen minutes later! Was this really happening to us? Are we really still in the car? Are those school buses behind us in line really the ones that were taking us to the stadium? I felt like the apocalypse was taking place. Like the ice bergs in Antarctica did melt and we were drowing in all the water! The reality of missing out on the concert after spending less than most but more than many was most definitely an inconvenient truth!
We had no choice but to grin and bare it and thank God for air conditioning (anger masks the concern for the ozone layer), spit hot air into the environment (a little more carbon dioxide ... oh well). They could have told us about this parking issue ahead of time - whatever happened to the information highway. We were not happy. And even more so frustrated when we finally got to the parking area only to find that the line of two people deep wrapped around a city block and a half. We were flabbergasted.
I parked the car, brought my book and put on some sun block it was turning out to be a long day. Lots of frustrated potential concert goers decided to walk instead of continue waiting in line. We had even seen some more walking while we waited on the highway. Hot sun, sandals, no sidewalks = not appealing. We did not join them but being forever the opportunists we were really excited for them and us with their choice because our end of the line inched forward because of them. Ummm...I hope they made it and that they had extra deodorant.
An hour later we were on the bus. Security. Water. Seats. Finally.
Me.....
K....
Ludacris is about to go on. Who did we miss? KT Tunstall, Kenna, Keith Urban and Taking Back Sunday. Well I regretted not hearing/seeing Keith Urban - curious about the hype but happy that at 4 pm we still had 6.5 more hours to go and that the major stars that we really wanted to see had not performed as of yet.
Ludacris came on and we were on our feet with everyone else. What parking issues? Those would just have to reside in the back of our memories for the next 6.5 hours until we had to find our way back to the car.
