It’s not easy being a Keane fan. Read any review of their music and you see many comparisons to Coldplay, Travis and Radiohead. And those are the nice ones. Some of the more unkind ones call it “Mom-rock” and “Music for bedwetters.” Ouch. I find these descriptions hilarious and while I would love for them to be very successful, I also enjoy the small venues, cheap tickets and relative anonymity of the group in the US. The fan base seems to be the on the younger side, I’d guess about 16-25 in many cases, judging by the crowds and the number of Moms there. It also means that in general the average Keane fan is very nice (or afraid of me, but more on that later).
We’re already Best Friends
I have seen Keane perform live 5 times now. In a 2-year span, that seems like a lot, right? Each show I get closer to the front. The show on Friday night had me so close that I was able to touch the singer. Twice. I had no idea I would have that opportunity. Others have asked me if I have tried to meet them. How can I explain it? I will not go out of my way to meet them. It’s the difference between fantasy and reality. In my mind, I have no doubt we could all be best friends. Reality couldn’t possible match that. And, much like actors that get compared to the characters they play, musicians are also putting on a show for the public. I have no doubt that they are somewhat different in their private life. Why would I set myself up for that kind of disappointment? Now, I can’t stop them from trying to meet ME……
Tunnel Vision eBay- Missing the bargain gene
I understand the purpose of eBay. I understand the concepts of sales and bargaining and even haggling. Understanding and practice are very different things. I discovered eBay as a place to buy Keane crap. And by crap I mean that I have a set of refrigerator magnets. I have quite a bit of crap actually, because I don’t use eBay as it was intended. I see, I want, I buy. My prices are set so high that it is rare for me to not get what I want. And I WANTED the refrigerator magnets!!!
Throwing elbows for sweat- putting a moratorium on germs
Concerts are one of the places where you can’t avoid germs and personal space invasion. In fact, you need to consider both of these as weapons in your concert-going arsenal. As I mentioned, I was very close to the stage on Friday. There was a couple that tried to get past me. (This guy had to be well over 6 feet tall. Was he really going to have a bad view from anywhere in this place?) No way was that going to happen. THIS was how close I was.....
I am not a violent person, really. My bark is much worse than my bite. (Biting is mean and spreads germs.) However, when it comes to something I have strong feelings about, I feel I am quite capable of committing all sorts of acts that would make the national news and leave friends and family dazed and confused and saying, “I knew she had a sharp tongue, but I never realized she was part Warrior-princess. She had moves that would make Xena look like one of the Solid Gold dancers.” Needless to say, I wasn’t going to budge from my spot. I think tall-dude and his girlfriend (who was VERY afraid of me) figured that out once they were caught between me and ThreeL (my gorgeous roommate from college who went with me. Thanks for having my back!).
Here is a picture that actually has me in it. The girl in green was the only one in front of me...
So, aside from the violence, the personal space invasion, and the constant presence of germs (and the ever present threat of flying sweat from the singer), I had the time of my life. The pictures taken on my phone are terrible. The website for the venue seems to post pictures of various shows, so I am hoping they will do the same for this show. There is a very good chance I will be in one of them. And, of course I will be checking eBay for the same. If it’s there, it’s mine, I promise you that. So back off.
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