I’m keeping my fingers crossed that, in less than 24 hours, I will officially be able to say I survived the Mass Chaos Tour 2012. In order for that to even remotely make an ounce of sense, you must establish a visual. I’m almost 40. I do, however, still get carded for drinks. Obviously my skin care regimen is working in my favor. Anyway. I dress comfortable. My wardrobe consists of mostly denim or bohemian skirts, v-neck tees from Old Navy, plaid lounge pants, striped socks and my beloved Crocs flip flops. I’m all nerded up with my thick framed glasses. I often wear my hair in a sloppy bun that ends up being home to several pens, plastic straws and, quite possibly, endangered species.
You’ll usually find me at my desk. Most of the time I’m typing away knee deep in work. Occasionally you might find me leaning back in my chair eating wonton strips or croutons out of the bag with chopsticks. I’ve been caught salivating over the latest Best Buy ad when there is a killer sale going on. There is always a caffeine laced beverage on my desk. If it doesn’t have caffeine in it, it’s not allowed near me. I have a rather substantial speaker system that can rattle the windows. And it does. Often. Most people don’t ask how my day is going. My choice of music is a clear indication. I can go from Eminem to Enya in a matter of seconds. You now have a visual.
A little over 2 months ago, my soon to be sister-in-law presented my fiance and I with concert tickets to the Mass Chaos Tour 2012. I literally jumped out of the chair I was sitting in. Staind and Godsmack were playing together! This was an epic event. I was bursting at the seams and sent a text message to most everyone on my contact list. Very few replied back. A dear friend of mine put a little pin prick in my balloon when she wrote back, “You’re crazy if you go. Just buy their CDs.” First, do people still buy CDs? Second, I’m not crazy. Or, was I? I gave some serious thought to the crowd that was going to be attending this. This would be a far cry from watching Sugarland in the Sugar Pit.
Attending a concert of this magnitude is a giant hurdle out of the box for me. This is not my scene. Not even close. It’s a little wild. There will be all kinds of crazy. It will be extremely loud. I will more than likely be surrounded by die-hard fans groveling at the stage and screaming. Although I listen to Godsmack and Staind quite a bit, I would never purchase concert tickets to see them. Over the past 2 months, when I’ve thought about it in great lengths, I’ve had second thoughts. To go or not to go.
At some point, over the past week, I made a solid decision to go. It was final. I am going to take that huge leap out of the box and walk into that world. I went through my dresser yesterday and I felt like a teenager. What to wear! The bohemian skirts went flying out of the drawer. I had clothes thrown everywhere as my dresser drawers emptied out. It wasn’t looking too promising. Towards the end of my search, I found an old gray denim skirt. It’ll go great with my black shirt and flip flops. I dug out my raisin colored nail polish. I broke out the extra hold curl gel so my locks don’t get frizzy as I release several months worth of pent up stress. I’ve already warned people that I won’t have much of a voice for a day or so afterwards. I am going to be there. I mean really be there. In the moment. And, if I survive it all, I’ll walk away with some great pictures, a heck of a story to tell when I’m 90 and inspiration for a few blog columns.
