3.16.2008
beware the tards...I mean, IDES of March
Shamrockfest is over and I don't think Emily or I will be attending next year's or any other. (The only way I will go is if Scythian opens the festival and then I'll leave after their set is finished.)
The day started out ok. We got up, grabbed some breakfast and got to the Stadium around 11. We figured that because the festival began at 12 and bands were scheduled to start playing at 12:10 the gates would open by 11:30 to let people get through the bag checkpoints and ID checks (if you wanted beer). We figured wrong. They didn't let any regular/general admission ticket holders through until 11:50. I don't think that the VIP ticket holders were let in until that time either but they were allowed to go line up outside the VIP entrance. When we got through to the entrance where they would take our tickets, the ticket takers/scanners were still being instructed on how to use the equipment. How efficient. I understand that events like this rely on volunteers but if I were in charge, the volunteers would have been given instructions hours before the event was scheduled to begin. But I'm not in charge, so my opinion doesn't matter.
There were only 3 bands we wanted to see. Scythian was the main opener although there were other groups playing at the same time. They always put on a good show, but this one was awesome. At one point, Leks jumped off the stage, over the barrier in front of the stage and ran into and around the crowd playing the fiddle the entire time. It was an awesome spectacle. They only had one set because they were playing at the World Cafe in Philly that evening. They are truly great performers. I'm always looking forward to the next time I get to see them.
After the Scythian set, we wandered around for a bit and then just sat around and people watched. It's kind of disturbing/alarming to realize that the vast majority of people who came out planned the bizarre outfits they wore - and some of these "ensembles" were interesting.
Ceann was the next band we watched. They are funny and their songs are inappropriate. It makes me wonder what kind of performances they did at the Celtic Fling last year. They must have cleaned it up quite a bit because they'll be back at the Fling this year. It was a fun set, except for the stupid skanks that came on stage and danced around, rubbed up against band members and groped each other during "The Worst Pirate Song."
Icewagon Flu played on a different stage 1/2 an hour after Ceann's set ended. When we walked over to the stage, there were very few people standing around. By the time their set was finished there was a large crowd. They always get a crap time and stage. By 5:30, Emily and I were tired and had enough of the Spring Break antics that were going on around us. I had to move three times to get away from these three stupid bitches that wouldn't stop dancing into our space or turning around. I don't care that these people were dancing. A lot of people were dancing and that's fine. But quit dancing around with your beer because you are spilling it everywhere. I will not find it funny if I end up wearing your drink. And being drunk is no excuse for not respecting someone else's personal space. I'm not asking for a 6 foot radius - I just don't want you, your purse, your hair or your face right up in or against my face and body.
We left as soon as the set ended. A lot of people were leaving actually. We witnessed the druken crying outside the gates and some chick being supported by two guys because she was so drunk she couldn't walk or stand by herself. That kind of stuff pisses me off. A festival or event where alcohol is served is truly the wrong place to get wasted. Not to mention it's irresponsible for everyone involved. I understand that there is no easy way to control the consumption of alcohol but at least higher real bartenders or people with bartending experience/knowledge. Anyhow, as we were entering the metro I noticed two Metro Police and a guy in handcuffs. While we were waiting for our train, six police officers ran across the platform and a few moments later returned with two men in handcuffs. The one guy wasn't too tall, average build but the other guy was all muscle (think body builder) and huge. He put up some kind of fight and he was sprayed with pepper spray or mace. The spray lingered in the area for some time I'm sure. Fortunately, our train arrived soon after so our exposure to the spray was brief.
The rest of the evening was spent eating Chinese food and drinking wine while sitting on her balcony probably distracting the neighbor (we must've since he closed the blinds after we'd been out there for at least an hour).
I'm either forgetting a lot of stuff now or I'm just running out of steam typing this. We saw "Horton Hears a Who" this morning and then I had to get ready to leave.
Two months until vacation now!Labels: dirty bad fun, far too wordy, rawr
