Remember when we were teens and buying concert tickets was how we programed our lives? There now seems to be an aversion to buying into ticket events with some people our age. The inertia of Netflix and the sofa have become too much dark gravity to escape from.
Seize the Summer
Or perhaps it is the fear of disappointment, or the fear of not being able to make the event due to a sudden scheduling conflict. We say bunk to all that. How many more summers do we have and how much sitting around the house do we want to do?
This has become the season of ticketed events for us. We realized that we were falling into all the above traps, and said no, we will not become homebound fossils at this early age. Is this expensive? Only if you want it to be. We went to a free concert in the park. Last night it was a couple of tickets to a baseball game. Next weekend we are seeing George Clinton and P-Funk — you remember those acid-crazed wild guys — at an outdoor show for $25. Awesome. And will we dance? 100%.
We have a show booked to see The National at the end of the month, and will be with the young political kids for Pod Save America Live. Fun. Lively. Engaged in the culture.
Upsides of Events
Let’s go over the upsides, since we are all pretty clear about the downsides of isolating at home and being lobotomized by the golden age of television. First up, there is the planning. What to see, who to hear? Checking out the local venues, going through the schedules, sports, music, discussions — it’s all good. We even went to the opera in the spring, which was totally random but sort of amazing. Look for events where you will be with like-minded people or completely-unusual-and-great-to-look-at people. Hockey may be your thing; no judgement, go for it. My 89-year-old mom is a rabid, screaming “kill them” fan at any Oregon Ducks game. Seeing her in full form is worth the price of admission.
Then there is the calendaring; marking down your newfound events. Not too many in a single week, unless you are like our music critic Jeff Walker who, at 59, is a 5-night-a-week music superfan. We like 1 per week, which gives every week a special event to look forward to.
Add Beauty to Life
Besides firing our imagination, adding beauty to our lives (can we have too much beauty? we think not), events get us out and around our fellow humans. Isolation is our enemy. The TV is not your friend. We sat next to a gang of total strangers, all with baseball gloves on, at the game last night. Their depth of knowledge and level of excitement was extraordinary. They also happened to be about 13, which made it even more delicious. Go Dodgers!
