Viola, Eddie Vedder and Me

So here's the deal with getting Pearl Jam tickets. If you are a fan club member (Sara), your seats are randomly assigned and you only get 2. The members have no choice in this. Trade off is you always get killer seats. So Sara purchased her 2 tickets for the Key Arena (Seattle) show on September the 22nd, this happened either right before or right after Viola's arrival. Foolish us, we both planned to go. I know, I know.

So about 2 weeks before the show Sara decides that I would need to find someone to go with as she was not going to attend. You have no concept of what she was giving up, the tickets were front row. I once spent the night walking around downtown Seattle while she attended a show, because she could only get one ticket. I don't think she looked all that hard for a second. It was also my Birthday. Anyways, so I ask my buddy Nick if he would like to go. Nick is a Pearl Jam freak. Sara is about one level below him in terms of obsession.

So on the 22nd Nick and I head north to the Emerald City. Easy in and straight to parking. If you have driven in Seattle you know what a once in a life time thing this was. Nick is the type of guy who knows everyone at the show so after saying many hellos we finally head in and walk right into the line for the t-shirts. Nick is now mumbling about some “limited edition” hoody that he has to have. I in turn tell him the line is too intense and if he could just get me one of the red shirts right over there thank you very much. Nick looks at me and in no uncertain terms tells me to grow a pair and stand in line, because “if you want the shirt you have to earn it!”

So follower that I am I stand in line surrounded by a bunch of drunken frat boys screaming and yelling "PEARL JAM" at the top of their lungs. Just as I get up to the front of the line I decide I have had enough of this and am about to get out of line, apparently I did not grow a pair. So I make one last scan of the goods and there it is, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow so to speak, a Pearl Jam onesie. So among the yells of "PEARL JAM, YEE HAW" and the ever popular "I"M SO DRUNK" I quietly order my t-shirt and onesie. Onesies are not kept out front with the rest of the shirts so Mr. Overwhelmed goes in the back to get my onesie. This of course gives the frat boys something else to yell about, "DO THEY HAVE TO MAKE THE SHIRTS, WHAT THE F…, PEARL JAM, YEE HAW, SO DRUNK" you get the picture. People are pissed because the line has suddenly stopped moving.

So in the midst of all this yelling Mr. Overwhelmed comes back out and lays my onesie down. I shit you not this happens; "PEARL JA...AWWWWW THAT IS SO CUTE, AWSOME, I'M GONNA GET ONE FOR MY KID, SOOO DRUNK." Next thing I know everyone is looking at me with big goofy grins, the frat boys sobered up for a minute, everyone loved each other for a minute and we all had health care for a minute. I think it took me 2 days to stop smiling. I take great pride in the fact that my daughter totally disarmed a group of rowdy drunken frat boys, without even being there. Now for the question you have all been asking, yes Nick got his limited edition hoody