Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., June 22*, 2008
It was almost too good to be true: we had plans to be our friends’ wedding in Charlottesville, Va., on Friday and Saturday; Pearl Jam didn’t have an Atlanta date, but was playing D.C. that Sunday. I had secured a pair of fan-club presale tickets for the D.C. show, and when we picked them up at the Verizon Center will call, we knew we had been assigned sweet seats: Section 2, Row A. It wasn’t until we made our way to the floor and were passed from usher to usher (to usher) that we realized our tickets were dead center on the very front row. DAHHHHH.
It was the most surreal night of my life. I had always planned to drop an obscene amount of money on front-row seats to see my favorite band once I was wealthy enough to afford such a thing (and assuming they were still touring), but here it was being dropped into my lap for like $35 a seat, thanks to a randomizer and a fan club membership. Eddie Vedder even tossed me a water bottle! Shyeah!
no zooming was involved in the taking of this photo (!)
On the long drive back from D.C. a couple of weeks ago, while Jon conked out in the passenger seat, I decided to relive the glory of that show almost three years ago via the live recording on my iPod. It’s funny how little I actually remember of the show — it was a total out-of-body (and mind) experience that almost doesn’t feel like a concert when I think back on it. The setlist wasn’t quite as awesome as it could have been, but that hardly mattered. It was an epic, unforgettable night.
Taken with my KRZR phone when my camera crapped out. Not bad!
*I can’t help but think this occasion, on the 22nd of the month, helps explain why I have good feelings surrounding the 22nd as a date in general (which is perhaps why I leaned toward May 22 for our wedding date). Good things happen on the 22nd! Also, when I looked at the ticket as a reference for this post, the sold-on date was April 22. Dude!
OMG!! Friends of ours saw them in Hartford, CT & met him outside. I die. I seriously think D might want to name our first son Edward Severson. LOL
My sister and I waited outside after an Eddie Vedder solo show in ATL because he had come out the night before, to no avail. God, I don’t know what I’d DO if I met him! For that show I had second-row seats, again courtesy of Ten Club. Is your husb a member? I swear it’s the best fan club of all time.