Actually, my post-bar celebration involved not just one but two Huey Lewis and the News concerts yesterday. Again, what could be better?
The second concert was at Jones Beach. I've always liked Jones Beach. When I was little we almost never went to the Jersey Shore but we'd often go to Jones Beach. It has a great seashore to swim at, other activities like mini-golf and pitch and putt, and soft-serve icecream. (Although this is one instance where Friendly's having taken over the franchise is not an improvement. The ice cream should be a simple vanilla or chocolate cone, maybe twisted and maybe chocolate dipped. Friendly's ice cream is too fancy for the milieu.)
So after the Good Morning America show I drove out there to spend the day. I did some swimming and had my ice cream, and then went to take a nap in the car. But I woke up before I wanted because the weather had suddenly changed. The sun had been driven out by ominous looking clouds and the beginnings of sprinkles. Which was kind of deja vu all over again, because the last time HLN played at Jones Beach, in 1991, the show also almost got rained out. (The Jones Beach theater is uncovered.) Fortunately the weather cleared in time for the concert to begin.
HLN was terrific, as usual, and the jamming with Chicago on "I'm a Man" was an indescribably fun performance. But – this is the second HLN concert this week I've cried at. What is up with that?
I don't cry through the whole thing; the music always wins me over and by the time they get to "Heart and Soul" I'm inevitably singing and dancing. In a way this is a pity, however, because I clearly have a good cry in me that's not coming out. But given what their music means to me I wouldn't expect it to come out here.
The problem has nothing to do with the music or the concert itself. The problem is that there's a really annoying quality to the concert-going that completely brings me down. It's why I didn't go to too many shows in the 1990s – astonishingly few, given my recent predilection for going to see them anywhere I can. It stopped being so much of an issue in 2003 when I'd decided I was going to law school. The vibe is annoying – I really don't need the flashbacks to the social dynamics of 4th grade at this point in my life – but I can deal with it when I feel good about my life and what I'm doing with it (hence the change in 2003 when I finally felt like I had something to say for myself). Unfortunately instead of self-confident I am currently insecure and needy, and, compounded with some other event-specific circumstances, I was not able to navigate it. So instead of the concert making me feel better, or at worst yielding a neutral net result, I ended up feeling worse. I can't continue to attend them if this is going to happen.
I will, of course, continue to attend in the near future because I have tickets to 4 more upcoming performances - two almost immediately, and two in about two months. I'm not as worried about the first two because some aggravating factors will not be present, but the other two have me concerned. Fortunately they are a few months away, which gives me some time to pull myself together. Which obviously I need to do, and obviously not just for this.