High Tension!

Last night, the family was jazzed to attend the Dallas Stars game vs. the Winnipeg Jets.  The Jets had embarrassed the Stars the last time they met, so the Stars needed to put together a good effort to remain in the playoff race.  The amazing wife somehow scored FREE tickets to the game.  The seats were in the rafters, but I didn't care. Hockey is hockey.

We get to our seats, and the seats start to fill up with Stars fans.  A few rows in front of me, a family shows up, about 12 people strong.  They mill about, getting seated, figuring out their positioning, etc.  The game starts, and we are having a good time.  It was clear to me that this family really hadn't been to a lot of hockey games, because they had the WORST timing of when to stand up and sit down.  In fact, most of them were looking at their phones for the majority of the game. They also had an apparent addiction to the concession stand, because they got up for food quite a bit, always returning with another basket of fries or a new soda.

This is where the problem started.  Every time they got up, they talked to each other.  They didn't do the talking when they were sitting...they would stand up, then poll the group about what they wanted, where they were going, etc.  Unfortunately for all of us, they only seemed to do this when the puck was in play.  Never when there was down time.  In fact, it seemed as if they knew the game so well that they planned it to stand up only when there was something interesting going on (not really, just bad timing).

About halfway through the second period (not quarter, as I had to remind my wife and daughter over and over), a man and his wife who were directly behind The Standupertons finally said something.  Apparently, the wife said "Sit your ass down!" to the mother of the group.  She was having none of that.  Some serious attitude was put on display at that point.  The Mr. Standuperton tried to resolve the situation by trying to calm some people down, but Ms. Standuperton was not interested.  She launched into a tirade about how she will "stand up whenever she wants" and that they "paid for these seats just like they did".  The situation never got to violence, but there was one point that really stuck out.

Ms. Standuperton's apparent main complaint was that the wife behind her "cussed" by using the highly offensive word "ass".  This was the crux of her argument back.  After a few back and forths, though, she said something to the effect of "this bitch don't tell me shit to do" or something similar.  At that point, I said something to everyone to try and keep the profanities to a minimum.  There were quite a few younger kids around, my daughter included.  It really diffused at this point, and everyone sat back and watched the game.  About 30 minutes later (nice response time, AAC), an usher came by and politely lectured the couple of rows that were involved.  Nobody got kicked out, nothing else was said.

Mr. and Ms. Standuperton left near the end of the 2nd period, but quite a few of the party remained.  It was a never-ending stand up fest.  Not kidding, they must have spent $300 at the concession stand, because they were just back and forth, back and forth all night long.  I just wished they would have had some better timing of when to stand up and when to sit!

Hall and Oates

About a month ago, I took the wife and mother in law to Durant, OK to see Hall & Oates.  Fantastic show, but the venue leaves much to be desired.  It is like a large metal barn with the stage at the wrong side.  They did it so they could sell more front row seats (It is at the Choctaw casino) which makes it more difficult for the sides to see what the heck is going on.

Attending a concert that you wouldn't necessarily go to yourself allows you an opportunity to people watch.  My observations led to this diatribe on Facebook:

1. If you are standing up, and no one around you is standing up, you should probably sit down, especially if the seats are on a non-elevated surface. There is one exception to this: if you are dancing, stand up, dance, and have a good time. But make sure to sell it...don't fake dance. DANCE.
2. Take a second and go back through your videos on your phone and find the footage from the last concert you attended. Unless you are in the front two rows, it probably looks like hot garbage spilled into an old diaper. Put your f*cking phone down (sorry mom, this needs emphasis). Take a picture, fine...take a short video...fine. But don't video the whole show. Videos and pictures are intended to enhance our memories, not replace them. Your memories will be of you looking at a phone screen all night...and so will the people behind you.
3. Remember that every single thing you do affects everyone else's ability to enjoy the show. Just because you don't recognize the song that is playing doesn't mean you can talk loudly to your friend during the song. Unless you are talking about the show, keep your conversations to a minimum.
4. To add to point #1, if someone in front of you is standing up, and won't sit down, realize there isn't much you can do about it. Don't spend the next 3 songs bitching about it to your wife. You are making it more difficult for the people around you to enjoy themselves.
5. Taking pictures of the video screen? Seriously?
6. Turn off the flash on your phone! Most people don't realize this, but even good camera flashes only go about 15 feet. If you are that close to the stage, you don't need it. If you are too far from the stage, it won't do you any good. Plus, your camera pre-flashes and lights up the entire section, making the experience more difficult for others to enjoy.

I sat there for three songs and listened to the guy next to me bitch about the people in front of us standing up.  He made the experience miserable for everybody, dropping F-bombs constantly.  Please don't be that guy...