Pepper in concert... and then some

Yesterday Dennis and I ventured up to Baltimore to spend the day there, check out our new house, and see a Pepper concert! Dennis got me the tickets for my birthday and so I have been waiting for this day for 2 weeks. It was rockkkkkin.

I had such a great time and I also managed to come up with a new game during the opening act, which was a band called Shoreline. They would have been pretty good if the lead singer wasn't part of the band. He really brought them down... yikes. Whoever appointed him singer should also be removed from the band.

The game I made up is basically like Eye Spy except everything you spy has different values. Here are the items I came up with based upon real life experience:

1 pt for X on hand

2 pts for studded belt
2 for clothing with marijuana reference
2 pts for Pepper gear

3 pts for Oriole gear

5 pts for token Cal Ripken shirt
5 pts for recently purchased Pepper gear

10 pts for mention of the word "Sensimilia"

20 pts for swaying couples

50 pts for painfully out of place mom

Allow me to explain the point system and some of these references. The more prominent - the less points.

X on hand -- So there were plenty of X's marking the under-agers, which is great because now I know I am in the presence of a large number of high school students. Score.

The next six entries are devoted to the clothing seen at the concert.

Studded belts -- They spread like a plague... that only infects girls and boys in straight leg jeans.
Clothing with Weed Reference -- "I Heart Blunts" or "I Heart Weed" t-shirts were the main attraction at this stoner-fest. Because there's nothing cooler than confirming that you love marijuana at a public venue...except for hiding it from your parents once you get home from the show.
Wearing Pepper gear -- Party foul/Faux pas - DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT wear a t-shirt or any other apparel to a concert that features the band playing. We all know you're the number 1 fan! Thanks for sharing.
Wearing recently purchased Pepper gear -- Even worse - wearing the apparel that you JUST BOUGHT on your way into the show. Yikes. Either you're a fairweather fan trying desperately to prove to everyone just how devoted you are when inside you are scared to death that you'll be discovered, or you are a legitimate fan but you're still so insecure about your devotion in comparison to other fans at the show that you feel some need to play King of the Mountain, or as my dad calls it, a pissing contest.
Orioles gear -- Wow, you're at a concert in Baltimore and you want to claim your territory as a native. Neato. Too bad vendors don't require your "Local" ID anymore and they will let just anybody buy O's gear... some people... pshh.
Token Cal Ripken t-shirt -- I saw about ten people wearing this same shirt that I'm pretty sure is for sale everywhere in the stadium and outside. People walk by and think, "Hey! I know Cal Ripken. He's the guy in those potato chip commercials."

Now moving on to general observations during the concert.

Sensimilia -- I've heard this word one time when I didn't hate the person saying it... Bradley Nowell. And I think that's just because I really like his voice. The crappy excuse for a lead singer for the opening band yelled some lyrics about Sensimilia and the crowd went willlllddddd. Ok actually they didn't but this guy had it coming. He had the worst voice for reggae ever, and even when they went and played some punk/rock music he still managed to suck.

THE BAND played Marley's "Iron Lion Zion" which I have grown to be a big fan of lately, and THE BAND rocked! THE BAND'S music sounded great.

Enter lead singer... picture images of wilting flowers, children crying because their ice cream cone fell on the ground, and MoonBounces deflating with children still inside trying to claw their way out, and you'll get the image of this singer's talent.

When Marley sings it, the words are soft, pronouncing the lines "I'm gonna be Ir-on, like li-on, in Zi-on." For some reason this singer wanted to enunciate the 2nd syllables in all of those words to break down the beautiful sound the band was projecting... with a wrecking ball. I hate you lead singer of that first band.

Swaying couples -- My god. I felt like I was in 7th grade again, dancing in my middle school cafeteria to the song Barbie Girl (true story). That sweet style of dancing, which I think was referred to as "freak dancing" back in my day, was the lamest excuse for "dancing" that there ever was and I am thoroughly embarrassed to say that I was once a victim of the Freak Dance Bug. I thought that bug had died long ago but lo and hehold, two hairy disgusting dudes in wifebeaters revived it last night. There they were, gold chains glistening in the light, swaying back and forth with their girlfriends planted firmly in front of them. Then the bug began to spread... soon every couple in the place was catching the dance fever, which is said to be even worse than Saturday Night Fever.

Out-of-place mom -- you know the one. She probably was at the first Woodstock and wants to relive her younger wilder days... sow some wild oats with younger men who are too blazed to realize entirely what's going on. Or who saw American Pie one too many times and thinks cougars are "in."

To be fair, the featured band plays quite a bit of reggae, so I should have known what I was in for; nonetheless, I continue to be surprised and disgusted by this odd brand of hippie douchers.

Overall, the concert was amazing - Pepper rocked, and the 2nd opening band, the Supervillains, was off the hook as well. Check them both out if you love good music! Just avoid the concert scene if you have a weak stomach.