Hanging Out With Old People
by Nicole Freire

Last Thursday my husband and I got a babysitter for our daughters (said babysitter not only took them out to eat at IHOP, dream restaurant destination for them, but also let them play xbox on a gigantic HD tv and eat jelly beans. Said babysitter ROCKS.) and went with my parents to the Santa Barbara Bowl to see Joe Cocker and the Steve Miller Band.

Isn't it beautiful?

It was a perfect evening. If you can squint your eyes and see through the haze, you can see the ocean from our seats. It was gorgeous.

My husband and I weren't the biggest target audience for this concert.
People like this were. Holy cow, it was aging baby boomers everywhere you looked.

We saw lots of grey hair. (Don't correct my spelling of grey. I like grey, not gray, but that's my writer-ish conceit and I'm sticking with it.)

Check out this guy's hair.

Here is Joe Cocker. He is 64 and sounds amazing. I couldn't get a very clear picture of his backup singers so I'll just tell you this - they were gorgeous. Beautiful voice, great choreography, great dancers. Joe Cocker is a lucky man.

Lots of people jumped up when he came onstage. Especially her.

Check out her tattoo! Nice that she wants to show it off. Check out the multi-colored hair! There must be five different colors there. And wow, what an outfit.
She also has a beer. Maybe I'll go get one.

Whoo! It's a blurry picture, not because I had any beer, but because I'm standing precariously on the staircase to try and get this picture.

But back to my seat! People are still rocking out. Check out these guys! This is also a bit blurry. That's because they would not stop moving long enough for me to get a clear shot.

Oh my god! It looks like the bowl is filling up nicely! Maybe the Steve Miller Band is about to show up! It sure looks like it.

Yep, the main event is just about to start! People are getting more and more excited.
Some of them can't just sit in their seats quietly because they are too excited. Like who, I wonder? Oh right, crazy tattoo lady and her friend.

Maybe they'll sit down at some point so the people behind them can see the concert instead of seeing her tattoo.

These people sure look like they need a clear view of the stage.

Wow! Steve Miller is onstage! Check out the cool lights! Like the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies, rock concert lighting is proof that visual stimuli can, like, totally blow your mind without drugs being involved.

This concert was so much fun. I was so glad to be there. It was a lovely evening, there was good company, the music rocked. Steve Miller is 65 and changed guitars almost 15 times during the performance.

But wait, something seems off ...... some people seem a bit confused.

What is going on? Why does this woman look a little upset? She's at a concert right? She's digging the sunset and the stage lighting and her beer. She looks a little sweaty, but it was a fairly hot and humid evening. What could possibly be bothering this curly haired concertgoer?

Oh right. She can't see the stage very well.

Ok crazy tattoo lady. You and your friend need to sit down now. We have all seen your tattoo. We have all noticed your low-rise jeans that you keep hiking up. We have all seen you fluff your hair numerous times. We know that you have fake nails because you keep waving your hands in the air. We know that you are enjoying the show because not only are you standing up all the time, occasionally you will point at the stage and yell, "Whoo! Whoo!" We also suspect that your tan is sprayed on and that the shirt you are wearing is twenty years too young for you, even though it looks cool. Also, we know the lyrics to all the songs too, but sometimes we like to just listen to the singer. Remember him? Steve Miller? He's the one on the stage.

See?

The best part of the concert? Happened when Steve was getting yet another guitar and his guitar tech whispered in his ear. Then Steve says into the microphone, "Hey, he just told me I have nine minutes left!"

This being Santa Barbara, and it being 9:51 p.m., he did indeed have only 9 minutes left. We're quite strict about things being quiet by 10:00 p.m., especially if you live near the Bowl.

What we are not strict about though, is any age limit on having a good time.

Rock on people.

End.

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Nicole Freire is a freelance writer who lives in Santa Barbara.