I miss you, Anberlin.

I was going through a bunch of pictures that were on my phone and I had transferred (finally) over to my computer. (Because you know me, I have to organize those as well. So phone pictures get sorted into folders by event/thing and then put into a "new pictures" folder. Until they get printed, then I move them into the "Printed" folder. It's all very organized, you see.)

Anyways.

But I found the pictures from the Anberlin concert from last September. It was their farewell tour and I knew I absolutely HAD to go because I'm a total nerdy fan girl. But I didn't have a date, so I made Matt come with me even though he hates crowds, doesn't really have a clue who Anberlin is, and he'd have to go to work the next day despite driving us home and us getting home around 1 a.m. And he goes to work at 4 a.m.

That guy, he's a trooper, I tell you.

So anyways. The concert was at the Varsity Theater in the Twin Cities, and I hadn't ever been to a show there so I figured it'll totally be an adventure. And boy was it.

Keep in mind, this was September, so I was pregnant and I made Matt stop in  Hinckley so I could pee and get Pringles. Because obviously.

I'm so glad the show was sold out. I think they are such a great band. I'm also super thankful I just impulsively bought two tickets without having a clue who I would go with because had I missed this, I would have been pretty damn sad.

So before the show, we decided we were going to eat somewhere nearby. This is what is called the Dinkytown neighborhood and U of M is literally right there. So we found some random restaurant that had food I would eat that wasn't obscenely expensive and decided to eat outside because it was a perfect 75 degrees and a slight breeze. Halfway through dinner, which was actually super gross and I'm sorry I can't remember where we even ate, we realized this was the first time we had ever eaten outside on a date. We decided eating outside in our yard doesn't count.

Anyways. We ended up standing outside of the venue for well over an hour waiting to get in. It's becoming glaringly obvious that I am getting really too old for this. Not only did my hips hurt, but I had to pee. And I knew if I got out of line, we'd be dead last in and I'm short so I wouldn't see anything. It was then that I decided that Anberlin is worth a urinary tract infection.

Once we got in, it's kind of a bizarre layout for a venue? I wasn't impressed. I'm also at the point where standing room only is hard on the ol' knees. BUT! We got front row! Well, for about 30 minutes and then I got pushed out of the way by an already highly intoxicated frat guy and a bunch of skanks with skirts barely covering their asses.

And as a side note: WHY get so drunk at a concert you aren't going to remember it? Secondly, WHY come to a concert, and push your way to the front, if all you are going to do is text on your phone about what you're going to do after? Yeah, because when we're inches apart, I can read everything on your phone AND see the NSFW pictures you're sending from what clearly looks like an office cubicle.

End rant.

Anberlin was SO good. I can't even remember who opened for them, but I remember them being pretty good. They played a short set because clearly, it's a farewell tour, we want as much Anberlin as we can get. The really amazing thing? Is that it was almost virtually dead silent before they came in and pretty much everyone had their hand up and fingers crossed like their latest (and last) album cover.

 It kind of felt like a Hunger Games moment, to be honest.

Anberlin played all of their hits and fan favorites. They didn't play much from the new album though, maybe one or two songs? Which was kind of a bummer because the Lowborn album is so solid. 

I sang along to every song. Meanwhile, Matt was making sure I didn't get covered in beer from the guy behind him who was so drunk I think he forgot he wasn't at a Metallica concert. He kept screaming, "Enter Sandman!!" and head banging and sloshing his beer everywhere.

So after the show, I really wanted one of the black t-shirts that just said "Anberlin: Twin Cities" and all of the farewell tour dates on it. So Matt dutifully got in line while I sat on a suspiciously damp couch with my feet propped as much as I could because they had swollen quite a bit. He stood in line for two hours only to find out that they were long gone and he waited all that time for nothing.

Again, such a trooper.

So I left with no memorabilia, and that was a bummer. But it was also then that I realized I very much had to pee. Like, I could not get into the car without peeing. So we walked to a nearby McDonald's and I figured I'd pee, get a soda and some ice cream for the road.

The bathroom? Well the bathroom was absolutely filthy and there were used needles everywhere. And I mean everywhere. The toilet I got to use had what looked like blood sprayed all over the handle and tank lid of the toilet. It was pretty disgusting. So after, when I ordered my things, I mentioned to the cashier that oh by the way, your women's bathroom has blood all over and used needles. She says to me, EXACT WORDS, "So? Half of us are high right now working."

Well then.

I think the lesson I learned that night was unless it's a band I absolutely HAVE to see, I'm not going to go out of my way to go to Varsity. That and the parking garage was kind of sketch and I'm really glad I had Matt with me because I saw two women walking down the street (looked like students) who had pepper spray in their hands ready to use.

I'm just getting too old for this.

*sigh*

But that's the story of the last Anberlin concert I went to. It was kind of a nice surprise to see those photos this morning and remember. Plus, that was our last actual date. So... yeah. You see we're on a twice a year routine, if that. Which is a whole other blog post. But yes, Anberlin- I miss you already.