Journey and Def Leppard: Summer Concerts

Summer is well underway. That can only mean one thing. The joint is rockin' in the land of summer heat, bugspray and screaming fans. Outdoor concerts are a summer ritual, one that usually brings back pleasant memories. On Thursday, I got a very happy surprise from my friend H, whom I hadn't heard from in over two years. As you can imagine, I was shocked, excited and happily surprised to hear from him after such a long time.

"Hi Manda, it's H, it's been awhile. How are you?" he asked.
"Hi H. I'm great! Good to hear from you. How have you been?" I said.
"I'm fine, I have some great news! I'm engaged!" he announced excitedly, as I offered my congratulations and heard all about his relationship with his fiancée P and how they got together.

We were just beginning to get caught up on old times and new news when he dropped another exciting surprise on me. "Manda sweetie, I have another surprise for you," he paused. "I won tickets to Journey and Def Leppard!" I am a huge Journey fan, but wasn't going to the show this year because the tickets were ninety three dollars and I didn't have the money. I was so excited that I screamed and dropped my phone.

The next evening, H came to my house where we caught our taxi and a terrific driver friend of mine took us to the show. On the way, we set the mood by listening to the, "Greatest Hits" CD. To anyone who is a journey fan, all of their biggest hits bring back special places and times where lasting memories were made. This night was no exception.

Although we got stuck in traffic from the Friday evening rush, we finally arrived after what seemed like an eternity. As we waited to get into the parking lot, our excitement intensified as we heard, "Separate Ways" blaring loudly through Nissan Pavilion.
Once my friend dropped us off, our adventure really began! The seats that H won in the radio contest were on the lawn. Being a writer, words are a matter of semantics to me. As someone who uses a wheelchair, I was very disappointed to discover that Nissan's version of a, "lawn" was in reality a hill. Not to mention a very steep one.

When we went to Guest Services in an attempt to get our tickets changed to accessible seats, they were unable to accommodate us. As a result, H and I had no other alternative but to hear what was left of the concert from the picnic area of the Pavilion. Talk about discrimination! Sadly, the ugly monster of discrimination is alive and well in 2006.

Later, we decided to just hang out and enjoy dinner. Our hamburgers were great, but we experienced unsatisfactory service yet again when I asked for a straw for my drink. Supposedly, there were no straws in the entire Pavilion for patrons having anything other than a mixed drink. So, I don't get a straw that I need just because I have too much dignity and self-respect than to think that being drunk out of my mind is cool?

What a ridiculous double standard! How backwards and unfair is that! While we were extremely hurt, disappointed and angry, H and I were comforted by the fact that we got to spent time together for the first time in years. We learned some difficult life lessons that night. For better or worse, at least we were two friends who were unafraid to face life's challenges together. That's all that really matters!