I had never been to the Chameleon Club before...so I wasn't sure what it was going to be like. Due to lacking a real GPS, my navigator (also known as bff) was reading directions off the paper and tells me to turn right...down this tiny little alley called "Water Street." We see the line, and this little tiny building with a crickety old sign (that u can barely read cuz the letters are falling off -I am so mad I didn't get a picture of that, so u believe me!) that said "Chameleon Club" and just as I notice that is the place, I drive PAST the parking garage.
My heart dropped a little, cuz there were already like 20-30 people in line. It was only 4:15! We hadn't eaten yet, and decided to buy subs at Subway and eat them while we were in line (haha, that is my experience talking! lol) We are driving up the street in no man's land, looking for a Subway, in a city where the "blocks" are actually triangles, and the "one way" streets really only go, uhm, one way? WTF?
We find a Subway right along side the street. (pure luck, I should have played the lottery this day I tell ya!) ;) I parked illegally and ran in to get subs. I swear, the slowest girl EVER worked at this Subway...and that IS NOT an exaggeration just because I was in a hurry, I promise! Not to mention, a lady who couldn't speak English was in front of me, therefore, Miss slowest girl ever is trying to understand Ms. Foreign Language...and it was not working out so good, UNTIL they figured out the "point at the veggies u want" system. SHEESH!!
Well forever later...I finally got the subs and it was back to the triangles.
We just had to get back to where we started...easy right?
Yeah, sure, right! : /
Not so easy when you are dealing with one way triangles!! Finally, we got back to Water Street, actually made the garage entrance this time...$5 to park - pay BEFORE you enter. Oh man. Neither of us have a $5. I have $4 in ones, and bff has another one.
Whew. That was close.
Next, we back traffic up on water street for two miles as I try to feed the dumb machine crinkled up ones...it kept spitting them back out at me...but only cuz I was in a hurry to get in line! DAMN! Well at least we got to park on the first level, on the side that the line was on. Stupid ass $ machines...how dare they hold us up?? lol
We walk up and some chick says, "Are you here for the concert?"
We were like "yeah" uhm, duh! and then
she said "the line is down there" as she points toward canopy.
She was in the front. the canopy, that looked like it was from the 1920's was NOT the entrance...hmmm, imagine that? Now who's the duh? lol
We went to the END of the line.
No sooner did we walk up to the line, the last person in line looks at me and says "Are you from da 'burg?"
WTF?
I did everything I could to leave that place I call home, the white picket fence, hubby, kids, the whole nine yards, and here someone is trying to ruin my concert night by bringing all that crazy shit up ... as the first thing she says? Wow! Un-freaking-real! You know I am a cool rocker chick here, not a mom/wife/domesticated anything!! LOL I find out (after we graciously took our spot about 30 folks back) later in conversation that this lady lives in my hometown and our daughters are seniors together. I thought I might have seen her friend around town, but I honestly did not recognize her. It was cool though to be in line with people that were going to be friendly and talkative though, and boy did we talk...pretty much the entire 2 hours we stood there...and watched the line triple. We were lucky we got there when we did. I was thankful!! :)
At 6pm, the outside doors opened up and let us into what looked like a roller coaster line...after all the VIP people left the line (they were supposed to be there by 2:30pm, did not get called in until 5:30pm!!) and then the will call people left the line, we ended up being like 6th in line. This was fine by me...but I knew the VIP's would be in there first, so that was about 20 people in front of us.
I'm not sure why, but I sort of panic when I can't be close to, near, or in the front (chalk it up as part of the addiction! haha) Sometimes, I, myself, wonder why? I mean, I should just be happy I'm even at the show, right? Whatever! These are my issues, and I digress (as usual!) lol
My son texted me while I was in line and the text said "try to bring me home a pick please"
I had to laugh. That is definitely MY kid! :) I texted back saying "I will try, but if I get one, I'm not so sure I'm gonna give it to YOU!" with a smiley. He texts back saying, "that is why I asked nice and said please" haha funny kid!
Finally around 7:15 or 7:20 they let us in. they wrist band us all, and take the ENTIRE ticket! I gave the guy shit. :) I always keep my ticket stubs! I am a dork like that. I was kind of mad about that...but not too mad lol (the security guard I harrassed about it would later become my friend!) ;)
WE ARE IN! Holy crap was this place EVER small! YAY! Front row was all taken up, about 2 people deep, but the stage was only like 20 feet long! I stood in the middle, like 3rd person back. BFF had to go potty, smoke, and get a drink (just Pepsi. yeah! we are BAD ASS!) and I saved her spot. There was a balcony above us for all the 18-20 year olds (couldn't be on the floor with the drunks and their alcohol LOL) and there was a 3rd level too.
I swear it wasn't even 15 minutes later, the first band called Evelyn's Ashes came on. They were alright. The crowd hadn't exactly filled in yet (we found out later that it took till the end of the first two bands sets before everyone got in...that line took over an hour, just to get in!). They did five songs, tried to get the crowd wound up..but the only ones who were wound up were the 25ish year olds, all in the rowdy group next to us. All pretty much wasted. Already! Already?? yeah, already. Good news is they weren't a mean rowdy crowd or pushy rowdy, just loud and drunk rowdy!! and actually, they were kind of funny, like the big heavyset guy in line...he was funny too! and he kept referring to himself as the 'funny fat guy' haha
Another 15-30 mins goes by...while the rowdy crowd gets drunker, it is getting hotter, and I will be damned, it is also getting more crowded! Bff left to go smoke and barely got back because it was so crowded!! Woah!
Finally, 2nd band comes on. Automatic Fire from Philly. Yay! A local Philly band! and they actually rocked. It was so cool when the singer came out into the crowd. He stood right next to bff and sang for a while (I think he liked her!) haha This singer was unreal...he kind of reminded me of Josh Todd from Buckcherry with some of his moves. Only SOME. And by no means did I say that he even looks or sounds or remotely resembles (my hottie) Josh in any way....he just mimicked him with some of his moves. This band really got the fans wound up, at first...until they did their slow song. Sorry guys, it didn't work.
Okay, that part is over. More waiting. And Standing. and it is getting hotter. Fast. It felt like an hour, I really don't know how much time passed, but it was wayyyy longer than the time between the other two bands set changes. We waited some more.
The "Papa Roach" chant began. Still nothing. More waiting. This is hard. The best part of the night is about to come. We have ALL already waited forever...and finally...
The lights go down! The crowd ROARS! Here they come!! No, not the band, the crowd!! As soon as the music starts, we don't even see the band yet, and we get crushed into the 2nd row.
PAPA ROACH!!!! And we are rocking!!! Woohoo!
The band is full of energy and they are freaking fired up!
They were impressed that it was a sold out show and thanked us for that. :D Jacoby (lead singer-above) suggested that this was a wild crowd, and it was only the first song. :) Bff lasted about 2 or 3 songs and then had to leave the front but not until AFTER she got to touch Jacoby :) (She has a bad back on a good day, and couldn't handle the roughness of the crowd. We can be glad she did leave the front, I will explain later). The crowd just got rougher as the night went on. We were somewhere around the middle of the setlist, and the middle of a song, and Jacoby climbs up the side rail to the balcony level
and crawls over. And just starts walking through the crowd.
Then he threatens to jump.
haha - well I don't think he was really going to, but you never know! This dude is totally unreal, and AMAZING! It was so much fun. I didn't manage to get any guitar picks...
but I did manage to get in a tiff, of sorts. This chick beside me kept elbowing me in the ribs. Finally, I looked at her and said "knock it off" - she got mad immediately and said "then stop pushing" After telling her it was not me, it was the crowd behind us, duh! She tells me to push them back. OMG! So the chick next to me starts to argue with her saying it don't matter if you push back...and I figured to hell with it, just let the two of them argue with each other. I was done arguing with a dumbass! LOL
AND she did stop elbowing me. Yeah, I showed her! Ha! (LOL j/k...I hate when people fight at shows...it is dumb, but I had to say something because no one was pushing when she was elbowing.) My friends (from line, hometown friends) left the front cuz someone elbowed one of them in the head...she was pissed, but she left instead of standing up for herself.
Okay, by this point we are 2/3's of the way through, I am so freaking sweaty hot, it is unreal. The next song starts and I realize my sweatshirt (that was tied around my waist) came undone! OMG! My car keys are in that pocket!! I must have said "OMG" or "Oh shit" out loud, because a girl behind me said "what happened?" I told her I dropped my sweat shirt and as we looked down towards the dark area (called the floor), luckily for me, she was standing on it! I'm telling you, it WAS my lucky day!!! Whew! That was a close one!
Towards the end of the show, I somehow, lol, got pushed towards the side of the stage in front of my hottie guitar player, Jerry. I got some awesome, rocking shots of this guy.
During the one break, he looked right at me and I took my finger in a smiley face motion across my lips and mouthed "smile" - so he did, AND WINKED!!! I snapped the picture. I FAILED. The picture was totally black...all I can see is the silouette of his face, not the wink. Okay, maybe it is not my lucky day. That was an awesome moment. He totally smiled FOR ME, and winked! and I freaking botch the picture. *sigh* Oh well, it really did happen...whether anyone believes it or not. I got the damn black pic to prove it.
or not. lol
yeah, this was afterwards dammit!!
I didn't even go into the crowd surfers. or the guy who hit a chick and got taken down by like 15 security guards and escorted out. Sheesh. Why can't we all just get along? That chick probably elbowed the guy. (haha, j/k...I in no way condone any type of beating or hitting, ESPECIALLY at a concert, where everyone is there to have a good time, supposedly.)
It's a sad time when the show is over and the guys take their bow. They had as great of a time as we did! :) they were awesome and totally rocked my ass off!! Mean bitches and all! ;)
I was freaking drenched. I looked like I took a shower with my clothes on. Everyone started heading out of the venue. All the front row peeps hovered for setlists, and I decided I did not want to fight for one. LOL I freaking needed a drink!! It had been hours since I sipped that strong, bad ass pepsi!! Yay, the bar was still serving...and they had water! Wooo! (hey, that is more bad ass than pepsi, I think? haha)
That is when bff told me the news...
she says "You are going to be so happy! Guess what I got?"
They give me my water (only $2, imagine that!) and I drink like half the bottle before saying "what? what is it?" cuz she is practically jumping up and down, she can't wait to tell me. She pulls a Papa Roach pick out of her pocket! I was like "No way! How did you get that?"
She said "my secret admirer!" I had to laugh at that one. She goes on to tell me that she went to the tshirt stand to buy one for Alex, before I could. They told her they didn't have any. She tells the guy the story, about Alex texting before the show and how he is trying to learn how to play guitar. The guy tells her to hold on. He goes and gets a bag... digs for like 10 mins (she might have exaggerated, a little haha) and pulls out a pick...his own personal one. Tells her, "this is from last year." She asked how much he wanted for it. He told her nothing, she could have it! She got it for FREE! :) then she handed it to me to give to Alex. Now that is a BFF!! :) for realz!It WAS our lucky day!! We both bought a tshirt and headed outside to scope out the bus location. ;) No sooner did we get outside (ahhhhhh, fresh air!!), I had to pee. I didn't think of it inside, not to mention, who the hell wants to use that potty? Not unless it was an emergency. haha We walked to the car to get rid of some stuff, grab a sharpie (never leave home without it!), and re-group. Then we went to look for the buses and a potty. Walked right past the buses, checking out how many folks were hanging around. When we got to the end of the buses, there were two kind girls sitting on some steps who kindly pointed us in the potty direction. THANK YOU!!! :D
We came back over and struck up a conversations with the security guard in front of the bus. He was so nice (yes, the one I harrassed earlier). We chatted with him for about 30 mins or so. The girls from the steps then joined us. Next thing you know, Jerry pokes his head out of the bus!!!!!
He saw me, and I saw him.
I said, "well hello there sir, how are you?" and smiled. He said "I'm good how about you?" and shyly stepped off the bus. I was in amazement. I could hardly believe this was happening!! So he just stood there for an brief awkward moment, then I walked up and said "well, okay! I will be the first to hug you" and held out my arms.
haha pretty brave move...I guess he could have fled! called the security guard and told him to get this looney bitch off of him (and thats Crazy Bitch to you!), but he didn't. He hugged me!!!
Okay, now this is OFF THE HOOK!! :)
So then bff hugs him...and the other two girls...here comes the rest of the very small crowd (not even 20 people) Meanwhile, I was hurrying while trying to dig out the camera and my sharpie :) We went back over next to him and he was getting pix taken and signing stuff. We asked for a pic together and asked security guard (Jordan) if he would take the pic. He said jokingly, "Oh sure, get my hands all tied up and distract me so I can't do anything if someone tries to attack" haha What was I gonna do, pick him up and run? LOL He took our sweet pic...and as he was signing stuff, someone said, "can you sign my back?" and as he was signing it, I (the smartass that I am) said mockingly "will you sign my wings?" and he said "your what?" as he looked over at me, I stuck out my Aerosmith T-shirt (with wings conveniently located across my well endowed chest haha) and he laughed. then he signed my stupid paper (the one with the directions on it)...cuz I DIDN'T have a damn ticket for him to sign. Oh well. I didn't care...really! LOL He told us he would let the other guys know we were here. :)
We hung out for another 30 mins or so more, till like 12:45 am and then decided we couldn't wait any longer. We needed to head out. We did still have to drive 1 hour and 45 mins home.
We were satisfied.
I saw an awesome rock band, got my son a guitar pick for FREE, AND met the lead guitar player of Papa Roach! It was one of the best times I have had in a long time, and of my life. I really needed it. I almost feel "refreshed" and cannot stop smiling. :) I could do this every night of my life!!!
It was an amazing, lucky night!!
We should have bought a lottery ticket!! I bet we would have won! :)
