Live and in concert!
Jan. 24th, 2010 10:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seanan_mcguireThis year for her birthday, my mother requested tickets to see the Norton Buffalo tribute concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland. She's been a huge fan of his for longer than I've been alive, and a whole bunch of his friends, musical partners, and former bandmates had put the concert together as a benefit for his family, since Norton left some pretty hefty medical bills when he passed away. This seemed like a fantastic birthday present, since it didn't require any real thought on my part, and I got her tickets. Life was good.
Yesterday morning, Mom came out to Kate and GP's to clean the bathroom. (My friends are gradually starting to hire Mom to do basic housework. This is awesome for everyone involved, as it means Mom has money, and means things wind up glitteringly clean. She's like the 409 Fairy.) Once there, she informed me mournfully that she'd mis-read her tickets, and that she felt like a total idiot—she thought the concert was Saturday, and it was actually Friday that she had tickets for. She was trying to stay cheery, but she was pretty clearly depressed about it.
Enter Craigslist. Within ten minutes, I had a guy in Alameda (about a twenty-minute drive away) who had an extra ticket in hand, and was willing to sell it to me. Kate printed directions for us, and I hauled Mom away to Alameda. She spent most of the drive looking pole-axed and telling me that I didn't have to do this, thus proving that she doesn't always know me very well.
Somehow, we didn't get lost on our way to perform what really looked like a drug deal: we pulled up to the curb, I hopped out of the car, and a man in a parka ran over to me. He handed me a bright green envelope. I checked the contents, handed him cash, got back in the car, and drove away. I am amazed we didn't get pulled over.
(My little sister called while we were on the way into Alameda, very worried about Mom, and wondering if there was anything we could do. I said we were on our way to pick up a ticket right that minute. Nothing I have ever done in my life has made Rachel that happy.)
During the drive back to Kate's, we actually drove through a rainbow. It ended on the freeway; it ended on us. I have never seen anything like it.
Mom picked me up from Kate's last night around midnight, after I got back from Burns Night and she got back from the show. She was glowing. They played for over five hours. She wound up two back from the stage. Her camera is full of pictures. She got a concert poster and a T-shirt.
Best birthday present ever.
Yesterday morning, Mom came out to Kate and GP's to clean the bathroom. (My friends are gradually starting to hire Mom to do basic housework. This is awesome for everyone involved, as it means Mom has money, and means things wind up glitteringly clean. She's like the 409 Fairy.) Once there, she informed me mournfully that she'd mis-read her tickets, and that she felt like a total idiot—she thought the concert was Saturday, and it was actually Friday that she had tickets for. She was trying to stay cheery, but she was pretty clearly depressed about it.
Enter Craigslist. Within ten minutes, I had a guy in Alameda (about a twenty-minute drive away) who had an extra ticket in hand, and was willing to sell it to me. Kate printed directions for us, and I hauled Mom away to Alameda. She spent most of the drive looking pole-axed and telling me that I didn't have to do this, thus proving that she doesn't always know me very well.
Somehow, we didn't get lost on our way to perform what really looked like a drug deal: we pulled up to the curb, I hopped out of the car, and a man in a parka ran over to me. He handed me a bright green envelope. I checked the contents, handed him cash, got back in the car, and drove away. I am amazed we didn't get pulled over.
(My little sister called while we were on the way into Alameda, very worried about Mom, and wondering if there was anything we could do. I said we were on our way to pick up a ticket right that minute. Nothing I have ever done in my life has made Rachel that happy.)
During the drive back to Kate's, we actually drove through a rainbow. It ended on the freeway; it ended on us. I have never seen anything like it.
Mom picked me up from Kate's last night around midnight, after I got back from Burns Night and she got back from the show. She was glowing. They played for over five hours. She wound up two back from the stage. Her camera is full of pictures. She got a concert poster and a T-shirt.
Best birthday present ever.
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Date: 2010-01-24 10:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-25 12:42 am (UTC)