wanna be rockstar, my night in the bubble (a TR)
Bill wont leave me alone until I do this. So here it is. My night in the bubble:
I guess I’m lucky. Well, its my friend Liz really. She’s always been the lucky one. We met at college about eight years ago, and she’s always been about three steps ahead of me. Started her own business while in college, hobnobbing with venture capitalists was a regular thing for her. She is just the kind of girl people respond to.
Fast forward.
I moved away from the pnw after school, Liz and I kept in touch.... if you can call three emails a year in touch. But when she was in Boston trying to get investors to bite on various business plans we would always hang out, she’d stay with me and we’d party it up like college only ended yesterday. One of those friends you love and fit with, but don’t really contact too often.
You can imagine my surprise two summers ago when she randomly called me and asked if I was interested in going to a pearl jam show. Sure, I guess. Are you in town????? No I’m in Seattle, but my boyfriend is in the band and if you want to go......... WTF did you say??! your boyfriend is who? So, like a magic fairy tale Liz tells me how she met Stone Gossard and all the magic sappy love that happened. Blah. Blah. So I go to the show two summers ago with some friends, free tickets down front. It was sweet, cant get any better than free tickets to pearl jam (I’m not the hugest fan, but their live show rocked the fuck out) right?? Well it did.
Fast Forward.
On Tuesday I’m just doing my thing at work. Calling subcontractors, mailing out building documents, responding to something on TGR... when liz calls, out of the blue again. She’s in town. She wants to hang out. Pearl jams here. She’s in the four seasons with Stone and her dog. She wants me to come to the second show and hang out.
I am so there.
so i go there, on wednesday, and cruse up to the corner penthouse. Definetly aproaching the bubble. Liz has her dog Basie with her, they call her (the dog) Base... i though that was funny. lets walk the bitch now, she doesn't have anywhere to pee in the bubble, liz informed me.
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...1liz_basie.jpg
Basie does the deed and trys hard to kill every squirrel in the public garden.
its about 6:30 and liz wants to get to the fleet so we can get free food and hang out a bit before the show. aparently Tim Robbins has a band who is playing (kinda political propaganda arty type sign up to vote band), and she promised him last night that she would catch his show tonight. I'm down. i need to tell him that snorlkedeep thinks he sucks at hockey anyways.
we take the band shuttle from the seasons to the fleet. we drive around behind the stadium and cruse up the tiny one lane ramp. this is the back door.
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...61backdoor.jpg
liz tells me we are about to enter the bubble. you can go anywhere you want once you are in here, there are no rules, except don't get me in trouble.
the door opend and the van drives in and drops us off right next to the stage.
we waltz through secrity check upon security check with out a second look. liz just smiles and waves. i'm getting him an all access in a second she reports to the head of tour security right before we get to the dressing rooms.
i'm starting to feel special.
i meet Stone and Mike and Eddy. they are going over their set lists and talking improv stuff so Liz and i go to catering and feast on prime rib, corn on the cob, potatoes, and Heineken. man it was tasty. liz knows everyone on the tour, and we talked to some truck driver guys and the keyboardist's (Boom) wife. it felt like i was in the film 'almost famous', i kept thinking that all night. i was just accepted as the bands best friend because i was with liz.
we chilled for awhile in the fleet center guest lockeroom (basketball not hockey) and i played ball with basie Untill Tim Robbins band started
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...sielocker1.jpg
Tim was pretty down to earth. i told him i liked jacobs ladder more than shawshank, just to be unique. strangley he didn't seem to care. he's a pretty bad musician, and i had a good time making some jokes about his skills to his face. again, he laughed and i got the pass because liz was right there. i think he has a crush on her. I'm tellin stone.
Tim, flailing:
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...obbins-med.jpg
the all access lets you watch from wherver you want, it was prett empty still so we went from the side of the stage to the front.
After his set we had a saftey meeting and gave some high fives to Death Cab Cutie who were about to go on stage. These guys reminded me of all my indie rocker friends back in portland. again, super nice and friendly and drunk and stuff. their set was really, really good. go see this band.
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...athcab-med.jpg
it is very fun to be on the stage during a show at venue this big. crowd gives goosebumps every time they get loud.
after Death Cab Liz and i went back to the guest locker room and pretended we were on the portland trailblazers. i swear there are lockers behind the black curtain.
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...1lizlocker.jpg
Pearl Jam was about to get on stage so we put Basie in her kennel and got our spots. i wanted to be on the DL with the photography (and i was acting to cool for school, like i hang with rock stars everyday). so i didn't use any flash when i was around the stage.
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...361ben_liz.jpg
basicly the show fully kicked total ass. when the band came on stage the rush from the crowd was like a drug. its loud up there. i got to hang right by the stage soundboard, we also checked out rockers right of the stage too.
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...stageright.jpg
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...bassscrowd.jpg
we got even safer at the set break, and liz was getting me beers out of the bands on stage stash the whole night. feelin it for sure.
they played a sweet second set, and three rounds of encores. capping it off here with a cover of rockin' in a free world.
http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost..._eddy_mike.jpg
The show ended and we went back and chilled for awhile and waited for the place to empty out. Ed and Stone and Liz and I drank a bottle of wine a fan gave Ed on stage. We also ate some pizza and played catch with Basie. Liz and i recounted some old College hijinxs to Stones amusment.
we then all went back to the Shuttle and left the bubble. the ramp out was clogged with fans trying to get in front of the van and get autographs. Again, it was like a movie.
back at the four seasons, after waiting for Stone to sign a hundred cd's and posters, i said my goodbyes to him and liz and started to come to grips with the reality that i was not gettin gon the charter jet to New york, and was not going to be on letterman. you are not in the band basom. go home and go to sleep.
so that was cool.
