A few weeks ago I attended a free concert featuring {drum rolls}... Pat Benatar!!! It was part of a free summer concert series provided by the Fox TV show Fox & Friends. Free is free, let's not get into politics...
A few years ago I happened to be in Greensboro, NC for some convention of a certain multi-level marketing company whose name I shall not mention. Downtown Greensboro was far from lively and most businesses closed by 4 PM or so. I happened to notice that Pat Benatar was scheduled to perform at a concert hall in Downtown. My schedule for that trip was tight and there was no way I could have attended the show but the experience got me interested. I signed up with Eventful to build up an audience to bring Pat Benatar to NYC. I Liked her page on Facebook to stay informed about her concert tours. Eventful had some useful info and a few times Pat did visit the area, like the House of Blues in Atlantic City. I hate driving and a long trip to Atlantic City for a concert is not something I look forward to. What turned me off with Eventful info is that their links all go to scalping sites like stubhub.com. I absolutely hate the whole idea of paying above, way above, the ticket prices. It is bad enough ticketmaster slap $5 or more above the ticket prices, these entrepreneurs on stubhub want double or whatever the market can bear.
Ideally, Pat Benatar would come to some arena like Radio City or Citifield and I would be able to go to the box office, perhaps wait a few hours, and get tickets. Or at most buy tickets online from the venue, without any ridiculous marked-up prices, and print my own tickets to bring to the event. I am sure it won't be cheap, so it pained me to think that to make things kosher the Wife may want to come along even though she has absolutely no interest in the many great Pat Benatar songs. Or English music in general, sigh.
Much to my delight, I discovered via the Facebook page that not only Pat Benatar would be in Midtown Manhattan but it would be a free concert. Even better, the concert took place on a Friday, my day off (for working Saturday). I planned to take my son swimming that day but he did not care that much about exercise/swimming. It got better and better. The audience area was small and I got a place near the front. Close enough to get an autograph of Pat Benatar and her husband/musical partner Neil Giraldo on the sonobe orb I made just that week! I also got a few photos and videos of the event to share with the digital world. It couldn't get better than that. Well, it could have, if Pat asked me to come up to the stage to take a picture with her. But I am happy with what I got and am not that greedy.
Pat Benatar is scheduled to appear as guest of Journey at the new Barclay Center right in Brooklyn. Journey is another of my favorite band, performing in Brooklyn!
http://www.barclayscenter.com/events/journey/
I am really tempted to attend that concert, perhaps I should make a bucket list and make the concert item #1...
Another concert that I plan to go is Joan Jett's, on Thursday 9 August, part of Brooklyn's Seaside Summer Concerts series, http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/seaside.html . Free is good, although it'll be held on a work day, I will definitely be late for it, if I'll be working that day. Hmm.
 |
| From what I heard, Pat Benatar usually signs "You Rock!" followed by her name. I like to think it was the first time she autographed a sonobe orb. |
 |
| Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo with Fox & Friends folks. |
Good Sunday afternoon to you Qaptain,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing a “Rocking” post – glad you had a great time at the concert. Very nice and really cool video. CMP said he was surprised that you are such a “rock n’ roll” guy :)
Keep up the good work with your swimming and of course, blogging.
I am trying to get back to my little boring blog too – don’t want to keep my adoring “fan” waiting – haa haa
We had rains today – what a wonderful relief!
Have a good week.
TOTA