DMB

Oh Dave, how I love thee. Well, actually, not as much in concert as I thought I would. Friday night, Travis and I went for our planned Babymoon to see Dave Matthews Band in concert. Travis has started getting off work at 4 on Fridays, so we got out of the house by a record breaking 5:15pm. Unfortunately, the venue is an hour and a half a way in good traffic and the show was supposed to start at 7.

Since the show was north of Houston, that meant we got to drive through the evening rush hour and IT WAS HORRIBLE. I get car sick very easily - pregnant or not. The ride was miserable. I had the seat all the way back and I decided to keep it a secret that I had to pee like a race horse so Travis wouldn't flip out anymore than he already was in his road-rage stricken state.

We pulled into the line of backed up traffic at our exit at exactly 7pm. After the teenage girl in front of us let in the 15th car in front of her and then seeing a sign that said we had another mile and a half until our actual exiting of the highway, Travis floored it around more than three quarters of the cars before merging back into the exit lane. Despite his jerky movements, I think it was a good move.

When we got to the parking lot, it looked like we weren't the only people who were late for the show. Luckily, they had a couple other random bands play before DMB, so we were able to walk the three miles to the pavilion and wait in the line to have our bags and bodies checked for weapons, alcohol, drugs and food. Sheesh. Then we had to check our camera. =( That was really scary. I was a little bummed I couldn't bring it in, but I was more worried about someone stealing it while we were inside (despite it being watched over by two employees).

Oh and I was also 50% sure that I would forget to get the camera on my way out. Usually Travis is the one to remember important things like that, but since I knew he would be drinking a few beers I worried about the quality of his memory for the evening. As a precaution I set my phone alarm as a reminder. We could have walked it back to the car, but that took FOREVER in my prego state. I know Travis probably could have jogged back in half the time. It's just that we were already late and I didn't want to be sitting so far back that Dave looked like an ant.

Speaking of ants, I think I got bit by one at the concert. It was an outdoor venue, and we had lawn seats. That means we sat behind all the people who paid for a covered seat for half the price because we have to sit in the grass. I thought it was a mosquito bite, but when my calf swelled into a welt that made it look like I got whipped with a softball I decided it might be something else. Clarissa mentioned at the baby shower that maybe it was an ant and I was reminded of my hyper-sensitivity to fire ants. They are nasty little buggers that usually leave my ankles swollen to the size of an apple with just two bites. It's looking a lot better today. I think the 4-inch welt has shrunken to about a 2-inch welt.

Anyhoo, Travis and I found a nice spot in the lawn, center stage to lay out our blanket. We were thinking about renting a chair that is made for the incline of the lawn, but I'm glad we waited. As soon as the concert started EVERYONE stood up. I ended up standing up and sitting back down throughout the whole show. Sitting for the five-minute solos and standing for all the songs we knew. They really are more of what I would call a jam band. I think if I were at a bar or even at a coffee shop, that is the type of music I would want playing. But to see them in concert where they are the main event wasn't as entertaining.

Travis and I spent half the show talking and laughing about the other people while listening to the electric violin or soprano sax jammin in the background. Seriously, there were some funny people there. Half the guests were wearing some form of tie-dyed material (shirts, skirts, dresses, etc). Plus, I was completely sober, so it was entertaining to watch the drunk people stumbling around on that sloped lawn and the guys who were most definitely tripping on Ecstasy jumping around like mad men. Oh and the POT SMOKING. Good lord. There must have been a lot of people with joints hidden in their butt cracks on their way through security, cuz there was a lot of pot smoking. I'm hoping one night of secondhand exposure doesn't damn my unborn child to a life of pot-headedness.

Travis imbibed a few $10 beers, while I stuck with my $5 bottle of water and $5 bucket of Pepsi. Yes, I know, pot and caffeine all in one night. It kept Lil Wodie amazingly level. Finishing the night off with the purchase of a $35 t-shirt made for an expensive evening, but it was worth it. Travis and I got to spend our last hurrah seeing a band that I have wanted to see for years. It was even worth the fact that I had to have another snack around midnight because we didn't get home and into bed until almost 1 in the morning. I was TIRED. Thank goodness for lazy Saturday mornings...