DMB Show Review and Shoreline Security
Well, we went to see Dave Matthews play at the Shoreline in Mountain View last night.

For those who haven't had the pleasure, the Shoreline is a huge ampitheatre with some seats down low and grass lawn seating up above. It holds a lot of people and they were all there last night. All sizes, all shapes, all colors, all good too. I think it was the first concert I've ever been to where not one single person was an asshole to me or to any of our party. A rare event indeed because there always seems to be a few people at shows who's main reason for being is to be pissed off and trying to effectively fuck up other people's nights.

But maybe DMB fans are a little different than other bands I've seen there, I don't know. But it was appreciated.

Heck, the Cuervo shot lady even gave us the cool bro pours (which was nice because the shots were $6 a pop and you could run through $20's very, very quickly).

Anyway, the line to get into the show at 6 was long but moved quickly amidst some awful angry chick band playing on one of the small stages near the food. It was bad, bad music, just angry shouting and lots of fist in the air screeching. Someone should let the singer know that it might be best to pursue other avenues of employment. But whatever.

At the gate, the woman actually had to check the sandwich I had to make sure there weren't any beers hidden in it. No shit. A bagel sandwich with a beer bottle stashed in it? I'd like to see how it could be done. But the best was yet to come. Apparently there have been alot of terrorist attacks involving large blankets so they were banned. But large is fairly subjective term, no?

Anyway, the friends we went with had a big blanket that they were going to confiscate unless they cut the blanket in half. But since scissors weren't allowed that wasn't so easily accomplished until someone went to the business office to get some. So they cut this nice blanket in half and let them bring both parts of it into the show. The logic behind this completely eludes me.

Oh yeah, no cameras either. I don't know why they prohibit them but whatever, I left my Elph in the car and P stashed hers in an unlikely to be patted down place.

The show itself was pretty good although I've got to say that there's not a whole lot of "live" to Dave Matthews, the music sounds just like his CD's. Not a bad thing or a good thing, just a thing. It was good music as all of his music is and we had a great time sitting out on the lawn and trying not to tumble down through the crowd.

What bothers me about concerts in general is the crass and really pretty shameful profit taking. The tickets are already expensive but then there's like a "fun tax" on everything. From water (at only $3 a bottle) to beer ($5.50 for Miller?) to shots of tequila (the Cabo Wabo Tequila was $9 a shot! and its not that good of a tequila) tot he double sized surcharge to get money of the freaking ATM ($3 plus whatever your bank charges). Its really just kind of rude and lame and leaves me with a "Fuck You for Coming" feeling.

I'd like to see a venue where things aren't outrageously overpriced. Sure, they can turn a profit but there's no way a fucking MGD should cost $5.50 for a small and $8 for a large.

Of course, that will never happen because these places have gotten used to their high profit margin extras. And with the pretty stupidly draconian security it really becomes an evening of how much will you put up with. Why do they have to double or triple their money on a beer or charge $25 for a t-shirt you can get online for $18? All it does is leave me with a foul taste in my mouth, an empty wallet and the resolve to not go to shows at places like the Shoreline very much, if at all.

Maybe I'm just sensitized because of the wedding and the extra charges that people tack on there. P and I were talking about the unspoken "wedding tax" this morning. How everyone will add on a few charges if they know its for a wedding. Its all smiles up front but they've got their hand in your wallet helping themselves to more money than they should be getting because its a wedding, because things need to be set up just right and they'll charge more for that. Maybe I'm just too cynical on the whole thing but it pisses me off to think that it costs more to get a dress altered if they know its for a wedding. Its not any more work, but they charge more.

So, it was a fun night, made alot more fun by our company that we went with. Two couples who didn't know each other at the beginning of the evening but were good friends by the end. And there's nothing like Taco Bell after midnight!