Wednesday 24 May 2023

What's on my calendar....

 My taste in music is very different to my husband's, but I do sometimes agree to join him to see performances that I suspect 'will not be my thing' as a bit of a stretch...because you never know, and it's nice to do things together... So it was I agreed to go with him to see Cat Power sing the 1966 Albert Hall Dylan concert. I'd initially said no, and that he should go with someone else, but then he sort of talked me into it.

Then he cancelled because it was State Of Origin.

So I was stuck with tickets to a show I didn't really want to go to. At the Opera House. Now normally I'd think 'I'll just have a lovely sunset negroni' but as VIVID is on and it will be packed, and I'm off booze with this COVID thing, and I have Jaguar Jonze the next night, I'm not entirely sure why I'm going...


So I asked a friend if her husband would want to come as he's a big Dylan fan. She sort of ignored that so I figured maybe she wasn't comfortable with the idea. Then I asked a friend if her friend who I knew from song club would think it was weird if I asked him to come? She said no so I sent him an email. And he said yes. He's a muso and he loves the Beatles so I figured Dylan wasn't too far out of his repetoire. He told me that he'd had tickets last year to a female singer performing Dylan but COVID had cancelled the concert.


Now I could have asked one of my friends but they really just would have been coming along to keep me company, and without the preshow drink, there's little fun in that.

Many years ago, we were going to see Neil Gaiman do a story reading with a string quartet at the Opera House. A friend got sick so we went to the box office line to try and sell her single ticket. The only person wanting one ticket was an American. He had no cash on him (showed us his wallet when he realised he couldn't pay us because he only had a card). Realising the ticket would go to waste, I said "It's your lucky day. You can have it for free." As we walked to the concert hall, he explained he was out here with his family but had wanted to see something in the Opera House, and was a huge Gaiman fan but everyone one else was tired from the zoo.


As we start walking down the front, he starts looking around in wonder. Then he asks if this is a joke. I say "No, we're in the front row". He exclaims "OMG. I don't believe this!" and offering to buy us drinks at interval (there was no interval). While we're waiting for it to start, I uncover that he's a regualr at Comicon and dresses up (the full bit, which his family ALSO is not interested in...so the picture was becoming clearer). I said to my friend "We could not have given it to a better person". This guy was so into it, and his enjoyment and excitement was infectious. Weirdly I can remember very little from that night EXCEPT giving the ticket away and the walking to our seats and how excited this guy was.

When the Thermomix craze was on, I loved hearing people rave about them, even though I didn't want one for myself (and hate cooking). I just loved how enthusastic, almost evangelical they'd get. There was something infectious in it. I felt the same at the EB games expos, it was how I could last 12 hours when I have no interest in gaming myself...There is something really special about unbridled enthusiasm and it's really rare the older we get. I said recently to someone that I think I migh be an energy vampire (but in a non toxic way) and I think this is part of it. I want some of that enthusiasm, even if I'm just 'visiting' from another place.

And thus, I would rather give tickets to someone I don't know but who will really love it, than someone I do know who is just turning up for the ride....

Hilariously when I told my husband who I'd given the ticket to, after the initial "Who?" because he had no recollection of someone with that name, he then said "Oh, he'll really love it. He's a muso, isn't he?". My husband and I are clearly on the same page on this.

So that's what's on my calendar next week...and what say you? Who would you give a ticket away to? A friend or someone who will appreciate the experience?







21 comments:

  1. You lead such an interesting life, Lydia. I would probably give my ticket to a friend but if no one wanted it, yes I would be happy to give to a stranger. I can't believe it is State of Origin time again. Thanks for sharing WBOYC with us. I always enjoy reading your posts x

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  2. Love your images of the Sydney Harbour bridge. Looks amazing all lit up.

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  3. Hi, Lydia - Thank you for joining us for #WBOYC. My first impulse would be to give a spare ticket to a friend. But I like what you did better!

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  4. How fun Lydia, good on you for sharing the music!

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  5. This’ll date me but I remember that song when it was first released. A soft smooth ballad. This version is ‘different’ - to me it would be better without that awful plunk plunk guitar in the background. She has an interesting’ voice but I’m not sure I could last a whole 2hr concert listening to her though.
    Take care
    Cathy. #WBOYC

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  6. Great story and photos. Thanks for sharing. (Need to look up what a muso is)

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    1. Really? That's not universal? I didn't know. In Australia, we take the stem of a word (most words) and whack an O on the end. So Musican becomes Muso. We are so weird and I forget sometimes. Ha!

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  7. Sounds like you had a great night and yo¨r ticket partner turned out to be good company

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  8. I love that story, Lydia. I definitely think it's best to give a ticket to someone who will really enjoy the experience.

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  9. Oh very definitely someone who'd love the experience. It'd mean so much more to them than anyone else. It's the same with 'stuff'. Far better to give it to someone who understands its value - even if its value is minimal to others.

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  10. Getting closer to wanting to catch up with you...drove into the city today!! D x

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    1. Give me a few weeks to get back to normal and then I can meet you haldway somewhere. I did a 2 km walk and had to sit down and then dwadle back to car. I normally do 11 kms at a fast pace. Even the 2 kms wasn't as fast as I normally do. Been lying down for the last hour to recover. Covid: NO stars. Would not recommend.

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    2. Fair enough. Will do. Thank you for sharing a post from your blog on this week’s Wednesday’s Words and Pics Link Up. I hope to see you next week too. Take care, Denyse.

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  11. I quite like Cat Power - and was like you with the thermomix until I bought one second hand (thanks to The Annoyed Thyroid...)

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  12. Hi Lydia - I enjoyed the youtubed song and I laughed at your thermomix reference - I know people who'd save their's in a house fire before they'd save their pets! Wonderful that you could give that guy such a great experience and memory - and I got to live another vicarious outing with you - the closest I get to them these days!

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  13. I love that story of you giving a front row ticket to a complete stranger and I bet he remembers that night just as fondly as you do! I think that sort of enthusiasm is really infectious.

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  14. Lydia,

    The photos are a nice touch to your the story you shared. I'm not familiar with Cat Powers, so it was great to listen to your song choice. :) I loved that you gave the concert tickets to a very enthusiast fan. I think you probably made his year gifting him with the front row ticket. This reminds me of in the mid 80s, a co-worker who gave me his ticket to see the Monkees reunion tour after he found himself unavailable to attend because I really wanted to go but missed the chance to get tickets. DH was out of town working, so I went with my co-worker buds and had the best time. :) Thanks for joining the 4M party, my dear. Have a boogietastic week!

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  15. Enjoyed your photos. I've never been to Australia (I live in the Northeast United States) and I've never heard of a Thermomix. I had to look it up. We have something called a Vitamix but not sure it's the same thing - the gadget many of us love is something called an Instapot but it doesn't make smoothies! Anyway, this is the first I've heard of Cat Power (although I am familiar with the song). Tickets? I'd rather give to a friend or co worker or someone they know. I had to give away tickets once that were a birthday gift because my husband was ill - I ended up not going, either, after no one I knew wanted the other ticket. But your story makes me rethink that strategy. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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  16. Awww Lydia!!! That was so kind of you. I completely agree... going with someone who wants to be there is a whole lot more exciting than going with someone who's just going to be there for you. So glad you had fun, and that the recipient on your kind gesture did too :-) #dreamteam xx

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  17. Such a variety of experiences! My hubby and I have totally different tastes (except we both love purple). Thanks for linking up with #DreamTeam

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