Wacky!
I had a very wacky night last night. The plan was to camp out in front of the Coronet Theater on La Cienega until 10pm, when a wait-list would be started for tickets to the sold-out Eddie Izzard show. I got there at 6.45pm and was the first person there. I knew that I'd be sitting around for a while, so I came prepared with a book. I sat down on a bench and started half-reading, half-leering at people buzzing around the ticket booth. Around 7pm, a mother and daughter showed up and inquired about the waiting list. They were told that the show was at 11, the list would start at 10, and that girl in the red pants was first in line (that would be me). They decided to stick around and sat down next to me on the bench. We all introduced ourselves and the daughter offered to pay me to hold their places in line while they grabbed some dinner. We started chatting and suddenly it was an hour later.
Tiago was on his way from Long Beach and was planning on getting to the theater around 7.30, but traffic was heavy and parking was very difficult. He ended up parking near my grandmother's place and went to Basix to pick up their grilled chicken sandwiches on foccacia with grilled red peppers, onions, zucchini, and eggplant and melty cheese with sun-dried tomato spread and olive tapenade.....but I digress.
By the time Tiago made it to Basix, the mother and daughter and I had become pretty chummy, and I called Tiago to ask him to bring some food for my new friends. Two more people showed up and joined the line - a screenwriter and a guy who works at a video-game company. This was Video-Game Guy's fourth attempt at getting tickets to the Eddie Izzard show this week.
Tiago showed up with food and met the gang. It was around 9pm and we were in the home stretch. We talked about everything: fate, career paths, the cultural history of New Orleans, skunks, and magnolia trees. It was getting cold.
The hour went by and the waiting list was started. Mine was the first name on the list (IN YOUR FACE, SUCKERS!!!!), followed by the mother and daughter, followed by the screenwriter, followed by the video-game guy, followed by the faceless remaining mass of hopeful Eddie Izzard fans. Once our names were on the list, we were free to leave our post for 45 minutes, which was just enough time to grab a drink at the pub next door. Tiago got a Guinness and I got a Bailey's on the rocks, and we discovered that they taste very good together. The thick, dark Guinness was just the thing to stand up to the creamy Bailey's......but I digress.
So there we were. 6 strangers. Hanging out at a pub as if we were old friends. We decided that even if we didn't make it in to the show, the evening was still worth it. We exchanged contact info and promised to keep in touch.
At 10.45 we headed back to the ticket booth. We learned that the show was to be taped for the next DVD (which would make it my second concert-DVD appearance). My name was called, and I bought 2 tickets for $25 each. Later I heard that they were going on Craigslist for $175. I counted my lucky stars.
Tiago and I joined the back of the line at the theater door. Soon the mother joined us, but her daughter and the screenwriter were still at the ticket booth, waiting to make sure that Video-Game Guy made it in. The doors opened, and soon we were filing in to the theater. The daughter and the screenwriter reluctantly left Video-Game Guy at the ticket booth and joined us in line. We all felt really guilty. The screenwriter debated giving up his ticket.
The theater was tiny. It only sat 99 people. We found some seats and watched the door anxiously. No sign of Video-Game Guy.
Finally, ten minutes later, Video-Game Guy entered the theater and we literally cheered. It was so crazy. I really felt like a part of a group for once, you know? I never feel like a part of anything. In fact, I usually do my best to separate from groupy things (except for the Bulgarian choir and the Korean folk ensemble - but hey, those traditions are both rooted in Communist philosophy so they'd have to be group activities).
Anyway. The show was fantastic. Eddie Izzard was brilliant. He was trying out some new experimental material, and even thought it wasn't perfect, it was really interesting to see in this phase, knowing that we'll see the finished product on DVD in a few months.
Ah. It was so rad.
Tiago was on his way from Long Beach and was planning on getting to the theater around 7.30, but traffic was heavy and parking was very difficult. He ended up parking near my grandmother's place and went to Basix to pick up their grilled chicken sandwiches on foccacia with grilled red peppers, onions, zucchini, and eggplant and melty cheese with sun-dried tomato spread and olive tapenade.....but I digress.
By the time Tiago made it to Basix, the mother and daughter and I had become pretty chummy, and I called Tiago to ask him to bring some food for my new friends. Two more people showed up and joined the line - a screenwriter and a guy who works at a video-game company. This was Video-Game Guy's fourth attempt at getting tickets to the Eddie Izzard show this week.
Tiago showed up with food and met the gang. It was around 9pm and we were in the home stretch. We talked about everything: fate, career paths, the cultural history of New Orleans, skunks, and magnolia trees. It was getting cold.
The hour went by and the waiting list was started. Mine was the first name on the list (IN YOUR FACE, SUCKERS!!!!), followed by the mother and daughter, followed by the screenwriter, followed by the video-game guy, followed by the faceless remaining mass of hopeful Eddie Izzard fans. Once our names were on the list, we were free to leave our post for 45 minutes, which was just enough time to grab a drink at the pub next door. Tiago got a Guinness and I got a Bailey's on the rocks, and we discovered that they taste very good together. The thick, dark Guinness was just the thing to stand up to the creamy Bailey's......but I digress.
So there we were. 6 strangers. Hanging out at a pub as if we were old friends. We decided that even if we didn't make it in to the show, the evening was still worth it. We exchanged contact info and promised to keep in touch.
At 10.45 we headed back to the ticket booth. We learned that the show was to be taped for the next DVD (which would make it my second concert-DVD appearance). My name was called, and I bought 2 tickets for $25 each. Later I heard that they were going on Craigslist for $175. I counted my lucky stars.
Tiago and I joined the back of the line at the theater door. Soon the mother joined us, but her daughter and the screenwriter were still at the ticket booth, waiting to make sure that Video-Game Guy made it in. The doors opened, and soon we were filing in to the theater. The daughter and the screenwriter reluctantly left Video-Game Guy at the ticket booth and joined us in line. We all felt really guilty. The screenwriter debated giving up his ticket.
The theater was tiny. It only sat 99 people. We found some seats and watched the door anxiously. No sign of Video-Game Guy.
Finally, ten minutes later, Video-Game Guy entered the theater and we literally cheered. It was so crazy. I really felt like a part of a group for once, you know? I never feel like a part of anything. In fact, I usually do my best to separate from groupy things (except for the Bulgarian choir and the Korean folk ensemble - but hey, those traditions are both rooted in Communist philosophy so they'd have to be group activities).
Anyway. The show was fantastic. Eddie Izzard was brilliant. He was trying out some new experimental material, and even thought it wasn't perfect, it was really interesting to see in this phase, knowing that we'll see the finished product on DVD in a few months.
Ah. It was so rad.
posted by Myasorubka at 10:27 AM
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