October 10th 2008
I walked up to Will Call, where I was told I could pick up a press pass. The lovely woman there told me I needed to go to Gate 9 to pick it up later on. My friends and I did a quick walk around just to see where Gate 9 was, but for the life of us couldn’t find it. I kind of shrugged it off and we went to Library Square for drinks and unhealthy food. Steve and I shared some popcorn shrimp, and Em had some poutine. I also drank two double rum and cokes in about 40 minutes. Not a great idea.
We went back to GM place to try the elusive Gate 9, and luckily, there it was. It was tucked behind the venue and on the other side of the door was a slightly intimidating security guy behind a small desk. I told him why I was there, and of course, he sent me somewhere else. That’s when I turned around a corner to a desk occupied by a large security guy and a lethargic security woman. I stated my purpose one more time and was told to sit down and wait. And wait I did.
I waited for about 45 minutes. They sat me down at this table with a kind fellow waiting for a job interview. We made small talk and I watched the elevators to see if anyone interesting came out. Sure enough, moments after arriving, Brian Bell waltzed out of the elevator. Minutes after that, a stressed out guy came down and asked if either I or the job seeker had seen “the guitar player.” Job Seeker pointed him in the right direction and I just sat there, wondering what else would happen while I was there. That’s when Tom DeLonge walked in and did an interview while I listened. I grew up listening to Blink 182, so I was in internal awe. Amazing. All of this was happening and I hadn’t even gotten inside the venue yet.
At around 6:40 a woman came out and commented on how cold it was. She asked my name and consulted a list, which, of course, I wasn’t on. She quizzed me on who I knew, what publication I was from, who told me I would be getting a press pass. I dropped names and tried to explain the weirdness of the situation. She took back the pass she had already given me and told me she would “let me know.” and disappeared. I waited even longer and got antsy because Tokyo Police Club was about to take the stage and I wanted to get some pictures. Finally, she comes back, gives me a thumbs up and hands me a photo pass. I instinctively sigh with relief and slap it on my dress. She leads me through GM Place and I walk beside the stage and see hundreds of kids on the floor.
It’s moments before 7. The woman who led me there told me she hoped it would start on time. Minutes went by and I tried to figure out where Steve and Em were. Then everything went dark.
Tokyo Police Club
After three songs I was whisked away and told to come back 45 minutes later. I ran out to go find Steve and Em and sat down for about 20 minutes before it was time to go take some pictures of Angels and Airwaves. I went back to the security area and waited with the woman for a few moments. She asked me if the next band was “big.” I shrugged and told her about how Tom was in Blink 182 and how the band definitely gained some popularity that way. She thought it was funny that bands could pull themselves away from one genre and throw themselves into another. No other photographers showed up so she brought me back to the front of the stage. There were still a few minutes to go so I hung around and waited for the lights to go off. Finally, they did and I weaseled my way past the big, buff security guards to get the following shots.
I lost count of the songs and had a bit of a freak out. I was scared that someone was going to pull me off to the side and not let me come back for Weezer, but I suppose I kept count well enough. Their set was decent from where I was standing.. but.. I had a pretty good spot.
Then.. Then, my friends. The moment I had been waiting for all freaking night. The moment I busted my ass for years ago was about to happen. I walked through the door to the security area and saw 4 people waiting with giant lenses and even bigger egos. The woman went through a list and asked them where they were from.
“The Sun..”
“The Province..”
“In House..”
“Straight.”
And me? Dude. I am no one. I realized I had no purpose there other than to fulfill a childhood dream. I felt so small for just one second. Then I got past it and realized these people aren’t fans. They’re being paid to be there. Why should I care about them?
As the woman brought us out and the 4 of them fought for a spot and I took their leftovers. My vantage point wasn’t bad, but I was pretty sure they’d kick me out of there eventually. Thankfully, they pretty much left me alone and never said a word to me. I stood in front of the stage and tried to get a look at the setlist, but alas, I am too short. The floor had filled up quite a bit more and there were a lot of kids up front smiling at me. One even asked if I had some spare batteries for his camera.. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Sorry kid!
So there I was. Not even feet from the stage, poised and ready to take some pictures with a camera I bought from Best Buy and have every intention of returning tomorrow. Puny little lens and all, I was ready. Then they came out.
It was weird.
All in all, a pretty awesome show.
P.S – As I was leaving with the other photographers, the one from the Sun asked the rest of us “Which one was the lead singer?”
