That’s right. It’s time for my quarterly pilgrimage to see my favorite band of all time. Sadly, it appears Kevin and I can’t be at the same performance without some kind of horrific fan overload occurring. The chain reaction might cause brownouts in four states. Shannon, on the other hand, is a soothing influence upon the bouncy masses. This was her fourth TMBG concert in six months.  She can be present with me or Kevin, but not even her influence can counter us both.

My crowd-fu remains strong.  Before, I’ve been 3 - 5 people back, but this time I elbowed my way all the way up to the stage. Often, Flansburg or Dan-the-incredible-guitarist were only three feet away. I could’ve reached out and touched one of them, but since I don’t like being thrown out of bars in strange cities, I narrowly restrained myself. That didn’t stop me from nearly tackling Shannon to the ground in order to snag one of the foam stadium fingers tossed to the audience. Chaz got one too. Then, in a moment of sympathy for the teeming masses standing packed like cattle behind us, we politely put them on the stage instead of waving them in the air. This had absolutely nothing to do with our desire to dance.

For once, I really wish I’d brought a camera. They were three feet away! No obstructions, great lighting, and THREE FEET AWAY.  There were several times when I tried mentally writing an image directly into my brain because darnit, that would’ve been a great photo.  I know if I bring a camera to a concert, I’ll probably spend the entire time staring at a tiny 2 inch screen instead of the live people singing for my entertainment, but just this once, I wish I’d made an exception. It was a great show.

Mind you, I’ve never been to a bad TMBG concert. I have over 340 of their songs on  my iPod. That doesn’t include all of their children’s albums or bonus material. Every single concert is a different experience. I’ve never heard them repeat a set list. You really can’t say that for most bands. While I loved being there, I can guarantee the Police concert I saw last summer was the exact same concert I would’ve seen anywhere from Atlanta to Sydney.

I’m not greedy. Thrice in half a year is enough. They can go back to Brooklyn now and work on a new album. I’ll be ready for the next tour.