SLIDER

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Thank you, McMenamins, from an overreactive wife and longtime Lupe fan

Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, or maybe it's an emotional response to the recent uptick in the negativity and even hate I've observed online in the last two weeks, but the nice folks at the Crystal Ballroom last night made me feel a little more hopeful about humanity. It's not that they even did anything particularly special, but they were open and kind and that was enough. In this post-Trump era, I feel it is more important than ever to both notice and acknowledge the positive, and to say thanks when there is an opportunity. I sent this email to the general "box office" email address at McMenamins, so here's hoping whomever receives it might experience even a brief moment of pride or warmth or hope or something.  
To whom it may concern at the Crystal Ballroom:
 
I wanted to write and express my gratitude to some of the McMenamins Crystal Ballroom staff working on Friday 11/18, at the Lupe Fiasco show. 
 
This was a concert I was very much looking forward to attending, as I go to shows so rarely these days (being in my mid-30s with a professional life and a toddler and a house and a bedtime and all). Back in my (hay) day I enjoyed regular hip-hop shows - Atmosphere, J5, Lupe, Talib, Blackaliscious and many more. Last night, my husband and I mostly enjoyed the several opening acts, but it was getting past my usual bedtime (read: I'm an old lady) and I was eager to see Lupe himself. When he finally came on stage, I was super psyched to hear that he would play the nearly-decade old albums I used to listen to while skiing Telluride Mountain and Alpine Meadows. After the first song I looked at my husband, smiling ear to ear, and told him how much fun I was having. "I'm so glad we came!" I told him like a giddy schoolgirl. That it felt good to get out of the house and out of our regular routine (Netflix and chillin', but not the sexy kind) for a date night, our best friends babysitting our daughter. One of the side effects of adulthood that I'm not proud to admit is the paucity of having actual "fun," at least not like in the old days. Before Lupe even finished his fourth song, my husband surprised (terrified) me by passing out, crumpling at his knees and falling backward into the arms of a handful of nice fellow concert-goers. They could have been immature and dick-ish about it, like "duuuuude, what the fuck?" Or "cmon, asshole, pull your shit together!" But alas, they were not. They caught him (thank god, because I'd never live it down if he hit his head, as I'm supposed to be somewhat of an expert in traumatic brain injuries) and appeared to care about not only his wellbeing, but mine too, while I freaked out like the sober middle-aged lady that I am. "Babe. Babe! Oh shit, what happened? Are you okay? Answer me! I'm scared." My husband kind of came to, and we then made our way to the back of the concert hall to sit down. Some nice employee handed him a bottle of water along the way, but he still had a dazed and confused look in his eye. His skin was ashen and his pupils dilated almost to the size of his irises, and he was beading sweating in a patchy weird way. I continued to freak out, albeit it silently now, and wondered if I should take him straight home, or if maybe he actually needed medical care. When he fainted yet again - this time seated - while his eyes rolled back in his head and his eyelids fluttered, and I freaked out yet again, I frantically asked one of the security guard/bouncer dudes for some help walking him out (I was afraid he'd fall again) of the actual ballroom so he could sit for another minute away from the flashing lights and pulsing base. The security guy called for assistance on his walkie-talkie, and a nice brunette white guy in a red shirt sat down next to my husband, asked him how he was feeling, and then escorted us to the hallway one floor down. He again sat down with Alex, and made sure we were both okay before returning to the ballroom. I walked my husband to the car while I heard one of my favorite song's from The Cool playing from above. We made it home safe and sound, and while his sudden hypotension can't be easily explained, he's more or less feeling fine today.
 
I don't know about you all, but in the wake of Trump's election I have been feeling pretty cynical about human behavior and the general state of our social world. Which might explain why I am feeling particularly grateful for the brief but sincere kindness we experienced at the show last night, not only from some of the nice (and strong, with quick reflexes) concert-goers, but the McMenamins staff, too, who didn't make Alex or me feel like the amateur assholes we appeared to be (no, he wasn't over-served, and no, he wasn't wasted).
 
Long story short, thank you for being there and available to assist us as needed. And please pass along my gratitude to whomever the actual staff might have been (I think one guy was a brunette white dude in a red shirt, another was the bouncer guy at the base of the stairs up to the seated area, and another was the guy giving those glow-in-the-dark hand stamps to get in to the Over 21 section). I've always enjoyed shows at the Crystal Ballroom (dating all the way back to when my West Linn High School graduation party was there in 2000), but now the venue is also endeared to me thanks to the helpful staff. It's proof that just being nice and offering assistance can sometimes be enough to make another person feel better.
 
Kindly,
Jo

No comments:

Post a Comment

Hover to Pin

 
Designed with ♥ by Nudge Media Design