Chasing Tickets

This thursday I heard that Jason Mraz was going to do an acoustic set in the small room in Paradiso. And the small room in Paradiso is like a small club that you might hang out at during weekends listening to some nice unknown live music while you're drinking your beer. But it's also a place that many soon-to-be famous artists have played before they started selling out bigger venues in Amsterdam. The place to be for discovering new artists and to see artists that you know are going to be become big. Like John Legend, Gavin DeGraw, Maroon5, Juliette & The Licks and so on... So since Jason is already well known in the USA and the UK it's pretty special and I guess it would be hard to get tickets. I even have friends, or are they, who didn't inform me on him coming to the Paradiso to play, cause they probably figured the less people that know about it, the easier they could get their tickets.... Not proper friend behavior, but will remember that for a next time and treat them the same way.... I'm usually not an eye-for-an-eye kind of person, but hey.... a girl's got to do, what a girl's got to do.. ;)

So me and my friend made sure that all people we know that we're gonna get tickets, would get us two tickets as well and promised them to do the same..
On saturday, bright and early, we were sitting behind the computer right before the tickets would go on sale and discovered that ticketmaster wasn't selling any... so we grabbed our phones and tried to get through which turned out to be pointless since the line was busy the whole time... Which makes me wonder: if the line's always busy how do other people get through... :S
But then I got the magic text message: one girl who actually went to the ticketoffice managed to get tickets and she did get us the two extra! How happy were we. Finally Jason was coming to Amsterdam and play an actual gig and we have tickets! Yay again.

Later I found out that the two friends I mentioned earlier didn't have any tickets since they only relied on their pc's and phones. I am usually not a very mean person, but this time a big evil grin appeared on my face... That's what you get for not being honest... LOL

But what a hassle to get tickets... I guess The Netherlands is a crazy kind of place.. ;)

Secret gig

Usually I'm very good at knowing the 411 when it comes to announcements of new gigs or secret gigs. But this time my good friend B was the one that told me that a secret Avril Lavigne gig was announced on the radio. That's ofcourse why I didn't know, since I hardly ever listen to the radio. ;)
But because Rodney Howard, Gavin DeGraw's old drummer, started drumming for Avril on her new tour, we really wanted to be there... Not to see Avril, 'cause I couldn't care less, but it was such a long time since we saw Rodney last, that we couldn't miss out on Rodney playing somewhere in Amsterdam.
So I contacted Rodney and he was happy to try to get us in. He said he would love to see us again too... So that was cool. He also asked who was coming and I decided to also ask J & M to come along, since it didn't matter with how many we came.

We didn't actually know that it was going to work when I got the final message telling me we were on the guestlist, but also that they had to leave straight after.... Which was a shame, but Rodney promised to come and say hi to us before they left...

When we arrived at the venue there were many teeny-boppers waiting outside... Well teeny-boppers.... They were actually not very fashionable at all and to say that Avril is still in fashion is also every questionable..... But I guess the Dutch word wipkipjes wouldn't mean a thing to you... LOL
But anyways...

We went up to the door when most of the kiddies where already inside and found out there was this other entrance for invitees. Ofcourse there would be one. How much experience with guestlists I need before I remember? LOL
So we walked up and I told my name... The girls looked through the list but couldn't find it. I told them that I should be on the band's guestlist and then they looked at this tiny messy looking paper with handwritten names on it and yes, there were our names. That paper looked so cute, that I actually wanted to have it, but there was still one name on it of a person who hadn't come in yet... I'm crazy I know... but it's these tiny things that make things special.

So we put on our red wristbands and went inside. We found a place close to the bar and right behind the soundtech. We, well I, really didn't want stand in between all the baby fans... ;)
When I went to the bar and ordered a drink, I was trying to find my money when the bartender said that I wouldn't be needing that... All drinks are free when wearing the red wristband.. Thank you mr. Howard... Will be saving that wristband for other occasions..

The show went really quick, they only played 6 songs, and it was strange seeing Rodney drumming on stage without Gavin, Brian (guitarist) and Wijnand (bass player). But it was good to see him again...
After we were being directed out of the building, whilst I had already told Rodney that we were standing at the bar... LOL
So when he walked outside he looked all confused and said: there you are! So I told him we got kicked out and he thought we got kicked out during the gig or even before. We explained to him that that was not what happened and we all hugged.. We had a small talk and were sometimes interupted by teeny-boppers wanting to have their picture taken with the man himself.. LOL
And ofcourse we helped out with taking the photos and stuff.
Rodney showed us his new hairdo and the bit that Avril did and we had a laugh about it...
That was when he really needed to leave... aawww... We all hugged again and he promised us that next time he would have some more time to hangout.. Go Rodney!

So all in all, an hour later we were on our way back from the venue... Another small gig.. LOL

And I'm so happy that J &M thanked me for asking Rodney to get us in.... NOT.. :S
So no more deals for them then.... You're either grateful and will get more, or you're not and you'll get excluded..

It's my birthday and I party if I want to.. ;)

Another year older, another year wiser... Or in my case another year crazier...

Yesterday I went to see Ghosts with one of my best friends and we had a great time. Funny thing though... they only played for 45 minutes, so we were back outside at a time a concert usually starts at... That was a weird experience. But hey, this meant we could go for a drink in our favorite hangout. We had a great time chatting and all, but she had to leave early cause of work the next day and the time it takes her to get back home. So that left me sitting in the bar all alone.
I had planned on sitting there untill midnight and celebrate my B-day with friends. But guess what? They had a hangover and couldn't make it... So much for being friends..

I was thinking about going home and let midnight pass, but somehow got stuck there and celebrated the start of my B-day with the bartenders and two complete strangers who were really nice. Can't remember their names though.. LOL

Then I went to another bar for my last drink and some more birthday wishes since I wasn't really feeling it yet. Had a great time there, but left in time since I also had to work the next day.

After work I had dinnerplans at my best friends house and that was fun. I had won tickets for this gig of Joan As Policewoman at the Paradiso, but wasn't sure I actually wanted to go. Somehow my guts told me it wouldn't be my thing.. Which it turned out it wasn't, but the woman can sing though... Great voice! Just not my kind of music...
I wish I would have bought tickets to Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, since they were playing on my B-day as well and I have wanted to see them for such a long time... Just didn't know where I was gonna be on my B-day. Stupid me... ;)

But we had a great time anyways. She and I always do no matter where we are or what we are doing. We did actually leave before the encore. We couldn't take it anymore... I was falling asleep standing... LOL
So we went for a drink after to make sure the evening would still turn out great!
And we had loads of fun having the drink.

We met a few guys from the crew of Meatloaf who was doing a gig in the HMH the next day. Which we got invited to but I couldn't be there and my friend didn't want to go... LOL
The one guy was so drunk that he was so annoying that it was funny again... Man, he was loud and drunk! LOL
Had a nice chat with the pyrotechnician who really needs professional shots of his work. So hopefully he'll be back soon and I can get this job.. ;)
Had a great timing hanging out with him. He was just the sweetest...
So this B-day wasn't as brilliant as last years or the one before that, but it still turned out pretty great.. I wonder what next year has got in store for me... ;)