Abandoned At A Green Day Concert, chapter 3
..."I've brought a surprise for you," he said as he held the door open for me. Suddenly, I heard someone scream "SURPRISE!" And was tackled. We tumbled to the ground, and when I looked up, I saw who was on top of me - Tre. Billie was laughing his head off as he lit a cigarette.
"Well," Billie said, "looks like your surprise found you!"
"I'd say so!" I said, as Tre helped me off the ground. "Umm, I guess you know that this is Tre," Billie said to me, "And Tre, this is... Um..." "Lanna," I finished. "Nice to meetcha!" Tre said as he messed up my hair.
Billie pulled the ticket out of his back pocket, along with a note. Billie explained that he wanted me to hang out with them after the show, but a backstage pass would only let me meet them for a few minutes. The note was to tell the security guards that I was the one Billie had chosen to hang out with them, like he did every so often. I couldn't BELIEVE he had chosen me!
"Where's Mike?" I asked, after thanking Billie many times. Billie explained that they had tried to wake Mike up several times before they got ready and left, but he refused to wake up, because he had been up too late the night before playing video games.
I asked Billie when I was supposed to be getting off work, and Billie's reply was simply, "Fuck, it's your job. You decide!"
"I wish it were that simple..." I said as I saw my boss glaring out the window at us. Geez, doesn't that lady EVER smile? I told Billie and Tre that I would see them at the concert, but I had to go before my boss had a conniption. "A what?" Tre asked. "A tantrum," Billie answered. "Oh, I had one of those last night!" Tre said happily. They each gave me a hug, and I slowly walked back inside. My boss scowled at me once more and grumbled, "You can get off at 1:30." That would barely give me enough time to get ready and get to Nicole's before we had to leave, I thought. Oh well, it was better than nothing.
One o'clock slowly rolled around, and we had hardly had any customers all day. I saw my boss approach me from across the store, and I wondered what she wanted. She leaned up against the counter when she got up to my register, and said quietly, "I know that going to this concert means a lot to you, especially since you were personally invited and what not. I suppose that, since we haven't had many customers today... You can get off a little earlier than 1:30. Leave your clocking out to me, just go and have fun."
Wow! It was like the Grinch just grew a heart, I thought to myself. I looked at her like she was crazy, and she said (with a smile)! "Go on, I know you need some time to make yourself all pretty for tonight!" Bewildered, I walked out the door and drove home to "make myself all pretty."
**A couple of hours later**
"Get in the car, Walter! Come on, we have to go or we'll be late!" Nicole was hurrying us out her front door. We jumped in the car and were off. About an hour later, we pulled into a parking space at the arena. Nicole wanted to see the opening bands, and that was why we had to leave so early. The openers lasted a good couple of hours, enough to get the crowd riled and ready for the band they actually wanted to see. There was about a half-hour wait between the last opening band and Green Day's performance. You could tell the crowd could hardly wait. The big pink bunny came out and entertained everyone for about 20 minutes before the concert started.
Finally, Also Sprach Zarthrustra started playing, and everyone cheered as Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre walked onstage. The concert was awesome, even though Nicole and Walter were half an arena away from me. They were in about as good of a spot, however, if not better in some ways. They were on the side of the stage where Jason was, and I was almost right in front of Mike (but back several rows).
**After the concert**
Nicole, Walter, and I all walked backstage together about 15 minutes after the show. Security guards were waiting to take everyone with passes on the backstage tour. I showed one of them my note, and they told me to go ahead with everyone else and they would take me to the tour bus after the others had left. First, we met the guys, talked to them a little, and were able to get autographs from them. I talked mainly to Mike, since I hadn't met him yet. We talked a lot about playing bass, since both of us did.
For the rest of the tour, I walked with Nicole and Walter, and afterwards, I asked them to wait for me until I got done hanging out with the guys." What are we supposed to do until then?" Nicole asked me. "Well..." I said, turning to the security guard who was waiting to take me back to the tour bus, "Do you think they would mind if my friends came with me? They're my only ride."
"No, they can't come with you," the guard said. "They don't have a note from Mr. Armstrong, so they will have to wait." I couldn't believe it, but yet I could. I could understand that they would have to do that, but I was so used to me and Nicole being exceptions to the rule, (because everyone knew we couldn't be parted) that I was disappointed that it wasn't true this time, too.
I turned to Nicole, who was also astonished that she was no longer an exception to the rule because of our friendship. With a sigh she said, "Fine... I guess we'll wait for you. Please try to hurry, I'm getting tired." I considered offering to drive home, but Nicole didn't even let me drive her new car, so it would be pointless. I thought for a few seconds, and then made the decision that would change the rest of my life...
"Well," Billie said, "looks like your surprise found you!"
"I'd say so!" I said, as Tre helped me off the ground. "Umm, I guess you know that this is Tre," Billie said to me, "And Tre, this is... Um..." "Lanna," I finished. "Nice to meetcha!" Tre said as he messed up my hair.
Billie pulled the ticket out of his back pocket, along with a note. Billie explained that he wanted me to hang out with them after the show, but a backstage pass would only let me meet them for a few minutes. The note was to tell the security guards that I was the one Billie had chosen to hang out with them, like he did every so often. I couldn't BELIEVE he had chosen me!
"Where's Mike?" I asked, after thanking Billie many times. Billie explained that they had tried to wake Mike up several times before they got ready and left, but he refused to wake up, because he had been up too late the night before playing video games.
I asked Billie when I was supposed to be getting off work, and Billie's reply was simply, "Fuck, it's your job. You decide!"
"I wish it were that simple..." I said as I saw my boss glaring out the window at us. Geez, doesn't that lady EVER smile? I told Billie and Tre that I would see them at the concert, but I had to go before my boss had a conniption. "A what?" Tre asked. "A tantrum," Billie answered. "Oh, I had one of those last night!" Tre said happily. They each gave me a hug, and I slowly walked back inside. My boss scowled at me once more and grumbled, "You can get off at 1:30." That would barely give me enough time to get ready and get to Nicole's before we had to leave, I thought. Oh well, it was better than nothing.
One o'clock slowly rolled around, and we had hardly had any customers all day. I saw my boss approach me from across the store, and I wondered what she wanted. She leaned up against the counter when she got up to my register, and said quietly, "I know that going to this concert means a lot to you, especially since you were personally invited and what not. I suppose that, since we haven't had many customers today... You can get off a little earlier than 1:30. Leave your clocking out to me, just go and have fun."
Wow! It was like the Grinch just grew a heart, I thought to myself. I looked at her like she was crazy, and she said (with a smile)! "Go on, I know you need some time to make yourself all pretty for tonight!" Bewildered, I walked out the door and drove home to "make myself all pretty."
**A couple of hours later**
"Get in the car, Walter! Come on, we have to go or we'll be late!" Nicole was hurrying us out her front door. We jumped in the car and were off. About an hour later, we pulled into a parking space at the arena. Nicole wanted to see the opening bands, and that was why we had to leave so early. The openers lasted a good couple of hours, enough to get the crowd riled and ready for the band they actually wanted to see. There was about a half-hour wait between the last opening band and Green Day's performance. You could tell the crowd could hardly wait. The big pink bunny came out and entertained everyone for about 20 minutes before the concert started.
Finally, Also Sprach Zarthrustra started playing, and everyone cheered as Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre walked onstage. The concert was awesome, even though Nicole and Walter were half an arena away from me. They were in about as good of a spot, however, if not better in some ways. They were on the side of the stage where Jason was, and I was almost right in front of Mike (but back several rows).
**After the concert**
Nicole, Walter, and I all walked backstage together about 15 minutes after the show. Security guards were waiting to take everyone with passes on the backstage tour. I showed one of them my note, and they told me to go ahead with everyone else and they would take me to the tour bus after the others had left. First, we met the guys, talked to them a little, and were able to get autographs from them. I talked mainly to Mike, since I hadn't met him yet. We talked a lot about playing bass, since both of us did.
For the rest of the tour, I walked with Nicole and Walter, and afterwards, I asked them to wait for me until I got done hanging out with the guys." What are we supposed to do until then?" Nicole asked me. "Well..." I said, turning to the security guard who was waiting to take me back to the tour bus, "Do you think they would mind if my friends came with me? They're my only ride."
"No, they can't come with you," the guard said. "They don't have a note from Mr. Armstrong, so they will have to wait." I couldn't believe it, but yet I could. I could understand that they would have to do that, but I was so used to me and Nicole being exceptions to the rule, (because everyone knew we couldn't be parted) that I was disappointed that it wasn't true this time, too.
I turned to Nicole, who was also astonished that she was no longer an exception to the rule because of our friendship. With a sigh she said, "Fine... I guess we'll wait for you. Please try to hurry, I'm getting tired." I considered offering to drive home, but Nicole didn't even let me drive her new car, so it would be pointless. I thought for a few seconds, and then made the decision that would change the rest of my life...
