The Beastie Boys in Asheville:
About three weeks ago a strange rumor started around Asheville. That in a week the Beastie Boys would be playing a warm-up show at the Orange Peel on their way to Bonnaroo. It was hard to believe at first. Why on earth would they play a 900 seat club in Asheville? Stranger things have happened, and the rumors began to get persuasive. The I got an email from the fan club that it was indeed true, they would be playing the OP in a week. Incredible! I had a perma-grin for next several hours. My co-worked and I conspired with each other to get into the show any way we could.
The tickets were to go on sale Thursday at 4pm. Only about 90 would be sold at the door, the rest would be sold online. My co-worker got the day off to try to get tickets. I had to work, but I OK'ed it with my boss to clock out and try to get tickets. So the hour came. there I sat in front of the screen prepared for the mad rush to get tickets. At about a minute till sale time, the ticket-site got overwhelmed. I couldn't even get the site to come up, let alone my shopping cart. I managed to make it through a few times only to get a message that the show was sold out, in seconds. I kept trying for several minutes, and the finally threw in the towel, exasperated that I was going to miss one of the biggest things to happen in Asheville. I called my co-worker to see if he got tickets. No such luck. Then a miracle happened, my girlfriend, whom I also employed to attempt to get tickets, called my and said that she actually got them! It was almost a half of an hour after the website said they were sold out. I was dumbstruck, with a smile from ear to ear. I had to try keep it a secret from my co-worker, because we made a pact to go with each other if one of us got tickets. You were only allowed to buy two.
I was ecstatic all weekend. I was seeing the Beastie Boys in a small club, in my hometown! It was hard to believe. I was bummed for my co-worked though who had never seen them (I' had seen them five times at that point) and was so disappointed he wasn't going. It was stressful.
The day before the show one of my co-workers friends comes into the coffee shop and congratulates him on getting tickets. He tries to stop her from saying anything out of fear that I'd be upset that he was going and I wasn't. I asked him if he had gotten tickets, and he sheepishly said that his friend got them the day of the sale. I let out a joyous sigh of relief and gushed about how I had a ticket the whole time. Disaster averted, and a big weight lifted from me.
As soon as I finished work on the day of the show, I rushed straight to the OP, expecting a huge line waiting to get in. To my amazement, no one was in line yet, so staked my claim like some mighty explorer, at the front of the line. A little later others started showing up. There was a deluge outside so we were all glad that we were under cover. Well our luck didn't last. About an hour before doors opened the staff at the OP made us get into another line outside the cover. It was pouring and we had to stand in it or loose our place. They provided us with some ugly orange do-it-yourself ponchos, but never offered an appology for forcing us into the rain. I suffered through it, reminding myself it was a small price to pay to be five feet away from my perennial favorite band.
After passing all the security checkpoints, we rushed in and set up camp front and center of the stage. The excitement in the air was palatable. This was going to be big. Biz Markie opened the show with a DJ set. Lots of classic hip-hop that I knew every word to. Then about an hour later the Beastie Boys came on. It was surreal. I've seen them may times, but this was the closest I've ever been. The funny thing is that for once they looked normal, human, not some small speck at the end of an enormous amphitheater, but actual people playing music, just like the countless other bands I've seen at the OP. It was not however just any other band, it was the friggin' Beastie Boys. It was with out a doubt my favorite concert of theirs. I don't think I could ever see a better concert by them, so I probably won't try. This was the precipice.
Here are some pictures. (They were taken from a crappy disposable camera, so the quality isn't so hot.)
My girlfriend waiting in the rain with the do-it-yourself orange poncho
Others braving the rain with us
My coworker
Front and Center
Biz Markie
The set up
Adrock, Mix Master Mike, MCA
MCA and Mike D
MCA
Adrock
The setlist (not my photo)
About three weeks ago a strange rumor started around Asheville. That in a week the Beastie Boys would be playing a warm-up show at the Orange Peel on their way to Bonnaroo. It was hard to believe at first. Why on earth would they play a 900 seat club in Asheville? Stranger things have happened, and the rumors began to get persuasive. The I got an email from the fan club that it was indeed true, they would be playing the OP in a week. Incredible! I had a perma-grin for next several hours. My co-worked and I conspired with each other to get into the show any way we could.
The tickets were to go on sale Thursday at 4pm. Only about 90 would be sold at the door, the rest would be sold online. My co-worker got the day off to try to get tickets. I had to work, but I OK'ed it with my boss to clock out and try to get tickets. So the hour came. there I sat in front of the screen prepared for the mad rush to get tickets. At about a minute till sale time, the ticket-site got overwhelmed. I couldn't even get the site to come up, let alone my shopping cart. I managed to make it through a few times only to get a message that the show was sold out, in seconds. I kept trying for several minutes, and the finally threw in the towel, exasperated that I was going to miss one of the biggest things to happen in Asheville. I called my co-worker to see if he got tickets. No such luck. Then a miracle happened, my girlfriend, whom I also employed to attempt to get tickets, called my and said that she actually got them! It was almost a half of an hour after the website said they were sold out. I was dumbstruck, with a smile from ear to ear. I had to try keep it a secret from my co-worker, because we made a pact to go with each other if one of us got tickets. You were only allowed to buy two.
I was ecstatic all weekend. I was seeing the Beastie Boys in a small club, in my hometown! It was hard to believe. I was bummed for my co-worked though who had never seen them (I' had seen them five times at that point) and was so disappointed he wasn't going. It was stressful.
The day before the show one of my co-workers friends comes into the coffee shop and congratulates him on getting tickets. He tries to stop her from saying anything out of fear that I'd be upset that he was going and I wasn't. I asked him if he had gotten tickets, and he sheepishly said that his friend got them the day of the sale. I let out a joyous sigh of relief and gushed about how I had a ticket the whole time. Disaster averted, and a big weight lifted from me.
As soon as I finished work on the day of the show, I rushed straight to the OP, expecting a huge line waiting to get in. To my amazement, no one was in line yet, so staked my claim like some mighty explorer, at the front of the line. A little later others started showing up. There was a deluge outside so we were all glad that we were under cover. Well our luck didn't last. About an hour before doors opened the staff at the OP made us get into another line outside the cover. It was pouring and we had to stand in it or loose our place. They provided us with some ugly orange do-it-yourself ponchos, but never offered an appology for forcing us into the rain. I suffered through it, reminding myself it was a small price to pay to be five feet away from my perennial favorite band.
After passing all the security checkpoints, we rushed in and set up camp front and center of the stage. The excitement in the air was palatable. This was going to be big. Biz Markie opened the show with a DJ set. Lots of classic hip-hop that I knew every word to. Then about an hour later the Beastie Boys came on. It was surreal. I've seen them may times, but this was the closest I've ever been. The funny thing is that for once they looked normal, human, not some small speck at the end of an enormous amphitheater, but actual people playing music, just like the countless other bands I've seen at the OP. It was not however just any other band, it was the friggin' Beastie Boys. It was with out a doubt my favorite concert of theirs. I don't think I could ever see a better concert by them, so I probably won't try. This was the precipice.
Here are some pictures. (They were taken from a crappy disposable camera, so the quality isn't so hot.)
My girlfriend waiting in the rain with the do-it-yourself orange poncho
Others braving the rain with us
My coworker
Front and Center
Biz Markie
The set up
Adrock, Mix Master Mike, MCA
MCA and Mike D
MCA
Adrock
The setlist (not my photo)