Concert on a Student Budget...The Finale

Thanks for coming back...

If you missed the first installment find it here- http://nonpoliticallymotivated.blogspot.com/2009/02/concert-on-student-budget.html

Hands sweating and hearts pounding the b'ys kept a solid pace walking toward the ski lodge where the concert was to take place. Halfway up the boardwalk leading to the main entrance we realized that we had no idea where we were supposed to enter the building. This was very important. We needed to get into this concert to avoid wasting another $15 on a cab back from this fruitless venture. And in order to do that we needed to deftly sweep into the chalet like we owned the place or, at least, like we worked there since or fake passes stated that we did.

Just as we were about to abort mission and head back to the parking lot to regroup and form a new plan: a cosmic gift. From across the boardwalk a voice shouting in the night, "No guys, staff come in over here!"

A fellow "co-worker" was waving us into a backdoor for staff only having spotted our highlighter yellow staff passes pelting our jackets in the wind as they dangled from our neck. Quickly we headed straight for the door and thanked the gentleman for saving us the wait in the long line up. We checked our coats at the staff coat check and headed up the stairs to see the last two songs of the opening act.

We were in!

Flabbergasted that this plan we hatched and implemented in just under four hours worked, and not wanting to risk being put to work, we tucked our counterfeit passes into our pockets and attempted to hide our excitement and blend with the crowd. The elation of eluding security was punctuated when our classmate who gave us the original staff pass, skeptical of our plan from the outset, smiled and shook her head in silent admiration from her post on the second floor as she saw us proceed past the gates.

Rarely does the trip to a concert wind up overshadowing the concert itself, but on this night such was the case. Don't get me wrong it WAS a great show. We drank, danced, sang out all the lyrics we could remember with wild abandon from the front of the stage garnering acknowledgement from Sam Roberts himself. We even got to meet and chat with the Trailer Park Boys who were there as emcees. But, like Christmas morning, the preparation was the best part.

The whole night was magic. After the show we worked our way onto a VIP bus headed back to Corner Brook thanks to a member of the party's resemblance to Sam Roberts in the eyes of a drunken organiser. The whole ride back he kept telling us what a great job we had done and welcomed us to Newfoundland over and over. He believed we were all members of the Sam Roberts band and, since we needed a ride back home and drank our cab money at the concert, we didn't tell him the difference.

The bus dropped us off at a bar in Corner Brook at an after-party we didn't know we were attending until Sam Roberts walked in the room. The b'ys couldn't resist taking the opportunity to meet the man and spill the beans about our evening. We got just this opportunity on the back steps of the former 709 bar in Corner Brook among the local beer and cigarette smoke.

One would assume that an artist would take exception to a group of university-aged delinquents forging their way into his show and impersonating he and his band purely for personal gain and to save a few bucks, not Sam Roberts. He was just as amazed as we were that it worked and said that he would have done the same thing given the chance. It was the sweetest icing on a perfect evening.

We arrived home at approximately 5am that night charged on what a night it had been. I don't think we slept until well after breakfast and after we shared the story with many disbelieving classmates.

The "Sam Roberts Night", as it became known, will never be forgotten and may serve as a lesson in how to get into a concert without spending a cent for my future university aged children. The whole night from beginning to end cost our posse a grand total of $15 in cab fare. More important than that is the memory of one of the first true friendship building experiences of my life. I wouldn't take it back for the world and came away with friends for life.

By's, I miss ya.