Monday night was “date night” for Mike & I. Our first date night that actually took place AT NIGHT. (What a concept!)
It was also the first time that we weren’t able to put our little rosebuds to bed ourselves. *sniff* My sister arrived around 6:30, I kissed the girls goodbye, and we headed downtown to see Mates of State.
Downtown Buffalo is very… vacant. Being that it was a Monday night, it was even more so. We found a place to park and walked a few blocks (in the rain) to the venue. We expected to see a line waiting to get in, but it was eerily quiet. The guy at the door seemed kinda giddy to have someone to talk to as we gave him our ID’s. We made our way inside and sat down at a table near the stage. There was a handful of people with us, awkwardly milling around. It was going to be a long night.
Eventually the opening bands played. The first was some dude who played music over his laptop while he wanked on his guitar. I am SO not a fan of wanking. Snoozeville. Next was a band that I would have loved in my early 20’s. Not so much in my mid-30’s. It just made me feel… old.
I had plans of letting loose and getting a few drinks (something I very rarely do)… However, my “boring old mom” gene kicked in and I ordered a veggie wrap (it was awful) and a black coffee. Yep, a coffee. At a show. On date night.
Once Mates started setting up their gear, we got up from our seats at the table and *gasp* stood up near the stage. My feet were soaked through from walking through the rain and I was hoping that people would fill in around us to keep me warm. Didn’t happen. Despite the wetness/shivering, the show was pretty enjoyable. They played a few of my favorite older songs and a brand spankin’ new one that we were the first to hear.
By the end of the night, my back was killing me, my feet were frozen, and I felt like an 80-year old. I couldn’t wait to get home, shower, and kiss my sleeping babies. At one point during the night I half-jokingly asked Mike if this was going to be our last show. He laughed and nodded. Looking back now, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was… I mean, who needs a live show when you’ve got iTunes to listen to and sweet babies to kiss goodnight — all while wearing your slippers? Just add coffee & you’ve got yourself a perfect date night.
Here’s a little video I made of the show with my iPhone. Not the best quality, but what can ya do…
