Tom Petty

Darien Lake, NY

2:22 PM

90 degrees and humid is not the perfect day for an outdoor concert, but I’ll take that versus rain. The sun was out as we drove the 45 minutes west to get to Darien Lake for the Tom Petty and Black Crowes concert. The Crowes started at 7. Me being who I am didn’t pick up the lady until 4:30. We still had to go to the grocery store for tailgating supplies, the gas station, the liquor store (airplane bottles) and back to her house for the EZ Pass. We didn’t leave Rochester until 5:30. I was stressed. I love to tailgate and I knew we’d be pushing it.

We cranked the music and headed down I90. The Crowes played as we made our way off the exit. Although I’ve driven all over the place, I still get very impatient in traffic. I soon learned how poorly managed a place can be. The traffic backed up as soon as we got off of our exit for Darien Lake. We were on a two lane highway that now acted as a parking lot. We inched along. I tired to remain calm (girls don’t like a complaining driver). I lost it though when a guy who had got out of his car to use the bathroom whipped by us, moving many times faster than us as he jogged. I tried to get a picture of the comparison.

We eventually made it into the parking lot. There was one person directing 4 rows of cars. Needless to say, there was no direction. I went with the flow for a few minutes and then veered off the road into an open spot. We were very close to the exit. “This will give us an easy out,” I said as we lifted the back gate and got out the chairs, cooler, and rotisserie chicken. I was psyched to be out of the car and at the show. It was around 7.

I knew the Crowe’s were coming on, but I wanted to tailgate. We had a beer, ate and listened to the Jack Johnson CD my cousin burned for me.

Close to 8 we decided we should get moving. We cleaned up and joined the mass making its way toward the stage. There is something strange about a huge crowd of people. Even more strange about a huge crowd of drunk people. I felt the energy as I pushed my way into the bathroom. I must have looked like the typical guy on a date with my duffle bag that held a big blanket. Testosterone and alcohol filled emanated throughout the men’s room. There were lines 6 and 7 deep. People decided they didn’t want to wait. The sinks were used. The floor was used. Me in my open toed sandals became very focused on where I stepped. For the record, I went in a stall, in the toilet bowl.

My date had gone to the ladies room and experienced the same thing. We must have miscommunicated because it took us 30 minutes to find each other again (Cell phones didn’t work). “We’ll meet back at the corner of the concessions,” I said. She thought the upper corner. I was in the lower corner. We met up eventually. Me and my bag felt dorky as I stood there waiting and looking.

We finally got into the outdoor amphitheatre at around 8:30 and the Crowe’s were already over. Bummer! I hadn’t done much listening because I was battling my way through the people. We climbed our way to the top of the lawn seats. There was an open area at the top and we asked if anyone was using the spot. The neighbor said no, but that people had been using that spot to pee. I’m glad we asked. We walked down a little further and found an open spot. Again we asked if anyone was there, this time it was OK. Or it was until we got our blanket down. Then the idiot next to us said his friends were using that spot. I paused and stared for a second. I am normally mellow, but I huffed under my breath, “You could’ve said that before we got all of our stuff out.” He didn’t say much and we moved and eventually found our spot: straight away center from the stage and about 5 blankets from the top.

We set up shop with blanket, shoes off, bag empty, and bottle of water. We were in front of a group of people maybe in their 50′s. Some college aged people were to our right. It was a very diverse audience.

The radio played as we waited. I was pissed I missed the Crowe’s. I’d seen them in college and another time. They are perfect for outdoor summer events. I went down and got us a coke for our mini bottles. We filled and waited.

Tommy boy came on at about 9. He and the boys rocked it. He played most of the stuff you know: Free Fallin’, American Girl, Don’t Come around here, and I can go on. If you know Petty, you know most of the songs. I was particularly pleased that he played 4 songs of the Wildflowers CD. My date knew the CD as well and we swayed and sang along. I should note that when TP started, the smokey scent in the crowd changed dramatically.

We stood for most of the time. In the middle of the show I struck up a conversation with two guys in front of us. It turns out they were there from Concord, NC, just north of Charlotte. Small world. They were supposed to go to the Atlanta show, but it was cancelled for some reason. So they came here. We talked for a while.

At 10 things got even better. The show was rocking and I was loving it, but then in the back right corner of the theatre a laser and fireworks show began. These were major lights and boomers. Petty in the background and fireworks as visuals, it was awesome. I probably said awesome twenty times as it played out. I am not a fan of loud boomers, but we were far enough away that I only got the visuals.

What a show. He was into it. The crowd was into it. The night temperature was very comfortable. And the fireworks. Excellent. TP even said, and I’m not sure if this can be true, but he said, “This is the biggest crowd in the history of this place.” It said it was sold out, but the biggest ever? If so, I’m glad to be a part of it.

The concert ended at 11 and we fought our way back to the car. I had my cousin’s tent with me, she had forgot it. I called her and they said they were stuck in traffic. We ended up waiting two hours for them and then they called and said they didn’t need it. I was pissed, but we had met a couple waiting out the traffic and they had beers with us. I was onto water because we were driving back to Rochester that night.

The traffic was so backed up that in the two hours we sat and waited; there was always a flow of traffic trying to leave. Darien Lake for a concert and the city itself may be the most disorganized I’ve ever seen for an event. There was no police motioning traffic. Lights still dictated where to go. This added to the slowness. How can they not have an officer waving people on? I just saw it at the US Open. Not sure what they were thinking.

Anyway, I made it home at 4 AM and have been in a haze most of the day today. I hope I can get a good nights sleep. I’m playing in a golf tournament for the Veteran’s Outreach Center tomorrow. Should be fun. And hot.

If you get a chance to see Tom Petty, do it. If it’s summer and it’s outdoors, even better.