So Jen, Mark and I went to North Tonawanda last night to see Lowest of the Low. Since it was an outdoor free thing, Jen and I got there early to scope out the place. Three bands played before the Low, so we spent a lot of time wandering, and just sitting and chatting.

North Tonawanda is a really cute little town. The concerts are held in Gateway Park, which is on the canal. It’s a great spot for concerts/festival type things.

We made our way up near the stage when the third band, Pilate, began. They weren’t bad. Jen thought the singer sounded a little bit like Bono. I thought he sounded a little bit like Hawksley Workman, who sometimes sounds a little bit like Bono. 🙂

My first criticism is that there was way. too. much. bass. The kind of bass that reverberates throughout your body. I guess some people enjoy that. Me, not so much.

To our left, there was a really, really drunk fortysomething guy flailing wildly about. I guess you’d call it dancing. I understand that he likes Styx, and is going to see them at Artpark. He also was trying to mold his friend’s prepubescent son in his image, coaching him in the popular “pump your fist at the stage” move.

The closer it got to the Low, the more people started to pack in. We had moved in in enough time to secure a reasonable spot near the front. (I’m really, really short. If I want to have any prayer of seeing the band, I need to be as close to the front as possible.)

Just before the Low went on, a young couple with a little boy (around 6) materialized directly behind us. I heard them making plans to move up to the front.

I’m thinking, “Those people up front have been standing there since 5:30. No way are they going to let you in front of them, no matter how cute your kid is.”

Jen went to get some beers before the show started, and I widened my stance. People always try to move in at moments like that. And lo, the family behind me made their move.

“My friend is coming back,” I said.

“Oh, we’re going up front,” the woman told me.

Like hell you are…

They squeezed through and proceeded to stop directly in front of me.

The woman then turned around and motioned to another woman who was still standing behind us. She started to squeeze through, and I couldn’t hide my agitation.

“Oh come–” I stopped, bit my tongue. But it was too late.

“What?” The woman demanded.

“Nothing,” I said, rolling my eyes and looking away.

“She’s with us,” she said. As if that made them less annoying.

“This is my son’s favorite band,” I heard the guy telling someone.

Sigh. It annoyed me even more that I would have probably found them cute if they hadn’t been standing directly in front of me.

And of course, of COURSE when the concert started? They took turns holding the kid on their shoulders so he could see. Like they couldn’t have done that from WHERE THEY WERE STANDING BEFORE.<

So I started off on an super annoyed note. (thanks for the photos, Jen!)
When the band played Rosy and Grey, I leaned over to Jen and said, “Don’t you kinda wish all the people who came just to sing ‘I like it much better goin’ down on you’ would leave now?”

“Oh, I remember when you were that person…” she said.

Well, maybe. But I wasn’t pushing my way in front of people. 😉

The first time I saw Lowest of the Low was at their reunion concert in the fall of 2000. They played at the Tralf. I had spent the day in Albany for work (we left obscenely early in the morning) and drove directly to the concert afterwards. I made it just in time for the show. Jen, Kim and Rachel had been there for a while, and they’d had a few beers. I felt compelled to catch up, so I headed to the bar for a drink.

I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea…then, after I thought about how much trouble it would be getting back up to the bar, I ordered another. I made my way back to where my friends were standing.

I had a great time, singing, dancing…I didn’t notice how drunk I was getting until it was way too late, as is usually the case with hard, hard liquor drinks. By the time they played Rosy and Grey, I had my arm wrapped around some guy I had just met and was happily swaying and singing away. I’m pretty sure we were making out before the concert was over.

A lot of stuff happened after this that’s pretty fuzzy. I think we went to another bar after the concert was over. The guy (I think his name was Mike) came with us. I remember having to go outside, because I felt sick. When we finally left, I had to leave my car behind. (it was in a lot that’s only open to the public after working hours. getting it out the next day was another adventure…)

I guess I had given Mike my number, because he called me the next day. I didn’t remember his name or giving him my number, so I was a little confused when he called. Also, my friends had apparently invited him to go out with us that night, which I also didn’t remember. It was a horribly confusing conversation for me, and probably downright horrible for him. So Mike? If you’re out there? I’m really, really sorry.

I had never been in that state before, have not been since, and don’t see myself ever getting there again.

And like I said, in my defense…I wasn’t pushing my way in front of anyone. 😉

The band was great, of course. The sound was still too bass-heavy for my liking. And now that I’ve been spoiled by the New York state smoking ban, I always find myself annoyed by cigarette smoke at outdoor venues. It seems that I’m always surrounded by smokers, and the wind is always carrying the smoke toward me. By the end of the show, my eyes were itchy and I was wheezing a bit. Ick.

Cute alert–at the end of Bleed a Little While, when Ron sings “Alex never gets what she wants,” I caught a cute little smile from Lawrence. (Lawrence is happily involved with Alex McMaster, who plays with the acoustic revue. Awww…)
And thus ends my Low report. I didn’t get any photos, but Jen did. I’ll probably post a link as soon as she gets them online. 🙂