Concert Babe

Last night I took Katherine to her first big concert, Jingle Ball 2013, which has a line up of a number of performers including Paramore, Icona Pop, Austin Mahone, Selena Gomez, Flo Rida, Travie Boy, Fall Out Boy, New Politics, and Fifth Harmony.  It is a tween girl's dream concert, and I had a surprisingly good time, and was sort of surprised that I knew most of the songs.  (Having a tween gives me this information by osmosis - there is ALWAYS music on in this house.)

It was a magical night.  Katherine knew this was A Big Deal: she received it as a wrapped gift, presented as her "big" gift for Christmas, but given early, and before I even pulled the gift out I think she knew.  She had been begging for tickets for months, and why else would I give her a Christmas gift the first week of December?

Her eyes were wide the whole time.  There was screaming.

There were back stage passes.

Throughout the concert, they'd announce "Text _____" to such and such number to win passes, and I did so.  Shockingly....shockingly!...I won!  Two back stage passes to meet and greet with Fall Out Boy.  I let Katherine take her young friend with her, because a) I knew it would mean the world to the two of them to do it together and b) it meant nothing to me.  :-)

So, I stood alone in a hallway while my daughter and her friend were star struck and feeling like a million dollars off "on their own" backstage, essentially shaking hands and quaking out a "hi" before getting their picture taken with the band and heading back to me.

And I got a bit of flattery.

Five - FIVE! - different men, all under the age of 30, came by at different times to pick up on me.  What?  WHAT?  They came, two in twos and one alone, over to where I was standing to chat me up and look me up and down in what seemed like comic-book fashion; a silly, over-the-top version of a pick up artist.  I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing, and just shook my head "no."  With the last pair, the girls had arrived back to me, and the men kept trying to chat with me, and I looked at them, gestured to myself and the girls and said, "I'm a MOM.  Not here to meet people, sorry!" and took Katherine and her friend, who were taking it all in with wide, confused eyes (why are those men talking to you?!) back to their seats to finish the concert.  The guys called out "c'mon..." and I just kept walking.

But forgive me for being hugely flattered.  They were all cute, if slightly inebriated.  None of them was dating material, not even close, but that's not the point.  It is just incredibly flattering to be 44 years old and "not trying" and get some male attention.

It was a great night.