Pacific Beach Sunset

When I was sixteen I took a trip to San Diego to visit my childhood friend, Johnny, who had moved out there.  At this point in my life, punk, ska, and emo were the epicenter of my musical world, and going to shows was my sustenance.  Clearly having looked up show listings before heading west, I let Johnny know that Saves the Day were playing at a club in Pacific Beach while I was there.  He said he’d handle the tickets.  To my great disappointment, he dropped the ball and the tickets were left locked away at his friend’s house who was then out of town.  We decided to take our chances, head to the beach, and seeing about scoring some scalped tickets- I was on a mission.

My dreams were quickly dashed to the ground when I saw the amount of kids trying to do the exact same thing.  I walked toward the beach in an oh-so-emo moment to look at the sunset, and who was standing there but Chris Conley, the lead singer!  I told him my sob story and he said that he had come out to watch the sunset also.  It was so exciting to meet the singer of one of my favorite bands, but he didn’t seem like he was going to be the one to get me into the show.  I walked back to the venue to find Johnny, feeling a mix of elation and disappointment.  Just then, a random guy walked out of the venue and said, “I’ve got one ticket right here, who wants it??”  A frenzied group of kids ran toward him- everything looked like it was in slow motion.  Somehow I grabbed a twenty from my pocket and shoved it in his hand before anyone else had the chance, and the coveted ticket was mine!  Johnny said he’d be happy to pick me up after the show, and understood how much it meant to me.

So I was in.  I spent my time during the opening bands making my way to the front and landed a sweet front row spot.  Finally it was time.  Saves the Day took the stage.  Without a word, they immediately launched into Holly Hox, Forget Me Nots.  The opening riffs resonated through the club and everyone went crazy.  In that moment everything seemed to come together.  It was one of the most amazing feelings and I’ll always remember it.