Hippie Hearted

It was when I was eleven years old when my mom started calling me her "hippie dippie"

She would often look at me in my bellbottomed jeans, wrinkly shirts, long hair, and say "where did I pick up the flower child?"

I'm not really sure.

And, at work, I'm often taunted (lovingly) about how I'm a dirty hippie.

Now, Mom, don't worry I am (usually) showered and looking lovely (maybe not ironed, I'm sorry Ma) but I'm wearing a pink floyd shirt and old Birkenstocks.
My brother, Matt is forever telling me he wants to put me on "What Not to Wear"
If they laid a hand on my concert t's, I would bite them.


It's not just the clothes though, it's also the political affiliations - I voted for the Green party
I was in college, young, maybe on a little green.


A big part of my hippiness though, is the music.


So, on Tuesday, when I went to see Tom Petty I was excited.

I've been a really big fan of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers since I can remember liking music.
I'm getting happy just walking to meet my friend, Jill, after work to get my ticket and head over with her to the Garden. Finally, I was seeing Petty LIVE!!!

As we walk into the Garden I see my ticket for the first time, "TREY ANASTASIO" written under Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers...

"um, Jill, is this ticket right?"

Jill looks like I'm still voting for the Green party, then shakes her head "yeah Sue, it's right"

"Trey Anastasio, from Phish, is opening up the show?"

"yeah," she says acting like I just learned how to read.

"woah"

"Oh, and Stevie Nicks is performing too"

And something happened to me that night that is

VERY RARE AND ALMOST HORRIFICALLY AMAZING

I was speechless.

Jill said I looked :
"Giddy"

It was like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and my birthday all together - except really really really good.


My favorite moments:

Watching Trey jump around stage, he was really having fun. The whole set was muffled because MSG's sound system kinda blows, BUT, it was still pretty chill to listen to live. It was like hanging out with you're buddy in a crowded stadium while listening to the best live background band ever.

Tom Petty's energy amazed me, because by 11:15 I was exhausted from rocking, but he's like three times my age and was heavy rockin' for three more songs. He was also adorable with his love of applause, raising his arms up and pointing at sections at the end of each song, even the ones that no one was listening to because they were new, and in NYC if you're not giving us something we can sing along to or the next big thing, the crowd isn't going to be impressed enough to listen, which is a little annoying, but I'll let it go.

When he introduced Stevie, it was pretty sweet. He called her their little sister, and she came on in a long shawl and sang all mellow, smooth and sultry. It was everything I imagined her to be, so much so, that it seemed as if I was watching a fairy tale on stage.

It was an amazing experience, even though I was getting sicker and sicker every waking moment this week, including during the concert.
The cold/cough I thought I beat two weeks ago, came back and banged around my head, which delayed a lot of normal life things I do, especially blogging.
Hooray for great doctors who will give you free samples of antibiotics! I feel better already :)
and writing about Tom Petty/Trey and Stevie, well that's medicinal in and of itself.

peace,
funke