An Evening at Rams Head

If you want to see a band up close and personal, Ram’s Head Live is the place to go. I've seen many classic bands there and it's always an experience. So, when I heard Cheap Trick was playing there, I instantly wanted to go. Tina, on the other hand, wasn’t as enthused. When I asked why she didn’t want to go, the only excuse she could come up with was, “The guitar player gets on my nerves.”

So, not wanting to go to the show alone, I had to bribe her. The deal was, if I landed some discounted tickets and I took her to dinner, she would accompany me to the concert. I had to ask myself, “Are we married or are we dating??”

So, I land a couple of half price tickets off of Craigslist, and step number one is completed. I tell Tina to be ready by 6:00 and we’ll grab dinner wherever she wants. Personally, I had my heart set on a Big Montana at Arby’s. But I knew that wasn’t going to happen. So, P.F. Changs downtown was the decision.

We get to Changs around 6:45 and the place is packed. We’re told that it will be at least a 45 minute wait. And the bar is three people deep, so not much hope there either. So, we decide to step it down a notch and walk across Pratt Street to the Hard Rock Café. After a short wait, we’re seated. We order a couple $15 burgers and a few overpriced draft beers. Not our original plan, but it worked.

We get over to Rams Head around 8:30. The first thing I notice is that the floor is already packed and people are continuing to file in. We find a good vantage point from the side and stake our ground for the next few hours.

The opening band, consisting of a guitarist and a keyboard player takes the stage around 8:50. They mentioned something about not having a drummer, but I didn’t really catch it. They were about as exciting as a Woody Allen movie. After about four songs, the crowd was showing signs of boredom and impatience. If they played much longer, I was considering lighting myself on fire.

Cheap Trick finally took the stage around 9:30. Listening to their classic songs through high school, it was exciting to finally see these guys live. They had aged a little, but still looked good. The guitar player (the one who irritates Tina) was quite animated. He spends as much time flicking guitar picks into the crowd as he does strumming his strings. He definitely likes interacting with the people. They played several unfamiliar songs before launching into I Want You To Want Me and Surrender. The crowd was definitely into it…

Meanwhile back at the ranch……

People were packed in like sardines. This is always the part that I dread with Tina. Inevitably, someone will start to “intrude” on her space. This is where I have to take off my jacket and put on my referee uniform. So, right on cue, the drunken couple next to us starts to lean. Here we go! Tina immediately turns around and starts leaning back. She looks at me and says, “She’s not coming over here! I’m telling you, it ain’t gonna happen!”

The bands playing, Tina’s holding down the fort and I’m trying to reason, “Come on. Why does it always come to this? Can’t we just enjoy the show?” As much as I’d like to act surprised, this is familiar territory. This is a Rams Head ritual for us.

Tina decides she doesn’t want to deal with it any more and walks to less crowded spot (this was a chore within itself!). I hang tight and watch a couple more songs. Then, the male half of the “leaning couple” begins to infringe on me. I try to nonchalantly push him back to his own spot but he keeps coming back. I impulsively check to see if there’s a rubber band attached to us. He finally pushes me over the edge. I give him a pretty good nudge that finally gets his attention. He turns around and looks at me. I explain to him, “Look asshole, if you’re going to sit on my lap, you should at least buy me a drink!” He’s too drunk, stupid or oblivious to respond and just turns back around. By this time, the band is finishing up their encore and I’ve had enough. I go back to meet Tina and we head back to the parking garage.

On the way home, a friend phones us and invites us out for drinks. As good as it sounds, we decline. We’ve had enough excitement for one night.

So, you’re probably asking, “Will we ever go to see another show at Rams Head?” The answer is absolutely!


KW