Breaking Benjamin/Three Days Grace Concert Review

I never did report on our concert experience.

The concert was at Konocti Harbor Lodge in Kelseyville, CA. In order to get tickets in the front, we were required to purchase "Sunset Barbecue" tickets. These were in addition to the concert tickets.

Before the barbecue, we grabbed wristbands so we could drink. We were required to show id. I didn't have mine with me but the guy gave me a wristband anyway. He jokingly commented that he could tell I was "just past twenty-one."

I told him that he must work for tips.

Drinks weren't provided with the barbecue, at least not the kind we were having. The barbecue was fine for something that is served buffet style. They had a salad bar and steak and salmon, my personal favorite. There was also apple and peach cobbler for dessert served with vanilla Haagen Daaz ice cream.

Our room was within walking distance of the concert and the barbecue. We didn't choose it that way. It was the only room left, probably because it was a wee bit pricey. After I read reviews online of the other rooms there, I was glad we ended up with the one we did.

I do want to add that I forgot a shirt and bra there and I have tried to contact Konocti via e-mail and heard NOTHING back.

After we ate, we ambled over to the concert. We found our seats. The young man next to us looked at us nervously. I think he feared I was a narc. Or maybe it was just the - here come the old folks to ruin the party - look.

The first band was Red. We had never heard of them. They were kind of meh.

They did have lots of fans in front of us. One guy with long red hair, eighties style, was bopping his head up and down and shaking his hand in time to the music. He was holding his hand in a fist with his index and pinkie finger in the air. What does that sign mean anyway? In his case, I think it meant he lived in his Mom's basement and smoked pot all day.

But really that sign, huh? I know if you hold your thumb out at the same time it means "I love you."

Minus thumb maybe it means "I'd like to sleep with you but I don't want to commit."

After Red finished playing, Breaking Benjamin came out. They were by far the best band of the evening.

My husband mentioned they were "tight" and that the lead singer (Benjamin) hit all his notes.

They asked the crowd to jump up and down. I looked down at my chest. Nope, no sports bra. Due to chance of injury, I declined. Okay honestly I'm not the jumping up and down type anyway. Some people can jump up and down and look fine. I'm not among them. Instead I get that ever popular frog in a blender look.

The band appeared to be having a great time. The lead guitar player seemed to have a, "Holy crap I'm getting paid to do this" look on his face. If they were jaded, they were hiding it nicely.

Ben also threw lots of guitar pics into the row in front of him. (obviously the row in front since guitar pics don't fly that far.) His adjective of choice was "fuck".

He said things like, "Hey Kelseville how the fuck are you?" and "This is great fucking weather." It was too.

When they played their last song, one of my favorites, I jokingly told my husband "about fucking time."

Half of the fun of the show was people watching. There were some beautiful teen girls that I'm sure had no idea of how lovely they were. They were probably too busy worrying that the miniscule zits they might have had were the size of dinner plates.

There was a guy about ten years older than us one row in front. He had no butt so his pants hung straight down. My husband caught him playing air guitar. Snicker.

Back to my right was a young guy who danced the whole concert, going around in circles and pumping his arm. I caught sight of the reason for his merriment at one point. He had a small pipe with him.

My favorite character was the lady two rows up. She decided instead of standing in her chair, she would stand on the back of two chairs and DANCE. Only she was drunk. Her husband kept catching her before she fell and he was telling her to get down. I'd have paid to see her fall, snarky I know.

After Breaking Benjamin was done, out came Three Days Grace. It was obvious that the lead singer had indulged in some pharmaceutical therapy before he hit the stage. He seemed a bit off.

They weren't too bad. He did an Alice in Chains song, stating that he had grown up listening to them. I remember my husband listening to Alice in Chains around 2004-2005 when we were in our MID-TWENTIES! Hee hee. He did a good job on the Alice in Chains song, better than he did on most of his own songs.

I will say that I liked the song Pain better live. On the radio it sounds, pardon the expression, pussified.

The darker it got, the more people started dancing. They were either drunker than when they started or just loosening up.

We had a really good time. There was a four hour after party where the band members might or might not have shown up.

But we were old and tired so we went back to our room and went to bed. It was a good time.

The next band I want to see is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But I'll wait until they come this way. And at least they are old like us.