Ho, Hey!

Have you ever seen a show at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland? It’s probably my favorite venue. It feels a little bit like you’re in the woods, but you’re actually in the middle of a small city. I’ve seen a lot of shows there. One of the best was the second time I saw the Lumineers, but the show I’m inclined to talk about right now involves the first time I saw the Lumineers.

It happened years and years ago, after I’d published Just Whistle, I believe. That’s the novel that got me hooked on the Lumineers’ music; I basically listened to “Stubborn Love” on repeat while writing about Charley and Juli.

I remember being at school when I received the email notification announcing the Lumineers’ upcoming appearance at Merriweather. At that point, I didn’t know a ton of their stuff, but I obviously knew every lyric to “Stubborn Love” and had become a huge fan of “Ho Hey” and “Ophelia” as well. Between classes, I texted my concert husband Phil and asked if he had any interest in going. His response? “BUY BUY BUY!!!” It was kind of like *NSYNC, but with a chorus about purchasing tickets rather than saying goodbye.

Needless to say, I bought the tickets, but the Lumineers were hugely popular at that point in time and I was only able to get us a spot on the lawn. At Merriweather, I prefer to be right in front of the stage -- or at the very least, inside the pavilion -- but that wasn’t an option for this show. Beggars can’t be choosers and I was slow on the draw, so Phil and I hung out in the lawn.

It ended up being alright because the Lumineers had TWO stages. There was the actual stage inside the pavilion, of course, but a second stage had been erected behind the pavilion, enabling lawn sitters/standers to experience a bit of close-up viewing.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that every song the band played, Phil shouted into my ear, “This is the best song!” Until that show, I had no idea how many Lumineers songs I knew! I knew a lot!

Two notable things happened at that particular concert. The first is that Phil and I were talking to some other fans about how we see concerts together. He referred to me as his “concert wife” and the couple we were talking to asked how long we’d been together. For reasons I have never understood, Phil quickly corrected them and explained that he’s actually married to my friend Biz, but Biz hates concerts, so Phil and I, having been friends since high school, now go to shows together and refer to one another as “concert husband” and “concert wife.” That’s all fine, obviously -- I mean, it’s definitely accurate -- but why didn’t he seize the opportunity to come up with some sort of absurd tale regarding our long-lasting love affair?! He might’ve said we’ve been married for seven years, but were engaged at the age of twelve. He could have described a hot-air balloon wedding ceremony in which a balloon went rogue and floated ten miles south, landing in the middle of a lake. He could have said he used to be a conjoined twin and therefore his concert wife (me!) only spends 50% of her time with him because after the surgery that separated him from his brother Pherdinand, things have gotten complicated.

Anyway. That was the first notable thing that happened. I still think of it often, even though it was really a very minor thing. The second notable thing has impacted my life a lot more and it occurred when Phil said, “I really feel that we’ve reached a point in our lives where we can afford seats in the pavilion, no matter the cost.” Since then, we have always been under the pavilion. No more lawn standing for us!