Most of us have seen the film Dirty Dancing. It is timeless
for many reasons and certainly one of my favorites, though I don’t watch it
terribly often. Observing the main character, Baby (Jennifer Grey) come into
adulthood at the hands and dancing feet of Johnny (Patrick Swayze) I admit,
still gives me a little pitter-patter now and again. Geez, don’t tell anyone I
just admitted that okay?
Of course one of my favorite scenes is the one in which Baby
is invited to an after-hours staff party at the resort where her upper-middle
class family vacations every summer. As she enters the doors, carrying a
watermelon for said shindig, it becomes clear that she doesn’t quite belong.
Our awkwardly pure Baby emphasizes this when sexy Johnny asks why she’s there
and her only response she can muster is, “I carried a watermelon”, which does
not impress Johnny and of course she stands there feeling like an ass.
Oh such watermelons I have carried.
Just this past Sunday evening I was treated to a delightful
escape from my usual chaos to attend a show with my boyfriend (wait…did she say
boyfriend? Yes…yes I did. And he’s wonderful, but that’s another story for
another time. By the way his name is Jesse and I adore him). Two of my most
favorite bands in the world, Moonspell and Septicflesh were playing TOGETHER!
YES! All in one show!!! All you non-metal heads will just have to take my word
on this. It was an epic line up. Some of you may have read past posts about how
I first became a fan of Septicflesh and then journeyed to Seattle about a
week-and-a-half after my bilateral mastectomy to see them along with Melechesh
(another epic line up). Well since then, Seth Siro Anton (Septic’s front man)
has become a friend and I always make sure to go and support him and
his wonderful band when they are in town.
Moonspell…I have been a fan for about twenty years. Yes
thinking that does kind of make me feel old. I mean, to like the same thing for
a consistent twenty years is definitely dedication. Okay “like” is putting it
mildly. I freaking love Moonspell. The first time I heard their music, my mind
was blown. Septicflesh blows me away with their music as well. In fact it was incredible
therapy when I was pregnant and my husband was drinking. Violet loves them. So again…twenty years of Moonspell.
Moonspell’s front man Fernando Ribeiro has an astounding
voice. Being accomplished at both clean vocals and death metal growls, he is the perfect voice to dance with the
heavy and romantic majesty that is Moonspell’s music. Fantastic stage presence,
too. I have met this man before. I believe I was about twenty-six and had
recently separated from my boyfriend of seven years. Now I had never seen
Moonspell live at this point and as luck would have it, they were touring with…wait
for it…Opeth (once again, non-metal heads will just have to take my word as to
the epic-ness of this line up as well)! The night of the show, I went with a
friend, my brother Richard, and Jesse was there as well (yes, the
aforementioned boyfriend…ooh! Is there some history here? Sorry kids, not going
into it during this post).
I was hanging out in the bar downstairs between opening
bands, sitting at a table that butted up to a short dividing wall between the
bar and a small open area in which various musicians and crew members were bustling back and forth, doing whatever it is people in their profession do
that obviously keeps them exceptionally busy. I knew that I had other friends
in the general vicinity and wanted to see if I could spot one or two of them,
so I got up onto my knees on my chair and proceeded to look around. At this
time, Fernando had made his way into that other space. He looked very busy so I
did not wish to bother him. Shifting my weight, I realized that the metal hooks
on my tall vinyl boots (I rocked those puppies by the way)) had become stuck in
the torn surface cushion of my seat. As soon as I had realized this, a mild
panic hit and I just so happened to look right at Fernando. His gaze met mine
just in time for me to sheepishly blurt, “I’m stuck to my chair!”
Now. This is where I feel like Baby. While the words I
uttered were, “I’m stuck to my chair”, in my mind it sounded remarkably like, “I
carried a watermelon”. And oh yes, did I ever carry that watermelon with all
the lumbering awkwardness that a bashful girl can. I managed to yank my boots
free and sit back down as Mr. Tall, Dark, and Portuguese approached with a
mellow cool and stated (remember the accent, kids), “Look I don’t mean to be
rude, it’s just that we are very busy” to which I responded with some
quickly-babbled assurance of non-offense. He was a very nice guy and chatted
with myself and my friends for a few moments before excusing himself.
Definitely a class-act.
The show was amazing of course, and I never forgot that
night for many reasons. Years went by, my world changed, Jesse vanished (I’m
starting to piss you off now, aren’t I?) and I didn’t see him for over a
decade. I got married, had a baby, got breast cancer, divorced, and started to
build my life up which is what I’m still working on as of this writing.
Fernando: Pic by Jesse Lanier
So Sunday was a big deal. I had told Jesse and a few
others about the time I “carried a watermelon” all those years ago and it had
become a sort of running gag. I had gathered some gifts for Seth and the other
crew members and had to stop at the store with Jesse and my buddy Marcus on the
way to the show. We walked through the produce section. They had watermelons. I
knew that chances of getting to speak with Fernando and having pictures taken
was a high probability as Seth knows I’m a fan. Naturally I purchased a small
personal-sized watermelon because one must always be prepared for the potential
of comedic outcomes.
Jesse, Marcus and I arrived at the venue about three hours
before the show was set to start. I wanted to be certain that everyone received
their gifts on time: local micro brews for the guys, soup and clove oil for
Alex, the sweet sound guy with tooth pain (I had been notified by a mutual
friend who had seen the show a few days prior in Arizona), and a bottle of my
favorite red wine for Seth. We left the watermelon in the car for the time
being, and I was starting to think that buying it was a dumb idea. I mean, I
don’t even like watermelon! What was I going to do with the stupid thing? I was
greeted by Seth, I delivered gifts, met up with some cool people I know,
including an amazing mother-daughter team from Canada whom I had met at a
previous show (Char and Rita, I’m looking at you ladies), and we hung out, had
drinks and ordered food at the bar, and proceeded to just enjoy the pre-show
atmosphere. At some point whilst relaxing in a booth with nachos and hard
cider, I had noticed through the window that Fernando was sitting outside with
some friends and crew around a picnic table. Seth eventually made his way over
to relax and chat so I half-teasingly asked him when he was going to introduce
me. Immediately he got up and had me follow him outside. Jesse and Marcus, both
budding photographers followed behind with cameras at the ready.
As Seth calmly lead me to meet Fernando (for the second time
in my life) as I babbled excitedly about how I have been listening to Moonspell
for twenty years. He got Fernando’s attention and introduced me to him. There I
was, standing next to Mr. Tall, dark, and Portuguese feeling much more at ease
than I had been all those years before. We made small-talk for a bit and I
asked after a mutual friend of ours from the early days. Marcus and Jesse took
pictures as the conversation unfolded and somehow (for the life of me I can’t
remember how I managed that segue) I ended up telling him the story of our
long-ago encounter. At some point in the encounter, I asked him if he liked
watermelon and then somehow we all decided that it must be retrieved from the
car and included in our pictures. I have to say that Fernando handled the whole
thing with a gracious smile and even seemed to listen with smiling interest as
I regaled him with the tale of the previous watermelon-carrying event before he
and I posed together with my offering of newly-purchased produce. Fernando even
offered up, “The future looks green” as I giggled and even though I once again
felt like an awkward weirdo. This time, I could appreciate it much more fully.
Me and Fernando: pics by Marcus Kempton
As expected, the show was phenomenal. Moonspell performed
all my favorites and Fernando’s presence was of course larger than life. Septicflesh
is a highly entrancing band to watch live and no matter how many times I joke
around with Seth and his personable friendly nature offstage, I always marvel
at how he seems to be fourteen feet tall once he steps on that stage. It is
always a privilege to be in the presence of such talented and charismatic
showmen. The event came to a close and Jesse, Marcus and I got to spend a
little time talking to Seth afterward. There was bantering, there were
photographs, and as Seth is also a phenomenal artist and photographer, he and
Jesse talked shop. The night ended with weary smiles and entertaining memories.
Pics by Jesse Lanier
Awkward isn’t always a bad thing. I have carried many a
proverbial watermelon in my time and so far it hasn’t killed me. Most human
beings are dorks on some level. Once our clumsy, imperfect nature is embraced,
things start to mellow and we are more open to see the delightful nuances that define
and connect us all. I’ve carried many watermelons in my life as I’m sure most
of us have. So you carried a watermelon. You still get to learn how to dance.
Chillin' with Seth: pic by Jesse Lanier
