DisplacedGRITS

there's a huge (and i mean HUGE) music festival going on in Milwaukee right now called Summerfest. my husband and i have quite a few bands we are going to see and we really love this festival. on Wednesday we saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and on Thursday it was the Dropkick Murphys. the music is amazing but the crowd is a bit much. the Brew City can be a rough place for an alcoholic and Summerfest is practically a beerfest. the Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert wasn't too bad (the smell of weed was kinda strong though) but oh, boy was the Dropkick Murphys show a trial! not that i wanted to drink but i found myself standing next to a pair who were, for lack of a better term, sh*tfaced. we were standing on the bleachers and the "gentleman" of the pair kept falling off every 5 minutes. bring on the resentments!!!! i found myself getting preoccupied with this guy. i kept shooting him dirty looks when he fell and there was much eyerolling. i was judging the mess out of this poor guy and had a totally negative view of what was going on around me. i had to shoot this guy down in my head to build myself up and i didn't even realize it until the concert was over and i was back home. shame on me! i resolve to not be judgmental of any nutty drunks i come across. it's not my place and it only makes me feel bad.

i was wondering if anyone around here is in town for the festivities. i'm going to a few more concerts and wouldn't mind having another sober person join me and my hubby. it's a fantastic festival, once you get past the beer and the weed. i'm just grateful that i'm sober and enjoying and remembering all of it!

rock on, SR!

Tang

Displaced grits - I'm just down south of you, but couldn't handle exposure to all that beer this early in my recovery. I love live music, so some day I will!

DisplacedGRITS

hi Tang! yeah, i wouldn't be going to Summerfest if it wasn't for the fact that my husband comes with me and he's sober. you can't get away from the smell of alcohol there and that can be trying even for people with a lot of sobriety. i hope you're able to face that crazy drinking world out there after a while. it can be rough though. i know you'll be able to come out and enjoy some concerts one day! just keep working it one day at a time.

sugarbear1

I look at those drunky-drunks and I know how much they are really hurting on the insides....

Keep enjoying the music, Grits!

Mrbeagle

We have Glastonbury going on in the UK here at the moment, can't say I miss being there! The Great British weather is turning the campsites into a drunk demolition derby once again, thank God I'm in my dry, warm house!

Enjoy the festival, I love the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, hats off to you for being strong enough to handle that atmosphere sober

Oh and I hear the Cold War Kids are playing, jealous! I'd also have to see Nelly as well, just to say I'd been there :p

quitforme79

Glad to hear you're enjoying yourself grits!

GreenEggsAndHam

Glad you had fun and resisted! My husband loves Dropkick Murphys.

The last festival I went to was the Sweetwater 420 Fest (of course!) which was a beer festival on 4/20. I told myself I wasn't going to drink, then I told myself ok two drinks...ended up drinking for 9 hours straight, getting tanked and bad stuff came of it (also of course!).

I look forward to the day I can enjoy festivals and concerts without too much temptation. I might ease in with art festivals or dog festivals. :~p

bigsombrero

I went to university in Madison and have been to Summerfest. Today, in my old age (38) you couldn't PAY me to go to that festival. I remember it taking me 10 minutes just to walk 10 feet, the mob of people is so dense. Loud music, crazy crowds....guess that part of my life is over.

That said, I understand what you're going through and it must be tough! I hope you find a companion or at least find comfort in the support you're getting here. All the best, sounds like some good bands are playing!

BikerAcct

Anything with the Dropkick Murphy's is going to reek of beer!

soberlicious

"I LOST MY LEG!!!!" <3 Dropkick Murphys
I love live music. I'm usually too busy dancing to notice the drunks.

It's obvious that the people falling down are drunk, but I think it's easy to assume that everyone is drinking or getting high, but it's not true. I don't need to be either to get my groove on. The music gets me high enough.

bigsombrero

Ever seen "The Departed"? That song comes in during the opening credits (after a rather long opening setup) and it just ROCKS.

thekl0wn

Whew... Glad I'm not the only one who's noticed that the world shifted when I quit drinking! Other drunks used to be so funny and behaved normally... But then I quit, and now they all act annoyingly! WTF?

(yes, that was sarcasm... I just never noticed how annoying drunks were before)

BabyJane

Last summer my boyfriend and I went to see Phish at Alpine in WI and I was sober - I know exactly what you mean! It was intense being around so much alcohol and drugs. Some people were so messed up - I saw one girl being carried over to an ambulance and two others fell right in front of us and were throwing up later that same day. Yikes. I couldn't believe how awkward and uncomfortable I felt. It was hard to concentrate on the music but I did enjoy parts of the show... Then panic mode kind of set in as it got later in the night and more people started crowding around with all the weed, alcohol, pills, LSD and whatnot. I decided I wanted to leave but my boyfriend wasn't getting it until I burst into tears. It was too much I guess. Won't do it again for a while as I was (mostly) miserable. It was a good lesson though. I love live music too so someday soon maybe I will try again with a sober friend.

Nighthawk8820

Seeing other people wasted is a great motivational tool to stay sober, because you realize you once looked like that, or even looked worse. I know I did. When I do go out, I spot the wasted ones and observe. I feel horrified knowing I behaved like that, and that I did it A LOT.

alphaomega

Oh Summerfest.

I saw Aerosmith there a hundred years ago.

I also smuggled a bottle of vodka in my pants. They were the MC hammer pants...)))

Now I wouldn't touch those portapottys with a ten foot pole.

Tanks for the memories.

Notmyrealname

Good job on keeping it straight and narrow!

PS your avatar cracks me up

FBL

I've lived in the Milwaukee area for the past 20 years and I always try to get down to SummerFest at least once every year. Got a last minute invite to the Tom Petty show last night. Glad I was able to enjoy the show sober. Walking the grounds before the show, I had flashbacks to my drinking days. I can't count the number of beers I'd consumed there over the years

Debe5

Have to say I am jealous would love to be there. Can't tell you how many concerts were a blur! Focus on all the great music you get to hear. It will be so worth it when you actually remember the concerts. There are plenty of people that enjoy concerts sober, you can too!!! Rock On!!!!