Foster the People Part 2 RE: The VIP section

I have been to a lot of shows in my life. Big stadium type venues. Small intimate shows in a maximum capacity 400 person building.College auditoriums. Outdoor concerts. Amphitheaters. etc. A lot of times there is a VIP section for those who want premium seating. The VIP section at FTP was unusual because for 2012, they were super cheap. $60. I was going to procure them for Lisa and myself because they were so reasonable and what-the-heck...but I couldn't because they were sold out. And at that price, one can see why. Now the thing that was so interesting about this show, was that they (the VIP people) were literally sandwiched right up against the (for lack of a better word) commoners. Or...lets say, the general admission ticket holders. First off, at the Strokes/Pearl Jam concert at Alpine Valley last year, for example, the VIP section seats were $1000. You can command a little haughtiness at prices like that. But at $60? Come on, people! The only thing that separates you and us is a bucket of chicken from KFC. So, psychologically, it was interesting how the women (not the men at all, interestingly, just the women) were just lording their VIP status over the GA section. It was ridiculous and frankly, the most odious display of classism I have ever witnessed. The sad thing was that it wasn't even real classism but 'fake classism', because the VIP tickets were freakin' $60. That's 2 large pizzas, people! So, at one point, before the show, this lady in a glittery gown comes over to us as if cavorting with peasants and says "What are you guys singing? Is that a Foster the People song?" [all the kids were singing the hip hop tunes the DJ was spinning in unison] "Uhhhhh....no." "Oh!" she said, embarrassed, clearly knowing very little about the band she was about to see. "Well, its so nice to meet you," she said demurely to the people in the front row of GA and then she almost shook their hands or something but then hesitated and walked away. It was...bizarre. I think she was trying to be nice but somehow mistook herself for Grace Kelly on a visit to Bangladesh circa 1953. People are...uh...weird. I am not going to go into all the descriptions right now of the foolish things the women in the VIP section said or did but lets just say, its better when the section is geographically farther away and it doesn't have to be witnessed. Now I was wearing a punk outfit at this particular show...black leather biker jacket, zipper dress, jolly roger tights and combat boot style shoes. You can't wear an outfit like that and not do something a little...naughty. It's got to be earned;otherwise you are just posing. So I decided that at some point, it would be fun to climb over the little barrier into VIP and dance around a bit and maybe take some closer-up photos. Of course, I did it because its a rarity that I don't accomplish something I set out to do. Maybe 4 songs from the last, I climbed right over (easy) and I got a really great shot of MArk Foster (in slideshow) and was dancing around a bit when halfway through a song, this girl turns around and points at me and says "She doesn't have a VIP bracelet!" No one seemed to care and she got no reaction so she repeated it. Again. And again. And again. Finger pointing, voice accelerating in urgency....still, no one cared. The people around her actually laughed (I just don't think they cared and thought the scene rather funny) but then eventually, a guard did come over to tell me I had to move back into the GA section. I smiled and said, "Sure" and calmly walked along the stage to where I could go back to the GA area. It was really no big deal. But the thing that sort of freaked me out was that the girl looked exactly like Donald Sutherland in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I mean EXACTLY. Her face. Her mouth. Her pasty skin and desperate eyes. Her facial hair that she really should have waxed. EVERYTHING. (see sidebar to the right above Black Keys photo) Honestly, I think she may have been an alien.