Yesterday was weird.
Really fun, but also extremely weird.
Last night, some old Finnish friends of mine played a gig at a venue near me here in Stockholm, Sweden. We had been talking about meeting up for over a week, so it was set in stone that I would be attending.
I got up early (weird thing number one), took care of all of my emails, did this 30 Day-Shred workout that I’m trying (weird thing number two), hopped in the shower and walked over.
There were a lot of other people there that I knew. A dear old friend whom I haven’t seen in ages, a promoter buddy of mine, unexpected crew members, and unexpected colleagues.
The beer drinking began at approximately 6pm. It carried on until 3am.
There’s a couple of things I’d like to share with you from my evening.
The Shoe, aka weird thing number 3
After the gig, I went up to the front of the stage when the room started to clear out to talk to one of my security friends. As I was talking to him, I noticed he was looking over my shoulder to something behind me in a puzzling manner.
“Well, that’s odd,” he noted. I turned around.
Random shoe in the middle of the floor.
Now, I tour for a living and I’ve seen a lot of things left behind in a drunken stupor, or just randomly out of carelessness. Glasses, credit cards, wallets, house and car keys, jackets, hats, single gloves, etc.
What I’ve not seen left behind at a club show, is one rogue shoe. Oddly enough, I have seen pairs of shoes left behind.
You’d think that at some point before exiting the building, the person wearing only one shoe would have noticed that something was a little “off”.
Oh, pun was 110% intended there.
But as both my security buddy and I have seen many strange things already, we brushed it off.
We finished chatting and I turned around to find this.
The Shoe Moved, aka weird thing number 4
Now, it could be because someone accidentally kicked it, or tripped over it while walking past and caused it to move a bit. But let’s look at this from the more realistic and much likelier scenario that the shoe was being drawn to its master, who was clearly pulling it in with his emotional death ray as he stood really cool against the cage, by himself, way after the show had finished because he’s clearly a vampire. A really poorly dressed vampire.
Obviously, this is what was happening. I turned to walk over to my friends to point out the mysterious shoe and to warn them of the vampire. When I turned around to point at the shoe, I saw this:
The Break-up, aka weird thing number 5
What the….?????
Ok, I had it all wrong.
I mean, was it possible that someone had once again tripped over the shoe on their way out causing it to move? I don’t know….maybe, I guess. But to me, the picture was now clear.
Emo vampire guy wasn’t drawing the shoe in with his sad, evil, suicidal death ray.
These two were fighting.
Likely, what I was witnessing, was a break-up.
As the shoe inched closer to bad haircut guy in an attempt to make up, skinny jeans would have none of it.
My guess is, they went to the show together, and Shoe wanted to go up to the front, but Twilight was scared that someone would have too much fun, too close to him causing him to possibly crack a smile. So Shoe went up alone.
Twilight was not impressed.
After the show, Shoe tried to inch up in a cute way shuffling along the floor, but Edward was not amused.
This scenario makes way more sense to me than someone walking into the venue wearing two shoes, and walking out with only one and not noticing. They only sell folköl at this venue which is only 3.5% beer, so there’s no way anyone was THAT hammered that they would not have noticed.
This kid bringing in his friend the shoe and the two of them getting into a fight, seems much more likely to me.
The unicorn agrees.
Incidentally also the name of my sword and my dagger.
But I digress.
I was distracted from the shoe break up by the promise of more alcohol backstage as I was dragged away from the scene.
Drinks, drinks, pizza, drinks.
Fast forward.
Somehow, this happened.
The Hummer Limo, aka weird thing number 6
A Hummer limo came to pick us up to take us to some sort of after show party thing. I’m still not 100% clear how exactly this happened. All I know, is that’s us walking towards the Hummer limo, and when we got inside, we were offered champagne, which we finished between the 10 of us in the 6 minutes it took for us to get to the next club.
When we got out of the limo, we had pulled up in front of another venue where another show had gone on that night. There were about 6 guys loading the trailer, and I yelled out,
“Hey, it’s me, E! Do I know any of you guys?”
“E? Is that you?”
The Completely Random Encounter, aka weird thing number 7
I actually knew who was playing at that show. A Floridian band that I worked with 100 years ago. Unfortunately, only two original members remained so it didn’t bother me that I had to sacrifice that gig for the Finnish gig.
I had no idea who was on the crew, but the touring world is small and I figured I’d likely know someone. It was a guy from the states that I had toured with 2 years prior. Just very random and weird, thus proving what a tiny ball we live on.
Beer, beer, shot of Fireball, beer.
Next location.
Beer, beer, 3 shots of Fireball, beer, McDonalds, taxi, home.
Directly on the computer to WordPress to check stats. This is what I found under Search Engine Terms, and our final weird thing.
I’m Speechless, aka weird thing number 8
The Playground 
Yes! I needed something weird to be able to finally let go of my laptop for at least ten minutes. THANK you!
You’re very welcome. And if all else fails, you can always do a search on how to make a diy ass statue. Apparently I may have written something along those lines in the past.
Ahahahahahaha… My most visited post is “Really, what does the fox say?”, I am educating people feeling important. (Kinda) Well I am certainly in DIY and a little behind with posts about that as I wrote today so I might do that statue! Acctually, I wrote a lot of stuffs today. I know that is wrong, but I am from non-english speaking area so I am forgiven. Talking about that, I just made a “About you” page…so, TAG!
*Runs away*
Feb 5th: Post title “This Creepy Ass Statue” This is first page google ranking, girl! You made it with your creepy ass! (No personal opinion influenced that humorous comment) As for the Shoe, well….I imagine we shall see it featured on a Photo Tuesday Voting thing in the future. Its a cool shoe.
Well it’s only a matter of time before the millions start flooding in, I suppose.
I always yield the STRANGEST search engine terms. Like this one:
Oh, it’s already in the contestant bank for a Tuesday Photo Poll 🙂
Oh man, dudette, you just had me TOTALLY laughing my ass off! My neighbors must think I’m insane. And that shoe moves! WTF?!?!?! I myself have seen quite a few poor, lonely single shoes left behind at shows (people lose them here while crowdsurfing). This one, however, takes the cake! And it’s too funny about running into your American friend randomly! I had that happen when I suddenly was able to go to Wacken 2002 (I think? Whenever Immortal played) at last minute and one of my European message board photographer friends (yes, before the real version of social media) came up and said, Squeak? Is that you? And I’m like, yes? And then she told me her name. I’m thinking, I’m in the middle of GERMANY and someone randomly still knows me! LMFHAO I love it when weird, random stuff like that happens. Now you, on the other hand, have everything happen in one NIGHT… again, wtf?! I would’ve been dying of laughter if I was with you. BTW, I might actually be able to see Manowar tonight. =P
I’ve seen shoes stuck in the mud at festivals, and I get that. Sometimes you just need to let them go. There was no stage diving at this show. Further, IF the shoe had fallen off, I’d like to think that the person would have hung around until the room cleared out so that he could find it. You can see in the photos that the room was pretty clear at the time I first encountered the shoe. It was also snowing last night, so you’d think at the very latest, the shoeless patron would have noticed when he stepped outside.
Sadly, this is another nail in the proverbial no hope for the human race coffin.
And PLEASE tell me if you did. I could write a single book on that tour alone… (gently places palm over face and tries to prevent a flashback.)
I think one shoe wanted to meet you during the 6 – 3 beer fest, while the other already heard stories about you and just wanted to stay far away.
I used to always run into people who knew me in bars. Sadly, I rarely had any idea who they were, More sadly, I don’t live that life anymore…
Oddly, this is the second shoe related post I’ve read today.
Hmmm…. you could be right, actually. But then where was the other shoe?
Oh, please don’t misunderstand. I am awful with names. Absolutely horrendous.I sometimes can’t even remember my actual friends’ names, let alone acquaintances. Curious…what sort of life do you lead now that you can suddenly remember people’s names?
That doesn’t surprise me about this being the second shoe post you’ve read. It is, after all, Shoe Post Thursday.
I was hoping the weird thing #8 would be the shoe in the limo that came to pick you up or that you found it at your place when you got home. And DIY ass statue? That trumps search terms for our site: “how to kill your father and get away with it” as well as “i want to get my nipples pierced”.
First of all, BWAHAHAHA! on your search terms. Brilliant, hahahaha :-D.
Secondly, I WISH that happened. Oh wow, could you imagine? Although at that point I’d have to wonder if someone spiked my 3.5% beer with some crack.
I will be working at that venue on Saturday so I’m VERY curious if the shoe is in the office.
You definitely need to write a story of the shoe. I mean, more than the one you told here. It could become a thing. Like the gnome who travels all over the world. Only maybe it would be the shoe of Stockholm. Or something.
So, what you’re saying is… I should buy more shoes?
😛
Clearly. Do you have enough options to wear with your sale items?
Never.
I actually bought two pairs of shoes on sale last week.
It’s ok though because I had a couple of vacancies as I sold 3 pairs at the flea market a couple of weeks ago.
All kidding aside, I do like your idea though… definitely something to think about.
Love search engine terms. Some of the ones I’ve had seem to be people having conversations with themselves. Three favourites:
“humour in othello”,
“do sheep have tendancies to commit suicide” (their spelling mistake, not mine),
and “the old woman was a mistake perhaps but she’s not the point crime and punishment”.
I’ve also never understood how you lose one shoe. A friend of mine lost one at a house party but didn’t realise she’d lost it til she woke up. How?!
Ok, you’re winning on the search terms. Those are spectacular. So spectacular, I want to write a blog post about all of this things in one. Or perhaps your next screenplay??? (plants seed and moves on.)
Did she sleep at the house, or make it home and then realize? Or realize she lost it and then walk home anyway?
I love alcohol,
Please do, by all means. They’re a story in themselves. What, a dialogue that only consists of search terms? …That could be fun.
From what I remember, she had returned home and when she woke up noticed it was not there. Alcohol is a pesky thing, but wonderful
In the words of a smart man:
To alcohol. The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems. -Homer Simpson
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