Do you remember the 90's?

It's odd to be nostalgic for a decade that ended so recently. Do you remember the 90's? Those halcyon days when flannel was cool, Starbucks had yet to take over every street block, and the idea of Governor Schwartzenegger was a bad movie plot rather than a reality.

Like many things in my life, the story begins with an impulse. I was listening to my Zillion (my ghetto Korean mp3 player) on my way to work and I started tearing when I heard the lyrics to the Gin Blossoms' song "29." This incident led me to do some internet searching on the Gin Blossoms and subsequently led me to buy tickets for their concert in Gilford, NH.

Luckily for me, V was willing to be my partner in crime for this adventure back to past. I rented a white Dodge Neon and picked her up for our 100 mile trip to the middle of New Hampshire, a region that is suited for this time travel experience. We drove to the Meadowbrook Musical Arts Center taking the this route: I-93 North, to exit 20, took 3 North through Tilton, continued until "the end of the road," turned left, and went down a dirt path to the venue.

We arrived an hour early, so we took our time finding our spot on the lawn. We laid down a garbage bag to avoid any ground wetness. While it had been scorching hot all afternoon, the overcast sky provided welcomed shadows from the sun.

The Gin Blossoms took the stage promptly at 7:30pm. Even with a new singer, they sounded just as if they were playing on my radio. Their first song "Lost Horizons" is one of my favorites and besides some initial microphone problems sounded decent. As they got to playing their new stuff, I felt a big plop on my thigh. The 50% chance of showers turned into a 100% downpour . At first, I tried to wrap myself in one of the black plastic garbage bags, but I gave up. V hunkered down in her rain jacket. I was so wet that I gave up completely, stood up, and started jumping around. Soon the ground got so wet, V stood up too. The kids next to us were dancing in the rain taking pictures with their phone, while two men in lawnchairs sat quietly with their oversized golf umbrellas. By the time the Gin Blossoms finished with their new material and got to "Hey Jealousy," most of the lawn had cleared out leaving those of us dancing around alone.

The intermission was about 30 minutes. V bought some hot chocolate. We huddled in booth for New Hampshire technical colleges. Not that staying dry really made much of a difference, but it was warmer under the lights. We returned to lawn just in time to see Collective Soul take the stage.

I remember thinking that Collective Soul was good, but not a reason to drive a 100 miles. I was completely blown away by their performance. The lead singer Ed Roland strutted, jumped, danced on stage in his women's (European according to V) blue jeans and a tight buttoned down patterned white shirt. And of course, he sounded great. They all sounded great. The lead guitarist was little man who was jamming in his little corner. The drummer was rockin' out for every song. Even the bassist got the crowd going. And last but not least, my future husband, Dean Roland, played rhythm guitar and keyboard oozed coolness. The energy emanating from the stage was high and the band seemed as if they were having fun entertaining us.

During their 3rd song, "Precious Declaration," two guys came up to us and said "Hey, Do you want these backstage passes? We are taking off and thought someone out here in the rain could use them."

We thanked them and made our way to the concert floor. We were not bold enough to try to go backstage. The badges were barely ledgible and all of the stickiness left the backing. However we did stay warm and relatively dry listening to the band play 20 feet from us. V said, " I didn't know this was their song. I guess I know a lot more of their music than I thought."

Even their new material was good. In our new position, I had great view of the future Mr. Evil Twin #1, doing his thing. He smiled our way a couple of times. We did have an annoying 12 year-old boy who kept yelling "Shine" in a shrilly voice, but that was really the only bad thing about the new place. When the band left the stage, the audience hooted and hollered for an encore. When the band came back, a security guard approached V and me, and asked us to please move to right in front of the stage. We got so close we were being rained on by the band's sweat. At first we did not understand what was going on, but then we realized that we were in the midst a sea of women. Most of them were scantily clad overweight white women. Collective Soul ended the night with "Shine." I wanted to mosh, but the crowd around me would not have appreciated it. So I settled for banging my head around with my hands in the air and stomping my foot. I almost rushed for the stage when Dean threw out a pick.

We never attempted to make our way backstage. So Dean if you ever read this, "until next time." Instead we changed our clothes for dry ones in the car, and drove back to Boston in the starless moonless night.

Do you remember the 90's? Those halcyon days when you sang along to "Hey Jealousy" at the top of your lungs, danced in the rain with your friends, and rushed Collective Soul's stage. I remember it as if it were yesterday.