"i guess you didn't get pixies tickets, i heard they sold out in 3 minutes!"

this is what i have been hearing since around 10:30 saturday morning. well, let me tell you about one of my greatest days ever...

it is about 6:30 am as i look at my watch, this is also the time i jump out of bed, throw on some clothes and run out the door - i have slept in on the biggest potential music-making day in winnipegs history!

wiping sleep from my eyes, i am screaming down osborne after picking up shane (brother-in-law) as we race towards a little known gem of an outlet to buy tickets - the winnipeg goldeyes stadium. as we arrive, we see 4 "dudes" in line...we approach with caution.

"hi" they say - we reply "hello" all is good. i look at my watch - 7:30, not bad, 5th in line, this should get us tickets...or will it! patrick (my new best friend) and zach have been there since 6:30 am, and this has granted them 1st and 2nd in line. we proceed to make small talk ie. weather, getting tix at this unlikely venue, what song will they lead off the set with. it is all good - for a while. then self-doubt begins to set in as we begin to question whether or not our early morning line up will get us tix. this is the first show of the pixies in 11 years! we had all heard the rumours of people calling from as far away as australia trying to secure tix. but no, we had to be rewarded for our dedication. we all decide we have nothing to worry about - we were going to be alright!

fast forward to 9:55am. dennis, the keeper of the gate/ticket overlord is amazed to see this many people in line for tix. he has never heard of the pixies. 9:59am...1 minute till we find out if we leave with smiles on our faces, or chairs being thrown through windows. 10am...patrick gets 4 seats in the 5th row. zach is next - he gets 4. then 2 guys whose names i forget get their tix. then, sweaty and excited i step up to the gate, cash in hand, i blurt out "4 tickets please". dennis then says to me "sold out". to this i say, rather loudly, "sold out...NO". immediately, the 30 people behind me fall dead silent. i feel really sick - i look at my watch, it reads 10:03:09am. then dennis says "would you like single tix". "YES" is my response. i get 4 single seats - i am beside myself...i am going to see the pixies!!!

i look back in line, shane has been able to secure 3 single seats. then ice bergen steps up - he gets 2 single seats. we all smile at each other. then the guy with the mullet behind glenn gets 1 ticket, he saw them in vancouver at their last performance ever. until now.

we go home happy and sweaty - that was really intense.

the pixies. april 14, 2004. burton cummings theatre. holy shit - i am going to see the pixies!

i'm oot
mark (marls)