Josh Groban

A few nights ago, the extraordinary singer Josh Groban came to town. To explain how much I enjoy his voice, if he sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” I’m sure it would sound like a masterpiece. So to hear that voice live…well, the day concert tickets went on sale I was ready to secure my spot in the arena. That said, I thought I’d take you through just one event in my life and how it was affected by my PC.

The first part of the event was pain-free. Thanks to the internet, getting the concert tickets was easy.

The day of the show, I’d been pretty busy. So when Dave came home from work, just before I was to be picked up by my concert buddies, he found me lying on my stomach across the bed with my feet sticking up in the air. I was hoping those five or ten minutes with my feet up might earn me some extra walking or standing time later that evening. I also took three “preventative” pain pills.

I probably would have dressed up a little nicer, but since my most comfortable shoes for walking and standing are very casual looking, I elected to wear jeans. I’m sure Josh didn’t mind. I just wanted to explain that it’s the shoes that dictate what clothes I wear – not the opposite.

The sold-out show meant lots and lots of people. I paid extra to get us into a close parking lot. (It was worth every penny.) Still, the walk – and the line into the doors - in 95 degree temperature - was long. By the time we got into the arena, my three pain pills didn’t seem to be working. That’s okay. It was all very exciting and my hot, sweaty feet were just an annoyance I chose to block out.

Our seats were really great. Right on the side, very close to the stage, and only 18 rows up. I was glad to be in the stadium type seats. There were floor seats but as a PCer, I would never want floor seats unless I was on the front row because everyone stands pretty much the whole time at about every concert I’ve ever been to. And at this concert, towards the end, the whole floor pretty much crowded the stage, so I wouldn’t have wanted even front row seats there anyway. I wonder if only a PCer would look at floor seats and feel grateful to not be in them.

The opening show was fantastic. And we all sat. Which was good, because once Josh Groban came on stage for his show, we stood a whole lot more. It was also announced that they had chosen our concert to be the one filmed for a DVD, which made the audience extra hyped. Every time Josh came up on the platform close to our half of the stage, our whole side stood and screamed. Ah, the fun of a concert! I could be this guy’s mother, but even at my age, I’ll cheer for anyone that can sing like that.

Then of course, there were lots of other antics, performances and effects to stand and clap for. By the time we reached some of the encores, I was reaching in my pocket to grab a few more pain pills – based on a vague thought in my mind that I might need them just to make it back to the car. I was also leaning on my upright seat instead of fully standing. But I didn’t mind. I would’ve stayed there all night, just to hear that voice.

When Josh Groban left the stage for good, I finally really thought about my feet. But I was still too excited to care. As soon as we reached the car, my shoes and socks were off and I was rubbing and scratching like crazy, all the while enjoying the rush of exclamations with the others about the incredible performance we’d seen.

The next day was one in which I felt truly blessed not to have to go to work or to school. My feet burned all day. I took some pain pills later that afternoon just to run some simple errands and to get my children places. The day after that, my feet were still on fire. They finally started feeling back to their PC “normal” the following day although they were still mushy and tender.

Okay, so the concert was a two-day commitment. I hadn’t expected that cost. But looking back, I have no regrets. I made a planned choice to participate and enjoy something. My whole life is full of those choices - some on a grander scale than others, and some more spontaneous. Not all events would be worth it. Some I choose to skip. Especially because I have a family to care for, I really can’t do things on a regular basis that will cause even a day’s worth of ramifications. But in this case, I chose the extra pain. The exhilarating sound of Josh Groban’s voice in my ears was enough to sooth the pain in my feet.