She said, "LIFE SUCKS"!

“Everybody in Baldwin County Hates me”....she screamed as they escorted her out!

Last night my son played one of our favorite venues in Baldwin County. I always get an exhilarated spirit as we approach this venue; I was certain this would be a stellar night. It is a place that is a listening room type venue where everyone is there to listen and enjoy the music. Talking is kept to a minimum and the crowd is always respectful to the performer.

We arrived there with about 45 minutes to spare before the show began. We visited with the owner and his patrons who were also anxiously looking forward to the night and the crowd. I took a sip of diet coke and envisioned the fun ahead.

The show was filled with great music, a very responsive capacity crowd, roars of applause and laughter and one very miserable, angry, unhappy young lady.

Eric played several of his original songs, and some covers that he had recently added to his show. The crowd was really enjoying the performance and calling out requests right and left. At any given moment people would be asking for James Taylor tunes, or Eric’s originals or Dr. Dre; it was a wide spectrum of choices and craziness of a crowd that was there to enjoy themselves.

The show was about 3/4 over when this  young lady came in and she sort of scooted someone else over on one of the benches down front, so that she could sit down. She was about 25 years old, slim, blonde, attractive but unkempt. Her hair was half up and half down and to me, she fit the description of "rode hard and put up wet!" She had a strange, brooding anger about her unlike anyone I had previously seen.

Suddenly this newly arriving young woman screamed out, “Play something depressing, I only want bad, sad and depressing stuff!” Everyone was still and quiet as she continued, “My Life SUCKS!” she yelled to the top of her lungs. My son tried to play it off and said something like, “Ok, so let’s play something happy”. She said, “F-ck that, I want something depressing like me”  I noticed at that time, she was sweating profusely and appeared angry.

Eric played a cute little song that is really fun, but the subject matter is depressing, it is called “We’re having a funeral!” When he finished this same angry lady said, “Hell, that ain’t depressing, I want something really down”. She then added, “I left here and moved to California, they hated me, now I am back and everyone in Baldwin County Hates ME!” 

It was not long after that when the show was over, she immediately ran up, grabbed Eric’s microphone and said, “F-ck life and all of you!” At that same moment a gentleman who had tried to calm her earlier, escorted her out of the place.

I was saddened by her sadness. It made me think about something I had learned many years ago in a class that was taught in Parsippany, New Jersey. This facilitator said, “You can change jobs, change spouses, change locations, but no matter where you go, there YOU are!” 

That was a great class and a great life lesson that told me “No matter where you go, or what you do...in order to be happy, the change must come from within.

I hope this young lady has sobered today and has a clear head and a softer heart because she was a poster child for MISERY last night.