It was the 22nd of February, 2014. We had tickets to see Eddie Vedder at the Concert Hall in QPAC. We decided to leave in the afternoon to have a bit of time to spend before going to the show.

It was about 7 hours before the show when we found out, much to our surprise, that the delightful Glen Hansard would be performing before (and with) Eddie at his show. Being a long-time fan of his and having never had the chance to see him perform before, I was excited. We got the two-for-one deal. This was the moment the anticipation really started to build.

Six hours until the show, we left for Brisbane. After some minor navigational difficulty, we arrived with time spare to hang out. Five hours left.

After an appropriate amount of hanging out, we decided to find somewhere nearby to grab a quick dinner before heading to the show. Two hours.

We walked for a little while before deciding on a Chinese food place and sat down for dinner. Dumplings and beef if you were interested to know. One and a half hours.

Time swept by, each minute passing multiplying the anticipation, both for the food and the show. One hour. Still no food. We were growing nervous, wondering if the food would come out soon so we would have time enough to eat, walk back to where we parked, drive to the venue, find a park and get to our seats.

After almost an hour of waiting, the food finally arrived. It wasn’t great and it was eaten with much haste, but it would do. 40 minutes.

Shortly after, we left and power-walked back, checking our watches every few minutes, wondering if we were going to make it. We got to the car. 25 minutes. We knew we might just make it if we could find our way to the venue without delay and without taking a wrong turn. One wrong move and it was all over. 20 minutes. We drove, and we drove, as time relentlessly moved forward. 15 minutes.

We could see QPAC. 10 minutes. We came to the parking area, relieved that we had made it… until…

“P1 – FULL”. Dread. Panic. Disbelief. 8 minutes.

Wait! There’s a second parking area! Go, go, go! It’s not full! 7 minutes. Find a park! That’ll do! 6 minutes.

We parked, then we raced – it would still take a few minutes to get there from the parking area. 5 minutes. We’re almost there…

Three and a half hours later, we were in the car, heading home. Our socks had been thoroughly rocked. Glen was better than I could have hoped and Eddie was great too. They played a long, intimate and enjoyable show (though, inevitably there was a super-annoying person in front of us). But it was great, and now the anticipation starts all over again for when I get to see the show again on Tuesday night.

This time, we’re getting there early.