Excited, nervous, anxious. These were only a few of the emotions that emanated my body as Eric, Nick, and I drove to Sante Fe to see the Violent Femmes live at Paolo Soleri. We were thirteen years old, and we were ecstatic to see one of our favorite bands in concert. As we approached the venue, the sounds of the opening acts filled our ears and put us in the mood for the concert. Eric’s father had driven us to Sante Fe, and after making sure that we had our tickets, proceeded to the local movie theater to kill time.

As we approached the entrance, I looked down at my ticket and noticed something that caught my attention very quickly. All of the tickets had a number on them in the bottom left corner, and mine was no exception. What did make my ticket stand out was the number itself, 666. I didn’t think much of it, but I figured that it was significant enough to mention to my friends. Both Eric and Nick found it interesting and teased me by saying things like, “Cody, man, it’s a sign. You can’t take this stuff lightly, I guess someone, or something, doesn’t want you here.” But I knew that they were only joking, and although it was kind of eerie, nothing could stop me from seeing that concert.
We entered into the venue, and immediately felt right at home. The Paolo Soleri is like a big bowl, dipping down under the ground with a stage at the bottom. We found seats up front next to a couple of 20-some year old guys and made small talk for a little while. After listening to the mediocre opening bands cover Stevie Ray Vaughn and Robert Johnson songs, the Violent Femmes finally took the stage. By this time the sun was ready to dip below the horizon, giving a beautiful setting for the grand entrance. The Femmes came out with a bang with the magnificent opener, “Kiss Off “.
After about the first five songs, the darkness of night had taken over Sante Fe, and the Femmes were rocking hard. The smell of cigarette smoke and cheap beer filled our nostrils, and we began singing and dancing to all of the songs we knew… and the ones we didn’t know. By the time ten songs had been played, the Violent Femmes were in full force, and the Paolo Solari was literally alive. Looking behind me to the rest of the crowd, everyone was singing and dancing. At this point the two guys next to us were sufficiently drunk, and we all sung and danced together.
After the last song was over and the band left the stage, no one in the audience left. Everyone was cheering as loudly as they could, and that was all it took to get the Femmes back on for an encore. They retook the stage and prepared themselves for one last song. It was one that everyone knew and loved, “Blister in the Sun”. Pure energy filled the venue and it was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I took a moment to look to my right and my left, noticing the smiles on my friends’ face, even through their yelling. And that’s when I realized something. For the first time in my life, I felt infinite. We all felt infinite.
After what seemed like an eternity of bliss, the Femmes said goodnight and exited stage left for good. We said goodbye to our newly formed friends, and met Eric’s dad in the parking lot. We slept the whole way back. The next thing that I remembered was waking up on the floor of Eric’s bedroom. It was already noon, and time to get on with my life. After eating breakfast and thanking Eric’s dad for everything, I walked out of the house, knowing that I had just experienced something special, and that I would remember the previous night forever.