u/_pitchdark

Booked a site, weather was clear excluding a 10% chance of light precipitation on our 2nd night. Night 1 was nice, and during the day on day 2 the weather was fantastic. Breakfast, hiking, photography, great food etc. just past dinner, I get an alert on my phone for severe thunderstorms in my area starting in 5 minutes. WTF. It was blue skies and warm.

Well about 10 minutes passed and the sky was dark and thunder was rolling. Started to pack away what we could, get everything secure and covered. Too late. 60 mph winds, hail, and torrential rain hit us. As I was trying to get the rear window of the tent zipped up, a massive tree branch came down and essentially sliced our tarp and tent in half. About 4 inches from my head. Happened so quick it felt like I blinked and my brand new tent was gone. Just bought it a few days ago. Just glad I’m not in the hospital right now tbh.

Needless to say camp trip was over, had to pack everything up in the rain and zoom out. Wife freaked out a bit. Out about $400. Super bummed, trying to stay positive but…easier said than done.

My wife and I saw the show last night in Philly. It was a dream come true. One of the coolest things we’ve ever done, by far. Don’t think I stopped smiling once during entire concert!

I got into St. Vincent right before Actor came out, so the Marry Me album holds a special place in my heart as what got me started on listening to Annie’s music when I was a teenager. I can’t believe we got some deep cuts and she played a few of those songs last night- Paris Is Burning was the highlight for me.

I left the US in 2013 and didn’t come back for a decade. That was right around the time she exploded in popularity with her self-titled album, which became the soundtrack of my life as I found myself in a new country, having left my old life behind. Got me through some difficult times, and that album still reminds me of that time in my life. Of course she finally toured where I previously lived but I was gone. Seemed like I always just missed her- when I finally returned to the US she actually played a show in the country I had been living in just after that.

This concert was 18 years in the making for me, and it was worth the wait. Thank you Annie for an unforgettable experience.