Friday, I took a trip out to Columbus, Ohio to attend my first They Might Be Giants show, and my first show in general. My boyfriend, Finn, got me the tickets for Christmas and we'd been anticipating this trip since then. My family isn't big on travel, so I'd actually never been to Columbus before. Finn had, so our initial plan was to skip school that day and have his older sisters drive us there in the morning so we'd get to experience the various attractions the city has to offer before the show. What we didn't know until a few nights before was that one of his sisters had an exam for college, so our day-trip plan fell through. We ended up just leaving school an hour early for the day so they could pick us up and go straight there. We wanted to get to Columbus as early as possible so we could at least get some food before the show. So, before school I sent a note to the office, and at 2pm I met Finn in the hallway so we could get going.
Before we really went, we had to stop at my house to pick up some things (snacks, insulin for my feeble diabetic body, money) we'd be bringing. My grandma was freaking out, telling me not to "do any pot" or get into any trouble, and I had to clarify, "Grandma, we're going to a They Might Be Giants show." After that, we stopped at Finn's sisters' apartment because they needed to pick some things up too, and we were officially on the road.
The car ride there was filled with drama, suspense, and lots and lots of Taylor Swift. I mean that's all they played the whole ride there. I don't consider myself a Swiftie, but her music is decent. Finn decided to order some pizza from a resturaunt a few minutes away from the venue, and when we eventually got to Colombus after 2 1/2 hours, we headed straight there.
When I tell you this was the best pizza I've ever eaten, I'm not lying. It was amazing. Harvest Pizzeria in Columbus, not sponsored I promise but if you're ever in the area you have to check it out. After we ate, we were off to the venue. We were dropped off (Finn's sisters weren't going to the show with us) and lined up outside the building like everyone else. We got there about 30 minutes before the doors opened. We were given armbands to indicate that we were under 21. Eventually, they let us in.
The pre-show mix was blasting as people filled in. We got there early enough to actually choose where we'd be, so we decided to go with seats instead of standing in the pit. The seats at this particular venue were old and wooden and rather narrow. This venue was a very old theater with old-timey balconies and everything. We waited for about an hour, which was fine. We got to watch a bit of the livestream of the "orchestra rock" concert being held at our school that night, which was funny. I was AMPED at this point, it had sort of hit me that we were actually seeing TMBG. At 8pm, the lights went out, people started cheering, and the band entered the stage.
I don't remember every detail, so here's a link to the setlist that was published on TMBW (the TMBG wiki). But the show was absolutley amazing! My favorite songs were probably "The Darlings of Lumberland" or "Damn Good Times", and of course "Birdhouse In Your Soul". Some of my personal favorite moments were John Linnell saying "Take that, nepo baby", John Flansburgh talking about ChatGPT, and the super long and super awesome trumpet solo at the end of "Istanbul". Overall, it was epic. I also got 2 t-shirts courtesy of Finn.
After the show was over, everyone shuffled out of the theater and Finn and I waited outside for his sisters. They were a little late. But when they came, we took home one of their friends and made a pit stop at Sheetz. I actually just learned recently that Sheetz is a full-on fast food joint. Then, it was back to the apartment. I fell asleep for a little on the way home, which usually doesn't happen, but when I woke up we were just about home and it was 2:00am.
It was a long day, but it was more than worth it. What an awesome first show and awesome first time in Columbus!