The 10, 25, and 50 meter Concert Dash

The precious memories of seemingly inconsequential moments in life.

Concert venue at Basilica di Massenzio

There was a time, so many years ago, when as a kid what one could or did do was simply to follow your parents, or maybe just simply tagging along. Summer, and particularly September were perfect times for classical music lovers with a multitude of concerts, all in abundance, all taking advantage of Rome's many historical venues. With the warm months many would be outside in beautiful courtyards or perhaps amongst Roman ruins. Others were in century old churches, both large and small. Some concerts had tickets, others maybe were even free, but it was an era where few had reserved or numbered seating. A first come first served approach. Imagine that - how fitting since queuing in a line was still an alien concept for the Italian mindset.

In the end it was always Mom who took care of everything. She would rummage through the newspapers to find small print on concert venues, programs, and time. Dad only had to drive, and while he did the actual parking, where to park was still Mom's decision. There was always this kind of hurried rush to leave home for the venue. As a tag along I suppose I just thought it was the best exciting thing I could do as a kid, but I never complained. The ritual was almost a repeat every time. Before Dad could be done parking, Mom would already be out of the car and on her way to the ticket booth. I was there in step with her. Her pace varied depending on what she could make of the crowd. Ticketing was a real thing. No such thing as online or booking. Maybe some complimentary tickets, but that wasn't for us. The scene at the ticket booth was the same as at the daily food market. No line, just a crowd of people jostling their way to get their tickets. It was just a ticket. No number, no sequence. I could never figure out the need to get them quickly as the real trick was a the entrance.

Anyways, once she had the tickets in hand, Dad had finally caught up and so we made our way to the next crowd at the entrance. Since the tickets were only for a section, it was useful to have been to the venue before to know the layout and the seats one wanted. the magic happened the moment we passed the ticket entrance. Mom would make a beeline for the seats she wanted and she didn't waste time, almost in a run to past others walking at a brisk pace. She had bags and other things ready to drop on to three seats to define her territory.

As a kid, seeing an adult making a dash for just a seat, I was a little embarrassed. It wasn't funny at all. Or maybe I thought all these folks angling for a spot to be a little mad. But then again, in a world where queuing didn't exist, and common courtesy went out the window quite quickly if you were going to lose a good opportunity, in the end it just didn't seem out character.

How many times this happen I never kept count. It was just part of the routine.

Fast forward to today, many years later. Rome still has concerts in many exclusive venues although perhaps are no longer possible due to historical conservation consideration, most can be ticketed online, and many have both reserved and non-reserved seating, it just depends on you pockets. Occasionally though there are concerts that have a single pricing and entrance is just a tad earlier so one can take the seating on availability basis.

One we recently went to was held in the courtyard garden of the Etruscan museum in Rome at Villa Giulia. It probably could hold a good number of concert goers but it was an open seating with the option of either online ticketing and at the ticket booth. We had ours online to avoid "a queue" and we got there at the presumed early entrance time.

There were about 20 people standing around nearby the entrance of the museum and only 2 people at the actual entrance who apparently were asking for information. Seeing this you would think the folks were just waiting around and that entry for the concert wasn't possible yet. Anyways I went to the entrance and to the follow who seemed to be in charge, I showed my online ticket and asked if this was the entry. He indicated the it would be behind him when they gave the go. I could see the courtyard and apparently sound check was still in progress. Although it was going to be a few minutes, I remained firmly planted at the entrance. Soon enough a crowd of people formed behind me.

Standing there with little to do other than tapping my foot, my mind begins to form thoughts and moments from the past would be triggered. The memories came back and I smiled. I knew that the moment they checked my ticket and let me in, I would make for the seats I had already figured out would give me the best view of the cellist, and one get there as quickly as I could manage. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Standing there, nonetheless, the moments passed by slowly, and so I could only feel the heartache of what I would give to relive all those moments with Mom and Dad getting to a concert and the rituals of getting a seat. How those moments take on a different meaning as your perspective changes.

Quartet at Villa Giulia Etruscan Museum