I already wrote this post and then I hit Command W on the wrong window and lost everything. Sometimes I wish Firefox asked a user, “Are you sure you want to do this?” Ah well.

So, yeah, this post was written once before and we’ll see how well my memory does the second time around. Chances are, this will be the shorter version.

We went to 10 F*@CKING Years last night at Irving Plaza. I remember back in the day when cameras weren’t allowed inside any venue. Thank goodness for the good ol’ cell phone explosion, that’s no longer the case. Tobyjoe and I were able to get in with not one, but two D200s. We snapped some images while we were there.

The Mountain Goats were incredible. They always are (for me). I got to hear This Year and No Children as well as Dance Music. I hadn’t ever heard those particular songs live before. At one point, the whole upper level seemed to explode into song.

“I AM GONNA MAKE IT

THROUGH THIS YEAR.

IF IT KILLS ME.”

I can’t remember if it was Heather or Anna who said, “You know, I think it’s chemically impossible to NOT like that song.” Either way, it’s true. And if you haven’t heard it yet, go get it on iTunes. It’ll be the best 99 cents you ever spent. :]

Clem Snide played as well. I hadn’t ever heard him (them?) before last night. I was really quite into it. I plan on downloading some stuff today.

Jon Stewart did not make a stage appearance, which annoyed not only me but others as well. Someone screamed out, “I WANT MY MONEY BACK, JON!” when the projection screen dropped from the ceiling right before Superchunk came on. The thing is, I’m pretty sure he was there but in disguise. One of his correspondents did a bit in the VIP section and a random crowd member joined in. The “random crowd” member wore a wig, which covered his face entirely. The more he spoke, the more I was sure it was Mr. Stewart. But I am not positive.

Either way, I was a little annoyed that he didn’t take part in a party celebrating 10 years of his show. I’m hoping he had really important business to take care of elsewhere.

But Samantha Bee was there as was John Hodgeman and the cute, super funny British guy. It seemed like everyone funny was in the VIP balcony last night.

Overall, we had a great time. I must admit, I was really only there because of The Mountain Goats. I just can’t get enough of them. A lot of people were there just for Superchunk.

The strangest part of the evening took place on a photograph that Tobyjoe accidentally got while shooting the sound booth’s TV screens. He was metering off of the sound guy’s cell phone, which was the lightest part of the shot. He got this picture.

Here is a zoom:

I almost didn’t put the picture up because it feels too personal and real and sad. I asked Tobyjoe what he thought as it humbled the both of us immediately. We stumbled on something that we weren’t meant to see and now I’m putting it up for others who aren’t meant to see it. And I’m not sure how I feel about that. I, of course, ran with it. I had all sorts of thoughts about what was happening to Andrea. (Had he broken up with her on a cell phone? Did he break up with her before and she was writing to work things out? Did he tell her that her boyfriend or husband was cheating on her? What was their story? Why was I being so nosey?)

I was wrong about the length of this post. The second version is much, much longer than its practice run. I’m sorry about that. Rest assured, there is much more from last night that I didn’t write down. In the end, the event brought out a lot of laughter but a bit of sorrow as well. And at one point I actually cried during the song Game Shows Touch Our Lives. And even though I got to see my beloved Mountain Goats somehow my thoughts today keep coming back to Andrea.

”People say friends don’t destroy one another. What do they know about friends.”