Hey, this really is the champagne of beers!

It's Sunday afternoon, and I am recovering from what just may have been the Best Weekend Ever. It's possible that is was merely a good weekend that seemed much better in comparison to the weekends I've been having lately.
Four of my very good friends from back home came down to visit, for the first time since I moved here last year. While they were on the road, i made trips to the liquor store to stock up for the weekend. Yes, I had to make two trips. We required copious amounts of beer. On the second trip I ran into Pete, who's been attending NU all year, and somehow I hadn't been hanging out with him. I took him back to the dorm with me, and the six of us enjoyed a red sox game and a lot of beer. Don't get me wrong here; I'm not trying to suggest that alcohol is the mandatory ingredient for a crazy party. It's all about the company. I had more fun that night, just hanging out with these guys, than I have all year with the people around here. I've known these guys forever, and it makes a real difference in the comfort level we have around each other. Plus they really know how to have fun. The highlight had to be Ben scrutinizing his can of Miller High Life, only to finally exclaim "Hey! This really is the champagne of beers!"
On Saturday we went down to the Prudential center for lunch, then walked down Newbury St. They had never been there, so we hit the highlights: Newbury comics, the army barracks, and of course Condom World. That night we piled into the car and headed for Providence for the concert. The show was at the Dunkin' Donuts center. They actually serve Dunkie's at the concession stands.
Our tickets had seat numbers on them, which was weird, because every rock show I've ever been to has general admission seating, and most people are standing down on the floor anyway. So we just headed down to the floor, but the security guy told us we had to sit in the seats listed on our tickets. Some people had floor tickets, and they had bracelets. Our seats were up in nosebleed territory, so we just took some good seats up front. If someone showed up to claim them, we'd move over a little. We figured when the show started everyone would just head for the floor. It didn't happen during the opening band, which was too mellow and didn't really fit the bill. When Jimmy Eat world started playing, people started trying to make a break for it. They just tried getting lost in the crowd, but the bouncers were everywhere. They were fast, mean, and they had flashlights. So for the entire set we were up in seats that didn't belong to us. They played an incredible set though. I know a lot of people just dismiss them as the band that sang The Middle, but they are an incredible band. Their latest album came with a second disc of alternate versions of the songs on disc one, with liner notes regarding the changes made to each one. Their songs are extremely well-crafted, and they're not afraid to launch into a seven-minute ballad at a rock show. That set transcended the suckiness of not being on the floor.
Then Taking Back Sunday took the stage. The number of people trying to sneak out there was increasing, but so was the number of security personnel. About halfway through the set, it happened. I knew it would, and I wish it had happened earlier. But people started rushing out there in droves. For the first time all night, security couldn't get them all. It looked like they were considering giving up. Naturally, we went for it. Full speed, right over the wall. One of the bouncers got a big, meaty hand on me. I pulled away, and sped to the safety of the mass of humanity that was the crowd. I was home free. I've seen this band twice before, but this was hands down their best performance. Those of us that had been in the seats now made up over half of the audience on the floor. We had a lot of pent-up energy, and it made for an unbelievable experience.
It all added up to the best weekend I've had in a long time.