Marc Von Ahnen

Mar 27, 20196 min read

Boston Part 2

Sunday

Alright, I am single dude on my own in Boston. What would any guy do? Get a doughnut and go to the aquarium? Of course!

I got a ride to Blackbird Doughnuts and ordered 3, a classic sprinkle doughnuts, a mint cookie, and because I was in Boston a Boston Cream Pie Doughnut. This proved to be a mistake because they were less doughnuts and more individual cakes. I could only finish off two of them.

Now I am hopped up on sugar and coffee and it's time to see some exotic fish!

I'm going to highlight some of my favorite exhibits I saw instead of doing a step by step walk through of the aquarium.

If you know me you have to know that the shark exhibit is going to be near the top!

They had sharks, not real ones, hanging from the ceiling. This is how I plan to decorate my house after the vampire shark because a merchandising juggernaut.

Also, Boston has some real rock stars when it comes to sharks. Only missing a bull, hammerhead and tiger shark.

They had a tank with a giant octopus and small Hammerhead shark

But the exhibit that really excited me was the Electric Ell! The aquarium had a meter at the top that would click and light up depending on what the ell was doing and what kind of charge it was using. The abilities that animals have are so unbelievable to me and it was exhilarating actually seeing them in action.

Wouldn't it be crazy if someone wrote a story where animals like this became vampires.... HMMMM. Check out the vampire shark comics in my store.

They also had an exhibit of local fresh water fish but I don't care about those guys so I just flipped them off and kept walking.

I had a blast at the aquarium and was extremely happy I went. I don't know anyone that would be up for a trip to an aquarium with me. This is why I am such a big proponent of traveling by yourself, you can make the entire itinerary. It's an excuse to be 100% selfish.

DROP KICK MURPHYS!!!

Seeing Drop Kick Muprhys in Boston on Saint Patrick's Day has been a bucket list event for me for many years. I have been talking to friends trying to get something lined up but it always feel through. This year, after selling my house, I had some money sitting in an account and figured screw it! I am going. So without hesitation I bought my concert ticket and plane tickets to Boston.

I have seen them twice before, once in Des Moines where I claimed that they were the best live show I had ever seen and then the same year in San Francisco where they opened for Rancid.

They were playing at the House of Blues, which is right across the street from Fenway Park. I wanted to do a little pregaming and found Bills Bar just down the street. According to my research that building had been there for a long time and was pretty historic.

A guy working here complemented me on my chops, it was like a padawan getting a compliment from a Jedi Master. I asked "this place has been here for a long time, right?" Yeah he said, about 9 years! That is historic.

I had a beer and captain and coke and decided it was time to go get in line for the show. The line was already down the street but I had no plans of getting right next to the stage so I was content with standing in the back.

As I waited in line a group of dudes came up behind me, I do not know how I became part of their conversation but with in seconds it was lets hang out all night! Here's a thing about traveling, people ask where you are from and I say Des Moines and the response is either "Do you know Corey Taylor?" Yes by the way, Des Moines is just us two living in a tent. Or where is Des Moines? Iowa. Where is Iowa? It's about 5 hours from Chicago. Oh cool city. It got to a point where I would just tell people I live outside of Chicago.

These guys were super cool though, and Dillion was wearing a sweet Rancid flannel shirt!

Once beers were in hand we gathered around and discussed Big Lewboski until I slowly backed into another dude. This guy was also awesome and even though he said I didn't owe him a drink I bought him a beer and we kept quoting Lewboski and I told them that Iowa has a Lewboski themed restaurant...that needs a comedy show!

Our group pushed forward a little bit and Dillion I noticed this killer mohawk making its way through the crowd like a shark fin through water. The two us ran to him and demanded a picture.

The only opening act I was able to pay attention to was Lenny Lashley's Gang of One I was impressed, they had a kind of folk punk vibe, and definitely plan to follow him in the future. During this set two of our group disappeared into the crowd and left Dillion and I alone in the back.

The excitement really began to build when Drop Kick's team began to set the stage. At one point a guy came out to test the guitars and played the iconic opening to Shipping up to Boston and the crowed erupted.

Before you know it the lights went down, the crowd cheered as the men of the hour finally took the stage.

One of their first songs was one of my favorite Drop Kick Muprhys songs The Boys Are Back! A song tailor made to scream while you jump up and down while pumping your fists!

For the entire show the crowd jumped, danced and crawled on top of people. I know a lot of bands love to "bring the people into the show" but I have never seen anyone do it to the level that Drop Kick Murphys does. The lead singer would toss his mic out into the crowd so fans could sing along and even brought a couple people up on stage with him.

It was a killer show and finally they played Rose Tattoo and said "Good night and left the stage.

I was of course onto their tricks, I had a feeling they wold be back for some kind of encoure. So I grabbed Dillion and said we needed to make our way closer to the stage. Drop Kick Murpy's do the wildest thing I have ever seen at a live show. During their last two songs they begin to reach out and pull people in the audience out of the crowd on the stage with them. It's sort of insane and I am surprised they are even able to do it but it is so cool.

And during the song Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced, one of my personal favorites, they began to grab people and bring them up. It seemed to be mostly women which made sense because this song is all about apologizing for being a crappy dude who lies to women.

The next song they reached for anybody but stupidly I backed away from the from the front, plus I didn't know if I could get onto the stage, I didn't want to embarrass myself when my fat butt floundered and kept trying jump onto the stage and eventually left in tears.

As I stood watching a got a poke in the back, it was a drop dead blond who needed my help to get on to stage. I know you think I live this rock star life where women throw themselves to me but you're wrong so if I woman tells me "I need your body." I am going to say "YES!!!!!!!!"

We lifted her up and she made her way to the stage but they had reached maximum capacity and couldn't get up there.

I ended up losing all my friends after the show and wondered to a cart that sold sausages. I got one sausage and one cake and that cost me $20. I feel like I was ripped off but I didn't really care at that moment. As I said this was a total bucket list trip and it didn't disappoint in the least! I loved the show, I made new friends, I fell in the love with this city, I got to see a hammerhead shark and I got ripped off buying a sausage. My bucket list now has "Get Back to Boston" on it!

Crazy post script. The next day on my way to check out I shared an elevator with the parents of a Drop Kick Murpys band member! I almost asked for an autograph but who gets autographs of a famous persons mom and dad? I should have.