ShamrockFest 2009

Last Saturday I went to my first ShamrockFest, and boy was it a blast.

TB and I met up with RB, DB, and CA in Bethesda and had lunch at Cosi before hopping on the Metro to go to RFK Stadium.  We got there about 15 minutes before the gates opened, and the lines were already pretty long.  What was funny is that the line for the VIP entrance was way longer than the other one.  It made me wonder just how limited the VIP tickets really are.  Then again, I got to buy VIP tickets at one of the lower prices so I really cant complain about that eh?

We got in, got our mugs, and immediately headed over to get the beer.  Luckily even though Budweiser was a sponsor, Bud was not our only choices, I was able to stick with Bass and a local brewing company that had "Shamrock Ale"  It had a familiar taste, but I couldn't place my finger on which brand of beer it was.

Despite the cold and rain of the day, there were still a lot of good performances to watch.   A lot of U2 songs and Irish themed songs were played.  The only band I was really there to see was Mr. Greengenes, and they rocked as usual.  TB really got into them so I'll have to keep an eye on their schedule to see when they're in town.

Between sets on various stages, we all hung together and chatted about various things throughout the day, including comments on some of the crazy clothing that other folks were wearing.  I can't really talk though as I had on a bit of a provocative shirt as well, but it was found to be funny, so it worked out nicely.  Only one or two people didn't necessarily get it, others asked where they could get one like it, I told them I made it myself, which I had.  DB had thought about getting CA a shirt that says "Fuck Me I'm Irish" but couldn't find it in her size in time.  Then we saw that a number of people were wearing them at the festival so in a way it was better that she didn't look like a whole bunch of other people.

The booths were fun to explore as well, I ended up picking up a silver Celtic Cross and TB got a silver shamrock to wear.  We also got a few biz cards of other businesses that looked like fun to talk to later.  There was a leather journal that was beautifully ornamented, but the leather was dyed hot pink...not really my color, or RB's color either.  Perhaps one can be found in that same pattern, but in a dark blue or dark purple.

Eventually as the day wore on and the sun went down, it started to get cold due to the rain.  TB and DB took off a bit early to head back to Bethesda and wait for the rest of us because we wanted to see Flogging Molly.  Well about 30 minutes after they were supposed to start, we gave up and walked to Metro as well.  We rolled back into Bethesda and met the others at Harp and Fiddle in Bethesda for a drink and a quick bite.  Eventually it was time to get home, considering it was about 11 PM when all was said and done.

Overall it was a blast of a day.  If it had been warmer I would have stayed longer, but it's how it goes.  TB enjoyed himself and we both enjoyed hanging out with our friends.  They like him, so it's a good sign ;-)  I definitely plan on doing it again next year.