h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A lot has changed in the last five years.

As a matter of fact, I always believed that serendipity would be the order of the day when I purchased Pearl Jam tickets, but not so. This time -- unlike a November night in 1997 -- will be completely different.

The night in November 1997 was a magical one. Having arrived at the ticket outlet at 6am the day before tickets went on sale, I was first in line for Pearl Jam tickets. The day passed without much incident, and then the night followed. The assembled crowd were kind, friendly people who all loved the band to varying degrees, and it seemed that no one could do any wrong. We played Pictionary (which is far better at 4am when everyone's tired and cannot think straight), a strange variant of soccer using a frisbee, and set the event in stone-- er, wood, when we carved our names into a nearby table.

The first change, then, is that this table has been removed. An even bigger change is that when we line up for Pearl Jam tickets (they go on sale in another five days), we won't be doing the 'all-nighter' routine. This is because we will already have some tickets at this stage.

In fact, we will have tickets four days before they officially go on sale. This is because of the wondrous advent of online purchasing -- the ticket outlet will be releasing a limited number of "presale" tickets for their subscribers. So tomorrow morning, my friend and I will be up extra-early to send his credit-card details as binary impulses down the telephone lines, in the hope of getting some of these presale tickets.

I will still be lining up for tickets in five days, but it won't be the same as it was five years ago. Back in '97, I was with a huge group of friends. Not this time. Also, if there is a lineup, I shan't be at the start, because I will already have tickets to that show. So I will only be there in the hope of getting tickets to the second show that will surely be announced later that morning. Hey, don't give me that look -- this is Pearl Jam we're talking about. They always sell out quickly.

In a way, I'm saddened. That night out in '97 was so fun and exhilerating -- modern technology has seen to it that I shall bypass a similar experience this time. One could argue that it has made my life easier, but I disagree. A lot of effort has gone into this: precise planning; money arranged; phone calls; it just keeps going on and on. In fact, we're fairly confident that we have left no stone unturned, have covered every possibility, and left no margin for error. Our contingency plan is very loose, and does include a small amount of panicking (with or without the arbitrary flapping of limbs -- it's down to personal preference), but my confidence is high. It should be, after all the planning we went to. Isn't it nice how modern technological conveniences have made life easier?