Easter in Indy.

We hadn’t planned on being in Indianapolis on Easter Sunday. Nor had we anticipated that the city would be burning with Final Four fever. The nearby Butler Bulldogs made it to the big dance so naturally the streets were alive with the sounds of barks and beer glasses clanking. Couple these celebratory cacophonies with the condemning cantor of some Easter day street preachers and you easily had a very entertaining jaunt through downtown. Aimee and I attempted to capitalize on the pedestrian traffic by dragging the cajon and a guitar through the busy streets. We made a few bucks for food, but nothing warranting a deposit. Had we played longer I believe we could have done quite well but we had engagements to attend. Our friend Adam Cappa was relishing his homecoming after having been out of his home state for nearly two months. He called up some of his buddies who’d act as our Indianapolis hook-ups for the day.
We parked our 40-foot RV in the heart of downtown, directly across the street from Conseco Fieldhouse. I’d noticed on a billboard that the Pacers were playing a home game that night and that I’d sure like to go to a game. Little did I know that Adam had a friend on the inside, a seat-coordinator in fact, who would pull some strings, pay back a favor and let us into the game gratis. Not only did we get into the game but we received access into the “Legends Lounge” and watched the game from a VIP section reserved for those willing to fork out $130 for entrance. This lounge served dinner, beer, wine, and dessert all for free. We watched the Pacers destroy the Houston Rockets, which no one in the group really cared about as the chicken tenders really seemed to steal the hearts of our crew. After indulging on the freebies we took off quickly to enjoy another event. In celebration of March madness the city of Indianapolis hosted a free concert featuring LL Cool J and the Goo Goo Dolls. We high-tailed it to the stage and maneuvered our way through the rambunctious crowd to get a better look at these seasoned rockers. We missed LL Cool J’s set much to the dismay of not a single person in our group and excitedly watched the aged Dolls rock the crowd with hit after 90’s hit. I had forgotten how many of their songs I actually knew and I sang myself hoarse on the chorus of “Iris”.
Our day and night in Indianapolis was a HUGE pick-me-up for the morale of our group and so with our reserves of energy and excitement replenished we journeyed through the night en route to Chicago.