I can see your cod piece from here!

By a stroke of per luck, I was able to see Eddie Izzard perform last night at a very small venue, only 4 rows back from the stage.  

By all accounts, the night wasn't going well from the start.  I had popped into the Harp to give Kevin my camera for the show.  He had bought two tickets earlier with the intent on bringing a date.  His date couldn't make it and to make matters worse, he got pulled over and given a ticket for driving while talking on cell phone.  The call, of course, was the one I had placed to him asking him if he wanted me to drop off the camera.   He had decided that fate was against him at this point and was thinking about not going at all.  With several pushes from the Harp peanut gallery, he changed his mind and also asked if I wanted to go with...with the precursor that I drive.   Hell yeah, I'll drive.

Kevin had brought this show up to me earlier that day.  It was a benefit show held at the EchoPlex for $25.  It wasn't even advertised except for on the benefit's web page.   I had asked Andy if he was interested, but he was working late so I didn't bother to pursue it further, especially since we're seeing him in January.

So Kevin and I take off around 6:00 PM with the knowledge that the show starts at 7.   The EchoPlex is only technically 40 miles away, but it's Los Angeles, it's rush hour, and it's raining.   Los Angelians may know how to scorn a fashion mishap three blocks away but they do not know how to drive in the rain.  As 6 PM turns into 7 PM and we are still sitting in the parking lot known as the I-5, we wonder if we'll make it at all.   We call 5 people locally trying to find our traffic fate on sigalert.com but can't reach anyone.  Actually, the one person that we did reach was also on the I-5 north of us and stated that he hadn't moved more than 3 miles in the last hour.   Oh dear.

We finally reach the venue at 10 minutes to 8 PM.  My bladder is seconds away from bursting.  There's no parking so I fork out $8 for the valet.  The storm decided to close up to downpour just as we step out of the car and we get drenched.  I run to the bathroom where there is no toilet paper and afterward buy myself a $8.00 beer that comes in a Dixie cup.  

I'm a bit frustrated so I tell Kevin to wait by the side of the stage while I go out and have a cigarette.  There's a Brazilian woman outside who commends me for not being afraid of the rain and I start to feel better.  Better yet, the show doesn't even start until the minute I get back inside.   Best yet, one of the bouncers tapped us and told us to go sit in the 4th row (middle) because the seats are reserved but the people didn't show up and they didn't want empty sections.   Score!

Eddie Izzard was of course, brilliant.  He was not in drag though it was suggested that he might have been wearing a cod piece.  Either that or he had a large furry weasel down his pants.  Hard to tell.  All I know is even though I had to sit in traffic for 2 hours, got completely soaked, was starving from missing dinner, and spent money that I couldn't afford to spend, I'm grateful I got to see him at such a small venue.