"We Owned the Night" by Megan Sheasby

            For my accessible date I took my friend Frank, who is blind, out for an enjoyable picnic and concert.  First, we went to one of the open fields at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield for our picnic of sandwiches, fruit, and cookies.  I parked the car in one of the parking lots, and then went around to the passenger side to lead Frank out to the field.  The walk was relatively easy, even though Frank was unable to see, since it was pretty much just a straight walk out into the open field.  We laid out a blanket on the ground and enjoyed complete comfort as we lounged and breathed in the fresh, fall air.  We also were able to have some privacy for our conversation, since there were few people around, and they were a great distance from us.

            Once we finished our picnic, I led Frank back to the car, loaded everything in, and drove us to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park to see Lady Antebellum in concert.  Our picnic may have been low in activity, but we got our fair share of activity in walking the long walk from where we had to park, to get into the amphitheatre.  Once inside, we experienced extreme crowding, as we tried to make our way through the masses of adults and already drunk teenagers, with little accessibility.  This was quite difficult, and I had to keep a tight grip on Frank’s arm, for fear of us getting separated.

            Once we made it to our seats in the orchestra section, we were able to have some sociality with the people in the seats around us, before the concert actually started.  We all talked excitedly about how much we love Lady Antebellum, and how this concert held a great deal of meaning for us because of the impact their music has had in our lives.  It was especially meaningful for Frank because, though he is not able to see the beauty in the world with his eyes, he is able to hear Lady Antebellum’s music, and it made him feel alive inside. 

                                    

            Finally, they made their way on stage, and the sensory stimulation went into overdrive, but in a good way!  We could hear the wonderful sound of the beautiful music blaring through the speakers, and the adoring fans screaming out the lyrics along with the band.  We could feel the thump of the bass in our chest, and though Frank was not able to see them on stage, I was able to watch as they put on a fantastic show with their music.  We loved every minute, and sang every word of their song, “We Owned the Night,” until our throats felt hoarse.

            After a few hours of complete bliss, it was time to head back home.  That sounds like it should be simple, but it definitely is not.  Once we moved out of our seats we entered back into extreme crowding and limited accessibility, as everyone tried to leave at once.  I held onto Frank and did my best to guide him, but people kept bumping into him, not realizing, or maybe not even caring that he was blind.  Finally, we made it out of the amphitheatre and then made the trek back to my car.  Despite all of this, nothing could take away the joy we had on our fun picnic and concert date!