REM

Who knew . . . that your odds of getting hit by lightning in your life time are 1 in 5,000*?

I came awfully close to that 1 in 5,000 statistic last night! 

(If this statement scared you and you are concerned for my life, stop reading now, scroll to the bottom of the post and see the picture of my smiling face and then proceed reading the story knowing that I am okay.)

Kirsten, Tracy, and I met up with Mike and Kathryn to see REM, Modest Mouse, and the Nationals perform at Jones Beach (a great outdoor concert venue right on the beach in Long Island).  It was a little bit of a trip out there and we were a bit concerned about the weather since we left Manhattan during a HORRIBLE thunder storm (Megan has a great video of the storm on her blog).  So I packed my umbrella, rain coat, and two ponchos just in case because we were told the concert would take place rain or shine.  

When we arrived the skies were cloudy and we knew it was a matter of time before the rain came.  And came it did! The rain came with thunder and lightning too.  Right as Modest Mouse was nearing the end of their performance the rain started coming down.  There was no way to avoid getting wet.  We were all drenched in a matter of minutes.  Then a HUGE bolt of lightning lit the sky like it was broad daylight and there was the LOUDEST crack that I have ever heard.  It left my ears ringing and pretty much scared everyone in the venue.  I thought for sure a part of the building had been hit.  Remember it is an out door venue, the tallest building for miles and we are sitting on metal seats in the upper balcony.  NOT a great place to be.  They stopped the concert and asked everyone to evacuate the stands.  The halls and stairways were packed, the rain was pouring in through the gates and fences and the thunder and lightning was loud and bright.   It was a little chaotic but we stayed together, hung out for a while and were determined to see REM perform.

Despite the hour delay, the continuing rain, flashes of lightning, and distant thunder the show continued.

Here is how REM opened the show, very very fitting after what everyone had just experienced I might add . . . REM - Have you Ever Seen the Rain

And this is a video that someone took right after the loud crack of lightning

Luckily no one was hurt, everyone was safe and of course we saw REM perform.  This is a concert that won't be forgotten I am sure.

Kirsten and I enjoying the concert despite the rain delay!

So I confirmed today that the concert venue was actually hit by lightning like i thought.  And then today on my way to the gym I got stuck in another storm and ducked under a doorman building to wait out the heavy rain and a near by building got struck by lightning while I was standing there.  And come to think of it Kirsten thinks a tree on our street was struck by lightning last week while I was home because I remember a really loud crack during a thunderstorm and there were major branches all over our street right after the storm.  I am starting to notice a pattern here.  Should I be concerned?

*Statisic according to WikiAnswers