Conventional Wisdom

My deepest heartfelt apologies to D&D Sluggers, Supersonic, and Ashes of a Martyr for having to stare at the top of my hat while I fiddled with my phone all through their sets. I’m just not much of a dynamic audience.

And yes, I do take way too many pictures during the show, too.

(Historical Notes: I’m assuming that somebody behind tiltEXPO wanted to make a new MAGFest, because a huge part of the event was the late night concerts.  They actually offered admissions just for the panels and game room during the day, and another one just for concerts at night, as well as a more expensive once that got you into everything.  I obviously bought the everything one, ‘cos I gotta cover whatever’s going on at all times, right?  Well, a little while before the con, probably a week or so, I got an e-mail that went out to anybody who sprang for the more expensive pass.  Turns out that ALL passes were “everything” now… which was a PRETTY DARN BIG SIGN that they hadn’t sold what they thought they would and needed to spread out attendance figures.  Those of us who bought the big pass were comped with some free drink tickets, making tiltEXPO the first convention ever to officially offer me booze.  And I’m being optimistic by saying “us,” because I have no proof that anyone else actually DID buy a full pass.  I mean, I have to think at least a FEW other people did, but there was almost NEVER more than a few other people in the audience that whole first night.  In fact, when I showed up earlier that evening to “beat the crowd,” I was told I was the very first person to pick up a badge AT ALL.  In the fifteen-plus years I’ve been going to conventions, that was the ONLY time that ever happened.)