The day was perfect. It was not too hot for once this past summer when I went to see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. It may have been the windiest day of the summer, but it made the temperature perfect.

Dave Matthews tickets cost a pretty penny, so I sold my tickets to my parents and ended up going with my cousin, Sean.

My cousin made the deal with me that he would pay for my tickets for Saturday’s show and Sunday’s show, as long as I supplied refreshments during the show.

Long story short there, I ended up making money after selling my tickets and buying the refreshments.

Having seen Dave at Northerly Island in Chicago five times before, I know that the sun sets behind the stage, which meant sunglasses were a necessity for the first part of the show, at least.

I owned one pair of sunglasses: A nice $100 pair of Oakleys. I loved these sunglasses. I wore them every day, and what can I say, I looked pretty fresh in them.

Dave and Tim put on an awesome set, and the show was just as good as the first time I saw Dave 14 shows ago.

Besides the fact that I was having a good time, my mom, who does not LOVE Dave the way I do, and my dad, the average fan, were seeing their first concert. So for an obsessed fan like me, this day was special.

Once it got dark, I hooked my glasses on my shirt. Safe, right?

The way a Dave show works is that whoever you sit next to, they become your best friends for the next three hours¾except if you and your cousin leave at two different times throughout the show and take turns kicking over each of the two women’s beers. May or may not have happened.

They were fine with it, not mad, but still, I think karma was coming for me.

Side story: The two women came into the restaurant I worked at two days later. Talk about awkward.

I wish I could go relive that show 10 more times, but some time during or after, something tragic happened.

This was the busiest weekend in Chicago of the summer. Dave and Tim were at Northerly Island playing two shows, Blues Fest was on Michigan Avenue, Rib Fest was going on and Spring Awakening was also in Chicago.

It’s safe to say Chicago was a Madhouse. We had to walk for 40 minutes before there was an available cab to take us back to our car parked across the city.

Anyway, this was a long while after the show had ended, and we were going to get food and one more drink before hitting the road.

So the next day comes, and I wake up, and I’m looking to get ready for Sunday night’s show. I have everything except my sunglasses. My nice $100 Oakleys.

I lost my Oakelys somewhere in Chicago, and the worst part is, I have no idea when I lost them. My cousin made it a point to not wear his nice ones to the show in fear of losing his.

Whether they’re at the show, in the cab, or in the restaurant, someone is enjoying those glasses.

To this day, I have not gotten over it.

I guess that’s karma. I learned my lesson: Don’t kick over people’s beer, or karma will get you.

Sean Hastings can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].