A question of priorities

Last night the drains at the Hammersmith Apollo must have been flooded to biblical proportions.  Never have I witnessed the endless procession of bladder-relief to such an extent at a sit-down concert, and as a result am left wondering what it is about our decision-making processes that make us do the oddest things.

On the face of it, you might have thought that shelling out a not inconsiderable sum to hear arguably the best blues guitarist of the present generation (John Mayer) would leave you determined to ignore the shrieking of a distressed bladder for as long as possible, if anxiously nursing bleeding eardrums.  And yet, one could hardly describe a large proportion of the audience, as riveted to their seats.

In fact, a significant number of individuals (mostly sitting in front of me, or in my row) spent their evening in a state of permanent transit:  to the loo, to relieve the inevitable consequences of pre-show drinking, followed by a visit to the bar to top-up with over-priced Carling Black Label.  And then, a few minutes later, the process starts all over again.  The gent with the large head and ponderous frame, right in front of me, did this at least four times during the performance, each time taking great care to obliterate as much of the view as possible.  This must have been frustrating for those trying to aim items of underwear at the stage with a modicum of accuracy.

I wondered to myself, in my more Victor Meldrew-esque moments, if people had genuinely driven as far as I had, and spent as much as I had, in order to enjoy the dubious facilities of the Apollo's toilets.  It seems a rather odd decision to make.

And that is the point.  Sometimes, we're not as clearsighted or as rational as we'd like to think we are.  At times, we make positively awful decisions about how we spend our money, so that we are in fact depriving ourselves of the future that we want.  How many times have we listened to clients patiently explaining to us why they cannot afford to adequately fund their pension, or save for their kids, of protect their dependants?

Don't believe a word of it.  They're spending too much time in the toilets at the Hammersmith Apollo.