The oh-so-difficult life of the die-hard tailgater

When the gates open at a sporting event or concert, people have generally been waiting… When the gates open at a sporting event or concert, people have generally been waiting outside for hours ahead of time. It isn’t just because they are that gung-ho about watching the Panthers kick the Golden Flashes’ asses, and it isn’t merely because they are that eager to hear Dave Matthews perform. They’re there to tailgate.

Think about it. There’s something special about setting up “camp.” From kegs and mini-grills to fold-up chairs and the sound of battery-draining car stereos blasting, tailgating brings people together.

When I got to the parking lot at Heinz Field on Saturday, the first thing I did was call some friends to find out where they were tailgating. Kick off was hours away, but the beer flowed from kegs, and smoke wafted all around as burgers and hot dogs were cooked.

Your involvement with a group can define whom you will be tailgating with, and where. Our first stop was the hockey team, who arrived there hours before we did. They were already a little buzzed, and the game-day energy was rampant.

Our next stop was to visit the people from the frat that we hung out with in our pre-21 days. Beer pong and flip cup games were being played everywhere and we “old heads” watched the novices get some experience. As we walked from one end of the parking lot to the other, cheers of “Let’s go Pitt!” and, even still, “P-E-N-N S-T SUCKS” could be heard all around.

Of course, if you are tailgating before a concert at the Post-Gazette Pavilion, beer pong and flip cup tables are seldom found. There, fans stumble over the rocky ground from one end of the parking lot to the other, bumping into friends along the way while music by the band performing that night blasts out of hatchbacks, trucks and minivans.

Some of my best memories from sporting events and concerts stem from tailgating. Then again, some of the best things I don’t remember stem from tailgating, too.

Waking up at 7 a.m. to be among the first in the parking lot for the last Pitt vs. Penn State game until at least 2008, I just couldn’t seem to quench my thirst for a certain hoppy beverage. Later, inside Three Rivers Stadium where they were posting the scores from other college games that day. In my drunkenness, I wondered aloud, “What did Penn State do today?”

Why would I ask such a dumb question? It was a result of the tailgating – well that, and the oranges soaked in grain alcohol.

Last May, X-Fest was the reason for heading out to Burgettstown at 1 p.m. I ate my first hot dog ever that day, only because I had to eat something and I couldn’t stomach a burger – what can I say, I’m picky. It didn’t matter that the sun was beating down on us and we were sweaty and sunburned. We never actually made it inside the gates – we were going to get tickets when we got there – but we were having so much fun in the parking lot that it just seemed pointless to pay to hear the music that we already could for free from our prime spot.

Heck, even snow can’t keep tailgaters away. Just look at the parking lot before last season’s Pitt vs. West Virginia University game. It was a sea of blue and gold, and, despite the frigid weather, fans were yelling at other fans about their respective teams as a backyard brawl unfolded in the parking lot.

A game wouldn’t be a game and a concert wouldn’t be a concert without a tailgate. This isn’t to say that alcohol makes the event. Sure, it can make things a bit more fun and interesting, but the camaraderie is what makes the event special.

And at a tailgate party, there is always plenty of camaraderie.