The problem with makeup...

Some of the concerts I go to with St John provide enough amusement just from the audience - the show itself is just an added bonus. One such night stands out in my mind, however as I'm sure you'll come to understand it was only a while after that I was able to appreciate the situation as humorous.

Without mentioning names, a shock rocker was in town and performing - surely enough St John Ambulance was there to keep an eye on things should said things turn nasty. The crowds were massive, especially for such a fairly small venue, and we were expecting to have a busy night ahead. As usual, we had an 18-30 year old crowd but given the nature of this event most of them were goth - which we all had a giggle at as we walked in.

Oh, how the tables turned on us.

The night quickly became one of the busiest I'd worked for some time and we were frequently swarmed with more patients than Johnno's. Luckily the injuries were usually very minor and more often than not a sit down and a quick drink of water was all they needed, but the time it took to properly triage was extensive.

Why? Well, there was of course the difficulty in assessing their complaints given we were located next to the speakers. Next comes the fact that most of them didn't really want to talk to us. But finally, and most infuriatingly of all, it was impossible to tell at a glance who was genuinely sick or having trouble breathing because everyone was wearing white make up. Everyone came in looking like that were about to 'cease to be'.

It was a good if not frustrating night after all, the crowds almost rioted and we were contemplating a tactical retreat when the main act failed to appear 45 minutes after his set was supposed to start. This created just the right mix of tension and hostility in an already angst filled crowd to keep a steady stream of injured out way...

And here I always thought they 'didn't feel anything...' ;)