Muse-sings

Last night was FAN...TAS...TIC!!!
Went to a Muse concert in Birmingham. All their hit songs performed live with a fantastic light and sound show to boot. Amazing. It was a shame my brother was not around, for I know he would have enjoyed it. They kick-started with Hysteria and went on to play Plug in baby and Butterflies&Hurricanes and Starlight and Knights of Cydonia among others. I got a free ticket at the last minute (thanks to my Prof(!), who kindly invited me to go along with her husband).
An 'almost packed' NEC, fan age range: 16 to 65 (mean probably 24, excluding outliers), about 12,000 people in all, of which I think 4 were non-Caucasian!
I was a bit apprehensive at first, for I had this mental picture of 10 teenagers with spiky hair and 52 body piercings between them kicking my head in with steel boots, shouting 'die asian scum' while the rest cheered them on.
Before the concert, near the gates, the security staff were checking bags. As I stood in line, I thought, 'Ok, be calm, don't act guilty when you are not!' followed by 'serves you right for coming to a concert where there are no other Indians (or Asians, if you will) to be seen. Now they will strip search you and bar you from the concert, because you look suspicious, just like those students on holiday who were kicked out of a plane for being Asian'. As we approached the security staff, my Prof (Caucasian) has her handbag inspected and I (complete with stubble, oversized jacket and a guilty look) was waved through.
It is embarassing to admit that I had these unfounded fears but that shows how 'integrated' people really are in a multi-racial society. Sure, there were teenagers with spiky hair and body piercings and then there was the older bunch in leather or denim jackets but all of them were there for the music. I certainly did not get any funny looks or comments from anyone, but I could see what might cause all this misunderstanding. It is about judging people at first glance.
I do not think that my feelings are far removed from those of a Caucasian at an Asian wedding or on a plane with young Asians for fellow passengers. Both sides have to recognise that the other does not mean any harm, that they are just different in superficial issues of daily life. If I had not gone to the concert because of my prejudiced view on how 'other people' behave, I would have missed a really great show and a fantastic evening.
Funnily enough, the whole thing reminded me of the title of Noel Barber's book: 'The natives were friendly so we stayed the night'