I can't believe my dilemma is real

I have been on a serious Spin Doctors kick lately.  A couple of weeks ago I saw they are coming to Houston ON MY BIRTHDAY!  The bad part is they're opening for Rick Springfield.  Yes, remember him?  I guess most people feel that way about the Spin Doctors, too.  But for me they've always kind of been there and they still are.  When they first hit it big and came to Pine Knob I passed on going.  Then the day of the show came and I was pretty cheesed off at myself.  Their second album came out about the time I started my real college and moved on campus.  I had a horrible time adjusting.  To this day Turn It Upside Down reminds me of the few weeks I spent in my solo dorm room that late summer of '94.  That summer I had the pleasure of my first Spin Doctors concert.  All I can say is "WOW".  Them boys know how to put on a show.  I hadn't missed one since up until they did a benefit at the Houston Zoo last fall.  I'd seen them at sold out shows at Pine Knob and the Intersection (old), Summer Celebration in Muskegon, and even made it on their guest list to one of their Pine Knob shows.  I sang horrible karaoke to Jimmy Olsen's Blues one very drunken night at a divey bar.  I'm friends with Chris Barron on Facebook and am in awe of the life he leads.  He seriously makes me smile when I read some of the things he writes.  He has an awesome soul.  I exchanged emails with him and the bass player back in the day.  They're the whole reason I got to go to England and now dream of moving there.

So now I have a dilemma.  The last time I saw them they opened for Hootie and it was awful.  I have no beef with the show they put on but the audience was so not into it.  It really ruined the experience.  Even though they're playing Houston again (ON MY BIRTHDAY!  DID I MENTION THAT PART???!?) I don't know if I want to spend $120 I shouldn't spend on a concert.  Something tells me a Rick Springfield crowd wouldn't be that into them, even less so than the Hootie crowd.  But, I also can't imagine that Rick Springfield would draw a bigger crowd than the Spin Doctors.  Maybe I'm naive, but I happen to think there would be as many people there for the Spins as for Springfield.  And every time I listen to them I feel like I'm listening to old friends.  I feel like I have to go.  Another reason is that mostly the people I want to see don't come to Houston.  They're one of the very few bands I'm genuinely excited about.