Good morning, afternoon, night, my fellow 600-ers-ites-izens!
Had a REAL cool time at the Rush concert, though I had a couple of mis-steps along the way.
Left home at 5-pm (wanted to leave by 4pm, but...) and got into the parking lot at 7:35pm (concert starts at 7:30pm) so I walk about a mile from where my wife was parking (near the main exit) down to the amphitheater and came up to the large sign that stated what wasn't allowed in the venue, most importantly: no cameras or recording devices.
Most would scoff and continue on, camera in pocket, but I'm not wanting to have to risk either having to turn in my camera should it be discovered (and hope it gets returned in good order), or get caught with it and get ejected.
Murphy's Law is something I live my rotten life by.
So. I hadn't eaten all day (bought a deli sandwhich for the road but it turned out horrible, and I trashed it after a few disgusting bites.
So, legs are cramping up from the walk (chemo + back problems have left me a bit less than what I once was) and I decide to turn around and bring the camera back to the wife in the car. (she drove, thankfully)
Trudge (uphill now) back to the car and drop the camera off.
I rest and ask her to take me to the drop off area, otherwise I may have to spend the concert in my chair (very not-rocker).
So, I'm dropped off, pick up my tickets at the "Will Call" window and go inside.
The first song was almost over by this time and I reached for my ear plugs... and realized I left them in the car when I brought back the camera, and my jacket.
So, fuck it, I go in, ready to take the full sonic brunt without ear plugs for as long as I could before going back out to the concessions area to buy some.
I made it five songs in, but when they started playing "Freewill" I knew it was going to be too much so I headed out to get earplugs. Which sucks because it's one of my favorite songs of theirs.
Get my ear plugs, and was starving so I decided to take a few minutes to get some food in me and bought a cheeseburger, some Freedom Fries (chips) and a Coke to wash it down with.
Wolfed it down while sitting on a bench in the food plaza and could hear the music pretty good still as they finished up "Freewill".
Turned out it was intermission time and about 10,000 people poured out to piss, get pissed (had 5 different beer venders there), eat, smoke, etc.
I headed back in early and waited for the show to start back up, ear plugs at the ready.
They started back up by playing the entire "Moving Pictures" album from start to finish with out pause, as if you had the CD in your player at home.
Unbelievable.
I was blown away.
Alex would come over to our area and mug a bit while playing to get us riled, and I'm fairly reserved in public, so I was just there bobbing my head to and fro to the music with a stupid grin on my face (my hands were actually wrapped around my waist at this point because my back was starting to give out on me, and was aching like a fornicator of mums, so I was relatively still except for my head).
During "Limelight" he came over to us and most everyone was raising up heir hands, shaking fists & devil horns, and there I was just bobbing my head.
Now, let me clarify my physical location to Alex at this point in time.
I am 3 steps distant from the metal barricade, and then one more step to be right up to his feet as he's jamming away on "Limelight".
12 feet (4m).
We're talking pretty damn close.
All of the sudden, he squints his eyes real hard and pushes out past the end of the stage and he's grinning and staring RIGHT at me and I read his lips as he says "Let's see a fist in the air!"!!!
I'm blown away, and freaked out by this! I can not believe that Alex 'Freakin' Lifeson picked ME out of a concert to get me riled up!
Holy SHIT!!!
Before I could react (I was stupified) he skips away to work his pedals and join Geddy elsewhere to finish the song.
Next song is my all time favorite, "The Camera Eye".
I have waited 30 years to see this song played live by Rush, and this was it.
They were spectacular!!!
Half way through the song (11-minute long song) Alex is back over in front of my area again.
Fuck it if he doesn't walk up the the edge of the stage squinting past the lights, looking right at me... AGAIN!!!
He leans over the edge of the stage again and mouth's "Come on! Let's see that hand up in the air!" with a playfully worried look on his face.
I immediately throw up my fist and pound the air, he smiles, and mouths, "Get both of them up there!", and I immediately throw my left up and crush the air like The Incredible Hulk on a musical rampage.
He smiles big and skates back across the stage to hook up with Geddy as they continue the song.
So, holy fucking crap.
They finished the album up, then The Professor did an amazing 10 minute long drum solo before Geddy & Alex rejoined him back on stage to do "2112: Overture/Temples of Syrinx", and then did a cool version of "Working Man", and then "Far Cry", "Caravan", and finished up with the amazing "La Villa Strangiato".
Totally blown away.
I am only saddened about not getting pics & vids.
The vids might not have been so good for sound quality, because it was L-O-U-D, loud.
Probably would have been too much for my little camera to cope with and would have sounded terrible.
The volume test I did in my car last week was NOTHING compared to how loud it was at the concert.
Anyways, we got home at about 1-am, so was an 8-hour ordeal, in total.
The wife was a real trooper, and a sweetheart for taking me up there, and waiting in the car until the concert was over (she DOES NOT like Rush, but I made (begged) her listen to "2112" from start to finsh with the lyrics to refer to, and she admited she actually liked it. She hears me playing Rush all the time (about the only person in the universe who does anymore...
), so she's famillar with the music.
She's just not into it. (crazy lady...
)
But, going to the concert would not have been possible without her.
So, guys, I had a blast, in spite of the little set back here & there, somehow made Alex Lifeson aware of my existence on Planet Earth (for a brief moment that he'll soon forget, but I will never), and realized I just need to get over some health issues and find some guys to start playing music with before it's all too damned late.
Hope everyone's day ROCKS, and keep an eye out for a my first cover vid (later today). I'm kind of planning on "The Camera Eye", or "Vital Signs". Maybe even both.
Peace!