Return to Rush

Last night, I stepped into my own "way-back machine" and attended a Rush concert at the United Center in Chicago. I was joined by my Lovely Lady Friend, Liz...who happens to front a cover band, and thus has an interest in live music in general. That...and she's also a GREAT sport! First, a bit of background...

25 years ago, in March of 1986, as a acne-covered 17-year old, I attended my first real concert with my friend Dave. I say "real" since I don't count Sha-na-na as such when I attended that with parental units as a boy. This was certainly different. The show was at the Rosemont Horizon on the north side of Chicago (now the Allstate Arena). Walking in I can recall a couple of things vividly - the size of the crowd (a sellout of probably 15,000), and the smoke. LOTS of smoke. There was literally a cloud hanging above us before the show started. Apparently there was also an opening band, which Dave reminded me about recently. Guess not very memorable. The smoke had all different aromas, most prevalent cannabis (shock!). Rush had a very large following in the rock world (still does), and being only a few years removed from the "up in smoke" 70's...this scene was quite familiar.

Not for me however, and maybe it was the contact high kicking in, but when Rush hit the stage, it began a roller coaster ride of utter glee from the very first riff. This was their Power Windows tour, and honestly, I didn't know many of their songs. I was lost in my ELO/Elton John world to care. So the lights go down, and then some strange music plays - it was the theme of the Three Stooges...barely recognizable over the din from the drug-saddled crowd. Then a blast from Alex Lifeson cracking out the instantly recognizable first riffs of "Spirit of the Radio", and from there...sheer ecstasy! Little did I know I was now witnessing probably the best live act in rock, and even though many songs were foreign to me, I was caught up in the music, and especially the various video montages playing behind the band. Our seating location directly in front, and just up on the first level provided an absolutely perfect view. All said, even after many subsequent concerts, this still remains far-and-away my best experience.

Which brings me to last night. I haven't been to a concert in so long I simply can't recall. Maybe the mid-90's? Anyways, it's at least a decade ago. One thing that has changed quite dramatically is ticket prices...whoa! I was able to get seats last week, but at $80 a pop, mid-top level of the arena. I know the floor was going for $300 a pop...OUCH! The merchandise also has skyrocketed. Now Rush is an iconic band, with a rabid following, so they can pull these prices off. It also helps that their core fan base is OLD, and can afford it - as well as sending their kids too. The crowd, as I predicted, was upper-middle aged. There were a few youngsters - but mostly with their ex-burnout parents. I did comment to Liz that the younger set looks strangely like their counterparts in the 80's - now carrying cell phones around instead of lighters.

We made it to our seats which were dead center, third level. Great view! Since Rush is an "arena band", they tailor their shows to keep everyone involved - no matter how crappy your seat is. This is accomplished with a large video screen and a gaggle of lights that seem to fire out at you from everywhere. Not that they really needed them - these three are considered the most accomplished musicians in the rock world. Having these "frills" just made the experience even more memorable. As the concert time approached, I found myself with a curious excitement I have not felt in many years. Both Liz and I truly felt that we had traveled back in time once again, which was very fitting since Rush had named this their "Time Machine Tour".

As for the concert, it was simply amazing...as expected. They started this one off with "Spirit of Radio" following a humorous opening video parodying their start as the band "Rash". I give this band a lot of credit for not only keeping together for 35+ years, but doing so with a tongue-in-cheek style that keeps them modest and appreciative to their fans. Their concerts are also a tribute to their legions of supporters - they are amazingly well-choreographed and enthralling. You don't have to be a huge fan to follow-along...and Liz was a testament to this...she was caught up as well from the opening, and stated to me afterwards "I'm a Rush fan now!"

I won't detail the actual event since you can search that out on Google. I'm sure there are many that have taken a good chunk of their lives out to explain this - and there are also MANY You Tube videos as well. Have fun. The only interesting thing was the intermission - about an hour into it. Geddy Lee, their uber-talented lead singer, explained that as old men they needed quick break. No argument from me and probably most of the "old" crowd in attendance. As for "old" men (I think late 50's), they rocked just as good as when I first saw them...maybe even better. The concert clocked in at over 3 hours, with an amazing encore. It concluded with another video - a nice touch.

Maybe this experience will re-awaken my love for concerts once again - just as my first experience with Rush did. I know there are a few artists out there that I would spend a small fortune to see, so who knows. As for now, I will take the time to relish this amazing experience which linked my past to my present.

Xtreme Tour Days 10 & 11

Yet again I am late...WAY late in updating our trip. We concluded our great journey over a week ago, but memories are still very fresh...so here's the wrap-up:

We took our "suite" time getting up on the 10th day of our trip. Our goal was to visit the St. Louis Arch...located in the Thomas Jefferson Westward Expansion Memorial site. The museum, with theaters, is located under the Arch. We made our way from the hotel to the Arch...a pretty good walk considering how HOT it was. Once there I waited in a bit of a line, but we nabbed tickets for a show on Lewis & Clark, and a tram ride up the Arch. Getting to the top is a unique experience with visitors shuttled up in egg-like, claustrophobic contraptions that take about 4 minutes to rise to the top. Once there the view is amazing, but the area a wee-bit tight. They let you stay as long as you want, but there's not a lot to see - especially with the small windows - but well-worth the visit. We left, and soon headed north to Normal.

The drive went well, and after finding our hotel we made our way to the "Corn Crib" to check out the Cornbelter's - an Independent team in their first year. Can't say I liked the stadium that much - pulled back from the field, and the scoreboard was pushed back as well. The foul territories were HUGE thanks to this. I made arrangements for Sam to shadow a reporter, who was in an unused, but air conditioned suite...THANK GOD! It was totally hot, humid and zero wind...by far the worst weather at any game we experienced. The funny thing was the Cornbelter's were playing the Evansville Otters...and so we made our way to their broadcast booth were we found Mike once again...this time sweating it up since no air was in the press boxes (???). After that Sam settled in with the reporter, Randy, and followed what turned out to be a great game by the Cornbelter's pitcher. Here's a guy who had a woeful 0-2, 8.5+ ERA but goes seven NO-HIT innings. He comes out for a reliever who takes the no-hit into the 9th. Sam is going CRAZY at this point, but alas the Otters' first batter slaps a single. Fantastic way to finish the last game tho. When we got back to the hotel, we found out the pool was closed, but he gates were open and the lights underwater on. Hence "Operation Cool Pool" began as we snuck in for a good hour + swim while no staff noticed...NICE!

The final day of our trip was spent at a children's museum in Normal. Not sure what to expect, we actually spent a good 3 hours at that place while Sam interacted with other kids, climbed stuff and splashed around in the water exhibit. More good times :) From here we hit the road for home, but not before an unplanned detour for gas north of Normal where a monument to the old Route 66 was erected next to the station. This monument consists of several hundred feet of the actual roadbed of the 66, with signs alongside guiding visitors to significant places on the road in that town. REALLY COOL!

Then it was finally off for home. As I pulled into our driveway I noticed that we covered 2700 miles in our 11-day jaunt - an amazing trip that Sam called his best ever. I have to say the Lord was VERY good to us throughout...and we both thank HIM for bringing us through safely...with a HUGE pile of memories to cherish always!

Xtreme Tour Days 7, 8 & 9

Ooookay, I guess I'm not keeping up so well. Let's see, last time I checked in we had arrived in OK City. That day we visted the site of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995...where 168 perished in a terrorism attack. At the time it was the worst attack on US soil...eclipsed by 9-11. There was a monument where the building fell, and an incredibly moving museum across from it. This was an amazing display vividly capturing this sad episode and focussing squarely on the people who were victimized by this act of cowardace. I was especially pleased to have Sam experience this since he had no idea it had happened.



From there we drove our longest stretch of 5+ hours to Kansas City, MO. There was a spectacular vista as we drove thru Kansas called the Flint Hills. This looked like a scene from Dances with Wolves...just stunning landscape. Well we needed to go straight to the game, and thankfully we made it in time. BEAUTIFUL STADIUM! Probably the best I've ever been to. Just something about it made it feel really comfortable. A CRAZY MASSIVE scoreboard didn't hurt either! I mean this thing had to be at least 10 stories tall...just colossal! The game went well...KC won on an 8th inning homer - and then we went to our hotel. This took FOREVER though horrible traffic, and then a hotel which was booked with a bunch of party rats. Anyways we did enjoy the pool, then retired for the night.



We woke up on our 8th day by visiting what is called the College Basketball Experience (CBE) which was in downtown KC. I had NO idea this existed, and big kudos to Sam for finding it in a guide. Simply put, this place ROCKED! Talk about interactive-overload! This place was decked out with a working basketball court, and many other areas to test your shooting, free throws...whatever! There was small part for a hall of fame, which was also well-done. Sam was able to get a pick up game with some other kids, and came away stating that this was his favorite part of the trip. Nearly 5 hours at this place testified mightily to his feelings.



After just about dragging Sam out of there, we headed off to Springfield, MO for a minor league game. We arrived (after being bombarded by Branson billboards and "Fantastic Caverns" ads), and made our way to the stadium. Very new and very nice field...home of the Cardinals AA squad. Sam as usual took a walk around and made fast friends by the lawn area. I just enjoyed the game, which the Cardinals won. Back to the hotel for some more swimming and sleep.



I planned to awake on Day 9 by going to Fantastic Caverns. However I felt suspicious about an attraction I never heard of, and one that was being blitzed in every ad around us (seriously). I took a look online on reviews, and sure enough they were lukewarm at best. Apparently it also cost $20+ each. No thanks. I convinced Sam to visit a Civil War site...and so we did. It's called Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, and we were both impressed. We took a leisurely drive thru the site (for $5!), and met with some National Park folks at an old house regarding the history of the place. Good stuff. We stopped several times to get out and view the battlefield. We topped it off with a very well-done movie at their visitor's center. Oh yeah, we were DRENCHED after all the stops...it had to be near 100 degrees. The theater was a Godsend, and we were then off to St. Louis.



The journey to St. Louie went well...but getting to the hotel was a bit tricky, and I did myself no favors by losing the camera...in the car. We needed to get to the stadium by 6pm so Sam could get a tour of the press area. Well thanks to the camera issue, we ended up just about running 6 blocks from our hotel to the game. We did make it up to the press area (wasn't easy), and our guide Melody escorted us through the press area and broadcast booths. GREAT experience for Sam once again. We exited into the snazzy club area, where we found some seats and stayed put. Another new and gorgeous stadium with the rabid fans to go along with it. When the game concluded we made our way back to the hotel, where we found out we had a suite. SWEET!

Xtreme Tour...Days 5 & 6

Didn't get around to updating last night, since, well, it was just one of 'dem days. Started out nice enough at the Old Arkansas Capital, but once we got to Texas...oy. First, we hit some traffic at the state line (bad omen), then we barely got to the Ballpark at Arlington by gametime since I had to juke and jive around a bunch of mean downtown Dallas traffic jams. Once there we hustled to our seats in the upper deck - with a great view of the park. Nice place...but the scoreboard is really small compared to the size of the field. I'm sure they'll fix this soon. Besides that LOTS for the kids to do, and the ticket prices were very decent. Great experience.

....EXCEPT for the fact that my NEW glasses broke at the start of the game. I was able to wear them, but they were askew and giving me fits all game long. I did enjoy the game, but the thought of now having to run to Lenscrafters in the morning really boiled my lid. Sam enjoyed the game from the outfield playground areas, where we met some natives and hit it off (of course). Oh yeah, my phone was also giving me fits by not linking online for the longest time...and also that I didn't plug my phone in and the battery went south. BIG fun when we got back and I tried to fix it with a kit from Walmart that of course didn't work...and I went ahead and lost the screw to the other arm...YIPPIE! Seriously...that was the SMALLEST screw I had ever seen!!!

Okay, enough of that...we got to our hotel (which took longer than it should have) and settled down. Sam was hungry though so we headed for Waffle House where we had midnight breakfast (wait for it...).

When we woke up today, the first thing out of Sam's mouth was "I have an incredible stomach ache". He really did...and promptly threw up to prove it. Well this was starting out all ducky, and of all mornings the day I was to visit downtown Dallas and the "hallowed ground" at Dealey Plaza...where JFK was killed for you history novices. Anyhoo...we left for the mall to get into Lenscrafters where after some discussion a very nice saleswoman named Porcia switched my busted pair with a brand new one! Also...Sam was beginning to feel better - no small thanks to the ton of Maalox he swallowed plus an Imodium for good measure (yep...THAT too!).

Welllllll, of to Dallas finally. As we approached I could see glimses of the plaza, and my blood level was rising. You see, I'm a BIG JFK assassination buff. I've read about every known theory, which has brought me right back to the original findings that Oswald acted alone. He did. Anyhoo, I really was looking forward to this. Sam was groaning, but dealing with it. When we got to the Sixth Floor Museum in the old Texas Schoolbook Depository Building, we were greeted with headphones and guided on a great tour of the presidency, assassination and legacy of JFK. It was a very moving exhibit and well-worth the time to visit. Then the moment arrived to actually tour the hallowed ground at Dealey itself. After spending so many years reading and researching about this place, in all honesty, I felt like I've been there all along. I mean it was great to finally be there...but nothing really surprised me - either spacially or whatever. It's simply what I expected. This also included a slew of tourists milling around - many dodging in-and-out of traffic on Elm Street to get a picture next to the X where Kennedy got hit in the head. I found this to be quite surreal, and maybe a bit disrespectful if not dangerous. Maybe it's high-time just to shut down this road as a permanent pedestrian mall...but judging by the traffic...that wouldn't be easy. Anyhow, we made our way around, and then back to the car for our drive to Oklahoma City.

The drive to OKC was uneventful, save for a long traffic jam leaving Dallas (OY!). Once in Oklahoma things got better and we arrived at the Brickhouse Stadium in downtown OKC...home of the Redhawks. BEAUTIFUL new stadium, and we enjoyed the game as usual...with Sam making friends in the outfield...as usual. Day 6 in the books...and the bad karma of Texas WELL behind us!

Xtreme Tour - Day 4

Chalk this day up to needed R&R - slept in late...felt good! Sam got one more swim in at the Nashville hotel, then after we hit a Waffle House (yummm). We hit the road afterwards, and save for a brief tour of downtown Memphis, we drove straight to Little Rock - about 5 hours. We got to our hotel about an hour before gametime.

We arrived at the Arkansas Travelers stadium and enjoyed a good time with Sam getting a foul ball and a bat from a player afterwards. It was broken, but still in one piece so Sam was geeked. When the game ended, we took a walk over a big pedestrian bridge to the City of Little Rock, where Sam romped around a neat playground, and proceeded to hurt his back a tad and slip in a puddle of water. Yeah, not happy, so afterwards we got in our car, toured the city a bit and hit the hotel.

Xtreme Tour - Day 3

Another great day started out with a visit to the Evansville Science Museum, where we caught a show at their planetarium. We then took off for Nashville, and met up with my cousin Aeron who is visiting from London for about three months. He stayed with my mum and sister for the first two weeks, so it was great to reunite for this one day while he's in Nashville with friends.

We got to our hotel, and had a nice swim before leaving for our next game at Greer Stadium, home of the Nashville Sounds. The stadium was nothing special...save for a REALLY cool guitar-shaped scoreboard. We did meet some friendly fans...and a few from the Chicago area as well. We left the game early to get Aeron to his friends at a local bar.

From there Sam and I hedged about going back to the hotel, then at the last second we decided to visit the downtown. WOW - the nightlife was incredible...for a TUESDAY! I was attracted to this HUGE pedestrian bridge over the river, so I set out to park the car and visit. We did this, and walked up and over the bridge. It was an old railroad bridge which was converted to pedestrian only use. Amazing! After walking over and back, we bought some gifts then visited the Ryman Auditorium.

Another great day...and a long trip awaits us tomorrow.

Xtreme Tour...Day 2

What started out as a bit of a dud ended up simply amazing. We woke up in Indy, and tried to visit the Indiana Historic Society...CLOSED. Then the Indiana State Museum...CLOSED. Wow...so I thought, how about the Indy Motor Speedway? Why not...so we made the short hike west and walla...OPEN! We had a great time at the Museum and then a tour of the track...Sam loved it! They held the Brickyard 400 the day before, and it was quite a mess, but still cool.

After this we hit the road for Evansville, with a quick stop for food in Terre Haute. We arrived in E-ville, then proceeded downtown for a bit of sightseeing. I had made special arrangements for Sam to visit the pressbox at Bosse Field, and meet the announcers beforehand. We arrived and met them for a few minutes. Then we headed back to the game until the top of the 5th...where Sam made his radio debut!

The co-host scooted over and then Sam put on the headset and was interviewed by their announcer, Mike Radomski. Great guy...as well as his co-host Bill. Sam was nervous but came across great! He even was asked to call a batter...which he did. He was beaming after the experience...and I can't thank the hospitality of the Evansville Otters staff enough for giving Sam such an amazing opportunity! The game itself was a nail-biter with the Otters winning in the bottom of the 9th with 3 runs. A former RailCat actually helped win the game. Sam rushed down to the ex-RailCat, Brian Kolb, to have him sign his hat.

Another treat was Bosse Field...the third oldest in baseball. They also filmed "A League of Their Own" at this site, and some artifacts from the filming still remain. Just for kicks I actually ran the bases with a bunch of kids...since I still am one.

After the game we took a quick walk along the Ohio River and then back to the hotel for a swim. What a fantastic day!