O'Malley's Beat

Count me in for TWO!!! Lucky dog me, I know. Here are my accounts of those incredible front-row experiences: http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?/topic/66915-things-you-can-get-at-the-rush-show-pt-ii/#entry2316271 http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?/topic/58786-rush-security-handles-minor-incident-at-irvine/&do=findComment&comment=2050125

Really sticking my neck out there with all those Victor haters, but Promise has one helluva solo. TBE is another that shocked me first time I heard it way back in 1984. Bravado is brilliant. And I've always had a thing for Cold Fire and Animate - Alex stepped outside himself and dared to be different with those.

One has to wonder if Geddy needs, for some reason, less time on the bass guitar. Maybe his aggressive playing style is catching up to him, and having more time on the keyboards will help him stay fresh thru the tour. And the song choices too may benefit his vocal ability over the long tour (with the relatively short winter break). At their age, they have to consider such things. Neil's three short solos as opposed to "the epic" solo he always delivers might be geared toward self-preservation (and sold under the guise of "doing things a bit differently"). And those are my two pence!

6/22/11 Gibson show in LA: I'm not sure what I did or how it came about, but at intermission, a gentleman in a Praetorian shirt approached me and handed me a pair of drum sticks from NEP himself! A nicely battered pair, to be sure. He simply handed them and said, "He wants you to have these". I'm absolutely amazed, and honored too. I quickly stashed them in my front pocket, and made sure my Bubba's Bar and Grill T-shirt covered them. You think perhaps the shirt had anything to do with it? I read on NP.net that sales of swag haven't been what was expected, so maybe he makes a point to reward those who wear his goods. The show was astonishing. Geddy is still ripping off the highs and the energy level, at this late point of the tour, is soaring high. You fans going to the last five shows are in for such a treat. Enjoy!

Take her! Especially if she wants to go. It's been said but bears repeating: EAR PLUGS. I use them for indoor shows, kids should always use them. My sister has taken her daughters twice (they were 7 & 9 first time around) to Rush shows w/o incident. Actually, most fans are considerate and polite around the youngins. Enjoy!

Well, we've beaten this subject up pretty well, but just as the fervor is beginning to fade, here's one I haven't seen referenced. It's during Vital Signs (see link below). Alex can clearly be seen at 0:52 saying (my best guess) "Settle down", from right at the edge of the stage, and again at 0:59. You'll agree that he says this with authority, and to me, he's as peeved as we've all seen in the CTTH video. I was right there, row 1; and he was right in front of me. However, I must have been in a trance watching Neil at that moment. Shame on me. At 1:06, Alex has moved back to what I'll call his 'central position', and this next instance I clearly saw, but I couldn't tell what he said (to stage left personnel), but I knew it had substance at that very instant. In the video, it appears he says, "She's gone". About ten seconds later (not seen in the video, but I saw this out of the corner of my eye, to my right), a Praetorian-shirted man grabbed the perp, and dragged her out (Her being the female that has caused so much discussion). So when Alex gets mad, well, things happen! (Side note: I've heard it was Michael Mosbach, and I've heard it was someone else removing her from row 1). My compliments to MickAv8r, who posted this video. And, of course, I thank Rush (the band as well as all involved) for helping to make the show as enjoyable as possible. I'm so impressed that Alex managed to do all he could, while performing, to make things right.

Hey all, thought I'd share photos of goodies thrown to the fans on the current tour. A friend sent me pics of the T-shirt he snagged - it's hilarious. Also shown is one of the pick Alex uses. For good measure, there are shots of the stage during intermission, and I just had to include some show shots. Those named "Gibson" are from the 10th row at Gibson Ampitheatre. Enjoy! http://s974.photobucket.com/albums/ae221/OMalleysBeat/ BTW: I hope I did this right - if not, I'll fix it. I'm sure you'll let me know... Cheers!

QUOTE (Tarkus406 @ Aug 15 2010, 11:02 PM) Upon short glances I keep thinking your username reads "O'Malley's Meat" From Tarkus 406: Upon short glances I keep thinking your username reads "O'Malley's Meat" - Oh, jeez, I was afraid of that! Thank you all again for the warm welcome. I'm very glad to share this with you, and equally glad it's being enjoyed so much.

Thank you all for your warm welcome and kind comments! I did read Roadshow upon release, and thanks for reminding me of how my incident parallels those from the book. I shall read it again. I spoke today with my brother and SC, and reality is beginning to set in for us - we really were "taken care of" by Rush. No doubt this subject was touched upon by the Rush team after the show. I joked on the way to the show that Alex was going to be our buddy for the evening. I just couldn't imagine to what extent. Yes, event security did not perform well. They gave the situation some bare-minimum attention, at best, and must have congratulated themsevles on a great job. Pretty embarassing that band security showed 'em up! And, oh yes, eye contact with the band has a way to make you a bit wobbly. I remained standing only on pure adreneline at that moment. It's quite surreal. SC said she about dropped to the mat after her contact. Thanks for the R30 pic of Alex - that's about the view I had Friday.