tomhealey

Anyone who was there would understand booing Flava Flav. He was rambling and at times incomprehensible. Even his own band mates were telling him that it was time to wrap it up, but he just wouldn't. He'd likely still be talking if the audience hadn't shut him down.

TonyR, no, I don't think we need to be respectful of all "artists," or people who think they're artists. I think everyone has a right to boo whatever they want. It's a free country, and I think the people who heckled Quincy Jones had a perfect right to do so. My comment is directed at my belief that what you boo reflects on your thought process. It's my belief that people who heckled Quincy Jones don't have much of a background in what he's accomplished and the insight he was sharing, however belabored it was. On the other hand, people who booed Flava Flav were expressing frustration with the fact that he wasn't imparting knowledge, but rather was wasting people's time. And I wouldn't really have had a problem with people booing Alex' "blah blah blah" speech. I found it somewhat uncomfortable and marginally appropriate. But if others loved it, that's fine, it's all opinion. I just think that Quincy Jones deserves more respect than either Flava Flav or Alex Lifeson. Others obviously differ, and the important thing is that everyone has a right to differ.

I thought that the ovation after "and from Toronto" was tremendous. Rush fans at their best. Anyone there that had doubts about how zealous Rush fans are had that misunderstanding clarified fully.

The writer in Spin didn't even get his facts right. Carole King sang "So Far Away" and not "You've Got A Friend" from Tapestry. A very cool moment during a night that was full of them. And I totally agree that the heckling of Quincy Jones reflected very badly on Rush fans. Jones' comments were insightful and somewhat challenging. if long-winded. The hecklers should learn a bit more about musical history, and broaden their horizons somewhat. On the other hand, heckling the discordant ramblings of Flava Flav was spot on. Other than his surprisingly gracious but appropriate comments to Chuck D, Flav's stream of conscious "speech" was little more than self-promotion.

That those who know what's best for us must rise and save us from ourselves

I never minded the unobstructed views of Lindsey Haney and her camera up front...

At a few shows, I've given up pretty good seats. In Dallas, I met a guy on the lawn and gave him my 5th row center for the second set and encore. I saw the rest of the show from the lawn and had a better time with some cool people that were his friends. In Chicago, I met a girl before the show with eyesight issues who was sitting waaaaay back, and I gave her and her friend my Geddy-side 3rd row tix at intermission. My brother, who's ticket I also gave away, was cool with it (I bought the tix so he couldn't gripe much), and I found out that by sitting waaaaay back, you can see parts of the show like the lighting that you miss when you're up close. Other times, I've let people borrow my close up seats for a few songs. A few times in Kansas City, I gave a randomly picked dad and his son second row center seats for a few songs, while I sat back in row 45 or thereabouts. Both times, the kid came back with eyes wide and a story to tell his friends, and the dad looked like a hero, while I missed being up close for a few songs that I saw from up close on other stops on the tour anyway. Don't know what I would have done if dad and son didn't come back from my seats, of course; maybe that would be a better story anyway. I am aware that I have been almost impossibly fortunate in my life. I believe that when you're fortunate to be able to afford really good seats, you can share the experience with some real fans who haven't been as fortunate, and get more out of the deal in the long run anyway.