The show in Cleveland was AWESOME!!!
I lucked out and scored a tix thru the official means the night before the gig. That meant for me, throwing an overnite bag together and maping out the drive to Cleveland from Boston. And yes, the almost 11 hour drive was worth every mile, every dollar for gas and even the sleazy motel room. I didnt evenmind driving alone. I had my ipod & ac adaptor for the ride and at 3am I got up after a 3 hour power slumber and hit the road at 4am Cleveland bound.
I tend to try to see the band 2-5 times each tour. When I was younger, I was lucky not to miss seeing the band as I was often on tour myself workng for other bands. So, I also feel like it is my duty to see the band as often as I can when opportunities arise. It kinda makes up for the few times I wasnt able to see them in the past and I realize they are more mature today and may not want to tour as much for amny different reasons. To see the band live is so exiting for me and provides such a boost of energy that carries me thru the good times and the hard times of life. And being a drummer-well I dont need to say anything more.
I saw the band the previous sunday @ MSG in NYC. I thought the Garden was cool-but honestly the seats I had were right near one of the tunnels and it seemed like every person at the gig was walking past where I was sitting/standing. It was destracting for sure and the security and guest services people were too agggressive in ensuring we all have a safe experience. Lighten up!
Cleveland vs New York City as far as band performance, vibe, show overall:
I think the band were feeling looser at the NYC gig. There was alittle more movement around the stage with Alex and Geddy. The sound was perfect and so was the performance. I can say the same thing for Cleveland. Awesome performance, Great vibe. Yes there were a couple goofs by Geddy on vocals and Im sure it will be fixed in post production. Honestly, I would prefer if they just leave it as is. Seemed like the guys were having fun in Cleveland-but I think they were much more relaxed in NYC. What irony -the sold out gig at MSG was less pressure than the sold out gig in Cleveland?
Cleveland had this vibe of anticpation. People were milling about here and there. I heard the Banger Production producers come out and talk to the crowd from the stage. There was a feeling of electricity in the air. It felt like it was taking forever for the arena to fill up. The New York crowd seemed more focused on scoring brews and getting back to their seats asap. The New York show was on a Sunday night-maybe that had something to do with it. Sunday nites for me are just so low key. It was obvious plenty of folks in Cleveland came straight from work. One or two looked to have spent most of the afternoon at one of thebars near the venue that has an outdoor patio and that were blasting this really loud music by some Canadian band or something.
I got to the Q-arena early but I guess between the 3 hours sleep and the 11 hours driving, I didnt even think about walking around to find other Rush fans at the Hall of Shame, taking pictures, meeting and greeting each other etc. I was so focused on getting from motel to venue, parking and getting to my seat. I was inside at my seat at 635pm! I just wanted to be sure I did not miss one second of the show. I met a few really nice people and we talked about Rush non stop.
I was really happy with my decision to take advantage of this opportunity. I knew if I didnt go to this gig, for the rest of my life I would be kicking myself for not going. I would do it again. Im already thinking about plans for the next leg of the tour in the states. Im hoping they decide to add some additional dates in the U.S. over the summer.
So when is the dvd coming out? I hope its our in time for xmas this year. If its not released until holidays in 2012-that doesnt leave enough time to watch the dvd with the whole end of the world thing because of the Mayan calendar ending
