thesquonk2112

Howard actually saw my 9- and 11-year old boys in Baltimore wearing their "got peart" and "got geddy" shirts about 45 min before the show, and he came over and started chatting with them about their favorite songs, etc. After a few minutes, he said "do you guys want some better seats?," which left my boys stunned. Howard then took my boys up to the riser where he works his magic and let them sit on the riser for the entire show! He was the nicest, coolest guy. He gave them drinks from his cooler, special access passes, and Alex's C/A guitar picks! I came inside about 30 min later - was outside selling some extra seats - and as soon as I walked in, I almost collapsed upon seeking my wife and sons sitting with Howard Ungerleider! As I said, he was a true gentleman - very gracious and kind to us. It was really neat to see how hard he works at his craft, and boy, does he work hard. During the first intermission, I told him I wasn't sure whose job was harder - his or Neil soloing! We got to hear some war stories about the old days, and he showed us all his equipment and what it all does (like I understood). He actually has a computer monitor that tells him exactly what to do with the lights and when, and it has little notes to himself (like "spotlight neil for drumstick toss!"). Another bonus was that one of Rush's old lighting guys from the 70s and early 80s, who lives in the area, stopped by the show and sat with us on the riser - and he shared more war stories about his days with the band. A totally mind-blowing experience! Like the band itself, you can see that the crew are just honest, unpretentious people. Kudos to Howard. He's the best!