ups and downs in Halifax

[sun dog]

Hi, new(ish) to TRF- have been a member for years but was mostly at CP prior to its unraveling...

 

So I decided it would make sense for me to do my 30th show in Canada (for the first time). There were good tickets to be had for not that much, and I have a pilot friend who kicked me a buddy pass, so it all came together quickly. I figured I'd get there and do both shows, and soak in a little Atlantic Canada. But then I discovered a dirty little secret about the airlines. Using a buddy pass is no problem if a flight is mostly but not completely full. But if there's quite a bit of availability, look out. I was at the airport in Atlanta, ready to go, when I found out that there had been a cancellation, and everyone from that flight would be spread out amongst the remaining flights to LGA, meaning that I would be shut out! The dirty little secret is that there was no weather, nor any mechanical problem- the airlines, as my pilot friend tells me, routinely cancel flights that are fairly full... for business reasons, i.e., to maximize passenger count.

 

The upshot being that, even as a paying, fully booked customer, you can't really count on anything.

 

So I had to dump my ticket, which was a very good one, and give it another go for the second show on Sunday. Fortunately I had been working TicketAtlantic and found a saver days before, in the same row but wider. So I show up at the airport again, and this time I made it, within just a couple of seats, for the LGA to YHZ leg. Couple of hours later, we're on the ground, just a quick trip through customs, and I'm on my way. Presumably. The Canadian customs folks were a surly bunch, which I suppose goes with the territory (though it wasn't that way in US customs coming back). But things got really interesting when a woman in immigrations asked me to go and sit in a locked room.

 

"So you say that the last time you came to Canada was 19 years ago?"

 

"That's correct."

 

"You didn't try to enter New Brunswick four years ago?"

 

"No." (puzzled tone)

 

"You're saying you never attempted to come to New Brunswick?"

 

"No." (more emphatically this time)

 

"That's not what we have here. Do you have multiple convictions on your record?"

 

"No... what?! Absolutely not!"

 

So then she asks for my social security number, and then leaves, giving me I don't know how many minutes to imagine my efforts going down in flames, due to some bureaucratic bungling. Then she returns and tells me that there's someone else with my name and birth date and all these problems. Which I suppose is plausible---I do have a common name---but you'd think that in this age of big data, particularly in government, that this type of f**k up would be rather less likely. And even now I wonder if it was that they were trying to rattle me, to see how I would react. Maybe it was weird to them that someone would travel internationally for a night, for a concert (my original plan was to stay for three).

 

That whole experience, as you might imagine, brought a fair amount of bad energy into my first moments on Canadian soil. Which is shame, because I would come to find that overall, the people that I met in Halifax were exceptionally friendly and polite. The city had a smallish feel, but it had a very nice vibe. Seems like a great place to live.

 

And the show was amazing, as it has been all tour. All that I've ever read about the band missing the mark in any number of ways just strikes me as complete bullshit these days. I've been seeing them since 1986 and they are as tight as ever. Better even, in terms of creativity and poise on stage. As I drummer I can only imagine what it takes for Neil to execute each night, and yet he consistently kills it, and throws some spectacular curve balls now and again. Ged sounds fantastic, and is so well synced with Neil- is there a better rhythm section in rock? And Al is so good at keeping the beautiful parts intact, while bending them slightly or weaving in new and interesting moments.

 

My only complaint was that you can't have a drink anywhere in the seating areas---only on the concourse. Is that a Canadian thing, or unique to that arena? Too many hockey and beer-induced conflagrations I presume? Plus, tried to get a drink not long into the second set, and everything was buttoned up. Quite a contrast with Tinley Park in Chicago, where just two weeks before I was actually able to get a drink after the show, at the bar in the VIP area. And I watched security come down and haul off a familiar Rushie who was right up front and enjoying a subtle smoke, apart from the smoke anyway. They never do that in American arenas and sheds, at least not that I've seen in recent years. He was allowed back after a few songs, but that, along with the tight leash on alcohol and what happened in customs, served to give me the impression, however unfair and limited, of Canada as being a little uptight. That's certainly not what I was expecting, and I'd welcome a rebuttal on that point from Canadians or those who travel there often. And I'd still like to see a show at YYZ... I think!

 

And as mentioned the people that I met in the bars, restaurants and shops in Halifax were very nice, and very engaging. And the seafood was phenomenal. So it was back to the airport the next day, where I breezed through US customs, and then settled into the bar for a bit. Before long, Jonathan Dinklage of the CA string ensemble sat down, and we had a nice chat about the tour and the band. He's been a fan for many years. And I got to talk with production manager Craig Blazier (whom I had met a few years before), and he was very encouraging about what lies ahead!

 

Back at LGA, once again my bloody flight was cancelled, on a fine weather day and for no apparent reason (big money make no sound). Got on a flight to Knoxville, hotel for 5 hours, then the early-morning flight to ATL. Like John Candy and Steve Martin, I was exhausted by the end of it. But as always, it was worth it!

Edited July 22, 2013 by 1-0-0-1-0-0-1
added some info

[Pale Facsimile]

I too would be suspicious of people who haven't attempted to enter NB, seeing as it's the most awesome province EVER (I'm biased though, as my family owns a small summer cottage in NB, on Grand Manan Island...and Neil has supposedly stayed in it, according to the woman who owns the other cottages in the group and rents ours out when we're not there).