Sting, Stew and Andy - seen 'em ?

[Winston Wolfe]

anyone seen one of the shows with the three non-Blondes yet ?
I saw 'em tonight at the Honda Center and they were pretty entertaining. Best three songs were "truth hits everybody", "next to you" and "so lonely". Played from 8:45 to 10:50pm and it was really good to see them jam it up a bit - Andy's hands looked to be about 60+ years old, but he could still mix it up a bit, and sting still looks to be about 40-something years old.
They play Dodger Stadium on Saturday and its a sell out.... they fellas have got to be raking in the coin when the nosebleed seats at the FHonda Ctr were starting at $90 per, excluding the TicketMaster "disaster" fees - and many were going on Ebay for $250-400 per seat....
anyone else been to the show ?

[Napoleon]

I will see them 3 or 4 weeks from now. I saw them 20 years ago and it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

[chop456]

I will see them 3 or 4 weeks from now. I saw them 20 years ago and it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.Surpassing even Three Dog Night and Paul Revere and the Raiders? :p

[Methanolandbrats]

Surpassing even Three Dog Night and Paul Revere and the Raiders? :p Keep your powder dry Chop, you can probably see them at HoChunk for $10.50 next year. :gomer:

[racermike]

I saw them in Seattle on June 6th

One of the best shows I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!

[RusH]

July 11th is my day to see them.:thumbup:

It`s been a long time since 1979:eek:

Right now I`m still high over the Rush concert last Saturday night...got some torrents from Tampa I will cherish for a long time..Snakes&Arrows=2112. :)


I Will see Peart and Copeland within a months time frame...\m/

[Indy]

Seeing Rush in Indy. How was the show?

[RusH]

Seeing Rush in Indy. How was the show?

?

Sorry for the hijack...give peace a chance?...I think you meant the Police.?!?

woops..you mean Noblesville?..lol...not from the midwest..


anyhow...I`m a lazy typer.....check the review...I was there and it`s spot on.

http://www.rushmessageboard.com/cpmb/index.php?showtopic=12209

[Indy]

?

Sorry for the hijack...give peace a chance?...I think you meant the Police.?!?

woops..you mean Noblesville?..lol...not from the midwest..


anyhow...I`m a lazy typer.....check the review...I was there and it`s spot on.

http://www.rushmessageboard.com/cpmb/index.php?showtopic=12209


Nobletucky it is. That site requires a login. Can you be arsed to cut and paste? Pretty please? :gomer:

[RusH]

Hijack complete...Indy made me do it :gomer:
Spoilers to Rush contained within......I hope the Police are still as good.

o.k. first, this must be said.

wow.

just.

WOW!


What a freakin' SHOW the guys put on tonight! I could not be any more pleased with their performance and the setlist than I am right now after seeing it live and in person.

As of 6pm today, I still had no ticket. I kept trying on TB until a little after 4pm and the ONLY thing that popped up for a brief moment aside from LAWN was a Section 102, Row J, Seat 12 ticket. Not horrible, by any stretch of the imagination, but still, if I was gonna pay full price, I still thought I could somehow manage better at the venue.

My buddy & his bro show up around 4:30 and we head on down to the venue, getting there right around 5pm. None of us have tickets; We're gonna roll the bones, spin the big wheel, and try to see if lady luck is golden. rtbdice.gif

Right at 6pm, after not seeing anything worthwhile in the scalper area (not without sacrificing a kidney or something), my bud gets TB on the phone and hands me off to a dude who's got 2 in Row Q, Orch 2. At this point, it's like the 15th row (they begin with C) - center. For face, I'll take it. and I do take one of them. Guy on the phone gets a real kick out of the fact that I'm already at the venue.

So by this time, they are finally allowing us to go up to the venue box office and try our luck. I go pick up my will-call ticket and am happy. My buddy and his bro play the stockbroker game with tickets... First some guy gives them 2 lawn seats. Then they buy two Row S, Orch 2 tickets from the box office. Then they sell the lawns. Then they sell the Row S tix. In addition to makin' $40 apiece on the Row S tix, the buyer gives them 2 more lawn tix, which they then turn around and sell... oy. At that point, they are trying to score really good just released tix at the box office right at 7:30... I look at them, shake my head, and walk into the venue, knowing full well, I'll be lucky (?) if I see them inside... (called them at intermission - they didn't bother; they were happy coming out and making $125 apiece for doing nothing other than scammin' on the broker/scalper action). Again, I just shook my head...

And the sad fact was they COULD, too. Tampa is a good Rush town. The lawn was jammed tonight. I'd say there were upwards of 15-16K peeps at the ampitheatre tonight. Which was fine by me. Better energy throughout and the band picked up on it.

which brings me to the SHOW!!!

O.
M.
G.

I may have been 15 rows back, but I got really lucky and the peeps directly in front and angled in front of me were actually short(er) than me for the most part. I had EXCELLENT views of all 3 guys even though I was basically in a direct line with Ged's rig and where he stands throughout most of the gig. Neil's kit has changed dramatically enough to allow me to have an awesome view of him playing tonight. I got exactly what I needed tonight and I couldn't be happier.

The guys played their asses off tonight. They began right around 7:45 and the first set lasted just under 70 minutes until 8:55 and the second set began 25 minutes later at 9:20ish and giving them <3 minutes for a break before the encore began, they played until 10:55pm. So they played for about 2 hours 40 minutes total. Name me other bands that play that long. (I'll name one - Public Enemy - and they even had 2 opening bands) Anybody else? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller? Beuller?

Speaking of PE, I was there representin', yo. PE, that is; wearing my bright red 20th anny concert shirt. I figured it was appropo, seeing as I wore my bright red Rush VT Tour shirt to the PE show... LOL.gif

Oak spotted me right away. (Has he mentioned that he's one freakin' TALL son of a gun?) LOL2.gif Good talkin' with you buddy. I thought I had your cell and tried to call you just to see if you were around, but I think I called your house instead (got your answering machine; didn't leave msg)... Ran into Bytor11 as well. Real good chattin' it up with him again after all these years (since Vegas '02?! blink.gif )... Panacea walked by with her beau and totally ignored me as I called her name, well, her online name seein' as I freakin' forgot her real name seein' as we last spoke in TO last July! LOL2.gif Anyway, that was worth a chuckle.

Ran into an old work buddy and self-admitted Gedfan (plays bass; has a Ged signature bass) outside as well. Good thing, too, 'cause the bastid is movin' in 2 weeks and has my Contents Under Pressure book that I haven't even read yet! LOL2.gif It's cool, I had his Sting/Police book for-like-ever before I returned it...

but back to the show and the setlist...

I thought the opening might be a little lackadaisical due to such mid-tempo selections as Digital Man, Entre Nous & Mission, but by the time they were done playing them, I was impressed with the way they had added some serious punch to the tunes for the concert. I definitely was rockin' out all night. A couple was next to me and the lady, after about the 5th song, looked over at me and just stated inquisitively, "you REALLY like Rush, don't you?" to which I replied, "I just like MUSIC!" and then proceeded to continue dancing and air-instrumentating away in my usual unabashed manner. datbebanginyo.gif She popped on down to the front a few times to rock out or take pics during the gig and even rocked out herself next to me during such old-school tunes like Subdivisions, TSOR and especially Neil's drum solo.

REALLY impressed with Mission and how they played it. The boys were DEFINITELY feelin' it tonight. VERY tight playing and the sound was superb (from my vantage point)!

The Main Monkey Business! WOW - oh - WOW - oh - WOW!!! Does that song rock live. One helluvan instrumental to begin with, but when these guys jam it out live, it's something special. The Larger Bowl even rocked with the way they played it. Circumstances was beautiful! Neil completely owned this song; it was but ONE of his showcase tunes!

Between the Wheels... LOL2.gif I think the guys were ready for the ****-up tonight! Ged & Neil just stood/sat there waiting for Alex before they even thought about beginning. and Alex was talking with his guitar tech and messin' with the guitar to ensure it would freakin' work once they began. Too funny. Took a good 15-30 seconds before they began the song. But then it, naturally, rocked the house. Closing the 1st set with Dreamline. Always a great song live; much like Tom Sawyer, I just don't think I'll ever tire of the song... (unlike some other song from the '91 release which shall not be named but I will thank the maker once again that it has FINALLY and definitively been removed from this tour's setlist!)

Obviously, no changes in the setlist tonight from Atlanta & West Palm... oh well. After hearing them play it, I'm satisfied that they put a lot of effort into making an awesome setlist. I could of course tweak it to match my personal tastes, but I'm not in charge, so why be upset about it? I'm happy they put a lot of thought and energy into making a great-flowing setlist for this tour and pulled out a LOT of new/old-new material to play thereby totally changing the setlist from the last few tours. Damn happy with the setlist at this point.

Tried to get some merch during intermission, but the line moved slower than FEGgie's grey matter (on normal days; we'll not talk about the 'other' ones poke.gif )... Ran back just in time to catch the crazy Alex/Leila rants w/o merch. Then really rocked out to the 5 S&A tunes in a row. Boy did they jam them out. Far Cry and Workin' Them Angels were master strokes of playmanship and rocked the house. Armor & Sword still doesn't do much for me, but I also still enjoyed it live. Spindrift was fun, but a little A&S for my tastes, in terms of tempo - at least at the beginning; They once again jammed out the end. But man, when they got to The Way the Wind Blows, it was ****ing magnificent. It's my new favorite live tune. I thought it would be special live, and I now know how right that initial thought was. Alex smoked it, but so did Neil. It was just a thing of beauty that I was able to rock out to unbelievably so. I tossed in the Overnight Delivery boot of Atlanta in the truck after I left the gig and had this track on repeat on the way home reliving it's glory as I drove... KILLER song live. It's the new Secret Touch.

I really hope someone was taping tonight's gig, because the sound and energy from the guys on stage was phenomenal.

Subdivisions brought a cheer from the crowd, as did Natty Science. I took the liberty of taking a quick walk around the venue around the lawn towards the merch booth during this tune and was able to REALLY rock out & skank to the beat while walkin' without fear of hitting someone. and then snagged the good Rushy booty from the merch booth quickly and easily and high-tailed it back to my seat just as Witch Hunt was kicking in.

**Kelly just interrupted to inform me of who I was sitting next to tonight. YYZEDD! LOL2.gif ** Dude. Get yer *** to Toronto for the con, and even more importantly, the SHOWS!!! (and the parties) We have SUCH the blast up there every year!! datbebanginyo.gif NOTHING beats a Rush gig in their hometown these days. The energy is even better than it was tonight in Tampa now. Be like Nike and just do it. wink.gif LOL.gif Good chattin' with you during the show, man. Tried not to air-drum too wildly... It's an art-form, I think, the just-barely subdued mayhem that is my air-instrumentation while dancin' & groovin' to the beats and rhythms...

o.k. - to continue.

Got the majorly cool long sleeve for myself and the sweet snakeskin girl's T for Kel; which I'll have a hard time keeping on her when she wears it... yummy.gif girl. *drool* freak.gif

BigshiteatinGrin.gif



back on topic... smileysex.gif

MalNar rocked bigtime. the boys once again, just jammin' their asses off while playing this tune. GOTTA appreciate that.

Neil's drum solo! NICE change up, buddy! Completely reworked and the electronic section had a base Depeche Mode tonality & feel to it that I just really dug. Lot of fun and VERY groovable. The new jazz outro just smokes. Did I mention it was a lot of fun?

Alex playing Hope was extraordinary. Beautiful even. Tasty guitar.

I was absolutely NOT looking forward to Summertime Blues, but they rocked this bitch out and before I knew it, we were all jammin' along with them to it. I have no problems with this being in the setlist. They rock it out like nobody's business and it sounds great.

Even rocked out to TSOR even though I refuse to listen to it outside of live shows anymore. Alex's solos... Neil's fills... Ged's bass thumpin'... These guys really know how to push the instruments live, I'll tell you. STILL impressed after 20+ years of catching them live.

Tom Sawyer. What's to say? it rocked as usual. The South Park bit was pretty damn funny.

The encore smoked. (literally; the night breeze now wafting smoke-clouds of yummy greenness nearby)

Alex had to abruptly change guitars after the first jamout in One Little Victory. then they played Bangkok in its entirety! Which was heaven to my ears! (and nostrils... LOL2.gif ) and ended the gig with the ever-popular YYZ.

Ged's bits as 'Harry Satchel' are pretty funny. I wonder if anyone is making the connection about the rotisserie ovens and the fact that he's in a 'rotisserie' fantasy baseball league?

During YYZ, Ged walked over to Alex's side and Alex walked over to Neil's kit. At one point, Ged started backing up and bumped into Alex, messing him up in mid-riffage. Alex and Ged then proceeded to start bumping and nudging each other on purpose afterwards, laughing while Ged won (Alex was the only one messing up) the impromptu 'battle'.

I say these guys EASILY have AT LEAST another album and tour left in them. They are managing themselves extremely well, having a LOT of fun making vital, viable music and touring, so I don't see this as being a last hurrah by any stretch. It's great watching them play around on stage while rockin' the **** out of their instruments.

To Alex, Geddy & Neil: THANK YOU for an AWESOME show tonight! You ****ing ROCKED! datbebanginyo.gif



o.k. - time to clean up and go to bed...

ohhhh Kelllllyyyyyyyyyy... Here kitty kitty kitty... heh heh heh (Friskies, not just kitty food)

Hope all who went tonight had as much fun as I did! Great talking with you all!

Good night! smile.gif

[Indy]

Thanks! I can't wait!

[emjaya]

Well, if we're hi-jacking threads, then a mate went to see Guns 'n' Roses on Tuesday. Original Axel Rose, but no guns in the Gunners.:rolleyes:

Terrible was the way he described it.:yuck: :shakehead

B.O.T, Wife and I will be going when Sting and the boys land in town. When ever that is.:gomer:

[Spicoli]

The Psych Furs on Thursday. :D

[Natty]

and New Order never.....:tony:

[Spicoli]

and New Order never.....:tony:

Gall-dang, you finally got out of work release. welcome back retard.

:thumbup:

[racermike]

The Psych Furs on Thursday. :D

Ohhhhhhh ... I still have a ton of their stuff on vinyl

[Napoleon]

Well I saw the Police Monday night. Great show.

WW, or anyone else who has seen them, do you have any idea what the strips behind the big TV screens that were used in the light show are?

[racermike]

Well I saw the Police Monday night. Great show.

WW, or anyone else who has seen them, do you have any idea what the strips behind the big TV screens that were used in the light show are?

How is Sting's voice holding up so far?

As far as your question, I was wondering the same thing. Might have to post that at Stewart Copelands forum to see if anyone knows.

http://www.stewartcopeland.net/forum/index.php

[JohnHKart]

Saw them at Honda Center. Stewart Copeland was the highlight they sounded great and I had a good time. The best part was the totally hot Mexican chick that sat next to me and flirted with me and talked to me all night. I got her number (but it was a work number) so I kind of blew it off. I have to track her down. Sting's voice? The biggest disappointment. I think his ultra boring solo career has finished him from trying vocally. (It wasn't boring at the start but meandered into a morass of one low voiced slow ballad after another) Many of the songs were tuned down, with Sting reararanging the vocal parts into octave lower melodies. For instance Don't Stand So Close was the emasculated 86 version, not the balls out Zenyatta Version. Many other songs got the same treatment. Roxanne though was great. It's not that his voice is gone (like Steve Perry) but that he doesn't want to use it up. The concert was still total thumbs up, I expected Sting to do that after the octave low version of Roxanne at the Grammies, so I wasn't shocked or feeling ripped off.

John