I had a hard time sleeping last night. I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow, but then I was awake for good around 3:30am. Lucky for me we had that extra hour, eh?
There is an upside though. I have started song #1 for November’s National Solo Album Month. I can see how you’re all jumping around with glee.
I guess I’m playing along this year after all.
I have an uncontrollable urge to drive to Guitar Center and buy stuff. I think my step son would be up for it too.
My guitar playing at practice tonight was probably the worst it’s ever been when other people were in the room. I’m stunned they didn’t sack me on the spot. My hands hurt so much I just couldn’t make them do what I needed them to do. It was just awful. What if this never goes away? What if it gets worse? What if I can’t play anymore? When does it get so bad I have to see a doctor, and what if the doctor tells me I’m done for good? I am literally scared.
I just put new strings on the ES 335. I cleared a bit of space off of the MacBook Pro. All I have to do is clip my fingernails and then I’ll be ready for band practice.
For tonight’s recording, I need to lower the vocals on channel five, raise my mic on the PA, lower Mike’s bass on channel three, and raise Kevin’s drums WAY up on channels one and two. I think I’ll give the bass end on the drums a bit of a boost too. If all works well I’ll be sharing some music later this week.
More likely I’ll be listening to a recording with pretty much nothing but boomy drums.
Apple Music is missing something. I haven’t noticed until just now. Spotify lets you embed playlists into other social platforms. I can show playlists and albums here, or on Facebook, or wherever. Apple Music does not give you that option. There is a little share menu but it only sends links to a couple of places. Email, Messages, Twitter, Facebook. The usual. I just tested drove it with Facebook and the link didn’t even work. Also, in reference to my previous post, I referred to Apple Music as iTunes Music because I am dumb, dumb, dumb and have the memory of a twig. Urgh.
Anyway, just for fun lets test the link here too. Does this bring you to the latest Robin Trower record? I bet it doesn’t…
For your listening enjoyment, The Beatles at Shea Stadium.
We had our first band practice in about a month tonight. Much to everyone’s surprise it went really, really well. Are we ready to play out? No, but we are starting to feel close.
I forgot my notebook tonight, but amazingly I made it through without any train wrecks. Physically, it was hot and sweaty and there was some finger pain. By the time 8:00pm came I was definitely ready to go home and sleep. I also tore my finger tips to shreds. Other than all of that, it went fine.
Next up is Sunday. The mixing board recordings may begin at that time.
Yes formed in 1968. From then through last week there were approximately 746253647 different band members, but only one bass player. Chris Squire. He lost a fight with cancer back in June. When he first got sick the band had a tour booked. He had to back out and asked a former band mate to sit in for him. It sounds like his intentions were honorable. If the tour was canceled, all of the crew would be out of work.
When he died, I assumed the tour would be canceled after all. I was wrong. The shows started a few days ago. There are no original members left in the band. The one man who represents the band’s identity, Jon Anderson has been out for years. The most noted guitarist and drummer are there. The keyboard player spent a brief time with the band in 1980, but he’s more known for working with other bands. The keyboard player most fans want to see has been out of the picture forever. Now we replace the one constant with an ex-rhythm guitar player who probably had no business being in the band for the blink of time he was. It’s just not Yes anymore and anyone who shells out money to see them is deluded. They are nothing but a cover band that happens to feature a guy named White and another guy named Howe.
I can forgive the band for carrying on with this tour. It was Chris Squire’s wish that the show go on. Given that, sure let this tour happen. After its through though… Please oh please let Yes stop. Let it end mercifully. Let the cover bands take care of being cover bands. Alan White, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, John Davidson (is that his name?), please put an end to this.
Still messing around with using Oggl to hipstafy some of my Rush R40 in New York pictures. Why? Because I’m one sentimental red head, that’s why. Also because as I clean the house I’m listening to R40 New York bootlegs. Why? Because I’m not ready to let go.
What was I talking about? Oh yeah, Oggl. Turns out I am the only Oggl user who used the tags R40 or R40Live. There are thousands of pics with those tags on friggin’ Instagram, but only the few I posted on Oggl. During the Periscope fun last night I tried to Google the number of active users on Oggl and the only numbers I found were for Hipstamatic users at the time Oggl launched in 2013. I don’t think that’s a good sign, do you?
Anyway, here are more hipsta-Rush pics.
Well kids, the Rush R40 tour is over. I was running out of gas during the great periscope viewing of the second set. I turned off the lights and laid down during Jacobs Ladder. I blinked once and suddenly Eugene Levy was introducing the encour. I shut it off after the great “F*ck you, puppet.”
But what does it all mean? Band members have been quoted saying that they are not breaking up, but no one has given any definitive plans for the future. Maybe we’ll make another album. Maybe we’ll do residencies instead of big tours (if that’s the case, get your passports ready as any such residency would most likely be in Toronto, where 2/3 of the band lives). Maybe we’ll tour, just not for months at a time. If the band doesn’t know what’s next, how can we even speculate?
Ray Daniels, who has managed the band longer than Neil Peart has been a member, has let it be known that he thinks an end to touring is a bad idea. Who know, maybe he has enough influence over them to talk them into another full blown tour. I doubt it though. I couldn’t see any signs that age was catching up to them during the 2.5 hours they were playing, but I have no idea what the other 21.5 hours of the day are like.
Here is my hope for the future of Rush, based on absolutely nothing but my own wishes: Take a few months off, start writing, make a new album, rehearse for a month or so, book a week at a smaller arena in Toronto, or Radio City Music Hall in New York, and politely ask your fans to come to you (this fan will be first in line), wash-rinse-repeat for as long as you have the physical ability and desire to do so. That would be pretty sweet.
If not, then we the fanatics have 40+ years worth of music to continue to enjoy for as long as we want. When you think of it, that’s a pretty astonishing gift they’ve given us. I will thank them for it until the end of my days.
The final show of the R40 tour has begun. I’m watching on periscope on one iOS device, while typing this and trolling for better periscope feeds on another.
Here’s hoping Rush goes out with a bang!
