Almost Time for Some Monkey Business

Two days to go until Rush comes to Boston.

2010-09-14 - Rush at TD Garden 525

I bought a new point and shoot camera in the hopes of sneaking it into the show. Do I even have to sneak? The last couple of times they didn’t check for cameras at all. Here’s hoping I’m in the clear!

Google Photos Test

For years I have been worried that Flickr was going to die and I wouldn’t have a place to host my gigantic mountain of pictures anymore.

Yesterday, a back up service may have presented itself.  Google Photos… which considering I started hosting photos on Google Picassa before moving to Flickr’s unlimited storage service isn’t too hard to imagine.  Google Photos offers unlimited storage, but not at full resolution.  That’s a big negative, but if this terrible Flickr Free world ever exists I will live with it.  It has an auto upload function that seems very similar to the one Flickr just added, and the search functions seem similar too, although Google > Yahoo when it comes to search.  It has facial recognition too, which Flickr does not (yet).

The big test is can I use it to host pictures on the old bloggerooski.  If you see Rush on this post then the answer is yes.  If you don’t, then Flickr still rules the online photo universe.

 

Two Days

I managed to hold out for two days. That’s how long I was able to wait before downloading bootlegs of Friday night’s Rush show. I have tapes from two sources. Yeah. They haven’t even had a second show yet and already I have two bootlegs. I think I need therapy.

I have not listened to them yet, and I won’t until after I see the show for myself. I have also managed to not look at the setlist, even though the dimeadozen torrent pages have both listed the whole thing.

I’m not spoiler free though. I’ve heard a couple of song titles from Facebook friends who were there on Friday. I’ve also seen a number of pictures. There’s a guy on Flickr who uploaded some great shots with the tag R40Live. Check them out. They sort of spoiled one or two things for me. You see… there are photos that include two… not one, but two… double neck guitars. Knowing your Rush history narrows that down to at most two songs. One of them I’m sure had two double necks (a 6/12 for Alex and a bass/12 for Geddy), the other had at least one. I’ve seen Alex play his double neck before, but I’ve never seen Geddy play one in person.

Epic, dude. Totally, wicked Epic.

Post script… Now that I think of it, there is one song that I believe Geddy played his double neck but Alex did not play his. On one of the live records, during a guitar solo, there is a moment where you hear rhythm guitar but no bass. That’s the give away that Geddy is playing his Rick double neck. Again, I’ve never seen evidence of this, but I’ve heard it. That’s a third double neck song, but I’m still only sure of one where they both play theirs. Just one. I won’t say which song but I will say if you pop on the Exit… Stage Left video you’ll know what I’m talking about.

R40 – Opening Night

 photo 81laHOf249L._SL1500__zpstxywoeil.jpg

Tonight is the night. Tulsa, OK is the place. The opening night of the Rush R40 40th anniversary celebration tour! Even though this year is actually their 41st year. Who cares!

What do you think the chances are that I can pick up Jen, get to the airport, fly to Tulsa, get to the arena, scalp two tickets, and get to our seats by 7:00 local time? The chances are pretty slim, but we should do it anyway! WOOHOO!!

Just kidding.

We will be at the Boston and NYC shows. The final show of the tour is in Los Angeles. I’m trying to drop subtle hints to my beloved wife Jen that a trip to L.A. is a good idea. There’s also Toronto though. I’ve always wanted to see Rush play a hometown show.

I am a little disappointed in the band, to tell you the truth. In the past there have been a strange number of tours in which they were in New England within a day or two of my birthday. In 2013 they were at Mohegan Sun on May 9th, In 1990 they hit the mother lode of birthday shows. They were in Providence on the 7th, Hartford on the 8th, and Worcester on the 10th and 11th. I went on the 10th (I think). Add to that the fact that the Clockwork Angels tour in 2012 actually opened in Manchester, NH. Why then could they not have opened this tour in Boston on my birthday? Why? Especially since this is rumored to be either the final tour or the final tour of this magnitude. That would have been a pretty sweet Rush birthday present, don’t you think?

 photo post_feature_zps8bmbbkcn.jpg

Why I Hate Tulsa, Oklahoma

I hate Tulsa, OK. I hate it I hate it I hate it.

Why do I hate it?

Because the Rush R40 tour kicks off in Tulsa tomorrow night and I am not there. That’s why I hate Tulsa, OK. I hate it I hate it I hate it. Stupid Tulsa gets the Rush opening night show and I don’t. Bunch of stupid jerk faces.

2010-09-14 - Rush at TD Garden 1154

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Rush on the opening night of the Clockwork Angels tour

Untitled

Rush @ Manchester 7-11-08 174

Rush @ Manchester 7-11-08 100

Rush 7-5-08 Saratoga Springs, NY 920

Tickets Acquired

In all the excitement over the announcement of Rush tour dates yesterday I totally missed the announcement of ticket pre-sales starting today!  I got word in time though.

Did I get tickets to the Boston show?  Yes.

Did I get tickets to the New York show?  Yes.

Did I get good seats to either show?  Well….

Eh, not so good.  Okay.  Not great.  We’re in the door though, that’s all that really matters.  I’ve had much worse seats, once in the back row at Mohegan Sun and once in the back row at SPAC, and still had my entire head rocked clean off.

We’re going to see Rush again!  Let’s celebrate!