Thursday, May 27, 2004
Rockin' in paradise.....
I made it through the concert! We got there right at 6:30 just as the opening act started their first song. The Nelson brothers were first. They are both still very cute, very sweet, and sing well. They did a brief tribute to their father Ricky Nelson which was really nice.
I think sitting on the lawn at the concert was actually a better choice than a stadium seat. Even though it was further back, my sister and I were able to spread out a blanket to give us some room. I brought a seat cushion to sit on, which helped. I was able to stretch and shift position frequently. I did stand for a few songs, so my lower legs and feet did swell a bit even with the granny hose, but had I been up front, I would have been on my feet the whole time, which would have been a no-no for my edema. I brought my binoculars, so I could see the stage fairly well.
The second act was Peter Frampton. He was awesome! He is such a talented musician....really has a way with a guitar. He had a full band backing him up. Great voice too. We got to watch the sun set behind the mountains as he sang "I Love Your Way". He did some of his newer material too, which was quite good.
I was right about there being no food in the ampitheatre that I could eat. I did have some popcorn and bottled water. I also successfully snuck in a gluten-free protein bar which helped me keep my energy up. It was a bit windy out, so the cigarette smoke didn't hover in the air long and didn't bother me as much as I was expecting. I got a little congested, a bit of a sore throat, and had to use a lot of eye drops, but overall, I'd say it was manageable.
Styx came on just before 8:30 I think. Even though this was the sixth time I've seen them in concert, every show has been different. They started with material from the studio album they released last year. Way cool. They work so hard at entertaining the crowd and succeed wonderfully. I've never seen a band that seems to enjoy itself so much performing on stage. I think part of the secret of their renewed success is their two younger members challenge the veteran band members to keep up, heh heh. Tommy Shaw is gorgeous!! They also have enough material to play a different lineup of songs with each tour. Last night, they did a medley of their older but lesser-known material....some of it I'd never heard them do in concert before. They of course did some of their most popular songs with so much energy that the camera guys (who were projecting the show on large screens) had trouble keeping up with them. The best part, though, was when the original bass player came on stage to join them! He has been semi-retired due to health problems, so it was a surprise and a real treat to have not three but FOUR guitarists on stage at once!
When I got home, I put an Icy Hot patch on my lower back, fell into bed early and sleep solidly for ten hours. Now, though, every muscle in my body is screaming at me. Well, like they say, "If you're gonna play, you're gonna pay." I much prefer earned pain over unearned pain, though, so I plan to take it in stride.
Party on!
Pain level: 8
Fatigue level: 7
I think sitting on the lawn at the concert was actually a better choice than a stadium seat. Even though it was further back, my sister and I were able to spread out a blanket to give us some room. I brought a seat cushion to sit on, which helped. I was able to stretch and shift position frequently. I did stand for a few songs, so my lower legs and feet did swell a bit even with the granny hose, but had I been up front, I would have been on my feet the whole time, which would have been a no-no for my edema. I brought my binoculars, so I could see the stage fairly well.
The second act was Peter Frampton. He was awesome! He is such a talented musician....really has a way with a guitar. He had a full band backing him up. Great voice too. We got to watch the sun set behind the mountains as he sang "I Love Your Way". He did some of his newer material too, which was quite good.
I was right about there being no food in the ampitheatre that I could eat. I did have some popcorn and bottled water. I also successfully snuck in a gluten-free protein bar which helped me keep my energy up. It was a bit windy out, so the cigarette smoke didn't hover in the air long and didn't bother me as much as I was expecting. I got a little congested, a bit of a sore throat, and had to use a lot of eye drops, but overall, I'd say it was manageable.
Styx came on just before 8:30 I think. Even though this was the sixth time I've seen them in concert, every show has been different. They started with material from the studio album they released last year. Way cool. They work so hard at entertaining the crowd and succeed wonderfully. I've never seen a band that seems to enjoy itself so much performing on stage. I think part of the secret of their renewed success is their two younger members challenge the veteran band members to keep up, heh heh. Tommy Shaw is gorgeous!! They also have enough material to play a different lineup of songs with each tour. Last night, they did a medley of their older but lesser-known material....some of it I'd never heard them do in concert before. They of course did some of their most popular songs with so much energy that the camera guys (who were projecting the show on large screens) had trouble keeping up with them. The best part, though, was when the original bass player came on stage to join them! He has been semi-retired due to health problems, so it was a surprise and a real treat to have not three but FOUR guitarists on stage at once!
When I got home, I put an Icy Hot patch on my lower back, fell into bed early and sleep solidly for ten hours. Now, though, every muscle in my body is screaming at me. Well, like they say, "If you're gonna play, you're gonna pay." I much prefer earned pain over unearned pain, though, so I plan to take it in stride.
Party on!
Pain level: 8
Fatigue level: 7
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