However these days I'm running the business and trying to keep up with my family, with an occasional concert here and there. Last night I was let out of the property! Whoo Hoo! So... I'll admit it.. I'm not as well versed in today's music as I used to be. Hell, it was my job besides being a huge part of my life, but I just don't have the time like I used too. Thanks to my wife and son, they've been educating me again.
So here I am at Nickleback, with openers Seether and Saving Abel, and trying to get a hold on who and what I'm about to see. Yes, I know some Nickleback, but a whole concert? Well.. I wasn't so sure about this. But my twelve-year-old really wanted to go and mom and I decided to take him and his brother Kyle (pulled away from Ga Tech finals.. shh...don't tell anyone) and sit on the amphitheatre lawn. Give me a beer, I'll sit on anyone's lawn.
Saving Abel was quite good. Above and behind the amphitheatre roof we saw a storm coming. The lightning was flashing sideways as if we were in Frankenstein's laboratory. It was eerie cool. The sky was dark and murky and at one point during a slow part in their final song, the sky parted and the sun hit all of us on the lawn! The crowd roared approval! And then God said "Arthur, Arthurrr, King of the Britain's"... oh.. excuse me.. I digress... Then Seether came on and and really got the crowd going. I didn't know this band really, maybe one song, but I was again, impressed. I will be looking into some cd action on these guys.
And then comes the main attraction as Nickleback took the crowd by storm. No, I mean it, Nickleback comes on, the sky begins shuddering and thumpin' the earth with those load cracks and whoosh.. here comes the rain.. and I mean we are running for cover bubba. All 10,000 of us on the lawn. What cover you ask? Exactly. Time to buy a beer.. in fact somebody upstairs kept turning the faucet on and off throughout the show. Everytime it came on.. time to get a beer. This could explain some staggering on my part later on (along with the shivering, and zombie slime-like skin underneath our clothes) as we went to get in our car and turn on the heat. Oh, the show you ask, "Dave, how was the show?" (when do we get to the review for chrissakes).
Nickleback was a lot of fun. I'd have to say I was thoroughly impressed with Chad Krueger's singing, guitar pickin', and overall frivality (this is putting it nicely :-) as he spoke to the crowd. They played their hits, they played new material off their recent release, DARK HORSE, and they showered (no pun intended) the crowd with a five minute giveaway (playing their versions of metallica, et el ) of shooting t-shirts into the fans. The light show, the stage set-up, the video screens (huge! Great for the lawn people!) the sound, everything was top-notch and well thought out. If you didn't get your money's worth, then you were in the bathroom with the rest of the guys (and some gals) trying to stay dry from the rain. At one point the lead singer from Seether came out and led Nickleback with the cover of a FILTER song (thanks Kyle!) that was rockin' and haunting. Good stuff.
Oh yes.. back to the rain my friends...it was raining.. most of the concert. But Poppa Dave here braved it all with the rest of his family, and we had a wonderful time. The band rocked the crowd of 15,000 plus, and when they were playing you almost forgot that it was raining. Now that's a band worth standing in the rain for. Until the wife says - okay.. that's it .. get me to the car and turn on the heat.
Yes dear :-).
). He looked good and we had a great time visiting and catching up. Now that I know hes gone a flood of memories seem to be coming. Seems that happens when we know someone whos passed. Life gets busy and we cant keep up with everyone, but sometimes I wish I could. Im just glad to have known Craig he was a good friend to me and the Overlook for many years.