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Thursday, December 16, 2010

And then it was over (last US show in Anaheim)...

We arrived at the bar around 5:30 after the 20 minute drive from Disney. Eric was already at the bar and had secured a table outside on the patio. Robert was there whom we had met in Chicago and a couple of other places and Julie and her friend were there whom we’d seen in LA a couple of weeks ago. Kurt and his dad Gerry arrived and Chris and his wife arrived soon after as did Dan and Tony and Michael Simone.
Robert and and his front row ticket!!   Robert, Ed  and Eric                  All of us at the pre show meet up
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Eric and Ed had done a few deals and secured a front row ticket for Robert, and presented it with him at the meet up he was totally speechless and really didn't know what to say! It was the last show of the US tour tonight and Robert had flown down from Chicago just for this show. I was tearing up just talking to people about it being the last show and knew it was going to be a hard show to see and to not get upset about, I had been on the road for thirteen weeks, seen 52 shows and met some of the most amazing people ever, it was not going to be easy at all.
It was great to see Dan again, we had met for the first time in LA after having been in touch for several years, he is the manager of Which Ones Pink, the LA based tribute band, i really gotta make it out there sometime and see these guys perform!
Chris, Dan and I                                        Dan and I
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Kami went to the bathroom to change and put her makeup on and a friend of my friend Eddie in San Francisco spotted me and came over, he took me over to meet his whole family and friends and introduced me to his daughter who would be coming over to Europe next May to see some of the shows.We exchanged details and i told her to keep in touch for next year and we would meet up while she was in London.
Tony, myself and Kami headed over to the venue around seven o clock. As we left the bar Tony gave me a HUGE bag of cherry jelly beans that he had bought just for me knowing my love for them! Kami ended up having to arry them around in her handbag all night and i thank you for that and also thank Tony for going out of his way and thinking about me!! cheers!
Tony was 5th row on the right side, Robert was front row centre, Julie and her friend were 3rd row centre, Chris and his wife were 15th row on the left and Kami and I were around thirteen row centre on the aisle  so we were all around each other and knew where everyone was and kept in touch and saw each other on the floor.
John Joyce was talking to Julee and saw Kami and i and came over to shake our hands as it would be the last time we would see each other till Europe. Pat Lennon did the same and came over for a chat and Marky saw me and asked if I'd seen Kip, i ad and i pointed him in the right direction,lol Robbie and his wife Victoria came running up to Kami and i to say goodbye, Kami and I got real friendly with Victoria while seeing the shows and all three of us looked forward to seeing each other each night and usually ended up sitting around each other at the gig.
Victoria and Kami                                      Jon, Myself and Kami (thanks Chris!)
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I had made my mind up not to take any pictures at tonight's show till maybe the last few minutes, i wanted to enjoy the show being the last one and not watch it through a 2inch LCD screen!
We took our seats which were right in front of Victoria and Kami went to sit next to her for the first couple of tracks till he friend arrived. I was totally immersed in the first half of the show, i didn't look around at the crowd, didn't watch other people i just focused on the show and cried my eyes out during In The Flesh (yes Kami that why i didn't turn round when you were sat next to Victoria! and you tapped me on the shoulder! lol)
Roger made reference to it being the last show in the US and said it had been a fantastic tour and thanked everyone that had helped make it possible.
At intermission Kami and i went backstage as i wanted to thank everyone personally whom we’d met and who had helped make this trip what it was. It was great to shake all the Lennon brothers hands and say “thanks you” and also Jon Joyce. Was great to see Dave K and thank him for everything he has done for us on the tour.  He’s been fantastic with us and always made time if we called him before the shows and wanted any help or had friends wanting pictures with him etc etc
The Lennon brothers and Jon Joyce have all been amazing on this tour and i cannot thank them enough for not only their performances but they newly aquired friendship.
Jon Carin came out but was busy talking to his friend Cory Feldman who’s album he had produced a year or so ago. I hadn't seen Jon much on this tour at all and wanted to say hi, i shook his hand and said cheers Jon, at first he didn't see me and then when he did he stopped and was so happy to see it was me, he was rushing to get back onstage and told me to speak to Cory and call him after the show as Cory had his number. I had lost Jon’s number in my old cell phone but i didn't want to bother him to be honest, id said hi and thanks and that's all that really mattered to me. I know most if not all the band have been reading my blog and have been enjoying it immensely so again i wanted to public thank you all for everything. Thank You!
Me backstage with Tony Hawkes'!                Hospitality backstage
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The second picture above had a guy in it with white hair, i had seen him on the floor and knew his face from somewhere but couldn't place him, he looked a bit like Andy Warhol but it wasn't,lol After the show we saw him again and  he introduced himself and Michael (I've forgotten his last name)  he was a film director and had worked with Roger for over thirty years and directed some Dark Side footage a long time ago! He was staggered when Kami told him i had seen 52 shows and was such a nice guy and very talkative, he said he was going to make sure Roger was aware of my adventure, i let him know that he already knew and that its not the first time I've done a tour.
Kami and i decided to stand in the aisle stage right for the second half of the show and stood right behind Julie and her friend for the whole second half. I love being this close and it was the only place to be for the last show of the tour.
I took a few videos of a couple of things as below.
The new audio riff during Run Like Hell
Roger using the machine gun and now shouting at the audience.
Roger doing the wanking motion during Waiting For The Worms
4. The final US wall fall!
5. Rogers last speech US speech after Outside The Wall.
It was sad to watch the second half knowing that tomorrow afternoon id be on a flight back home to the UK, however i was also happy that if i didn't go back i wouldn't be able to do it all again in Europe next year!! I managed to hold back the tears at the end but only due to being with Kami i think,  i hate crying in front of girls,lol
After the show we met up with Tony, Chris and the others at the bar to say our goodbyes.
Post show at the bar.
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10 comments:

  1. Simon, some people are talkers, you made it happen. It wasn't luck it was planning. You organized so many events to bring us all together, or passed along the info so that we could. I KNOW I speak for everyone when I say we all appreciate everything you did for us.I know, I know, you're not one for thanks and all that, but our little community is so great because of the people in it. These are the memories that stay with you forever, like in 2002. So glad I was able to join in on the adventures in 2010 =)

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  2. You're our Floydian Goodwill Ambassador! <3

    OMG you met Tony Hawk, that is so cool! I figured there were plenty of celebrities there that night.

    Glad you're home safe and sound, and Happy Xmas to you.

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  3. I've been reading a book, "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer," about a guy who traveled to every University of Alabama football game for a season, documenting his interactions with other fans who do the same thing. I'm not a Bama fan (despite the fact that my fiancé is getting a degree from UA!) on any level, but the book is fascinating because it delves beyond that, into what makes us care so passionately, and ultimately it's about feeling part of a community, of being connected, of sharing. The beauty of the Floyd/Waters fanbase is that it doesn't pivot around any kind of competition (well, unless you want to resurrect the vibes of the Bad Old 1980s, but no one seems to be as interested in that kind of thing now, thankfully). I will continue to say: my enjoyment of the show I saw was *at least* doubled by the fellowship before and after. For the longest time, I was the only Floyd fanatic I knew! I'm very happy to have been part of your journey this year, Simon, and here's to a great second leg beginning next year!

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  4. Great to see you - have a safe flight!

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  5. Nice one Simon, have enjoyed your Blog immensely. It was great to meet you again in Chicago & NY and look forward to seeing you in a hotter continent (not Europe :-}) next year.

    Col T

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  6. Cheers on the blog Si - over 47,500 hits so far.

    I was touched to read what you guys did for Robert. From practically day one when Ron and I were working on the AFG Forum Convocation in Chicago, Robert kept sending me messages, asking what he could do to help. He's genuinely passionate about how he can give to others and not about what he can get from them ... and knowing he was able to sit in the front row for the last show was some great karma coming back to him. Thanks guys for doing that! :)

    Suzanne

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  7. Col,glad you enjoyed the blog and hope to see you down under sooon!

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  8. Robert is a fantastic guy and its been great seeing the shows with him. I have to be honest and say that the front row ticket thing was all Ed and Erics work and nothing to do with me.Id have done whatever i could had i known though:)

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  9. Though I didn't see the tour myself, I am incredibly glad that you decided to start this blog Simon. Reading your journeys across North America have made me felt that I was actually there at the show. Your pictures and videos are fantastic documentations of this great tour and enough thank yous can never be said. If this ever is made into a book, it would certainly be one to not look over! Hope you have a fun time in Europe next year and that you have a very Merry Christmas.

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  10. What a wonderful community Pink Floyd fans make, in 2006 a good FF friend of mine who lived in Atlanta wanted to see David’s show here in LA. He and his wife flew out, stayed at my home and secured tickets for one of the two shows, their budget was just too short for tickets to the second show, well it was a good time for me financially so I bought them tickets to the second night’s show.

    Well this year, it was my budget that was a bit low, and Eric, who knew me only from my posts on AFG, sold me a $275 seat for $100, then Eric and Ed set up Robert in the front row for free!

    Karma came back and rewarded me, thanks to the great folks in the Pink Floyd fandom!

    Eric and Ed, I hope that Karma smiles on you two, and the rest of this great community, for years to come!

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