Day in Virginia……..

So after Go Karting down the street and not getting to bed till 3am one would have thought i would have a lie in! not me, today was Jet skiing day!

Kim had called yesterday as Maki and I were driving down from Buffalo to say that her and Kenny had been out on the lake on the Jet ski as the weather was so nice and if it was the same tomorrow we would go out!

I opened the curtains at around 9am and the weather looked gorgeous, i was SO excited and couldn't wait to get out on the jet ski. Kim and i went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast around 10am. Kenny and Becca were still in bed and wanted a couple of more hours of sleep. I've never eaten at a cracker Barrel and that was another first for me! we looked around the store first as we had to wait 15 mins for a table. The stuff they sell in there is crazy! all the old toys you used to see when you were a kid and the candy section alone was huge. I hadn't seen half the candy that was there and told Kim i would defiantly have to find one in LA before i leave for back home as i didn't want to buy anything now and schlep it all over the USA for 2 months before coming home!

I had sourdough toast, scrambled egg, bacon and biscuits!(the American ones, like our scones but salty and without raisins)  Kim had similar but also had the apple soaked French toast, OMG it was amazing and melted in your mouth.

 

We headed back to the house and got there just as Kenny was getting the jet ski ready:)

 

After getting to the river area we unloaded the Ski and Kim and i walked down to the beach area while Kenny parked the truck and rode the Ski round to the beach.

I had never even sat on a ski let alone drive one and to be honest i wasn't expecting Kenny to let me drive it alone, how wrong i was!, there's the life vest, don't go fast before the poles in the water, there's the throttle, enjoy and off you go!!! i couldn't believe it!

As Kim and i were walking to the beach i had seen Kenny drive the ski out and as soon as he got the the posts in the water (the no wake zone) he opened it up and let it rip. OMG it was unreal! this things is basically an engine with a fibreglass cover on it and a seat!! its a 4 cylinder engine with a supercharger and puts out 225BHP and does over 70MPH on the water!!! that's more power than most cars in the UK!

Kenny on the ski

So, i took it easy getting out of the no wake zone and took it easy for the first couple of minutes just to get an idea of how the turning circle is and throttle and stuff, it was SO easy to drive! i couldn't believe how easy it was to turn!

Kenny giving me the low down                      My first time even sat on a ski!

     

My first time out on a ski

After a couple of minutes i opened the throttle fully and went for it, the feeling was amazing and i could hardly keep my eyes focused on the Speedo as it went to thirty, then forty, then fifty and i then saw sixty! my arms were feeling it a little and my legs too, i could feel the ski taking off as i hit the small waves and felt it crashing down, in reality i bet it wasn't even lifting more than 3 or 4 inches but it felt like 3 or 4 feet!  i then saw sixty five and i backed the throttle right off just as i hit sixty eight. I just sat there for a few seconds, the adrenalin was rushing through my veins and i just felt so excited, it just felt so good!

I opened it up again and just held of for grim life, twenty, forty, sixty, SEVENTY!!!  again i backed off and just sat there, this was just so exhilarating i was loving every minute of it. I headed back to the beach and i cant even begin to imagine how big the smile on my face was when Kim and Kenny saw me!

Kim went out for a blast and then Kenny, it was crazy just how quick you disappeared from view, one minute he was in full view the next Kenny was just like a spec in the distance and all you could see was the water shooting up out of the back. He stopped for a while and Kim and i got a little worried, upon getting back ton shore we asked if everything was good and he said “yeh i just had to pee” lol hence going out in to the middle of now where.

Kenny knew how to ride it and knew the limits it would take, although he did say its virtually impossible to tip it over, Kim said he overheats it a few times with all the turns and blasts but only has to wait a minute or two for it to click back on.

Kenny on the Ski ripping it up.

Kim and i went out on it together with her driving and i just clung on for dear life! After me pointing which way to go we headed out and spotted a train going over the bridge over the river, we headed out to try race the train but there were too many reeds in the water which would have just clogged up the motor, something you have to watch out for. We pottered around about 30 miles an hour and then i just said to Kim, “go on open it up” i just grabbed hold tighter and i think we saw nearly 60mph with us both on. We tried jumping the wake that a boat had just left but weren't very successful.

 

We headed back to shore and i took it for another blast around and started to get a bit cocky, throwing it into corners and ripping it up a bit, i really enjoyed it and it has to be one of the best things I've ever done!

Kenny said anytime i was around we could go out on it and invited me back to also go on his dads yacht which from memory is over 60feet in length and a site to see! cant wait Kenny! see you next week,lol

We loaded the ski back on the trailer and headed back to the house to get ready for the show later on tonight.

Kenny and I                                           Kim in the truck                               Jet ski, Kenny and I

   

I took a shower and then headed over to Marks and Beth’s house (i was staying with Kim and Becca’s in Beccas sons bed, see below!)

My bedroom for a couple of nights! which was much appreciated

 

I took a shower and headed over to Mark and Beth's around 2:30. We left for the pre show meet up an hour or so later.  Mark, Beth and John in one car and Kami, Jessie and myself in the other, it was a 30 minute drive into DC and by the time we parked up and got to the restaurant it was 5pm.

Driving into Boston

The restaurant was a really nice place, a nice steak house that had an upstairs bar and a great bar tender. He made us up a couple of tables together as there were 10 or so of us expected. My friend Dennis from New Orleans was due in and id spoke to him earlier in the day to let him know where were were. I hadn't seen him since he came to London in 2002 and was looking forward to seeing him again.

Myself, Dennis and Mark                            Dennis and Kim

 

Dennis had got the jacket signed in Dublin in 2002 and had managed to save it from his house after his house was wrecked by hurricane Katrina! We ordered food and i had crab cakes with mashed potato which was so yummy. We also ordered some mixed appetizers that were HUGE!!

2 trays of appetizers

Kami, Jessie and i headed over to the venue around 6:30 and met up with everyone else as they arrived.

John, Jessie and Kami                     Kenny, Kim, Dennis, Becca, Beth 

   

Full album of jet skiing pics here:

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Washington DC meet up pics:

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Nassau day 1……

So as i didn't get into the hotel till gone 1am last night and i had no real plans for today i had a lay in till around noon. Not at all like me, when I'm home no matter what time i wake I'm outa bed and its very rare that i have a lie in at all. I guess due to all the travelling, later nights etc my habits have had to change to accommodate this!

I went for a run early afternoon, felt great to get out and pound the pavement again, did a quick 30 minutes and came back for a shower. My friend Brad from Manhattan was coming out to the show as was my friend John K whom i hadn't seen since the Dark Side shows in Boston. I had his cell number and he said he was arriving around 3pm, i tried calling him but found out i had the wrong number! all was not lost though as i found out later on. Ellie called me to say her and Andy were close by, about 15 minutes away by car. I arranged to meet them for dinner and we met up around five.

 

It was nice to sit down and relax and eat a good meal (i hadn't eaten all day) and enjoy some nice company rather that the crazy meet ups that were all so used to! Not that i don't like these but its just nice to have time for a proper talk with people sometimes and we did exactly that. Thanks for dinner Ellie, i miss you guys and you both mean a lot to me:) hope you enjoyed the show and will see you in NY in a few weeks.

We headed out from the restaurant around 6:30, got to the venue around 6:45 and met i Brad in the parking lot. I wanted to find John K and went over to the Marriott bar to see if i could see him, i couldn't. I did however get accosted! a guy came up to me and said “ hey your Simon right ?” i said “ depends who's asking” he said he was a lurker on one of the Roger Waters forums and had been reading my blog and i was a legend! lol, I've been called some stuff in my time but  a legend isn't one of them! cheers John, was great to meet you for the 30 seconds we talked. Hope you enjoyed the show!

The sunset as i arrived at the Coliseum

After 20 minutes of looking for John K i gave up and headed back over to the venue. Tonight's venue, The Nassau Coliseum is very unique in that its the only place on the tour that Roger is playing where he also played the original wall shows back in the 80’s, this is something he  mentioned a few times at the show tonight. I was sitting 14th row in the middle block on the aisle tonight, again my favourite place to sit with the expectation of standing on the front rail.

The place is a lot bigger inside than it is on the outside, Its a perfect circular building just in the middle of a parking lot and the floor area is obviously sunk into the ground which make its look a lot smaller from the outside.I went over to see Ellie and had a quick chat and also had a drink with Brad in the bar. As i was entering the venue i saw Mark (Lennon) again and he said he smiled and said hi. He is such a nice guy and hopefully I'll get a chance to sit and have a chat with him at one of the shows real soon.

The gig started as usual around 8:15, again a lot of the audience were seated for a lot of the time but as the show went on they started to get more and more into it and stood for a while. The show was without fault! i don't think I've ever seen a show that was without a single problem! I'm sure there were some but i certainly didn't see any. The teachers legs were a bit messed up tonight but i wouldn't call that a problem, one of the wires was just caught under its foot which made it look a bit odd at the bottom. The kids came on as normal and they still have a long way to go to beet the ones that were onstage in Chicago!

As good as the show was it was the best due to people sitting down and the people not as into as say Chicago or New York. Roger commented about the show he played there all them years ago and the crowd roared with cheers and whistles, again Roger telling the crowd what a “miserable old man” he was back in them days!

Snowy's solo in Mother

The first halves of the shows seem to fly by now for me, the highlight definitely being “What Shall We Do Now” I'm so pleased he decided to play this at the shows, its always funny looking around and watching peoples faces who have no idea what this track is! as it wasn't on the album and only in the film. I love it and its one of the best tracks in the first half for sure.

   

So at intermission i go to the bar and buy myself a coke, I'm standing  in the lobby minding my own business and i hear a female voice shout “hey Simon” i look over and see a woman who i honestly don't recognise, i acknowledge her and say “yup” she then turns and shots “ hey John, i found Simon” it was John K whom id been looking for earlier! It was great to see him again and he was so happy to see me, he had just before the show started pulled my facebook page up and shown his wife a picture of me and said to keep an eye out for me!! Amazing

 

We chatted for 25 minutes and i told him about the cell phone thing, turns out i had entered a 4 instead of a 1 into his number. I corrected it so we can now keep in touch for the NY show on the 6th November. we chatted about the show and all the people that used to be on the ATD message board and i was kinda shocked when he said i was the only actual person off online that he had ever met! It was great to see you again John and hopefully we will have more time to chat at the NY show.

Myself and John K

I made my way back to my seat for the second half, this is my favourite half of the show, i just think Roger outs that bit more effort into the whole part that he plays. Watch when he initially walks onstage during In The Flesh, he walked onstage, stands still, looks at the backing singers, smirks at them and moves on, he acknowledges Robbie with a salute type hand gesture and just as he walks past he waves his finger to Robbie to follow him,Roger then stops at Dave, again acknowledges him and Dave returns the acknowledgment, he then carries on to Snowy, Roger smirks at him and Snowy doesn't look at him at all, he just stares forward all the time, all part of the act of course. Roger then continues to look at the audience in a menacing way, picking people out and pointing to them and mouthing something that i haven't been able to work out yet but i will.

One thing i do like is how the lighting rig is a circle which is half behind the wall and half in front of it and you can see all the lights move forward for the second half of the show so they can shine on the front of the stage, Mark Brickman has done a fantastic job of the lighting on this tour and you can tell that every little details has been thought about and tested.

   

 

Comfy Numb was again faultless and played with such passion that only Dave K can give it. His actions at the end of his solo tell you how pleased he is with the solo and how pleased he is with the crowds reaction, not only does the crowd know a good solo but you can tell he does too.

The wall came down great tonight, forward then backwards then forwards. Lots of rippling on it too before it actually falls.

     

      

Had a great night, the only “downer” was i was sat on my own tonight, no friends sat beside me, had a cool virtual sing along with Kami by text though during Waiting for the Worms but there's nothing like seeing a show with good friends next to you who appreciate the show and don't just dance along to Another Brick Pt 3 and then talk the rest of the way through the show.

Full album with a few more pics below:

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The last few shows

New York show 1………

I've never really thought Madison Square Garden (The Garden or MSG as its know locally)  to be anything special to be honest, i know its a legendary venue but the inside is actually a bit smaller than most arenas these days although i guess in its day it was the venue to play at and still is really.

The first show was great but a lot of mistakes both music wise and projection wise! It was great to see a show with my friend Jason who had flown over from the UK. We were 10th row on the left hand side but right on the aisle so close to the middle block. Jason was blown away by the show, i love seeing peoples reactions during the shows and after and hearing what they think about things. I looked over to Jason several times and his face was just sheer delight!

Panorama of MSG after the 1st show:

New York show 2………

The second show was a lot better than the first, the projections were spot on  the music was better(there were still a couple of mistakes though) and i was 3rd row right block on the aisle for the first half. For the second half  Kami and i went and sat stage right right next to the wall and about 4 rows back from the stage. The crew put a plastic line of tape down the side by these seats as its where the wall falls down and covers the seats. There were 6 seats on our row and then the line of tape, Kami was sat right next to the tape and i was in the seat next to her. Just before this start of the second half they moved the tape out two more seats which left 4 seats on our row and again kami was right up next to the tape.

Our seats for the second half of the show circled in red, click on the pic for larger view

 

Just before the second half started a couple of people sat in front of us, one was Rogers girlfriend and the other was the actor Jim Carey! I hadn't recognised him till Kami pointed him out, it was fun to see him rocking out and having fun and taking videos on his iphone!

Few pics from the show                                                                     Laurie and Jim Carey.

   

Instruments coming up from the stage:

Euipment rising at MSG

Seats at the side and front are a great place to see all the equipment rising up from the stage during the second half and the band walking on and off stage.

      

So now comes the time for the wall to come down! i said to Kami were a bit too close for comfort for me so we moved over to the left two seats. I love when they start moving the wall and making it like ripple all the way across if it gets a good ripple going then you know its gonna to be a great “wall fall” tonight was the best if seen, so much that two bricks where it started rippling were teetering on and off the wall! as you can see in the video below. As you can also see had Kami and I not moved over two seats kami would have been hit straight on the head by the falling bricks!! i know Jens would pay to have that happen to him but with Kami and her back I'm not sure she would have been too pleased!!

Wall rippling:

Kami in her seat next to the wall          The aftermath after the wall came down!
       
It was the best best “wall fall” I've seen, not only because of where our seats were but just the bricks balancing on and off the top and the whole tumble down was fantastic.

Buffalo show…….

I was looking forward to hearing what Bob and Andy though of the show after they had not seen the show since the first three so i was hoping for a great show and it was! on the rail for the first half and dead centre 13th row for the second half really it doesn't get any better than these positions for the sound and seeing the band up close! The sound was the best id heard it at any of the shows, it wasn't without fault though as there were a couple of times when the projections were out of focus or the wrong thing was projected.

Couple of Kami’s pictures from the show

   

The music was fantastic though i didn't spot a single mistake music wise. The guitar solo during Comfy Numb was unreal, never heard a solo like it. Kami swears blind it was because Dave was so excited to have met her and he was buzzing from hugging her, it was however a different reason that Dave explained to us is Washington DC! (see below)

There was one thing i noticed in Buffalo, i mentioned earlier that the bricks are getting a bit worn and a few marks etc but one brick in particular has what looks like a corner torn off it!! This must have been the brick that Jens sabotaged while he was here in the US!! lol

Hole in the wall                                            Must have been Jens’s brick!!

 

Washington DC show….

Dave came out front before the show to see us (ok i know i will get corrected on this if i don't say it, so really he came out to see kami,lol) I went and sat next to Mark and Beth while Kami and Jessie had a chat with Dave, Mark & Beth then went over to say hi to Dave and took a couple of pictures. Beth said Kim was up on the sides and wanted to get on to the floor but security wouldn't let her down, i went and found Kim and got her on to the floor, led her over to Dave and told him id brought another one over for his Harem ,lol I took a few pictures of the girls with Dave but by that time people had started seeing us chatting and started to ask questions. “who is this guy” i heard one woman ask as she walked past, another came up and asked him for a picture, he agreed and posed for a few seconds. It was then that a line started to form and we all just looked at each other and apologised  to Dave, he was fine about it and I'm sure really he enjoyed the attention, in fact i KNOW he did.

The girls and Dave                          Jessie and Dave                         Dave wearing Jessie’s sunglasses!

   

I mentioned to Dave that the Comfy Numb solo in Buffalo a couple of nights earlier was the best I'd ever heard him play, he agreed! He said he made a real mess of it in New York as he had been back stage and met Jim Carey, Scarlet Johansson, Liam Neason and it had totally thrown him off and i guess he was a bit star struck!! So the next show he put 110% into it and it obviously came across ! Now someone will come along after reading this post and try tell you otherwise! Don’t listen to her!! :)

As i left and said bye to Dave i was sat minding my own business waiting for the show to start and a guy came up to me and asked if i was the person who was seeing all the shows and doing a blog, i said yeh and he said it was great to meet me and was enjoying the blog, hope your reading this George and thanks for the kind words!

Mark and Beth were about 8th row centre and i was a couple of rows back from them on the aisle on the 10th row. This show was hugely different from any of the other though, not in a musical sense or show sense but in an atmosphere sense! there was no “buzz” before the show, there was no excitement coming from the crowd and this was confirmed when  even after Roger had walked onstage for the first time at the beginning of In The Flesh the whole crowd remained seated!! WTF!! its a rock show, its not opera!!!

Sitting down during the whole show for me just kills all the excitement, its just not the same and from what I've heard in the past from band members they sense this as well. I just don't get it, not just the sitting down thing i just don't understand why this happens! its the same show, just different city and different people, surely people cant be that much more relaxed  say a couple of hundred miles away from New York ? Ok well maybe New York's a bad comparison but you know what i mean, i just don't get why this happens. Anyway, i stood up when i thought i could and didn't get anyone asking me to sit down so the first half wasn't too bad after all. The sound was incredible, i heard the surround sound a lot more than i have at any other show, maybe i was just in the “sweet spot” but whatever it was it was great and i heard things at this show that i hadn't heard the same way before!

There were a couple of seats next to me free the whole first half so i went up and brought kami and her friend Jessie down to sit on the floor, Jessie was Kami’s friend who had driven in the day before and whom id met before at Nissan pavilion show in 2006. Ok so i wasn't gonna mention this at all but what the hell, Kami and Jessie have been asking me if i think Roger is “free balling”!! i have no inside information on this and it really doesn't bother me, however it seems to be a big deal with the girls and is yet an unanswered question! Maybe Dave can help you on this Kami ?!

The crowd were a lot more enthusiastic for the second half and stood for a lot of the show, i think the three of us sat down for maybe 3 or 4 tracks but stood for the rest of the show.Its so much better being with friends at the shows and standing next to people who appreciate the music and enjoy the show and actually get into it rather than just the “casual fan” who is there for some live music.

Also want to say hi to Laurie whom i met at the pre show meetup and then at the show itself, was great to meet you and your husband and chat, hope you get the message about where to find my blog and see this :)