Drive to Hartford and the show…

So after lunch in Provincetown i hit Hartford on the GPS and it came up with t a travelling time of three and a half hours, arrival time of 5:30pm. I wasn't planning on stopping on the way back as id seen what i wanted to see on the way up. I'd arranged to meet Matt, Erin, John and his son Seth at a bar next to the venue at around 5pm so wasn't going to be that late at all.

The drive back was pretty straight forward, it was the same way i'd driven earlier in the day and the day before. I then headed down towards Hartford on the main highway. John called me to check where i was and Erin called to say she was still working in Hartford and would be there around six.

I hadn't seen John and Seth since the Dark Side tour and Erin since Boston a couple of weeks ago. Erin and i met online after she had come over and returned to the UK for Gilmour's Meltdown show in 2000, we didn't know each other when she was there which was a shame. We had however met up in various other places around the world since them. She had come over in 2002 for Rogers press Conference and Gilmour's shows at the Royal Festival Hall,  she had also flown over for Rogers shows in Verona, Italy several years ago, plus she came over for the Live 8 show in 2005 and we’d met up several times for dinner over the years while i was in New York. She had offered me her place to stay for tonight after the show for which i was real grateful.

I arrived at the meet up place about 5:45pm John and Seth were waiting outside and he had just seen “some guy with glasses and long hair” leave the bar and go around the corner, this later turned out to be Matt.

John and I                                                     Seth and I
     

Matt soon came back to the bar with his friend Wes and Erin joined usafter work about 20 minutes later with her friend Tom. The bar was packed and the wait for a table was thirty minutes upwards! Erin had gone across the street to see how long the wait would be for a table and came back over to tell us they could fit us in straight away, we headed over there.

Seth, myself, Erin, Wes and Matt
 

We had a bite to eat and John made a trip back to his hotel with Seth to drop off his video camera before coming back to join us from the walk over to the venue. Erin an dTom had left to get their tickets from will call so the rest of us just wondered over at our leisure. This was the first and only time John and Seth would be seeing the show. It was actually Seth's first gig ever! You just know that no other gig is ever gonna compare now Seth dont you ?

We went in the venue a they took their seats (which were great !) and i headed down onto the floor to see Erin, Tom, Wes and Matt.

Seth and John                                      Matt and Wes

 

I was 10th row on the aisle in the middle block, my favourite position after the front rail. It had been a day off from the shows yesterday and i was looking forward to seeing it again. It’s just not possible to get bored of this show one bit! there's just so much going on all the time! 

After the first couple of tracks you could tell the band were very tight yet again, the sound was incredible and everyone was on fine form (Dave told me earlier today he had food poisoning and was throwing up a lot so didn't feel 100%!) and Roger was just as animated through the show. After 4 or 5 tracks a young girl came and sat next to me and we got talking at the intermission, she was a guest of Dave's and her name was Eve. She had seen the show in New York and the rehearsal show at the Izod and had driven up from New York today just for the show tonight.

One thing that was different tonight was the kids during Another Brick, i think they were actually better than the Chicago kids! someone had done some choreography with them and told them to really go for it tonight as you can see from the video below!

Kids in Hartford

I got a call on my cell at intermission from an my friend Casey. He told me his section and row and i went up to see him. Casey and i met in 2000 at Gilmour's Meltdown show, he had come over to the gig with his friend Jason from the USA. We got talking at Gilmour's gig, exchanged e mail address’s and said we'd keep in touch. It was a couple of weeks after Gilmour's show that i had a terrible e mail off Casey telling me that Jason had been killed in a car crash the day before. I remember reading the e mail several times and i couldn't believe we had been hanging out together a couple of weeks previous, such a tragic loss. Casey and i had kept in touch and i think the last time we saw each other was at Gilmour's gig in New York, i also met Jason's brother there  who had joined Casey to see Gilmour.

Casey had come along to the show with his girlfriend Deb and Jason's brother and his girlfriend. IDeb told me she had heard all about me and had been looking forward to meeting me, i said hopefully everythging she had heard was good! It was great to sit and chat to them and its such a shame we didn't have more time,  Casey and i had a chat while the girls were off buying a drink and we both said that Jason was sure to be looking down on us and seeing the show some how, i got a little teary eyed after that.  It was fantastic to see you again Casey and to meet you Deb. I know you said you've both been enjoying my blog and hope you continue to do so.

Casey and I                                             Seth and John at intermission

 

I made my way back down to my seat and sat for the second half pointing Roger nuances out to Eve, i think her comment was “ i can tell you've seen this show before” There were a couple of mistakes  but nothing real big, Roger sang into the megaphone when he should have sung into the mic but realised pretty quick and covered it up well. He was in a talkative mood tonight. Someone shouted out to him from the audience between one of the tracks and he replied with a shout of “what?” he then said “sorry i cant hear you because of these things (ear pieces) in my ear” its unusual for him to interact tin hat way and i haven't seen it very often at all.

I love how Roger is even more into the fascist character now, during In The Flesh at the start of the second set when he says “id have all of you shot” he’s picking people out in the audience and pointing to them and mouthing the words “you, go on, get out”  he then fires an imaginary gun at them,  then doing the same to someone in the front couple of rows and then the left side of the stage.

The wall came down great and Eve and i made our way to the front rail for Outside The Wall. I love seeing the band this close up when all the lights are on them, during this track, they’re just sall miles and happy the whole time. Roger sang “all alone and in fucking two;s” which i haven't heard him do before. He then did what seems to have become a regular thing at the end of the shows, he goes over to stage left and thanks the audience, then stage centre and does the same and then as he points to stage right he’s been saying “ and the people on this side always tend to be the loudest”  which of course generates a huge cheer from the people in the seats in that area!

After the show i hung around with Eve for 10 minutes and had a quick chat with Dave before i left to meet up with John, Seth, Matt and Wes to say goodbye. I then headed down to Erin's place about 30 minutes south of Hartford. Erin had prepared the spare bedroom for me and even left me a little tray of bath products in case i'd forgot anything, thanks ever so much for the hospitality and i really appreciate you letting me stay over, it was great to see you again.

Eve and myself after the show.                   Usually only found in hotels!!