Philly 2nd show (part 1)….

So i got a text from the girls to say they were down in the hotel bar at 5:30, i got changed and headed down there for some pre show drinks before we got a cab to the venue.

   

Cab took us straight to the venue where Wendica had to pick up their tickets and passes before the show.

So ya, thought ya, might like to……………

We headed into the venue, bumped into Phil, Laila and Greg and had a chat for 5 minutes before heading down onto the floor. Checked out where our tickets were and then headed backstage to see Dave and Snowy. Wendica were super excited and a little nervous about the whole thing. We headed into the hospitality room and grabbed a drink.

 

Snowy spotted me and came over and gave me a hug! lol Id not seen him to talk to yet on this tour, we’d only seen each other from the stage and floor, was good to see him and catch up and  then introduced him to Wendica and Kami.

Jessica and Snowy                             Wendy and Snowy                            Kami and Snowy

   

We chatted for a while and had a couple of drinks and laughs before Snowy headed back to go get changed into his uniform. Dave joined us 10 minutes later and we all had a good chat and a laugh.

   

Sat next to us were two war veterans, Roger invites about 20 veterans to each show and they all get free comp tickets and a pass to the hospitality area, he also usually makes a point of making sure he meets them all and signing a picture for each of them! They were great guys, they hadn't seen the show yet and were really looking forward to seeing it. We said we would meet up at the intermission but we were unable to find them, however I'm glad i got to talk to them and really hope they enjoyed the show! I did say i would put their picture on the blog and they did make a note of the blog address so guys if your reading this then happy veterans day and drop me an e mail and I'll add your names onto your pic:)

 

    

We all made our way to our seats with about 5 minutes to go till show time. Had a quick chat with Jim and Chrissy who were sat the same place as last night and were again looking forward to trying to catch the armband!

Wendica were sat 13th row on the aisle and Kami and i were sat right opposite them on the other said of the aisle but still on the 13th row. Just before the show started i made my way round to meet another friend Randy whom i said id see before the show, he's been posting on Rogers facebook page a lot and messaged me the other week but we missed each other at the Izod show! Was great to finally meet you Randy! Randy, your not aware of this but you and i actually sat next to each other at one of the Boston Dark Side shows! we sat front row, you took a picture of my friend Amy who was there and had brought her baby along to the show!! she was sat one seat behind me!!

Myself, Randy and his son.

  

The crowd were good but not as good as last night. That didn't bother me as the company at tonight's show more than made up for it. I remember Wendy and i seeing the Dark Side show together in Chicago and we had such a good time together, its sooooo much fun seeing a show we people who actually “get “ what the whole touring thing and the music is al about! As luck would have it the two people who were sat next to Wendica moved to go to the bathroom and never came back!! Kami and i sat in these all night:)

   

It was one of the best shows I've seen  for atmosphere because of who i was with for sure. The show itself was great and the performance was fantastic but the crowd were a little more subdued than the night before.

We all headed backstage at the intermission to catch Dave and the band again and Marky and Robbie spotted me as i went in the room and came over, i introduced them to the girls and they had their pics taken.

 

We had a fantastic time hanging out and then headed back to the floor for the second half of the show. Spotted my friend Marc (Gunner) in the crowd and said hi,  he looked to be having a great time!!

Part two to follow…….

Philly day three…….

 

So today i have a couple of friends, Wendy and Jessica flying in for the show tonight from Chicago! They last saw the show in Chicago and i last saw them there too. I got an e mail from Wendy a couple of weeks ago just checking that i was going to the Philly shows as they were both thinking about coming down and hanging out for one last show. however they wanted to make sure id be at the show. They decided to come down for the 2nd show as Dave K wasn't doing much that night and the five of us could go out after the show and have kinda post show party to finish the tour off for Wendy and Jessica.

Didn't do much in the morning at the hotel, i got up late, chilled out and then headed out to the airport to pick Wendy and Jessica ( both of them known together  as Wendica from now on!) up at 12:15. Their flight was 15 minutes late but by 12:45 they came through security and the four of us were in the car heading back into Philly. It was so good to see them again, they are great people and such good friends and I'm ever so glad you both made the trip to Philly for your last show:)

Wendica couldn't check in the hotel (same as Kim and I’s) as yet as it was only just after one. Everyone was hungry as we hadn't eaten breakfast at all so we headed down to look around reading Market for a place to eat. Kami then suggested we went for Chinese again! Sounded great so we walked the  1/4 mile down to Chinatown and  found a restaurant. Kami ordered all the food for us and ordered it in Chinese which was cool to watch and hear.

Dragons in Chinatown

 

Spicy Tofu, dumplings, Rice, Beef and peanuts, and a few other dishes were just what the three of us needed:)

After stuffing ourselves full of food we headed out for a walk around Philly. I’d seen a T shirt in Banana Republic in New York last week which was real similar to the Projections during the opening of Goodbye Blue Sky, Wendy had offered to buy if for me when she got to Philly as she works for the group that owns Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and was able to get a nice discount on it. We Googled the nearest one and walked the 15 minutes to the store. Took us 10 mins or so to find the shirt but we did and i cant thank you enough for that Wendy:) Just need to get to Florida for some warm weather to be able to wear it to the shows now:)

We walked around for a couple of hours before heading back to our hotel, getting Wendica checked in, chilling out for an hour and then heading out for tonight's show.

Philly 2nd day & 1st show…….

So Phil and Leila flew into NY a couple of days ago, Greg picked them up at Newark and drive them down to his place in Philly. I hadn't seen Phil for about 12 months and the same for Liala too. Kami and i drove out to a great little diner in Bensalem called Nifty Fiftys. Its a fantastic place that does great fresh cooked food along with hundreds of different sodas and “milk” shakes, i use the term milk but really they're more like ice cream shakes, I ordered a strawberry and Banana split one and ordered it extra thick, i was able to turn the whole stainless steel cup upside down without a thing falling out!! you really have to eat it with a spoon!

Was great to see Phil and Laila again and Greg's wife Linda and daughter Brittany. Unfortunately Greg was working but we;d see him later on at the show.

We got back to the hotel around 3pm and just chilled out till ShowTime. We headed down to the venue in a cab around 6pm and by the time we got there the weather had changed for the worse and the rain was coming down pretty hard. An online friend of mina Marc had been in the parking lot from noon tailgating and had invited me over to meet up with him for the first time. It wasn't just raining but was freezing cold and we didn't stay long to be honest as Kami was freezing and whilst the blanket Marc gave her helped warm her up i was pretty cold too and ready to head inside the venue and get warm

Marc and I                                                                     Kami and her blanket

 

I remember from the Dark Side tour that the shows in Philly always attract a great crowd and tonight was no different. out seats were 14th row on the aisle in the front section of the floor, Phil and laila were behind us in row 16, Greg was a touch further back off to the side but still on the floor and our friends Jim and Chrissy were front row right, right in front of Jon and Harry.

Kami, Chrissy, Jim and I

 

My friend Ellie had asked me to make sure i find one of her and Dave K’s fried Paisley, we met up with Dave K and he pointed out Paisley to me after chatting to her for a while. After Dave had left i headed over to say hi and had a chat for 2 or 3 minutes before the start of the show. Was great to meet you Paisley and sorry we didn't get more time to chat.

Myself and Paisley

As Kami and i were sat waiting for the show we could see Jim on the front row and he was right where Roger takes off his armband after Waiting For The Worms. Kami suggested we let Jim know so we went down to see him and explained where to be and at what time and to be on his guard to try grab the armband when Roger throws it into the crowd.

As soon as the show started i could tell the crowd were gonna be great! they were all standing the second Roger hit the stage and remained stood after In The Flesh and throughout the whole first half.

Roger was really talkative to the crowd tonight, especially before Mother, asking if the Electric Factory venue was still open and  letting people know he had heard about The Spectrum closing down. He commented on how he always knew that Philly was always a music town and how the crowd always gave them a great welcome.

Few shots from tonight's random images off the screen:

   

Roger has changed the images during Comfy Nub, well not changed them but has added some images to what used to be the pain white screen, i think they look fantastic and the images change as the show goes along. Its like bricks that all move around and blend into ach other as the show goes along! He’s also changed a few images in Mother and Another Brick which I'll mention in the review for the second show  in a day or so.

   

I would say the show was probably in the top three of the tour so far for definite. After the show we headed down to congratulate Jim on getting the armband, him and Chrissy really enjoyed the show and were so excited to have seen it from the front row and to have caught the armband!

I heard a shout of “ Simon, we love the blog” as Kami and i walked past the front section, i turned to see the following three people waving and tell me to keep up the blog! If you three add a comment on this post ill make sure i add your names to the picture below:)

OK so following up on the above paragraph I've just had an e mail from Coleen (on the right) to say it was her and her mom and dad Elly and Rich! She also said the following which I've copied and pasted below the picture which really touched me:

 

“Hi, Simon. That's myself and my parents who shouted at you - sorry for the startle! My name is Coleen and my parents are Rich and Elly. Thanks for putting us here on your fantastic blog.

The first Philly show was special for us because we gave the tickets to my dad for his 60th birthday. I had taken him to see Pink Floyd at The Vet in '94 shortly after he had a heart attack, and it was super emotional to be at this concert so many years later when he wasn't supposed to have made it back then. We also surprised him during intermission. We had sent in to Roger's Fallen Loved Ones a picture of his best friend who died in Vietnam. Because my mom and I had gone to the Pittsburgh show, we knew when and where the image appeared. When we pointed it out to my dad he was shocked and we all cried and laughed together. What a great moment with him knowing that his friend lives on every night of the tour. And also a nice way to give back to him what he gave me when I was just a baby - the gift of Pink Floyd.”

Phil, Jim, Greg and everyone else all met in the foyer of the venue after the show, it was just like the meet up we had had for the Dark Side tour!! was great to see everyone together hanging out again. Unfortunately Greg had work in the morning, Phil was shattered from their flights, Jim and Chrissy had to drive an hour home so we all kinda dispersed and went our own way. Scott was ever so kind to give Kami and i a ride back to our hotel and an early night was had by all.

Group shot after Philly 1st show                                  Someone's limo outside with the hammers sign on the door!

  

 

More pics from Philly day 1

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