Rush R40: A Religious Experience

I can now say that there is no worse feeling that a Rocker can feel than standing but 10 feet from one of the greatest of life's experiences.

"What if they start on time? They are very nice Canadians who probably won't keep people waiting."
"Everyone we've seen has started at 9."

We got to the Pepsi Center after finding parking that cost less than $30. Through the metal detector. Pretty lame crowd. No metal here (get it?). In the elevator. It was pretty quiet on the ground floor other than the janitor saying "Getty is right there, dude! I just opened the door and-" Once in the elevator though, every time the door opened was like an audio invasion. The crowd was cheering. We reached the 3rd floor just in time to hear the smash of Peart's set. They were very punctual Canadians.

That's when it happened. "In need to go to the bathroom."
Seriously? Who does that. "If you're not out in 5 minutes, I'm leaving you. Not there, I mean we are through." 
For the next 4 and a half minutes, I sat there doing a potty dance outside the Men's restroom. I didn't have to go, I just couldn't stand listening to Rush when I could have been screaming at the boys. Oh, god we are missing it!!! Talk about distress. 

The second I caught site of my partner in crime, I didn't say a word, I just ran like I had robbed the band. It didn't help that the place had the most confusing signs ever, we just kept busting into curtains until we found our rightful place. It was like a stage light drenched dream. Why was I seeing Rush? What the fuck is this? WHO AM I?! Talk about surreal.

My ears were instantly assaulted by sick Rock and Roll and my eyes blinded by the lights. My brain failed to believe that the site in front of me was real. I've had MY HERO Robert Plant look right at me, and I fully believe that happened... My seeing Rush... all the proof I have of that is the $70 missing from my bank account and the concert T I have covered in chocolate.

My readers know how I like to get to the nitty gritty of a whole show, but I was so Dazed and Confused that I can't even recall the show. I swear, I was sober.

Before I knew it, I had pealed all of my nail polish off and was getting ready to start my toes. I was itching to stand up, but damn, people are tight asses in the nose-bleeds. I was enticed by the young man (maybe 16?) a few rows down who was standing on the railing, Throwing his body back and forth over said 3rd story railing drumming, and pointing angrily at the stage while yelling at his mom. He was feeling it.

I can listen to Rush and bang my head on a wall all day, but even I am not fully versed in the art of Rush's discography. The first half of the show was an hour and a half that went by in 20 minutes. In that time, they squeezed in Roll the Bones, the album we listened to on the way up, and Clockwork Angels. Oh yeah and Subdivisions. AND on Roll the Bones, there was a breakdown. The boys got funky and added the some funky familiar faces to the mix. I'm not familiar with all of the guys in the video, but it was a spectacle. 

I'm 100% against recording videos at concerts, but I even steadied my boyfriend's hand when he held his Die-Pod out in front of my face to get proof to show his family. Do these guys know how to party?! oookaaay...

Rush is the only band we've seen that has taken an intermission. You know who opens for Rush? Rush. I took this time to contemplate if I should buy the most expensive T-shirt I've ever owned. It took about 5 minutes for me to decide yes, I need this. I could have plundered all my funds at the merch table, but I began twitching again when I heard the man next to us say "Yeah, they just got done playing the video." My timing was just off that night. I hurriedly paid for my shirt as that sweet beat from Tom Sawyer began to play. We ran, slowing around the guards, back around to our seats. I was pulled into a random gate just in time to see Peart's iconic dshdshdshdsh CSHHH with my own eyes. 

QUICK! to the opposite side of the building! In the second half, things changed. Most of the jams from the beginning were softer, less known, the lighting wasn't as bright, and the use of pyrotechnics was far in between. My eyes and ears had adjusted by that point, but I had a fking heart attack when I looked down for a fraction of a second at my hand and a set of fireworks when off. I've seen horror movies, I've had spiders land on me, but I jumped out of my skin, literally a foot. I think I have PTSD now.

The second half was all the radio plays and YYZ. I haven't heard that on on the radio, but I screamed like a banshee when those cute little dings rang out. I played bass for a long time, and that song killed that dream for me because I knew that I would never be able to top that. Thanks, Geddy Lee. 

The Spirt of Radio was another anticipated piece.It is

fun and everyone can get down with it. If every one knows it so well, why talk about it? Well I was just overjoyed by the lights they chose. Living in Colorado, everything these days seems to be Rasta coloured. I hate it. I think that this was the first time I have ever seen that red, green, and yellow and screamed with excitement. The Reggae pause was accentuated perfectly.

There was a lot to notice while watching the show. Other than the wonderful fact that the venue was also the place where the state's hockey team played and there was a Canadian flag hung from the rafters, the stage was constantly evolving. Or devolving. As the halves went on, washing machines and amp stacks grew and then dissipated. The red jumpsuit clad roadies had to get roofing ladders to reach the top. after each song it seamed Alex Lifeson and Geddy were changing guitars, and even after the intermission, Niel had magically changed drum kits. Actually, our seats were off to the side so it wasn't that magical to see behind the curtain, but for musicians, the art of stage presence was a show in itself.

The show progressed and things touched back down to Earth for Jacob's Ladder. It was something I had never heard, but it was serene and vibrant.

Of course on the way to the show we had joked about how the entire show would be one song, ha-ha, but I really wasn't expecting 2112. It was my first introduction to a full Rush album and the book it is inspired by is one of my favourites. A little old man at work even calls me Anthem after I read to him. It was an odyssey that took us to the end of the second half. 

The people would not leave, the show had to go on. On the big screen, a peculiar man came on and introduced  shy young trio called... Rush. Rush opens for Rush and Rush closes for Rush. It had been three hours since since I walked into the Pepsi Center. The next day and the Hard Rock Cafe I would bemuse with a Rush clad woman over how I could have stayed for another 3 hours, but all goo things must come to an end.

I don't know if it was for effect or what, but at the start of the final song, 4 men in hard hats filed down the floor aisle. Working Man it was. Alex made sweet love to his 6-string as we sat screaming like wild apes. It was a moment dreaded since we left home the day before. The end of the show. at that point, the curtain dropped and more hard hatted men came out of the woodwork to take down the stage. On the big screen began a video

The boys walked toward a dressing room that was being guarded by a bouncer puppet. Inside was a lovely party of album art characters, including a beautiful Dalmatian sniffing a butt. Classy. The puppet informed the band that they were in fact not welcome. You would think that Alex Lifeson would be a sweet guy, you know, but I will never forget his angle face yelling "FUCK YOU, PUPPET!" as long as I live.

Antiquated Marrige Ideals Today

  

   What will these Liberals do next? Start Christian prosecution?” “This won’t change the definition of marriage.” I read. This was a down-home Christian’s response to the latest equality breakthrough in America- That Gay marriage is now legal in all 50 states. 

  Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and self-victimization, but alright, I bite. What is Christian prosecution? Is it the slaying of millions? Is it the incarceration of Christians? What, man, What? TELL ME.

Or is it the threat of having your longstanding, outdated ideals of life shunned by future generations? I can tell you one thing: GAY MARRIGE HAS BEEN AROUND MUCH LONGER THAN CHRISTIANITY.

 

  Can you believe that there was once an ancient world where intersex relations were welcomed and even respected at a level higher than that of a straight match? Crazy stuff! But it’s true. Once the Dark Ages approached, the world was drawn into a state of dormant solitude. Some of the most beautiful religions were inverted and destroyed because of the rise of Christianity.

  So I guess these people have always been walking backward (ha-ha…). In our reality today, yes, more people are shunning the ways of Christianity. Are we godless heathens? No, many of us do have chosen deities and philosophies. So why don’t the beliefs of other religions play any role in American culture? Wiccans are freaks, Buddhists are hippie Asians, and lets not even mention the hundreds of tribal religions that dot North America.

  Recently I took a trip to see my ex-boyfriend turned transvestite. I needed to release negativity, what? If you don’t know, this blog is Colorado based, and here in Colorado, Gay Marriage has been legal for some time. It just so happened that the part of town where the record stores are was where the very… colourful Pride Fest was happening. I was surprised by the fact that 1. There were no protesters out and about, and 2. Just what a safe haven Denver has become for these people.

  The girls were hot, the guys were gorgeous. Everyone was happy to be there and be loved. NO H8 if you will. I didn’t see a single thing that disgusted me or made me uncomfortable (other than my ex). They were gay, straight, trans, and bi, all gathered in one place for the same reason. They were there to respect each other, have a good time, and most importantly, they were there to treat each other like Human beings.

That’s all I saw. PEOPLE being PEOPLE. Tell me now, what is it that defines what people can love? I love my dog and steak, but what is it that makes me look at the person I’m currently with and say: “I Love You”? I can tell you that it is no act of the pushing and pulling of Church against State. Who are you, Old Christian Fellow, to decide what the definition of marriage is? If you don’t want Gays to marry, don’t let them do so in your church, if that is what makes you happy. To deny someone the greatest gift of all, a companion in life, is cruel and unfair. 

  It still takes a state document to say two people are married, so going to the church is only a personal preference. Trust me, there are much more beautiful locations to give your last first kiss than in a sticky, stinky old chapel.

So Mr. I’m better than that, who are you? What right do you have to take away love from two people who probably have more in common than you and your shotgun wife? 

  It is time to ditch middle age propaganda and get with the times. We are America, not Britain in 1350. We pride ourselves on our freedom and liberty, so let’s finally free ourselves and liberate our sexually oppressed brethren!
                      -Georjett Herring

Musical Dementia!

We've all gotten somewhere in the 5 stages of grief after this time has pasted since we all first heard about AC/DC's Malcolm Young. If you don't know what happened or who he is... well... I'll just tell you to save time. Malcolm is Angus Young's brother. They are the lead and rhythm players of AC FUCKING DC. Not that long ago Malcolm was reported to be in a nursing home due to dementia.

I was thinking just last night about my record player and my guys at work. If you are just joining us, other than your editor, I am a nursing assistant in a vets' home. since I got my little Crosley player for Christmas, I've been taking it to work after I figured out that it calms the "wanderers". They will just come up and sit to listen to the music and eventually go to sleep.

I've had 80 year old little ladies bumping to Led Zeppelin, I've had senile, angry republicans appreciate Jefferson Airplane... I've had my co-workers suspect me of drug use... but nothing compares to when you put on a record and they actually know what you're playing.

Recently I was working back in the secure unit- where the wanderers are placed so they can go about their meandering safely- and I had my player out. I had brought a few albums I though the guys would like: America's Greatest Hits, Volunteers, The Grass Roots' Greatest Hits, Dreamboat Annie, and of course the offending Houses of the Holy. They dig The Crunge. After fending off the double amputee who kept putting his claw arm on the record, one of the more... together residents popped up for a snack just as I put on Gary Puckett and The Union Gap's Greatest Hits (Compilations are the best for them... lots of singles).

He stood there quietly spilling ice-cream on the counter and started to hum, which he does pretty often. Then the track changed...

The man started humming louder until the chorus struck. "WOMAN! Have you got cheating on your mIIIIiiiIIND?" and so forth until the track ended. I tried other regular singles on there, but that one was the only one that got him.

This had me thinking back to the time when I first started and was pulled to go on a trip with the guys in the Unit. I got to go to the zoo for work! Woo!
Anyway, during the trip, while everyone ate lunch, the head nurse started singing to them. just little songs that I later found in a binder stashed away. Just little folk songs. I like to call her the little southern belle, and she sings just like what you would expect from one. High with lots of vibrato... only that was soon drown out buy the monotonous murmur that picked up among the men.

Each one of them looked up like a light had gone on, only one glance could tell you no one was home. The songs brought something out in them that was clearly engrained into their minds.

When I first heard about what happened to Malcolm it was... well my first thought was "I'll take care of him!"... but I took it like a death, because that's the way it has been made to seem. In a way, it is a great loss. A hero, destroyed by his own mind, and one of the greatest bands in history shut down. I'm sure a lot of people have had the thought "Damn, poor guy... I wonder if listening to his music will make him sad... He's too young!"

Well, Brian Johnson recently told the Telegraph that Malcolm told the guys: ''Just get out and make music, lads – just for me one more time". The thing about dementia is, well, you can kind of tell once it starts taking over you. My one of my guys is 3 years younger than my grandma who still enjoys chopping wood and bee keeping, while my mother on the other hand will forget where she is driving to mid-drive and will need to be reminded a time or two... and she hasn't even cracked 45. She knows it is inevitable, but at the same time doesn't.

Hallucinations, false realities, and dream like states follow these people, but it is as real as that computer in your face to them. It's a fate that lies ahead for most, but in order to face it, we have to embrace it. While no one is safe it seems, we can look for the cure and aid in the healthy care of those who are stuck in their own minds.


Recently I have made up some purses that are featured with the faces of AC/DC and their legacy. If interested, 10% of the proceeds will be going to Alzheimer's research and care! Let's keep rocking and rolling and hope/ pray/ whatever it is you do for Malcolm and all those who need it.

Let's keep the music in these people's lives. go out and play my minions! They will love you for it and you will be making a huge difference in the lives of those your music touches.

New Things In The Etsy Shop!

Check out the latest addition to the shop! I have hand painted stash jars ready to go! check them out here!

New Etsy Shop!

Hey guys, So I've been away, but I've got a new Etsy shop for you to check out!

Right now, I have up some homemade patches, but once I get my camera, I'll put up some new stuff! Check it out HERE!