Tush, sweet Prince! I am as a shadow beleague'd a moment before the movement that you make dawn...
Honestly Rich you are one of the most accomplished characters I have ever come across in my life, a true Renaissance man (and I thank he web for making it possible that our paths have crossed ). So many varied interests... and masterly at everything to which you apply your hand... I had it in mind ages ago that we should start calling you 'Leo'.
And young Chris has come to the best place possible to find a mentor. ( and I hope he will treat the old fella's occasional seeming intolerance with tolerance & a pinch of salt
)
As to the garden, it's a game of stealth between me and the weeds ( and I'm not sure I'm winning ), but I think somewhere along the line it was said that a weed is just a flower that you didn't plant yourself, so I just relax in the fact that a greater power than me is paying for the upkeep
.
Freakin' Awesome ~
The Satch was on blinding form, and that rich clean sound that is uniquely his filled the auditorium to bursting point, but the precision was such that every note and nuance could be appreciated. Stu Hamms' bass was inspirational ( he played a stunning 20 minute solo spot... starting with an incredibly neat version of Zep's 'Going To California' before taking off someplace only he can go ). Galen Henson sliced out a mean rhythm guitar, and Jeff Campetelli's drumming was crisp and full, but never overpowering.
They played a good mix of old and new stuff ~ Time Machine, Ice Nine, Ghost, Always With Me... Always With You, Surfin With The Alien from the past, and I Just Wanna Rock, Andulasia, Revelation, Prof. Satchifunkilus from the new album.
Sorry to say I thought Paul Gilberts set was cr@p, but that was down to engineering issues... his bassist smothered the whole sound and even had the floor of the circle vibrating, Gilberts playing got lost in the gut wrenching thumping from the bass... ( I had to go empty my bladder because of it, and judging by the size of the queue, I wasn't the only one who had been physically affected
) ... but once Joe came on stage the rest of it was just an ever increasingly blissful ride upwards into musical heaven.
I was delighted by the audience... I thought I was going to be one of the old farts... looking sad and slightly out of place, but to my amazement I was probably around the average age... there were a lot of folks way older than me having a whale of a good time!
