Arena gigs

Love...hate relationship

Aug 07, 2024

At first I was really happy being at home with my wife, sitting in our living room watching the Harris-Walz event unfold…with a good margarita and some stuff to nibble on. It was fun…it was joyful, I was VERY comfortable and felt good.

But there was a point when the old war horse kicked in and I really wanted to be there doing what I do as a part of that historic gig. The rush coming off of the TV was not quite enough. I was missing the roar of the grease paint and smell of the crowd. I have a top 10 Live events list that evolves over the years.

The MLK Monument Dedication…the Obama-Biden Kids Inaugural event at the DC Convention Center…the Dear Jerry tribute to Garcia…are the top 3. The Annual Illumination at Antietam is my favorite yearly event. I think that last night would have made it into the Top 10. It’s a Top 10 watched on TV…up there with Prince at the Super Bowl and the ‘58 Colts/Giants game.

What about the Hate part…those are the bottom 10…least favorite. Some are because of content…some the weather…too hot, too cold, too wet…sometimes it’s the people onstage…or their staff’s who are wannabe stars or celebrities…and think there’s a way to act if you are a Rock Star…

( I liked the band above, but REALLY disliked most of the people on the show, their agenda, the extreme heat and the fact that we ran out of water on stage on a 100 degree day, facing into the sun….I yelled at the people standing around the empty cooler…it was NEVER empty again…that was their job…they failed ) . This gig goes down as #1 of the 10 worst. (my photo)

or a big deal politician…I have a Sarah Palin story…but will save it for another time. (my wife and some friends tell me to not be a hater )….is it ok to “loathe” a gig ?

Bottom line, I loved last night. It felt good. Tim reminds me of Coach Joe in High School. I was one of the student managers of his winning basketball team. I learned how to artfully cuss from that man.