Hello, Phoenix airport, once again. This is the fourth time
I’ve been here in, um, two weeks. Yeah, I’m kinda crazy. See, Styx was playing
here, where my fantastic friend Sara lives, last weekend, so of course I had to
come to visit her. But then Florence + the Machine announced a concert here
this weekend…
Yes, yes, I know they played Santa Barbara, too. But while
the Santa Barbara Bowl is a stunningly beautiful venue, not to mention only an
hour away from home, they have a subscription series for tickets, which means
the rest of us don’t get great seats. I’m spoiled when it comes to concert
seating. I also have abysmal eyesight and if I’m not close to the stage, I
can’t see squat. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Also, I didn’t know anybody who’d go with me to see Florence
+ the Machine locally, and Sara didn’t have anybody in her area to go, so…
The Styx show was, as usual, stellar. We had sixth-row seats
but security had no problem with us standing at the barrier. (Shout-out to
John, our fabby security guard!) That way, we didn’t block the people behind
our seats because, as you know, sitting down at a Styx concert is like having
sex with the lights off.
At one point, Ricky (Styx’s bassist, if you’re new here)
tossed a pick in our general direction. Because it was windy, it fell in the
grass between the barrier and the stage. John the fabby security guard picked
it up and tried to toss it in our direction, but again, wind. This time it went
sideways to someone standing sort of to the right of the stage (behind the
barrier—they had a pass). That person didn’t want the pick and moved towards
us, but I pointed him at a woman in a wheelchair next to me. She was thrilled
and thanked me profusely.
Well, Ricky saw all that and gave me a thumbs-up. Then, at
the end of the show, he tossed a rolled-up Styx tote bag my way.
Imagine any scene in any movie where someone fumbles a
catch, and you’ve got the mental picture of what went down. I fumbled that
balled-up bag like I was juggling it, and finally it popped sideways and Sara
caught it. I looked up and Ricky had busted out laughing. Honestly? I found it
hilarious, too.
My reaction to Florence + the Machine was much like my
reaction to seeing Loreena McKennitt live: “She can’t sound that incredible
live…holy crap yes she does.”
Stunningly incredible. And yes, we got there several hours early so we could be
up against the barrier for that show (we had GA pit tickets), too.
Photos for both shows are on my Facebook page; I’ll try to
get them up at Flickr, too, when I get the chance.
One thing I’ve discovered during these travels (as well as
the trip to Canada earlier this month—have I talked about that? Can’t remember.)
is that I get a metric ton of work done in airports and on planes. Clearly I
need to travel more.
Except for the fact that I’ve been (and will be) away every
weekend this month, and will be every weekend except two next month (and one of
those includes Darach Anniversary on Saturday). Next weekend Ken and I are
running our first-ever motorcycle rally together! (an 8-hour rally) and the
next day he’s taking an advanced rider’s course, during which I will be ensconced
in a coffee shop or bookstore working. The weekend after that, we’re doing a
3-state (AZ,* NV, and then CA), 3-day Styx concert trip that will also include
an SCA event (Baron’s Feast in Gyldenholt, for those of you who’re going). Then,
at the end of May, we’re going back to Phoenix yet again for Phoenix Comicon.
Well, my flight’s boarding soon and I have a few other
things to finish up, so time for me to post this….
___
*Yes, I’m coming back
to Phoenix. Except we’ll be driving this time. And, er, next time.
