Fantastic show in Toronto

[skcin]

I'll get my minor disappointments out of the way first:

1) No cameras allowed - but the initial disappointment soon turned into relief. I didn't feel too badly, since I had gotten a good amount of video for the Cleveland show last fall, and let's face it - my pics aren't exactly stellar. So it allowed me to just sit back, relax & enjoy the show itself without worrying about getting a great pic.

2) Did not get to meet LB after the show. We left right after Holiday Road, so we got back there quickly. BUT - this venue is a nice old theater in a long row building with narrow alleys on either side. We had no way of knowing which side he would exit from, and we obviously picked the wrong side. Didn't help that we were mislead by a crew member after we showed up there. We all had a feeling the guy was screwing with us, but we really wouldn't have had time to go all the way around to the other side. So that's life. We were a little bummed, but we're not crying over it. The stellar performance of the night far surpassed the disappointment of missing out on a photo opp.

3) The crowd. Hmmm. OK, they seemed really enthusiastic, cheering, yelling, singing along. Lots of head bobbing & chair dancing. But dammit, nobody stood up until GYOW. This ended up being to our benefit - more on that in a bit. Anyway, there were a few hard core fans (esp. a young man in the front row - it appeared that this was one of the best nights of his life) but generally, not a lot of energy.

Of course there were some rude fans too. 2 ladies ran up from way in back & tried to squat down in front of the stage very early in the show, but they were booted back by security pretty quickly. Another chick kept getting up from her front row far-right seat & walking toward the center to just stand there & stare at him (no clapping, cheering, dancing, singing....) but they kept sending her back too - she was blocking everyone's view. She did it, like, every 5 minutes or so, probably a total of 10 times. It was distracting. Also, a woman seated in the FRONT ROW who at first appeared to be a huge fan left in the middle of ISA to have a cig. I get it if you really gotta pee, but to actually search through your bag to find a butt, put on your coat, walk out & smoke, then return in the middle of the solo? I think she was pretty drunk, but still - it's ISA, for God's sake! Wow. Oh, and some ass yelled out "Hypnotized!"


OK, on to the good stuff:

The venue was quite nice. Small, older, intimate - I think there are about 1000 seats. Not breathtakingly beautiful, but it was a great place to see a show. I'd estimate that it was 2/3 to 3/4 full. Most of the empty seats were the rear of the balcony & a few back rows on the lower level. There were 2 empty FRONT ROW seats right in front of Carrie & I, but we decided our seats were actually better because of the angle, so we stayed put. What we thought were our 3rd row seats actually ended up being second row, far left of the stage. Theresa & her husband were second row center.

The setlist was the same as it's been this leg. Standouts for me were Castaway Dreams (I forgot how great the harmonies are live - I felt a rush come over me when the guys' parts kicked in,) Second Hand News (sooo much energy,) It Was You (sooo much fun,) and I'm So Afraid. Carrie and I both noticed that he seemed to alter a few solos a bit, but damned if I remember which ones. I want to say Big Love was one of them - it sounded different to my ears, and a bit longer. Still not a fan of Under the Skin live, it sounds too muddled.

OK, so the benefit of everyone just sitting there was that Carrie & I definitely stood out & we were noticed by LB almost right away. We were dancing away, having a great time & he obviously saw us, particularly during Second Hand News - lots of eye contact, that little hand jerk/point thing that he does. Very f*cking cool. It felt good to know that he saw us enjoying the hell out of the show. We stood for most songs, and gave him a standing ovation after every one. The way the seats were angled, we weren't blocking anyone's view at all.

When he came to the stage for the GYOW clusterf*ck he went to the opposite side of the stage first, so we were able to get ready & into position. I don't think anyone told the poor security guy about this occurence, because he looked like he was about to have a heart attack. The guy went toward the center of the stage, which enabled us to scoot up front & over to the side. LB stepped back, spotted us walking toward the edge of the stage & literally walked directly to us & lowered his guitar so we could play. Too.****ing.Cool. It felt like everything was in slow motion. I strummed a couple times, touched his hand, and moved back so others could play. Carrie played too, and also got a high-five from LB. Oh, and he sweated on her too. I hope this shows up on vid - we got our cameras in despite them checking at the door, so it's possible. Time will tell.

As always, a great time hanging out with these bitches. We got lost on the way, so we were late to The Old Nick - sorry if anyone was waiting to meet up. And as always, a fabulous concert. Good times.