Ok boys and girls its been a crazy week! Attempting to get all the work done that I scheduled for myself has been a harder task than I originally anticipated but so far I've stayed on task quite well. I do have to say that in these crazy-busy times it is nice to have something to look forward to which I was lucky enough to have this week.
You have to love a good concert, especially when you get to see your favourite band. Some people say that I am crazy, I don't know, maybe it's the Newfoundlander in me but my favourite band is Great Big Sea. I had been waiting for last night's show since the last time I was able to see them, 2 years ago when they had a previous album released. I have to say that I was on the edge of my seat all day and was ready and willing to dodge out of my Wednesday afternoon seminar in order to be back in town with plenty of time to eat and get ready for the show. My prof ended up being sick and class was canceled, an unseen turn of events which let some panic drift away about timing my exit from Sackville. Since I was heading to the show with my friend Lynne I had her meet me at the apartment to pick me up and head off to the coliseum for the show. We got there with lots of time to spare so we found our seat and had a chat while waiting for the show. To my surprise my (very pregnant) friend Lisa, her husband and 2 other friends were sitting directly across the aisle from us - hey the more the merrier at a show like this.
At 8pm on the dot Spirit of the West came out to open the show. I had been speculating for some time that I knew who they were but even after they started to play songs I was still unsure if I really knew who they were or not. After a few songs the lead singer starts to tell a story about how in 1989 he and his wife were on their honeymoon in Venice. They were visiting the Guggenheim museum and they came to this window with a beautiful view of the canal. When he turned around there was this statue of a guy standing on the back of a horse with his arms outstretched. The singer said that since this was "a family show" the only other thing he'd say about the statue was that it was "visibly excited" (and the crowd burst into laughter).
He said he just lined up a shot of the statue when a young boy (like 5-6) ran into the frame and you could tell he wanted to climb up onto the statue so he reached out for the only hand hold that he could reach. He then said that the next thing he knew there were two mortified parents who ran into the frame and tried to pull their child away but he just wouldn't let go of the statues "private area". He then said "and I took the best picture of my life!" (and the crowed roared with laughter). After a few more songs Spirit of the West played their last song of the night "Home for a Rest" and I solved how I knew the band' I've loved that song for years and just couldn't make the connection. - INTERMISSION -
Time for the main act!
The crowd went wild when Great Big Sea took the stage. Since I have seen them I don't know how many times you'd think that the excitement would wear off. WRONG!! Just as exciting as ever. They started off with a set mixed with songs from the new album and a mix of some of the hits. One thing that I love about Great Big Sea is their interaction with the crowd during the show. Alan started talking to the audience and in a response to the story previously told by Spirit of the West, Sean said "I feel the love in my pants!" (which ended up being a common saying throughout the whole night and it never got old). Alan asked the crowd if the date was March 11. When we all agreed that it was, Alan announced that it was Great Big Sea's 16th birthday; they played their first show on March 11 1993 at Memorial University. Since it was a momentous occasion the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to the band (it was actually kinda cool). The band then continued on playing another set mixed of old and new music. They then got to the sing along portion of the evening where the want to see how good the crowd is at singing. They started out with "I fought the Law" by the Clash, followed by "We're here for a Good Time" by Trooper and ended with Alan directing the crowd through a rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. This was of course leading up to everyone singing along to "Run Runaway," one of their first hits. Moving on through the show Sean says its time to sing something for the ladies and he starts to play a cover of Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)" which was hilarious; this did end up leading into one of their own songs.
When the show was over they left the stage. It only took a couple minutes for there to be a massive chant of "Great Big Sea!" coming from the crowd. The boys took back to the stage to perform a 3 song encore. Overall it was an awesome show! When I left the coliseum however my voice was raspy and horse; a very normal reaction. When I woke up this morning my voice was still raspy and my throat hurt. All I could think of was "oh god, I have to give a presentation this afternoon." I spent the day babying my voice while finalizing my notes for this afternoon. Presenting is not my favourite thing to do but if I am prepared I am able to do it well. It was hard to believe that this was my final presentation of my degree here at MtA. The end is drawing near so quickly. So many assignments to finish and things to get ready before graduation comes around. Wow I can't believe it's almost over, sometimes it feels like it has only just begun.
I'll leave you on that note for this week. We'll catch up again soon.
Until then!
