Post by oldestfan on Jul 2, 2010 13:01:28 GMT -5
Well, it’s been over thirty years since I’d been to Summerfest, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was excellent, though, and I had a blast, although the phrase “cop a feel” has a different meaning for me. Perhaps a strategically placed comma would make it more correct. In any event, we made it in without incident.
Mind you, I’ve seen hundreds of bands so, at my age, I only care to see THS. However, we caught the Meslimatics and I was quite impressed, enough to say that I could become a fan. But the purpose was THS and they did not disappoint. Summerfest is the biggest show of the year in Milwaukee and, therefore, it was a milestone for Galen to perform as the feature show in his hometown. I’m pretty sure that helped the band juice it up too. Finn was as expressive as I’ve ever seen, smiling like the Joker, and Todd was scorching. My friend, Don Juan, is a drummer and he said the Bobby was crisp and sharp to the point of perfection. It was a completely beautiful set and IMHO, the sound man deserves a share of the credit for his work. My only complaint was the length of the show. THS has so many good songs that the time allotted was woefully short.
I must add that I was amazed that 3,000 or so people from Wisconsin knew the words to their songs but I guess that’s why we fell in love the band years ago. You just can’t keep something this good under wraps for long. So, I’m resigned to the fact that The Hold Steady is no longer our best kept secret and if you EVER get the opportunity to see them in a small venue, grab your friends and get your asses there. This brings me to the fans. I was thinking the old chicken and egg dilemma – do I love this band because of the fans or do I love the fans because of the band? I decided that it really doesn’t matter because I love the band and the fans. What a great group of caring individuals, offering up places to stay, tickets gratis, just simply trying to make someone else’s existence more pleasant. I can’t say enough about the five years that I’ve been posting on this board and the kindness, cooperation and occasional constructive criticism. I mean, if this is the standard among your generation, then may the Great Spirit bless you all. If not, well, you’re doing your part to help. And that gives this man of experienced life lessons reason to believe.
Anyway, thoroughly exhausted, I made it to work today (though not very productive) and have a mile-wide smile and a good fifteen minutes of reminisces to anyone who crosses my path. It was a memorable night, fueled with good friends, good music and good fans. It sure feels good to have someone shout you out when you have only met them once and that was a year ago, so thanks Brendan. I’m really happy that I mixed it up with the rest of you and hope to see you again. If you see a glassy-eyed dude wearing a Gretsch tee at the Memphis show, be sure to say “Hi” to Don Juan. That’s it for now. It was a great time and I’ll try to get pictures posted if I can find someone with 21st century technology. Oh, to be in Hayward tonight!
O-F
US #6950
Mind you, I’ve seen hundreds of bands so, at my age, I only care to see THS. However, we caught the Meslimatics and I was quite impressed, enough to say that I could become a fan. But the purpose was THS and they did not disappoint. Summerfest is the biggest show of the year in Milwaukee and, therefore, it was a milestone for Galen to perform as the feature show in his hometown. I’m pretty sure that helped the band juice it up too. Finn was as expressive as I’ve ever seen, smiling like the Joker, and Todd was scorching. My friend, Don Juan, is a drummer and he said the Bobby was crisp and sharp to the point of perfection. It was a completely beautiful set and IMHO, the sound man deserves a share of the credit for his work. My only complaint was the length of the show. THS has so many good songs that the time allotted was woefully short.
I must add that I was amazed that 3,000 or so people from Wisconsin knew the words to their songs but I guess that’s why we fell in love the band years ago. You just can’t keep something this good under wraps for long. So, I’m resigned to the fact that The Hold Steady is no longer our best kept secret and if you EVER get the opportunity to see them in a small venue, grab your friends and get your asses there. This brings me to the fans. I was thinking the old chicken and egg dilemma – do I love this band because of the fans or do I love the fans because of the band? I decided that it really doesn’t matter because I love the band and the fans. What a great group of caring individuals, offering up places to stay, tickets gratis, just simply trying to make someone else’s existence more pleasant. I can’t say enough about the five years that I’ve been posting on this board and the kindness, cooperation and occasional constructive criticism. I mean, if this is the standard among your generation, then may the Great Spirit bless you all. If not, well, you’re doing your part to help. And that gives this man of experienced life lessons reason to believe.
Anyway, thoroughly exhausted, I made it to work today (though not very productive) and have a mile-wide smile and a good fifteen minutes of reminisces to anyone who crosses my path. It was a memorable night, fueled with good friends, good music and good fans. It sure feels good to have someone shout you out when you have only met them once and that was a year ago, so thanks Brendan. I’m really happy that I mixed it up with the rest of you and hope to see you again. If you see a glassy-eyed dude wearing a Gretsch tee at the Memphis show, be sure to say “Hi” to Don Juan. That’s it for now. It was a great time and I’ll try to get pictures posted if I can find someone with 21st century technology. Oh, to be in Hayward tonight!
O-F
US #6950