SHARING THE SHOWS
I don’t have a ton of regrets in life, but the ones I do are musically related. Regret #1: not seeing Rush on their final tour. Regret #2: not having seen Roger Waters “in the flesh” (get it? hahaha). But I’d resolve that one tonight. Much like with the Grateful Dead, I didn’t get into Pink Floyd until they stopped touring extensively. And I’ve seen a few tribute bands, such as The Machine, Brit Floyd, and Australian Pink Floyd. All good in their own ways.
Today was the first day back at school after the summer. It’s always a dive into cold water. Three months of a relaxed pace stopped by the intensive pace of academic talk, although in the case of back-to-school meetings, it’s usually a lot of time spent listening to others hear themselves talk (although writing jokes and snarky comments to myself is therapeutic). The day was set off nicely by the drop of the new Cobra Kai season trailer and the final episode of Better Call Saul, the latter of which was watched at dinnertime. I caught the Metro to Gallery Place (it’s nice to only have to take one line to the venue). On the walk to Capital One Arena, I talked to a Brazilian woman who was visiting her friend in the US and was excited to see Floyd. I also guided them to the venue, being the good ambassador I am. I had seen a Capitals game here (with Ellen) and two Wizards games (with Michael and Pete on separate occasions, with help from Scott), but this would be my first concert. I was met with an array of T-shirts sporting the likes of Waters and Floyd, with some sprinkles of the Dead, Rush, and I even saw an Iron Maiden shirt. During setbreak, I saw a dude wearing a Widespread Panic T-shirt, and we basked in our excitement at the upcoming shows at MGM. Waters went on at 8:30, a half hour after the start time (why did the venue emphasize he’d start PROMPTLY at 8? Of course, when Phish says 8, that usually means 9, so joke’s on us). But he did give announcements counting down to start time, the first of which was met with some jesty-like boos. He started with some selections from The Wall, my least favorite album (it’s actually a good album, just way overplayed and overhyped). But “Another Brick in the Wall” jammed pretty hard, and while I love dancing at most shows, after a day of workshops, it was nice to just sit and enjoy the tunes with everyone else. He also followed it with some of his solo stuff, which I haven’t heard before. “Sheep,” which closed the first set, is my favorite Floyd tune, off my favorite album, Animals. At the top is a slightly blurred picture of the stuffed sheep they used as a prop. Waters is known for his political messages at shows, and he didn’t let up at all. While I don’t agree with his stance on Israel, his left-leaning messages on issues in the US supporting women’s rights and calls to remember Black people killed by police brutality (George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbury) are very much in line with my beliefs. He even started the show by saying, “If you don’t like my politics, you can fuck off to the bar right now.” Works for me. And while I think some of it is a tad heavy-handed, it doesn’t detract from the fact that at the age of 78, he still jams. He played all his standards off Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and Dark Side of the Moon, as well as a new tune, “The Bar,” condensed for show time. I skipped the encores (Wall tunes, with another one called “Two Suns in the Sunset”) so I could beat the crowd out. Besides, Waters was about to pontificate after “Eclipse,” and I’d heard enough of that from Faculty Development Day. Nats fans crowded the train, and they were bummed about a heartbreaking loss to the Chicago Cubs. But someone sneezed, and another person made the joke, “Public transportation is nothing to sneeze at.” I agree. I was happy to start the academic year with a show. With music, I really do feel I’m able to enjoy my work, especially as I spent a few days setting up my courses online, with some Grateful Dead functioning as my soundtrack. Life was good, life is good, and life can be good, as long as I do my part. And music is a great tool to help with that.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2024
Categories |