day 754

:)

You DO get what you pay for, but....

started yesterday ok, got my miles in, worked half a day, then off to Brooklyn to see Cheap Trick. They have a series of major concerts there, every week, for the summer. Previously Joan Jett, Aretha, The Monkees, Queen Latifah, you get it. To close out the series: Cheap Trick! Cool eh? Technically free, if you bring a beach chair to sit in the seond section of the orchestra (it's really a parking lot, no raised seating, all flat). The first half of the orchestra is folding chairs, thus, for "chair rental" you pay a $5 fee. Still an amazing deal.

got there @ 3 pm, passed the Coney Island Boardwalk, the concert site is right next to MCU Park. So you have Coney island, the baseball stadium then the concert area. Nice. (iy's right by the old steeplechase). As I'm trying to find the venue, Cheap Trick was doing their soundcheck!!! So, line up, there's bathrooms on the boardwalk, everyone on line is cool, the opening act pulls up to disembark. Mickey Leigh (Joey Ramone's brother!!!!!). WAY cool. Chatted up the crowd for a bit, then entered. Very nice guy. We got to hear HIS soundcheck (the only time he got on stage, more later).

6pm, they let us in, SECOND ROW!!!!! Right in front!!!!! Marty Markowitz takes the stage (short lil' fucker!) to promise some political shit, says rain is in the forecast, but they'll wait it out and we'll get the show.

Well, good thing I packed a poncho AND um-br-ella (eh eh eh eh). It POURED for an hour, by 9 pm, finally, they were ready, dismantled the opening acts' gear (sucked, wanted to see him, but @ this point, even the diehards were discussing leaving). Me, I'm there hunkered down like a smurf. Thank GOD it was by the boardwalk-nice breezes, almost felt like you should'a worn jeans. Why is this important? Under a poncho, rain and heat=yukkk. But no, comfortable actually.

Hit the port-o-san, scoped out the merch table (lonely chick working it, this crowd was there for a free show, not to spend), they actually had Cheap Trick 8 Tracks!!!!! I LOVE this band.), then back to my seat. Hung with our shared experience, "we're all getting rained on" friends, swapped concert stories. Alot like running a marathon, waiting @ Wadsworth, suddenly you're buds with the peeps left and right.

(a cool note: if you hadda pee, the peeps in line watched your bag, same in the seats. @ msg, your shit would be G-O-N-E).

By 9:15, they were mopping the stage, light went down and CHEAP FUCKING TRICK!!!!! They ROCKED. Rick is truly a performer who loves what he does, gave 100% to the crowd. THEN, word came, they were getting pulled off stage. if you turned around, you saw an AMAZING light show-lightening over the water. the union pussies pulled the plug. Rick was VERY apologetic, I mean VERY. But hey, you DO get what you pay for, and for a little less than an hour, it was an amazing show. REALLY glad I stayed. Was odd, heading back to the F train, passing MCU park, a game was in progress, and Nathans-where I first had frog legs so long ago (thanks yet again Maman.)

Got home @ a ridiculous hour, got the 11:42 outta Penn, yuuuuch, but hey, quite a night.

God bless Cheap Trick!!!!!