The other show that I attended at Bluesfest this year was to see the singer "LP". Alexis was a fan so when the chance came to win tickets from work for show I entered and won two.
We used the same parking strategy that worked well for Rush, parking at Tunney's and taking the bus
We arrived early and went over to the RiverStage and watched Larry McCray who was outstanding. This was much first time at this smaller stage and I really enjoyed it.
So about about 15 minutes before show time we walked over to the stage where LP was going to perform. The crowd was only starting to assemble so we were able to get a great spot close to the stage.
Before the show I had only heard one or two of her songs but they were good. I really enjoyed her live performance.
Here are a few pictures from her show
After enjoying this, we walked back to the River Stage and waited for "Kenny Wayne Shephard" to start. There was a huge crowd for this but we still managed a good view from the side. We stayed for a few songs and then made our way out to the buses.
Alexis and I went to two nights this year. We had reserved seats for Rush and then the general admission ticket for the night "LP" was playing.
After seeing Rush in Hamilton only two nights before I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy this show as much. My previous Bluesfest experience had not always been positive because of the festival crowds and focus. I hoped that buying the reserved seats would fix this. Good news, it did.
I ordered the tickets as soon as then went on stage and was lucky and got front row. Now front row at Bluesfest is way off to the side and still a ways back from the stage. Still very good seats.
I had just taken the morning train back from Toronto as had a few hours to rest and relax before the show. We headed down to the site hoping to get a good place to park. No luck. Finally in frustration I decided to just "Drive West" until we found a transitway stop with some street parking. I found a sidestreet near Tunney's that had lots of parking and a quick walk to the Transitway. A short bus ride and we were on site.
I figured we could always take a car back to the show if the bus was too crowded.
We arrived at the festival and lined up to get a beer. I then found out that Rush would be playing a shorter "festival show"... Hmm I wonder what that meant?
We decided to go see what our seats were like. When you enter the reserved section they are very nice to you. They explain all the services available and give you a special wristband so you don't have to show your ticket again to enter. We then walked to our seats. There were only 4 seats in the first row and the other two people were already there.
With time to kill we went to the smaller main stage and watched "The Specials" for a while.
At about 15 minutes before Rush was scheduled we went back to our seats. I recognized a few of my friends in the reserved section and chatted it up. Before the show I asked Alexis if she wanted anything to drink, so I went to buy some water. The lineup was only about 7 deep and there were 3 servers. I was out in no time.
The show started and we both had a great time enjoying the music.
The show was great. They played about 21 songs with no intermission vs 28 songs and an intermission in Hamilton. Still a great night.
We left the venue and joined the sea of humanity walking up Booth Street. I was looking for cabs but couldn't see any. We walked to the transitway and empty buses were lined up accepting passengers. Since we were only going 2 stops it didn't matter which bus we got on. We just walked on the next filling bus and in a few minutes we were on our way. Much easier than parking near the site.
I had a pretty good time at RushCon 2012 so I decided to attend RushCon 2013 this summer in Toronto and go to the concert in Hamilton. www.rushcon.org
I saw Rush twice in 2012 and enjoyed both shows. At the Montreal show I was lucky to get 10th row seats. After that show I decided I was going to try and get the best seats I could for any shows I saw in the future. I realized this band won't tour forever and I have been a fan since 1978 so it was an easy choice to make.
So when the Hamilton tickets went on sale I bought the "VIP" tickets which guarantees you the first 15 rows. Ticket location is based on when you purchased your tickets. I bought mine the instant they went on sale so I was hoping for some good seats. With my train, concert, hotel and RushCon tickets all booked I waited for July to come around.
Slowly the itinerary for RushCon was published and it looked pretty good. I was looking forward to attending.
Friday afternoon, after working all morning, I took the afternoon train from Ottawa to Toronto. I really enjoy taking the train; I have made that drive too many times and on the train I can truly relax.
I arrived in Toronto and took the subway to the host hotel, the Eaton Centre Marriot. I entered the lobby and signed in to RushCon picking up my tickets and passes. We would be meeting in the lobby for a short walk to the "mixer" at Massey Hall.
After a drink in the hotel bar with some new friends we made our way to Massey Hall.
They had some merch available so I bought a RushCon t-shirt as well as a Rush Concert t-shirt. Next we were led to Massey Hall's very nice bar. Snacks were provided; drinks were available, people mingled. Next we were broken up into teams for some friendly games based on your knowledge of Rush songs. I was on victorious team 11 which took home the gold. Next we were taken on backstage all access tours of Massey Hall. This was really special being on stage at Massey. If you are wondering the Rush connection it is where their first live album "All the World's a Stage" was recorded.
The place seems really intimate from the stage, no seat seems far away.
The rest of the evening was spent in the bar where people chatted or gathered round the piano where songs were being played live.
The next day was the concert. Before that we were bussed to Lakeside Park, yes that Lakeside Park as sung in the song Lakeside Park off the album "Caress of Steel". Now having lived in St. Catharines for 3 years while attending Brock University I was no stranger to Lakeside Park but it must have been 20 years since my last visit. On the bus ride down their was another content test to fill in and hand in. It was pretty hard, again all lyric based.
At the park we had a nice meal and free time to explore.
"Drinking by the lighthouse,
Smoking on the pier"
Before boarding the buses to the show in Hamilton they announced the winners of the contest on the way down. One person had a perfect score and another all but one. As a prize they won a "meet and greet" with Alex and Geddy before the show. We were all pretty happy for them.
A short bus ride and we were in Hamilton. The organizers had managed to get us access to a few hotel rooms at the Sheraton so we could shower and change into our concert clothes before the show. It was great to wash off the sunscreen and put on some fresh clothes. We could then put our backpacks back on the bus. It all worked out pretty good. Then off to supper at the "Honest Lawyer" which really wasn't set up to handle the crowd. The people there tried their best but really couldn't keep up.
At 6 pm I made my way to the ticket office to pick up my VIP ticket. To reduce scalping you can only pick up your seats 1.5 hours before show time and you must have ID. I was excited to see my seat.
Well to say I was pleased was an understatement.
I read "Row 1" and then read it again and again. Front Row. Yeah I was pretty pleased. I chatted with other RushCon fans who were picking up tickets and I think the worse I saw was 6th row which is still a pretty sweet seat.
I entered Copps Coliseum and made my way to my seat. Here is the view before the show.
OK, so not only was I front row, but front row centre...
Went and grabbed a beer, returned to my seats and mingled with the other fans around me. At 7:30 the show started. I took some pictures. I had a great time. What a thrill to be front row.
After the show we boarded our buses. During the trip back the worthy "meet and greet" winners shared their experience. Upon arrival to the hotel we gathered at the bar for some swapping of stories.
The next morning I decided to go for a walk for breakfast. After breakfast I noticed all these tents set up at Nathan Phillips Square so I decided to go check it out. It was an outdoor art show where the artists were trying to sell their work. Lots of really talented people had their work on display. I really enjoyed it.
Later at RushCon was an afternoon of games and of course the charity auction. They get some pretty good stuff if you are a Rush fan. The signed stuff goes for a good price.
Later that afternoon, music biographer Martin Popoff gave a talk on Progressive Metal which was pretty interesting. He also had some of his books for sale and would sign them.
Later that night we went to the "Orbit Room" on College Street which is a bar owned by Alex Lifeson.
We were entertained by the music of the Dave Barret Trio which was really good. They even worked some Rush songs into their set list.
After a street car and subway ride I was back at the hotel. Continued to mingle with other guest back in the lobby of the hotel. It is really these one on one conversations with other fans that I enjoy. Like myself, they have been fans for 30 plus years and the music has been the "soundtrack of our lives". For whatever reason the bands music / lyrics has made a connection with us and we enjoy celebrating that with each other.
The next morning I took the train back to Ottawa with further excitement... Tonight I was seeing Rush in Ottawa at Bluesfest. I will post about that separately.
Many thanks to the hard working people at RushCon who do such a great job.
