11:40

11:40

lets start this way

it was bloody well fun last night

it was all in the spirit of the moments

and memorable

yes i said moments

moments

because it was sum of the parts that made it the night it was

the ticket

\monday

monday the 12th steven calls me

he asks me if i am going to the show

i am ambivalent and defeated knowing it is very unlikely

and i am very tired

not thinking about the future i finally cave in and respond with a maybe

about an hour later i am desperately seeing a ticket thru every connection i have ever forged - my little black book is hot to the touch

\tuesday

i secure a ticket on the way to work

from a monday night call

section 307 row 12 seat 4 - on the isle and good upper end view

things are done

everyone is satisfied with the outcome

'specially me

but

on the way back home 3:30 pm

all comfy in my knowledge that i am covered 

the ticket falls thru

my jaw drops

i have to pull over off the qew before hwy 10

i think very hard of options in light of this news

and i realize that im suddenly back to square

nothing solved

the regret of even trying for the ticket in the first place

WTF

really?

i give up

\wednesday

fake deal day

just ahead of my alarm by a minute my phone rings

somebody must have died me thinks

or better have 

for waking me up at this ungodly hour

the voice on the end of the phone delivers good news instead - im going to vh

have enough tickets

you in

i dance

hard

air guitar like bill and ted

excellent

end of the story

end of day

same voice on the phone calling me

cant make it you will have to find another way

it has become a cruel joke

im being punished

i am trying to figure out how i offended the gods

how did i ruffle the feathers

really? i already gave up 

then got my hopes up again now im washed out again

eff me

\thursday

angie's deal

i hear from angie about 10 am

she has access to tix - we had talked passively on monday about the possibilities

i chat her up

its a go

we are rockstars

plus we can be upgraded once we're in the venue

bill and ted

excellent

my faith is restored

i'm back in the game

bill and ted thingy again

you know the drill by now

9 pm while im writing music my nextone™ 'are we there yet'

she calls me

she is washed out 

its over

i effing quit

there is no win to this ghost chase of a concert

my vh streak has come crashing down

hell, i roadied for them for 12 gigs 

the summer of 89 

now i cant find a ticket

the 2 minute warning 

\thursday late

no sooner do i get off the phone with angle and bad news central

my phone is ringing desperately

i answer to the voice of scotty arthur

i haven't seen this cat personally in 15 years

haven't heard from him in like nine months

he has the exact opposite problem of my own

has tickets and no bodies

i gots the bodies and no tickets broseph

WTF

of course i am in

finally

vh

getting there is the standard fair 

we did our thing, steven dawn and i

we were messy

i had coordinated in advance with scotty 

to meet at caseys on front street

which rapidly became

meeting at real sports west side of the arena - kick ass!!!!!

killer bar by the way 

lol

all is all 

and it was fair weather ahead

then

the sonic assault

edward van halen was sober last night

he killed it

i haven't seen him remembering that he is a rockstar or a guitar master 

or a musician for a long time

last night he knew he was the man that made me a lifer for his brand

he remembered who he was

like nike and basketball

he was beyond words

when they played 'hear about it later'

i lost my marbles

the people next myself and scott

thought i was - how should i word this

a special needs adult

or as i would call it, going retarded

hellsya

the band played tattoo 

jump 

aint talking bout love

they parlayed

mean streets

beautiful girls 

lighting up the sky

and 

beats working - new favorite and off the new one

like the champs they are

wolfie is going to become the billy sheehan of his generation - i guarantee it

undoubtedly so, considering his lineage

unbelievable

remember, if you will, that eddie played bass on sammys very last contract obligation to warner brothers in '89

from beginning to end the show was a fresh punch to face

it didn't hurt but it woke you up quickly

o lord, did it ever

a sonic assault

the meet up/rally and boot

met up with dawn and steve after the lights went down

hit the rs bar for apre ski

choice

so choice

i highly recommend 'decomp' at a favorable stop on the way home

got the whole bar singing dance the night away

got a standing o from everyone there

way to carry the harmony stevecat

you rock boyo

i know you're reading this too stoner

angus young v/s george lynch

how we got to this one i still cant remember 

we hit the go train back to the south side 'ssaga

we get on car five and find our seats

me with two strangers on my side

dawn and stevie with two others right across from me

im stoned - stevie too - and start to chat up the dude next to me

baldie - im protecting his id

i impassioned him to stand up and diatribe his love of good music to the appreciation of the entire lower floor of the the go train car number 5 - my favourite number - filled room

it was effed up

we had a standing ovation - the second of the night

but his cheers soon turned to jeers

as he decidedly argued me on the point that angus young of ac/dc was a better guitarist then george lynch of dokken fame

really? angus over george? george was only the bottom of the pile of great axe men I was gonna throw at him

epic fail - car 5 agreed with me - take a bow

followed by epic boos from the entire train who were watching us intently by this point

when buddy tried to rally support for poor angus

rally and boot

a quick shot from boyos half pint of johnny walker black label to celebrate the irish day - 

a day later than required

and another rendition of dance the night away

literally joined by everyone on train car 5 - peace to every one of them on that train last night

absolutely perfect

sweet mother of god

insane

results

i love van halen

5 out 5 for show and for party

the best fans in the world are van halen fans

they are sweet and sincere

they are cool and dangerous

we are all bound by our love of the game

we care about music

we are intelligent

but crazy

we luv eddie

we love guitars

we love sound booms and rock and roll, in your face loud

we band together whenever we can

we do it for the love of pasedena

and ontario

and fucking greenland

and oslo

we are one giant clan of good times

wrapped in a thin slice of awesome

thank you:

johnathan for getting us where we needed to be

thank you to scott arthur - without you bro i could not have written this down, cuz i would not have been there, to be part of it

i owe you bro, big

thank you, mr. security guard who made us get back in line after our stogies

with the check ins

where me met the three girls from london with their 420

thanks mr. security dude

you made us who we became

its your fault

thank you eddie wolfgang alex and david for being the best rock outfit in the effing universe

most of all 

thank you steve

for keeping me rallying to find a ticket when it all seemed lost

because of your belief that i would find the ticket

i found the ticket

i am now 20 for 20 on vh shows

i am never going to miss one

i roadied for them in '89

never ever gonna miss a show

even though i had already thought i had missed one last night

i am now wrecked

i am hungry

i am older today then i was yesterday

i am happy

for a change

van halen

finger lickin' good times

go figure...