Dayton's Blog: A pimple on the ass of the Internet.

So, I recently discovered that this event was coming to Kansas City in December. I've talked it over briefly with Michi and Kevin, and we finally decided we were going to go. The idea sounds fun enough on the face of it: the entire Star Wars saga presented with highlights from the six movies shown on massive HD screens and accompanied by live performances of music from the films. Sounds like a bigger, louder version of Star Wars: A Musical Journey, a DVD feature included with the soundtrack CD to Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Sweet.

Being a Star Wars fan, this sounds like it could be a fun evening. Anybody else heard anything more about this, or -- better yet -- seen it themselves? If so, whaddaya think about it?

I'd already ordered tickets for this year's Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert Kansas City, which will take place on December 23rd and carry forward our annual tradition of taking in this holiday show. For those tickets, I was able to pre-order awesome seats before tickets went on sale to the general public. I figured that was going to be it for our concert-going this year.

Then I get word that violinist David Garrett is coming to town in October. The Mrs. informs me that she'll handle the logistics of finding a sitter; I am to secure tickets. At first I was worried about the fact that the concert's on a weeknight, and so far I've been reluctant to call on friends or a sitter during the week. But, she reassures me that we have friends who are champing at the bit to spend time with the kids.

Hell. I'll call that bluff. So, down I sit, surfing the 'net to Mr. Garrett's website to purchase concert tickets. Once there, I behold the Guardian at the Gates.

Ticketmaster.

Damn, but I hate Ticketmaster, and all their "convenience charges" and "processing fees" and other crap that drives the cost of doing business with them through the roof. Two tickets to this concert total out at a reasonable price, but by the time I'm done letting Ticketmaster teabag me, the additional fees and charges amount to what would've been a third ticket. I had to double check to make sure Jerry Jones or Daniel Snyder weren't behind the curtain pulling the levers and shit.

Naturally, TM's the only game in town, so if we want to go to the concert, we have to pony up.

I checked, and they did indeed have a reacharound option available for an additional service charge. I opted against it this time.

With our good friends Gail and Gregg LaRock stepping in to watch the kids for a few hours, Michi and I headed out yesterday afternoon for what's become our annual holiday tradition: catching TSO in concert when they swing through Kansas City on their winter tour. An added bonus for this year's show? Violinist Mark Wood was touring with the band's west coast contingent this year. I'd almost forgotten about him, even though I still have a couple of his albums from the 80s and 90s.

Like last year, they played at our relatively new and shiny venue, the Sprint Center. For the first time, we had seats on the main floor. Through luck, fate, or whatever, the tickets I bought during a pre-sale at the band's website gave us seats 11 rows back from stage and dead center. So, we were close enough to feel the heat from the pyro, to be blinded by the strobes, and deafened by the monster speakers.

Sweet. :)

This was our seventh time attending this show, and as always it was awesome. For me, the holiday season doesn't really get underway until I hear their music -- preferably live -- the first time. Christmas and all the associated hubbub may now commence.

With our good friends Gail and Gregg LaRock volunteering to watch the munchkins for a few hours on Saturday evening, Michi and I set out with Kevin to attend the Rush concert at the Starlight Theater here in KC. Happy Birthday to me!

The place was packed, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor performance. They took the stage at about 7:45 or so, and played until close to 9 before taking their "halftime intermission." Then they came back and played another 80 minutes or so, followed by a nice encore. The show kicked total ass. Though this is essentially a second leg of the same tour they did last year for their Snakes and Arrows CD, the set list was different than the show we saw last August. Still a lot of material from the new album, but plenty of oldies (pronounced "classics") to round out the evening. You can do that kind of thing when you've got 18 albums of material, I suppose.

Naturally, we eagerly await the next concert tour, whenever that might be.

So, the Mrs. tells me this past week that she wants to also attend the Rush concert which will be held here in June. This is in addition to the whirlwind tour of Vegas we'll pull in May, which will include the Rush concert at Mandalay Bay as well as a book signing at Star Trek: The Experience.

Once informed that baby-sitting duties would be addressed (we have no shortage of willing volunteers, as it happens), I sat down this morning and waited for 10am to roll around so that I could be "there" when tickets went on sale via online as well as walk-up venues around town.

Short version: Scored the tickets. The concert is Saturday, June 7th, so Happy Birthday to me!

So, the Mrs. comes to me yesterday with an idea.

She wants to celebrate her 40th birthday by going to see Rush at some other venue (outside KC). The two options that are most appealing to her are Red Rocks in Denver and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

I wondered about the most important logistical hurdle we faced: the munchkins. However, I was told in no uncertain terms that if she could make the babysitting magic happen, I would have to make the travel arrangements. Wow, that's a no-brainer. Deal!

After weighing the pros and cons such as travel, hotel, the need or not for rental car, and what else we might do within the compressed timeframe we'd be talking about, we opted for Vegas, where they'll be performing on Saturday, May 10th. It'd be a case of us flying out, doing the concert, and flying back the next day, with an overnight babysitter taking care of the chit'lins.

It'll be a whirlwind tour of Sin City, as we fly in Saturday late morning, hit the hotel, maybe lounge around the pool or play some cards while partaking of favored beverages, eat, hit the concert, enjoy some Vegas nightlife (with more of our favored beverages, etc.), crash, then head for the airport the next morning. To satisfy my inner geek, I'm even thinking of getting us a room at the Las Vegas Hilton, so that I'll be in proximity to Star Trek: The Experience and be able to give that one more roll. With the proper use of monorails and other inter-hotel trams, we can probably even get away without having to use a cab except to and from the airport.

The only other thing we'd have to do to make the trip complete is to renew our marriage vows in one of those cheesy "Chapel O' Love" places.

Well, that or get a lapdance at the Palomino Club.

I'm guessing she'd go with the first option, assuming she doesn't just divorce me beforehand.

I don't know how in the name of Hell I missed this bit of news from last month, but i just found out today that Rush is extending their Snakes & Arrows tour from last year well into 2008.

They'll be rehearsing a new set list and getting out on the road again starting in the spring, and one of their stops will be here in Kansas City on June 7th, which just happens to be my birthday.


Yes, of course we're going. What are you, new around here?

After missing last year's concert due to other priorities (Hi, Addy!), this year we were able to secure babysitting services so that we could return to our annual holiday tradition of taking in the Christmas concert as performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It was our sixth time going in seven years, and also the first time the group has performed at our latest and greatest venue, the sparkling new Sprint Center here in Kansas City.

Along with Michi and me were Kevin as well as his daughter and youngest stepdaughter, the five of us braving bitter cold and somewhat icy roads in order to attend the concert. Actually, the roads were fine...the sidewalks connecting us from the parking garage to the Sprint Center were another story (it was more ice skating than actual walking). As for the new arena, it's pretty awesome, offering more space for the stage, pyro, sound system, etc.

As I've said before, I don't normally get wrapped up in holiday celebrations of any sort, but even I can't help having fun at this show. By now I've pretty much heard everything these guys play, and the "Christmas portion" of the show doesn't change all that much from year to year. Still, the second half is always different to varying degrees, and the energy behind the performances is always worth the money. If you've never heard their music, you could do worse than to give them a listen, particularly now that we're solidly into the holiday season. And if you can get to a live show, do yourself a favor and check 'em out. As for me, I'm looking forward to when Addy and her forthcoming sister are old enough to go with us.

(Though paying for all those tickets is liable to suck.)

So, I suppose I'm officially ready for Christmas.

I don't post reviews with lengthy critical examinations. I know that puts me in the minority of people on the internet, but they'll just have to get along without me. I tend to base my reviews on whether I felt I was reasonably entertained for the money I spent.

The Rush concert? Kicked all kinds of ass.

I don't know if I enjoyed it quite as much as I did their previous visit to KC (for their 30th Anniversary -- or "R30" -- tour), but I've never been disappointed by these guys. The set list was heavy with songs from the new Snakes and Arrows album, which was fine by me as I think it's their strongest studio album out of the last three or four. Traditional favorites were plentiful, as well as a few cuts that hadn't had the dust kicked off of them in quite some time. One of the benefits of having 18 studio albums (19 if you count the Feedback collection of cover songs) is that there's no shortage of songs to draw from, and they always seem to find the right balance between older and newer material.

All in all? Money and time well spent. My Rush love continues unabated. Can't wait to see them the next time they come around, and Michi and I are also thinking of catching them at some other venue, such as Red Rocks in Denver, which I've heard is a phenomenal place to attend a concert.

On a related note, I recently got an e-Mail from a reader who's a fan of our Star Trek: S.C.E./Corps of Engineers work, who only just recently figured out that the titles of several of our CoE installments are taken from Rush song titles. For example:

Grand Designs
Where Time Stands Still - inspired by "Time Stand Still"
Distant Early Warning
Turn the Page (I know it's also the title of a Bog Seger song, and a popular one with small-club strippers. Work with me.)

In fact, Kevin and I have a few other CoE story ideas hidden in our files, all of which make use of Rush song titles:

Where's My Thing? - Fabian Stevens suffers blackouts and memory loss thanks to an enounter with a mysterious alien artifact, which compromises his ability to repair critical systems aboard the USS da Vinci before the ship comes under attack by Androssi forces. Even if he can remember where he misplaced a key component, is it the one that will save the ship, or destroy it?

Roll the Bones - While touring medical facilities on a newly-established Federation colony, Admiral Leonard McCoy is mugged by rogue factory workers who abruptly fall victim to a mysterious virus. Can Dr. Sarjenka discover the source of the ailment in time to save the muggers' lives and find out where they've put Admiral McCoy's wallet and hoverchair? 

I Think I'm Going Bald - a special CoE/Star Trek: The Next Generation crossover, featuring a story about a young David Gold and Jean-Luc Picard undertaking a special assignment while still cadets at Starfleet Academy.


Think any of these will fly?

They've taken care of everything, the words we'll read, the songs we'll sing, and the pictures that'll give pleasure to our eye.

We just have to show up and enjoy the show.

The Mrs. and I are off! Rush awaits, again!

....but I only care about that portion which resides in Bonner Springs, Kansas on August 23rd at 8pm.

Why? Because I've got our tickets for the Rush concert, part of the new Snakes & Arrows tour. After much back-n-forth with the online reservation system holding the special sale at the band's website, I've managed to secure seats that put us much closer to the stage than we've ever been for past Rush shows. We might even be able to catch some of the stuff they throw from the stage this time around.

Sweet.

The tour dates for Rush's forthcoming Snakes & Arrows tour have been announced. Among the dates and cities listed:

Kansas City - August 23rd.

If you need me for anything that evening, you'll know where I'll be.

That said, I'm also eyeing the dates in Las Vegas and Denver. After all, I've always wanted to see a concert at Red Rocks....