For years I have wanted to see
Rush in
concert. For
drummers, it is almost like a
Muslim visiting
Mecca, something that has to be done once in a
lifetime. I have had several chances to see Rush, but unfortunately I have been
foiled every time. Now I know how the bad guy feels like at the end of a
Scooby Doo episode.
The first time I had the chance to go, I was working at a college radio station (WRPS, Radio Potsdam, NY). We had tickets to give away, and the station manager miscounted how many he had. It turned out he had two left over, so he told me to use them. Unfortunately, my car was busy having an engine installed, so I had no way of travelling to the show. I asked a pal of mine to drive, and I'd give him the other ticket. He said he couldn't go because his girlfriend would freak. Since I didn't want to waste them, I gave them to another mutual friend. That friend ended up trading them to the first pal of mine for a case of beer, and he took his girlfriend. Crap!
The second time, I was in the military. I had tickets to see Rush in California, and two days before the concert I had to go to replace a dork for five days on a ship... a ship that was sitting off the San Diego coast for those five days. I ended up eating the cost of those tickets.
The third time I had the chance, I was leaving for Thailand to teach electronics and computer networking, with the flight leaving the morning of the concert. Luckily I didn't bother getting the tickets.
If Neil Peart ever reads this, I haven't made my trip to Drumming Mecca yet, but it's not for lack of trying. You're welcome to stop by for some coffee (real Italian espresso) and a spot behind my drum kit.