| GBS in Boston 2004 At the Avalon |
| In the months prior to this show, I had ordered 3 tickets instead of two, with the idea that I'd invite my niece, Chandra, to the show. She is a hard-working Graduate Student at Harvard this year and works WAY too hard. I was thrilled when she said my invitation was the best idea she's heard in a long time. She was tired of working at the library endless hours and needed a break. Karen and I planned this weekend roadtrip with a show every day. Worked out just fine except for the end. But we'll get to that. |
| Having spent the night in a hotel in Connecticut, we didn't have too long a drive to our hotel in Massachsetts. Karen and I arrived in the general Boston area at about 3 in the afternoon. Dropped our stuff at the hotel and went in search of Columbine and Chandra who is living in Cambridge. It would be her first GBS show. Neither Columbine nor Chandra could give us wonderful directions to their houses and I had left the directions at work. But I did sort of remember how to get to Columbine�s after several phone calls and detours (on our part). We looked up Chandra�s address on Mapquest and proceeded to her apartment. She wasn�t home!!!!! We waited a bit but it was getting late and phone calls to her cell were not being picked up. So I left the ticket, directions to the venue and a love note at her apartment in Cambridge and proceeded to the venue. There were already about 12 people in line and I finally met up with bodhranbabe!!!!! That wonderful person who got Bob to sign my birthday card (thanks to Lynda's suggestion). Also in line were Lynda, Endi, Stacy, the Daves, Ilene, Emily, Michele and a bunch of others whose names I neglected to write down. Sorry � but I enjoyed talking with everyone in line. |
| �How are we ever going to get on Sesame Street now?� |
| (A quote from Sean McCann at the show) |
| Sights seen during our drive to Boston included this very weird road sign in Connecticut. I had never seen one tlted that way before. But that's the way the road went! |
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| During our trek from Chandra's place in Cambrige to the venue, we saw THIS landmark. No wonder GBS likes to play Boston! |
| The venue is literally right across the street from Fenway. I shot this while waiting in the line-up. |
| My foot was KILLING me from the night before in Irving Plaza. I didn�t know how I was going to be able to stay upright all evening and I didn�t want to be in the back. Blessings come in all shapes and sizes. There were these huge box-like things on either side of the floor that were close enough to the stage to see and far enough away from the crush of the crowd in front. What a find! Endi, Columbine and I sat down and left a space for Chandra when she�d come. Karen planted herself stage Alan-Murray-Chris right in the front somewhere. She was still on a high from her close encounter with Chris, Hugh, Ryan, Dan, S�an, Alan and Bob the night before. See the New York review for details. |
In the meantime, Chandra called my cell phone and I found out she didn�t have a car. She arranged to take public transportation with Endi�s directions and arrived about 45 minutes later, during the Pushstars set. Click here for Pushstars pics. Karen took a lot of them! LOL! The Pushstars set was good. I expected more people to be singing along, since Boston is their home base. They were recording a live CD this evening and put on a good show. Anyone who bought a CD also got the live one for free, I think. Chris got a bit flustered when he forgot some words but it was all good. They did: Any Little Town, Meltaway, Boston Girls, Freedom, Minnesota, Clare, Outside of a Dream, Keg on My Coffin (which was a good singalong), and Waiting Watching� |
| I had a premonition that Chandra was there and set off ostensibly to the bathroom, in hopes of catching her before she got lost. It was soooo crowded! Lo and behold, as I got to the back, there she was!!!! I grabbed her hand and we wound our way thru the crowd back to our seat where I had left my coat and Karen�s. There was someone in my seat!!!! I asked her to move over and told her I had gone to the bathroom and that was my coat she had moved. She said �Fine, sit down.� Well, there was no way I could get up on the box without walking up the steps next to it and I asked her to please go on the steps so I could get up. I had to explain to her about my bum leg and finally, reluctantly, she moved. Chandra and I got up and that left a small space where she could lean but not sit. She decided I was �F**ked up� and stormed off toward the back of the club. I was not feeling particularly guilty as she moved our things to sit down. She knew it was someone�s space. I suppose it won�t get me good neighbor points, but * shrugs.* |
| Danny got applause as he set up GBS�s stuff. And soon it was time for GBS. I had tried to explain to Chandra during the time between acts that the show was not a sit-there-and listen show but a must-do-something show. She found out soon enough. Karen brought the camera over because someone had told her that GBS didn�t want pictures taken. I actually had a perfect spot to take photos � far enough away from the stage but close enough for my zoom to get a workout. Karen took so many Pushstars pics that I didn�t have that much room on the memory card, however! No flash � we had covered it with duct tape the night before, so I would remain undetected. |
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| Dan pointed out the hand puppets that were bought at Ben and Jerry�s and were attending their first GBS show. �There are these handpuppets dancing to the songs up here. I don�t know why they are here but maybe I don�t wanna know!� |
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