Category: music

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Rush

Well, we saw Rush. Twice.

When I found out that Geddy Lee had laryngitis and bronchitis on the date of our original show I was not optimistic that we’d be seeing them play on the rescheduled date of July 11. Ten days didn’t seem like enough time to heal. When asked, I told people “I’m cautiously unoptimistic.”

Well, I was wrong.

Due to the cancellations there were seats available, so we got seats for July 13 as well.

Both shows were great. Apparently being a millionaire rock star has advantages, among which is access to great doctors who will “use the nuclear option” on laryngitis and bronchitis. Geddy sounded great. The whole band was incredible.

The first night we were pretty far back in seats from which we could see the whole production. Fantastic! The next night we were about 4 rows up, stage right, about 50 feet from Alex Lifeson, with a great view of Anika on drums and we could really see the band interacting with each other.

A week later we are still talking about it. We are still in such a great mood.

 

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Rush Shows Postponed and Retirement Stuff

Well, we spent the day in Fort Worth yesterday only to find out about 5pm that the Rush show that night and the one tomorrow are being delayed by 11 days, as Geddy has bronchitis and laryngitis.  Stuff happens. Hopefully he will recover and the shows will go on, but more important is the man’s health.

We are going to see comedian Kevin James Thornton tonight. Should be fun. It’s also closer to home which is nice. Honestly, I’m pretty tired this week. Increased allergy shot strength, waking up with a crick in my neck a couple of days ago which has affected my sleep, walking around in the heat in Fort Worth yesterday, and then battling the traffic on the way one have left me depleted. I am happy to be going to this show tonight, but really, no driving back to Forth Worth tomorrow is FINE with me.

At least I do have Friday off, which is nice! I can chill!

I was watching a video on YouTube from I guy I presume is in the UK about determining your daily rhythm in retirement. He’s a retirement YouTuber. Now, normally I am not a fan of YouTubers, but I gave this guy a chance, and I thought he had some good observations and ideas. He articulated some things I’ve been thinking about. I could go on and on about how much I hate the way our working lives are controlled not by our own needs but by the needs of others. I think this guy really got on my good side when he talked about learning your daily rhythm and, for him, not doing much more than chilling and drinking some coffee and reading before 10am. I think that’s the kind of person i am. That’s my clock. Now, I’ll have to do a few things before 10am, like walk the dog, but overall I am just looking forward to saying “fuck off” to anyone other than my wife who needs me to do anything before 10am.

I got my hair cut the other day, in in the process of making small talk with the haircutter I mentioned retiring. Their response was something like “you are retiring young.” Now, I am nice to everyone, but I was thinking “Well, I’ll be 62. How fucking long to I have to work?”

In other topics.

  • I’m still really not happy with the “theme” this blog uses, but I honestly can’t find a single other WordPress theme that I like. They all look like portals for cosmetics companies, “content marketers”, and other bullshit. Still thinking about a new system after I retire.
  • I want to go skate
  • D&D and Traveller are going well

That’s all for now.

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Waiting for Rush

We’re going to see Rush tomorrow night in Fort Worth.

Then we’re going back to see them again on Thursday night.

Yesterday we began a deep drive into the Rush catalog. Listened, in order, to all the albums up to and including Moving Pictures.

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In Praise of Horsegirl

Last Friday we went down to the Sons of Hermann Hall in Deep Ellum to see this band, Horsegirl.

The venue is cool. Read about it with the link. It’s on the very outskirts of Deep Ellum, so you can get in and out without having to deal with too many of the idiots, scumbags, or idiot-scumbags down there. I like that. I love going to see music, but honestly when you go to “entertainment districts” you always see, and sadly sometimes encounter, some fucking dirtbags. I’m just way too old and grumpy to deal with what bullshit very well.

So before I rain praise down upon the main act, I have to say that the Unnamed Opening Act was, in short, dreadful. I mean, really really really really really really bad. I lay most of the blame on the singer. Generally when young people are out doing their thing, performing on stage, chasing their dream, or whatever, I usually support that. I think it’s good. Go for it, I say. Fuck the Man. Fuck your parents who told you not to do it — to go look at a computer screen all day while you contemplate suicide. But occasionally you encounter a young person whose parents told him he was a super special do-no-wrong angel one too many times, and that may have been the case here. My wife said she didn’t like his sorta “menacing” stage persona. As usual, she got it right.

And now to the praise…

Horsegirl was awesome. They were recommended to us by a friend in Virgina who saw them a while back. Three young woman playing some really good stuff – guitar/bass/drums, with a little keyboard here and there. A bit of Sonic Youth, a bit Silversun Pickups, and maybe some others we haven’t quite figured out yet. Really great. It was super good, and very much the sonic antidote to the ear-poisoning we’d gotten from the openers. We went from a 100% bullshit act to a 100% ZERO BULLSHIT BAND.

My wife (you can say that like Borat if you want to, and if you are too young — or old — to know who Borat is then probably stop reading my blog) picked up one of their LPs. We listened to it the next morning. Excellent. Sounded great on the Big Stereo, and she ordered another from them.

the band horse girl performing in Dallas Texas in August 2025