Just wondering if anyone else saw 'em at the new VZW amphitheater up in Alpharetta and survived the Great Wind and Flood of '08. 
The show itself was great, although once again I'd have preferred a couple more older classics and a couple fewer songs from the new CD.
Glenn pointed out after the Eagles' shows there that the venue has a parking problem...and it does, if you have to park in the shuttle lots. (I never saw either the lot or the shuttles, since my ticket said to park in Lot A, which is one of the two close-in lots. Whew!)
But.......they also have a flooding problem.
For those who are familiar with amphitheaters here in ATL, the new Verizon Wireless amphitheater is a lot like Lakewood Amphitheater, but scaled down by about one-third. UNLIKE Lakewood, however, this place has a higher roof over the covered seats, and no walls whatsoever on either side.
About an hour before showtime, the site was hit by a VERY windy severe thunderstorm. The "covered seats" section might as well have been outside, as wind-driven rain blew right through it. (The mixing board is right in the middle, and might as well have been outside in the parking lot.) A lot of water ended up on the concrete amongst the seats...and due to the downslope, it all ran down the aisles and starting piling up on the concrete walkway midway back on the floor...which is where my friend and I had decided to try and take shelter from the 60 mph winds buffeting the venue. There are no drains there, and at one point the water was rising about a half-inch per minute. WE bugged out and made for higher ground.
I think they honestly didn't plan for having rain blowing into the covered seating section, and it will certainly happen again, especially the way the place is designed, with a very high ceiling -- laughably, it has ceiling fans spinning -- and no side walls.
Other things about the show.....
The big screens really helped. Our seats were pretty good, but I found myself watching the screens more than Geddy, Alex and Neil themselves, and the videography was pretty well-handled (except for one humorous fuckup).
The sound was decent...probably average for an outdoor amphitheater. It looked like there was at least one stage-monitor fuckup, based on Alex L. getting furious at one point. My friend, who's a drummer, noticed a few fuckups from the band, but nothing too egregious.
Sodas were $4, a hot-dog and fries was $7. Oddly enough, Rush t-shirts were "only" $30, $10 less than their last time here. (It's also closer to the end of the tour, too.)
Additions from last show here: "Red Barchetta," "2112 Overture/Temples," maybe one more. (My friend said they did "Mission" last time, but I wasn't sure....it's one of my non-radio favorites, though.)
Deletions from last show here: "Circunstances," "Entre Nous"
It was a wild night, but a lot of fun, too.
The show itself was great, although once again I'd have preferred a couple more older classics and a couple fewer songs from the new CD.
Glenn pointed out after the Eagles' shows there that the venue has a parking problem...and it does, if you have to park in the shuttle lots. (I never saw either the lot or the shuttles, since my ticket said to park in Lot A, which is one of the two close-in lots. Whew!)
But.......they also have a flooding problem.
For those who are familiar with amphitheaters here in ATL, the new Verizon Wireless amphitheater is a lot like Lakewood Amphitheater, but scaled down by about one-third. UNLIKE Lakewood, however, this place has a higher roof over the covered seats, and no walls whatsoever on either side.
About an hour before showtime, the site was hit by a VERY windy severe thunderstorm. The "covered seats" section might as well have been outside, as wind-driven rain blew right through it. (The mixing board is right in the middle, and might as well have been outside in the parking lot.) A lot of water ended up on the concrete amongst the seats...and due to the downslope, it all ran down the aisles and starting piling up on the concrete walkway midway back on the floor...which is where my friend and I had decided to try and take shelter from the 60 mph winds buffeting the venue. There are no drains there, and at one point the water was rising about a half-inch per minute. WE bugged out and made for higher ground.
I think they honestly didn't plan for having rain blowing into the covered seating section, and it will certainly happen again, especially the way the place is designed, with a very high ceiling -- laughably, it has ceiling fans spinning -- and no side walls.
Other things about the show.....
The big screens really helped. Our seats were pretty good, but I found myself watching the screens more than Geddy, Alex and Neil themselves, and the videography was pretty well-handled (except for one humorous fuckup).
The sound was decent...probably average for an outdoor amphitheater. It looked like there was at least one stage-monitor fuckup, based on Alex L. getting furious at one point. My friend, who's a drummer, noticed a few fuckups from the band, but nothing too egregious.
Sodas were $4, a hot-dog and fries was $7. Oddly enough, Rush t-shirts were "only" $30, $10 less than their last time here. (It's also closer to the end of the tour, too.)
Additions from last show here: "Red Barchetta," "2112 Overture/Temples," maybe one more. (My friend said they did "Mission" last time, but I wasn't sure....it's one of my non-radio favorites, though.)
Deletions from last show here: "Circunstances," "Entre Nous"
It was a wild night, but a lot of fun, too.
