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Hip Trip III - Printable Version

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Hip Trip III - bobnfran - 10-21-2004

Well, this is the last in the series of Hip Trips for us on this tour...barring any major miracles...like winning the lottery!!

Saturday we started off our weekend by seeing Gov't Mule in Maine. We liked the CD's we’d been listening to. We were looking forward to the show. It was SO loud you couldn't hear it (do you know what I mean?). We ended up leaving early to save our ears (and our energy…guess we are getting old!) for TTHip.

Sunday we started our trek by heading to Granville NY. This is a small town not far from Lake George, where some friends live. It was a great spot to get us part way to our destination and hook up with some friends we hadn’t seen in awhile. We stayed up till 1:30 a.m. watching the RedSox/Yankee game.

Monday around noon we headed to Rochester. Not much to do getting there a day early. Another late baseball night!

Tuesday brought us to show day and the late afternoon at Dinosaurs. We had some food and were just getting ready to leave when we spotted Mark and Matt, some friends we know from previous Hip shows. We talked with them a bit. They had CD’s for us. Matt gave us copies of the Cleveland show and Mark had the VERY long awaited Albany show that we have been trying to get for 4 YEARS! At this show the band played LOCKED for us as we had requested earlier in the day when we saw and talked with Gord Sinclair. Gord D announces it is by request. We are very grateful to Mark for this sweet score of a show that does not seem to be in circulation.

We were getting ready to head out again and I spotted a Hipbase shirt and went over to say hello. It was Ian (boots) and Jen. We saw them later at the show also, as they sat just a couple rows ahead of us. They both took lots of photographs and I imagine by the looks of the lens on Jen’s camera that she will have gotten some super pictures.

Also met at the show Direwolf and Edwin, who, as mentioned by Direwolf sat right behind us. We shared some Hip and other musical stories while waiting for the show to start. Shared laughs and knowing nods during the show. Scott12 and Adam were also there and came by and chatted with us for a bit. Then we saw Paul and Mike and the group they were with. These guys had purchased some of our extra Detroit tickets and we met them there. It’s great to meet up with people and I wish more people would speak up and say hi. It’s like a family we have going and it’s nice to connect and share that love for the band.

As noted, most of the first several rows on the Paul side of the arena sat for at least a good portion of the show, as did a lot of people in the balcony. How can you sit?

Gord D was extremely animated and very talkative. He did some ranting that I do not recall specifically. During 100th he was doing his typical riding of the microphone. He spoke nicely of the microphone and the stand (rather then fighting with it) and his friend Ray. Then, when he jumped up, his power pack came unplugged. He grabbed the cord and took it around to his backside as if to plug it into his ass. Then he spoke to us…commented on how he had danced the fuck out of the power pack but it was okay because he had fixed it and he decided, he said, that it was okay to dance the fuck out of anything as long as you can fix it. This was very audible and not at all like a “rant”.

Later, they go into the intro of WheatKings. Gord D and Paul are strumming and facing each other. Gord D turns to the audience to start but doesn’t and instead looks back to Paul and they replay the intro. Gord D leans over and says something to Paul and Paul says something back and I am thinking to myself he forgot the words…and he turns to us and says “I had to ask Paul the first word.” Everyone cracks up. And Gord…and the audience…begin to sing. These were just a couple of the highlights of this very entertaining show.

Other observations:
the pit…they had just one row of seats lining the very back of the pit. My first reaction was that this would be a great place to be in the pit. However, upon further reflection, I think it might have been just a bit too far down. Being the short person I am I am sure it would have been painful to look up like that all night. Anyone have pit seats?
It seemed like it was a very orderly pit.
the venue…very nice, great sound, awesome, friendly ushers, who are all volunteers, by the way! A definite place to return to. (our 2nd time there)

We had planned to hang out and wait for the band this night. We hadn’t done so yet on this tour. When we were leaving someone told us that the game was 4 to nothing Red Sox. Bob really wanted to go watch the game. I was adamant about hanging out till we got outside and found it was raining. The band doesn’t like to hang in the rain…can’t blame them there! So, we headed in for another late night of Red Sox/Yankee Baseball!!

We got on the road at 9:00 for the 6 hours trek to Burlington. Our friend, Dave was meeting us there at 3. It was a long drive. We wander around Burlington…it’s a great town. I love Vermont. We head for the venue, thinking we’d head in early and maybe get a good spot inside. While waiting in line, Amit showed up. He was meeting Rob who was already inside.

Lorelei had mentioned online that she prefers the balcony there because of the younger crowd the venue draws and how crazy it gets up front. We get in after waiting in a long line and immediately decide the balcony is the place to be. We can get very close to the front and have a great view. We head up and no sooner get there, Lorelei and her daughter come over and introduce themselves. I comment that we liked her idea of the balcony. She tells us that this is a great venue to see the band and they like it there and there always seems to be lots of energy there. Boy was she right! Corey and his wife spot us and yell up. These are Hip friends we hadn’t seen since the Somerville shows. We see Jen and Ian down on the floor and Rob and Amit now down at the front on Paul’s side.

While there didn’t seem to be as much ranting or animation from Gord, the energy was incredible…for the entire show. The crowd was on fire. It was energizing to watch the crowd from above as well.

Bob had taken in our letters for LOCKED and found some tacks in there and tacked it across the balcony in hopes that they would play it. No such luck. It didn’t take away from our experience, however. We both felt this was the most energized of all the shows we had seen. Darien, Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, Rochester and Burlington. Of course,
during the show, everyone kept flashing the scores of the game…even Gord D announced a couple times what the score was. Bob was flashing his fingers with the score to people on the floor. I think the game energized the crowd even more!

So, nearly 4000 miles later, we are sad to see the tour ending for us. We wonder how long it will be before we get another chance to see the band. The wait in between is just too long. We are also grateful for being able to see the 6 shows we did see and for all the friendship along the way.

Peace everyone!! Stay Hip and Happy!!

Fran (and Bob)

- thompsongirl21 - 10-22-2004

I was in the pit at Rochester. I was really suprised how it was set up as well. I enjoyed it though, great seats a little far down but definently nothing I would complain about. There were actually people sitting down in the pit, I thought that was really weird. I don't know about you guys but when they're on I can't stop moving. It was cool though b/c it seemed like Gord did pay more attention to those of us that were dancing around.

Last Night was amazing. We arrived at Nothern Lights around 7:40 and we walked right up to the front row. I couldn't believe how easy it was for us. I really thought they played a great show last night. It was by far my favorite one so far. Hundreth was and will remain to be my favorite. At the end of the show one of the guards walked up to my friend and I and gave us too guitar picks, he said" these are robby's he wanted me to give them to you two girls" I have never been so happy. I can't even sleep right now. Great night. I never got to meet hipfan73 but we did chat on the phone lol. Okay its 7am and i'm going to bed. till later

pit seats - buffalorob - 10-22-2004

I'm envious of you folks catching 2 or 3 consecutive shows, oh to be young again.
Anyway, the pit seats in Rochester were great! Last time around, there were 2 rows in there, this time only one. The "security" person in front of me was a little scared at first (of me and my friends), but after my friend cracked a joke about being hit in the back of the head with bologna the last time he was up so close, she loosened up and let us take up more room. It was great because we could go nuts, and we weren't in anyone else's way being low in there. Would have been even nicer if the band would have used more of the stage.

- Gangrel - 10-22-2004

If by pit you mean mosh pit, I've always wondered what the deal is with those things?

I can see bopping to the music and all that, but I've never understood why large men willing slam into each other, or willingly let them selves surf along a crowd, only to disappear into it when the wave breaks, and risk getting trampled on.

Then again, maybe i"m just old....... Wink

pit - buffalorob - 10-22-2004

No, that would be Orchestra Pit, where when a theatrical performance is taking place on stage, a band is discreetly hidden in the orchestra pit, which is sunken in front of the stage.

- thompsongirl21 - 10-22-2004

In Rochester I was really suprised with the pit. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect but I was nothing less than shocked when I saw people sitting down in the pit during the show!!! I couldn't stop moving from dancing to jumping to flailing my arms like an idiot. It was kind of funny though at the same moment I noticed the small amount of action in the pit Gord screamed "what the f!ck is going on??" nicely put thats exactly what I was thinking.

- bobnfran - 10-22-2004

Quote:I'm envious of you folks catching 2 or 3 consecutive shows, oh to be young again.

Whose young? (bob and I are 44) At heart perhaps...[/quote]

age - buffalorob - 10-22-2004

Old is 32. Alright, it's not youth that allows you to see the shows. In my case it's me 6 year old daughter, and my wife who thinks I need to grow up as it is. "What is it now, 3 times you've seem them this year, when are you gonna grow up?"

I told her it's no different than having season tickets for the Bills.

- Corpse - 10-22-2004

Quote:"What is it now, 3 times you've seem them this year, when are you gonna grow up?"

I heard that as I told my wife they were comming to Roch and we were going after seeing them @ Darien in July. That' the first time I've seen people allowed to sit in the pit. I've been to a few shows at the Aud and they haven't done that before (or I never noticed, how's that). If people were sitting in the pit, as they were, I would have gladly changed my balcony seats w/them. Odd.


- Corpse - 10-22-2004

ok i screwed up the quote thingy, new to this post stuff. won't happen again.

- bobnfran - 10-22-2004

Okay Rob...you got us there! We have no children...no pets...it allows us a great deal more freedom!

Fran

pit - buffalorob - 10-22-2004

It sure as hell wasn't me sitting in the pit...I probably looked like an idiot, but who cares?
The worst thing is that after such a great show, instead of walking out thinking, that hit the spot, I'm good for a while now, I want more.
All I can do is imagine...grab the clubs, hop on a plane to Myrtle Beach, 2 days of golf in warmth, with a hip show in a gen. admission club...ahhh.
And the thought just keeps creeping back into your mind, over and over again.

- bobnfran - 10-22-2004

boy, can I relate...the more you get the more you need...the Hip drug!!

- chancellor - 10-23-2004

What an great story, I wish i wasnt in school so I could do a Hip trip. hmm, how much longer til its done?

- Scotty12 - 10-23-2004

Fran - Really enjoyed meeting you and bob, and really enjoyed your story!
Hope to see you in the future!