Originally Posted by
Keith
So, I was in a small group of folks waiting for the doors to open for the VIP package, when I noticed a fellow wearing a shirt that read "I might be old, but I got to see all the good bands!". I remembered Don H. commenting on a shirt like that at the Oct. show in Nashville. He read the shirt for the crowd on stage and laughed. I asked the gentleman if he was at that show. Turns out that it was him. We had a laugh about that and I then met his lovely wife, who happens to be TimFan222 on this site. My wife was stuck at a conference in Myrtle Beach, so I was flying solo. I ended up hanging out with these two during the party and having a great time. Thanks B. and D., you are great folks!
I was really impressed with this venue. It's pleasing to the eye with a brick exterior, and access was smooth from all the nearby restaurants and hotels. If you ever end up in Columbus, check out the historic Flatiron bar & grill. It's walking distance from the arena and a neat experience.
The gods were very kind to me for the last few days. My wife and I were on row 11 in Raleigh, I was on row 5 in Cin., and I was front row for this show. I think working my way closer kept me from being completely blown away on the front row. I tried to live in the moment and fully enjoy the show, but it was still over way too soon! I was on Joe's side, 3 seats over from the center aisle. I was sitting right in front of Steuart, which for Hotel California alone was a lifetime experience. That 7 minute song seemed to be over in about 30 seconds!
It was fun being close enough to see interaction between the band members. Tim and Don seemed to be amused by, and discussed, a young lady in the 2nd or 3rd row, who repeatedly shouted her love for Joe, and waved her arms. It had to be distracting for him, almost to the point of being heckled. Glenn was not amused. He had already stated "I'm talking up here" when he was interrupted earlier. All he did was look at her and shake his head. As stated by others above, I did witness one pair of red panties land close to Joe.
I have learned with this tour that there is no such thing as a perfect seat, different seats are best to see different things. While on the 1st and 5th row of Joe's side, I couldn't see Don's face when he was on the drums, due to a cymbal. At this show I had one of the two best seats in the house for the Hotel California guitar duet, but could only see Don sing on the screen. Everything is a compromise. The cameraman also partly blocks your view for the first few songs, which happens to be my favorite part of the show. He did make nice by giving us folks behind him a pack of 5 guitar picks, one from every member + Bernie. Those are going in a shadow box with other souvenirs from this tour. I didn't miss much. I mainly had to lean forward or back depending on who was singing lead.
Now, after having had shows on the horizon since June, and now none, I've got to get some spring back in my step. The VIP host did stress that Columbus was not the end of the tour, but the end of one leg. Does this animal only have two legs, with the second being in Europe? Or, will there be later US dates. One fan expressed doubts about the tour ending in Europe. Hope springs!