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Praetorium Honoris

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Fighting Foos ...

OAFS Photo
So LUSH and her progeny came east for one main reason, to attend a Foo Fighters concert avec moi. I mean it's only fair, she bought the tickets for me as a Christmas present, we had been to see the Foo exactly six years prior (21 July 2018), she thought a repeat visit would be nice.

It was.

Last time, we drove up to Boston, visited my kid brother, then went to the concert and drove back to Little Rhody all in one day. This time we did it a bit differently.

As LUSH had commitments out west for which she had to get back there the day after the concert, we booked a hotel at Logan Airport. Pricy but worth it. No get up in the middle of the night and drive to Logan, nope. It was get up early and catch the shuttle to the terminal.

It is a fairly easy walk, but not with two kids in tow (one a teenager) and luggage to boot. So shuttle it was.

LUSH and Your Humble Scribe in place and ready to rock. We had seats down on the field which were okay. It was hard to get photos of the band because, as you might imagine, so was everyone else. You'd zoom in, the picture would come into focus then WHAMMO, some guy's hand or camera intrudes and the focus is lost. Sigh ...

Hey look Denise, I'm smiling!
OAFS Photo
I seem to remember the band being a tad mellower the last time I saw them. This time it was pounding rock through most of the night. Last time I felt my chest thumping like that was at a Waterloo reenactment when the cannons were pounding. This time it was all bass and drums, thumping, pounding, you could really feel it.

I might be getting too old for that. Well that and standing for three straight hours. (I mean seriously, who sits down at a rock concert. Not this geezer.)

A bunch of photos from the concert, kind of in order, does that really matter?

Weather was hot but dry, the music was raw and powerful. Place was sold out, the crowd was awesome, Foo fans usually are.

Yeah, we had a good time.

OAFS Photo

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Yup, Rami Jaffe (the Foo's keyboardist) broke out the accordion for one number (Skin and Bones).
It was a hoot!
OAFS Photo

We look happy, don't we?
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This was the view from our hotel room around midnight.
OAFS Photo

This was the view from our hotel room around 0530.
OAFS Photo
We had arranged parking near Fenway, maybe a two minute walk. So we drove up to the hotel in the afternoon, checked in, got The Missus Herself and the granddaughters settled in with their iPads, snacks, and each other's company, then LUSH and I headed to Fenway.

Lots of traffic, took nearly an hour to travel eight miles. The return trip wasn't nearly as bad, though we missed a turn, circled from the airport back to downtown and had to do it all over again. A fifteen minute trip from Fenway to Logan turned into thirty minutes due to that (at one point we were within a hundred yards of the hotel but had already gone down the wrong road). But traffic, surprisingly, was nearly non-existent. Most of the folks from the concert were headed west, darned few were going east like us.

We were all up by 0530 on Monday, LUSH and the kids were ready to go, they caught the shuttle to their terminal while The Missus Herself and Your Humble Scribe packed up, got dressed and headed back to Little Rhody.

'Twas a long day, but a fun day nevertheless. Bottom line though, I still hate Boston traffic.

I always swear I won't do it again but then I do.

We shall see.

Rock on.



28 comments:

  1. More Family Time enhanced with Music to boot! But standing for three hours, my back hurts just reading that........

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    Replies
    1. 3 hours standing? Not for me...

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    2. There were a couple of times I did sit (we had folding chairs) but mostly we stood.

      It was worth it.

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  2. Sound like time well spent on generating memories.

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  3. I am glad you had such a great time Sarge! The Ravishing Mrs. TB has been hitting many of the groups of our era as they make their almost farewell or farewell tours and has enjoyed every one of them.

    I have gotten to the point that anything more than a 2 hour drive after an event of that nature is worth a hotel. I just do not recover like I used to.

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    1. I was very glad to drive back to a hotel rather than do the sixty+ mile drive home!

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  4. Sarge,
    I will do quadruple back flips on national TV to avoid two things. 1) Large crowds requiring standing for long periods of time. 2) Driving in traffic to a destination in virtually any city with a population of >200K.
    Unfortunately, My Beloved and My Beloved Daughter, do not accept my acrobatic protest as a valid reason to avoid Austin. More's the pity.

    All that having been said, it sounds like arriving at the destination presented an excellent opportunity for some excellent family time. Glad you got that opportunity.

    Cheers,
    juvat

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    Replies
    1. Boston traffic aside, it was an awesome weekend.

      I will note one thing, sitting at a Foo Fighters concert is only possible if you are unconscious. Eventually the music will wake you up, so really, the only people sitting would be clinically dead. The Foos rock out pretty hard.

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  5. I am weird in that when I go to a concert, I expect to be able to sit and listen to the concert players and singers. Stand for 3 hours? Nope. And that stupid banner after the MLB symbol just, well, just, well... let's say that that doesn't make my ability to relax any better. Bleh.

    Glad you and yours had a good time. And, yes, hotel for trip refreshment (and for body refreshment after standing for 3 hours or more on a sweaty summer's day) is the way to go. Though, back in the day, going to even a daytrip to go bash heads in I still found ways to get clean before getting back in the van for the return trip even if it was a hose and some Dawn on a cold frigid winter's day. Do not like the smell of my funk. Bleh.

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    1. I can't sit and listen to rock. I have to be moving. Though as a neophyte drummer I can sit but I'm moving my hands around and tapping my feet. Usually completely off the rhythm.

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  6. Glad you all enjoyed it.
    I'd rather be out cussing in traffic for several hours than be (a) deafened in a rock concert; (b) standing for 3 hours; (c) stuck in a crowd of tens of thousands; or (d) all of the above.

    Freedom of choice is good!
    John Blackshoe

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    Replies
    1. Being in the crowd made me think of the old timey battles where you have thousands of people in a small area. Just the murmur of voices before the music started inspired me to perhaps continue my Black Powder series. Maybe ...

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  7. Sarge,
    As to the "We look happy, don't we?" picture caption. Frankly, my friend, I think you both look a little blue!
    Just sayin!
    juvat

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  8. I can’t conceive of accomplishing some thing like you just did with your daughter. But then I am approaching oldish. Miss Jeanie has been here in the hospital since Sunday morning it 0300 she had an actual heart attack. We would be grateful for your prayers. She’s in the OR at this hour. She’s truly covered in prayer from friends and family here in FL. Our digital family’s prayers are needed as well.

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    Replies
    1. Prayers up for Miss Jeannie!

      May the Lord give her fast and complete healing.

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    2. Me too... hang in there.

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    3. Sending prayers for Miss Jeanie! ❤️🙏❤️🙏

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    4. D4, prayers definitely up for Miss Jeanie, and you as well!
      juvat

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    5. She is back home and active. More than I want actually. When they got in there, Tuesday, there was no blockage. When they scoped her the day before, Monday, there was blockage. Lots of prayer from all kind of friends, human, digital and strangers. PTL! Now if I can keep her somewhat calm… well you know.

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  9. My claustrophobia would keep me out of that crowd. I regret missing one show I had a chance to attend: Ike and Tina in Houston about 1968.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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