I'm at a place called Vertigo
Monday was supposed to be a good day. I know this sounds weird for a guy that works an office job, but there is a very good reason that I will explain in a minute. I was on my way to work, driving my car as there was somewhere I needed to be after work, when I encountered a problem:
MY STUPID CAR BROKE AGAIN!
(note: if you can't believe this actually happened or are tired of me complaining about my car, you can skip ahead to here "******" to hear about the good part of the day)
BAH! Driving along Eglinton, (a main street in T.O.) trying to make the shift from 2nd to 3rd gear, and the clutch gets stuck. And this is not just the "slow release on a cold morning" stuck. This is a "someone put a block of wood under the pedal" stuck. Luckily I have some momentum and I can get on to a side street. I force the car out of gear to prevent a stall and proceed to try the clutch again. When I press down I hear a "click" which was probably more like a "ka-snap" and then the pedal is free. Free as in not actually moving the clutch any more, just swinging free under my left foot.
Naturally my first reaction is to laugh. But it wasn't an amused bit of laughter, it was more the insane cackle of a madman. I think I may have scared a girl walking to school. Next action was to call the dealership to ask them what they screwed up when they put it back together last time. He can't figure what it might have been, but offered to pay for the tow back to the shop.
******
So I am back on the bus and off to work to make plans for the after work portion of this day because I will not let this trouble ruin what I have in store for the evening.
Monday was the day I had tickets to U2 at the ACC!
That's right, I went to the first of four shows of the Vertigo tour here in Toronto. As always, the good old Irish boys did not disappoint. They came out with Vertigo of course, then came right back with I Will Follow. One of the latest hits, and one of their first. They really know how to play to the crowd that spanned ages from 8 or 9, to those into their sixties or more. The crowd that I went with was a bit like that. Me, The Roomy, Katie, Giggles, Warren (the girls' Dad) and Tim (their Uncle.)
All night they rocked out a good mix of the new and old, sometimes changing them up a bit, and other times just letting us all sing while they listened. They brought back some favourite memories of mine by coming out for the first encore, Bono dressed as he was back on the Zoo TV tour and playing Zoo Station. Then, they nearly brought me to tears with an acoustic rendition of Yahweh, my personal favourite from Atomic Bomb.
All around it was a great show, and I know why I keep going back whenever they are in town. Even when we got in the van at the end of the night to rehash the best moments, and lament the fact that they didn't play Mysterious Ways, we know that we witnessed a group of masters at work. A group of men that have made it their business to move us in more ways than one with their chosen craft. A group of men that have, and will, continue to bridge age, race, and gender gaps with their brand of entertaining. A group of men that I can wake up the next morning and feel comfortable, if not a little proud of sharing with others the fact that I saw U2 live.
This morning was tough. DiPede was there and we wanted to talk about the show, but Colic was mad that she couldn't go. She seemed angered by something I did, too. I mean I thought I was being thoughtful by calling her voicemail from my cell during Sunday Bloody Sunday to let her hear.
It might take a Timmy's or two to make up for that one...
All for now,
Kef...
MY STUPID CAR BROKE AGAIN!
(note: if you can't believe this actually happened or are tired of me complaining about my car, you can skip ahead to here "******" to hear about the good part of the day)
BAH! Driving along Eglinton, (a main street in T.O.) trying to make the shift from 2nd to 3rd gear, and the clutch gets stuck. And this is not just the "slow release on a cold morning" stuck. This is a "someone put a block of wood under the pedal" stuck. Luckily I have some momentum and I can get on to a side street. I force the car out of gear to prevent a stall and proceed to try the clutch again. When I press down I hear a "click" which was probably more like a "ka-snap" and then the pedal is free. Free as in not actually moving the clutch any more, just swinging free under my left foot.
Naturally my first reaction is to laugh. But it wasn't an amused bit of laughter, it was more the insane cackle of a madman. I think I may have scared a girl walking to school. Next action was to call the dealership to ask them what they screwed up when they put it back together last time. He can't figure what it might have been, but offered to pay for the tow back to the shop.
******
So I am back on the bus and off to work to make plans for the after work portion of this day because I will not let this trouble ruin what I have in store for the evening.
Monday was the day I had tickets to U2 at the ACC!
That's right, I went to the first of four shows of the Vertigo tour here in Toronto. As always, the good old Irish boys did not disappoint. They came out with Vertigo of course, then came right back with I Will Follow. One of the latest hits, and one of their first. They really know how to play to the crowd that spanned ages from 8 or 9, to those into their sixties or more. The crowd that I went with was a bit like that. Me, The Roomy, Katie, Giggles, Warren (the girls' Dad) and Tim (their Uncle.)
All night they rocked out a good mix of the new and old, sometimes changing them up a bit, and other times just letting us all sing while they listened. They brought back some favourite memories of mine by coming out for the first encore, Bono dressed as he was back on the Zoo TV tour and playing Zoo Station. Then, they nearly brought me to tears with an acoustic rendition of Yahweh, my personal favourite from Atomic Bomb.
All around it was a great show, and I know why I keep going back whenever they are in town. Even when we got in the van at the end of the night to rehash the best moments, and lament the fact that they didn't play Mysterious Ways, we know that we witnessed a group of masters at work. A group of men that have made it their business to move us in more ways than one with their chosen craft. A group of men that have, and will, continue to bridge age, race, and gender gaps with their brand of entertaining. A group of men that I can wake up the next morning and feel comfortable, if not a little proud of sharing with others the fact that I saw U2 live.
This morning was tough. DiPede was there and we wanted to talk about the show, but Colic was mad that she couldn't go. She seemed angered by something I did, too. I mean I thought I was being thoughtful by calling her voicemail from my cell during Sunday Bloody Sunday to let her hear.
It might take a Timmy's or two to make up for that one...
All for now,
Kef...
posted by WestsideKef at 10:59 PM
2 Comments:
I personally think that the crouds reaction after "Streets" where Bono just stood there, looking dumbstruck, and said "Wow.... Thanks." was the ultimate moment of the show.
The penultimate moment had to be when during 40, Larry was left on the stage, getting softer and softer... then went nuts on hit kit (that kinda sounds wrong.. don't it?).
Awesome show.
Oh, and read my post to find out who was in the funky hat.
I wish I was that girl who got pulled up on stage. I don't find Bono hot per se but it still would've been cool to be that *close* to an amazing humanitarian/artist/*insert your description here*
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