Friday, May 14, 2010

Kansas, STYX & Foreigner

Worked the concert last night. I got to work the arena this time and I'm glad - I liked the show. First Kansas played about an hour. They were alright; nothing explosive and though they are a long-standing classic rock band, they really fit the bill for an opening act. Just sayin'. I did really like watching (David Ragsdale??) play the violin. Very cool the way they did something not so common like intertwining a classical instrument into their classic rock.

Next up was STYX. WOW, they were great! They played hard and got the crowd going and even had an encore that I was glad for... usually I get irritated when artists do an "encore" - it all seems so fake, like they're walking to their dressing rooms and they say, "Aw hell, they must really like our stuff! Let's go play another song or two! C'mon, it'll be fun!" It is PLANNED; it is a part of their show plan. I usually think, just stay out there and play the stupid songs instead of doing all this drama crap. BUT all that to say, I was glad when Styx surprised with an encors because they weren't the end act of the show. I was actually bummed when they first left the stage and glad they came back. Guess there's a first time for everything. heh...

Then came Foreigner. They were really good too! Not one of my favorite bands, but they did a great show with lots of energy and excitement. They even used art as a part of the whole scheme of things which impressed me a lot. There was a digital screen behind the stage for all 3 shows but I was the most intrigued by the display for Foreigner. They did "Starrider" and I was totally captivated by the digital video or whatever you call it... it added a lot to the song and helped you get a sense of what the song was conveying.

THEN they did Jukebox Hero and that was pretty awesome too. I really wouldn't have gotten into the song by itself but the video kept my interest and I ended up really liking it. The video was a cartoon, kind of in the style of anime, to take an older song and bring it into today, grab the interest of kids today. And uh... of me. *grin*

The PEOPLE attending the concert... now that was a whole 'nother story. Which I will get to later. Gotta split now though. Good stories to come! All in all it was a great concert and watching a lot of the setup made me wish I was part of the crew. Dreamin' just for fun. :o)