Re: 09/20/2011 - Denver, Colorado - Ellie Caulkins Opera Hou
Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 10:55 am
I ended up going to this and the show was amazing. I'm actually quite shocked I got to the theater in time for the show. I got on the BV Boulder/Denver bus and I couldn't quite find the light rail I was supposed to get on from the Market Street Station and I got a little lost. I ended up running back to Curtis and running all the way to 14th st until I decided to take a left at what looked like the theater district and suddenly I was there. It was strange getting there and back as I wrote down directions from Google Maps which I had largely ignored just innately knowing where I was in Denver some how.I had much better seats and a much better view of the show than I did last time probably because the theater was bigger. Anyway, the whole show was just fantastic as usual. Al sounds amazing in person and I especially enjoyed hearing the new medley and the new parodies from Alpocalypse. Al opened the show with Polka Face/TMZ/You Make Me. I was so glad to hear him play YMM seeing as I hadn't heard him perform it on the 2010 tour. Typically, I began screaming myself hoarse and singing along with the whole set list. I even stood up and did the Yoda chant with the band. I even had practically the whole row in front of me to myself halfway through WBUL. I'm not going to go into a full length review like I did last time because I've got a better story.
After the show, I went to get my picture taken with the 501st Legion (Vader and the Stormtroopers) and then walked to where I saw his tour bus besides the theater. Of course, I saw a whole group of people there and I asked them "are you thinking what I'm thinking" and they said "of course". Then, someone told me "look behind you" and I immediately noticed Steve Jay chatting up some fans. I quickly introduced myself saying I was one of Al's biggest fans, I had all the albums and this was my second time seeing Al live and it was better than last year. Steve jokingly asked "what was wrong with the last concert?" and I just said "umm...nothing was wrong, but this one had newer songs we haven't heard and you guys just keep getting better every tour." I got a picture with him and when I asked his he would sign ticket he said "coitnely". I asked him the same PTW question I asked Jim on facebook and he just said "I dunno". He would go in and out quite a few more times. The venue's security told us to form a line by the wall. They were wearing suits, so some people made a bunch of "Party In The CIA" jokes. About 20-30 minutes later, they said Al wasn't coming out but nobody left right away. I hung out to chat with Steve and some fellow fans and partly because I couldn't walk around the venue to get back to where I needed to get to. I actually tried to get a picture with Jim when I saw him go towards the tour bus, but security told me I couldn't go that way. People gradually started to leave, but I stayed with a few others. We saw Ruben and Bermuda walk towards the bus. I yelled to both of them, but only Ruben waved at me, Bermuda was on his phone the whole time. We watched pizza get delivered to the bus and the guys pack away all the equipment. Just as they started the bus, a roadie came out and told us that they convinced Al to do a quick meet and greet since people were still here. he took us to the little garage under the theater where the bus was and told us to go on the steps and keep it to one autograph or one picture. Of course, I got a picture. I walked up to Al, shook his hand and just introduced myself as one of his biggest fans, owner of all his albums and second time concert goer (basically, what I said to Steve earlier). I told him I couldn't wait for the new tour DVD and told him his performances get better every time to which he said "well, we practice". The only other things he really said back to me were "thanks for coming out, man...good to meet you...glad you enjoyed it." The roadie took the picture while holding the bus door open so it's kind of at a weird angle but I still couldn't have asked for a better picture. I left saying "see you next tour" and gave Steve a big thumbs up on my way out. Then, I just walked back to the bus station, got on the BV bus and texted all my friends that I'd just met Al. I got a whole bunch of pictures of the show as well (even though apparently photography wasn't allowed in the theater, I was up in a balcony where no one bothered to bust me). I posted them on facebook and you can view them here
After the show, I went to get my picture taken with the 501st Legion (Vader and the Stormtroopers) and then walked to where I saw his tour bus besides the theater. Of course, I saw a whole group of people there and I asked them "are you thinking what I'm thinking" and they said "of course". Then, someone told me "look behind you" and I immediately noticed Steve Jay chatting up some fans. I quickly introduced myself saying I was one of Al's biggest fans, I had all the albums and this was my second time seeing Al live and it was better than last year. Steve jokingly asked "what was wrong with the last concert?" and I just said "umm...nothing was wrong, but this one had newer songs we haven't heard and you guys just keep getting better every tour." I got a picture with him and when I asked his he would sign ticket he said "coitnely". I asked him the same PTW question I asked Jim on facebook and he just said "I dunno". He would go in and out quite a few more times. The venue's security told us to form a line by the wall. They were wearing suits, so some people made a bunch of "Party In The CIA" jokes. About 20-30 minutes later, they said Al wasn't coming out but nobody left right away. I hung out to chat with Steve and some fellow fans and partly because I couldn't walk around the venue to get back to where I needed to get to. I actually tried to get a picture with Jim when I saw him go towards the tour bus, but security told me I couldn't go that way. People gradually started to leave, but I stayed with a few others. We saw Ruben and Bermuda walk towards the bus. I yelled to both of them, but only Ruben waved at me, Bermuda was on his phone the whole time. We watched pizza get delivered to the bus and the guys pack away all the equipment. Just as they started the bus, a roadie came out and told us that they convinced Al to do a quick meet and greet since people were still here. he took us to the little garage under the theater where the bus was and told us to go on the steps and keep it to one autograph or one picture. Of course, I got a picture. I walked up to Al, shook his hand and just introduced myself as one of his biggest fans, owner of all his albums and second time concert goer (basically, what I said to Steve earlier). I told him I couldn't wait for the new tour DVD and told him his performances get better every time to which he said "well, we practice". The only other things he really said back to me were "thanks for coming out, man...good to meet you...glad you enjoyed it." The roadie took the picture while holding the bus door open so it's kind of at a weird angle but I still couldn't have asked for a better picture. I left saying "see you next tour" and gave Steve a big thumbs up on my way out. Then, I just walked back to the bus station, got on the BV bus and texted all my friends that I'd just met Al. I got a whole bunch of pictures of the show as well (even though apparently photography wasn't allowed in the theater, I was up in a balcony where no one bothered to bust me). I posted them on facebook and you can view them here