Riot Fest Review

Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been.Grateful Dead Truckin'

One day spent in Chicago, one day spent in O'Hare Airport. Right now I have been
up and going for 41 hours. That's 12, 24, 36, plus a few more. I have entered
zombieland in my brain.

Sunday morning, up at 0300, one hour BEFORE my alarm. 0700 flight to ORD.
Tired but happy. Arrival and NO RIDE to the TravelLodge hotel where friend is
staying. Apparently they are TOO cheap to let you use their van. You get ONE
pick up and one return and NO OTHER RIDES no matter how long you stay there.
Which means NO I CAN NOT GET A RIDE. Ok, then. My online friend DPD
offers to come pick me up at the airport. We exchange “what's the secret
password” info and I hop in the car. Off to downtown Chicago, Humboldt Park. Riot Fest 2013

My first stop is the Merch Table. But we can't find it.... so lunch and a few bands
and more wandering. The drizzle starts. We are in for a full day of rain, slowly
falling and then a steady, strong, downpour. The ground turns to mud. Walking
from one stage to another is treacherous. Poor DPD is drenched and shivering. I
have a poncho and hat and am snug inside it. Just my feet are sucked in to the
sludgy swamp. We finally find the merch tables but the selections are few. Yes, I
get 2 more very much needed but way too expensive T shirts. :-)

Let us listen...
Suicidal Tendencies does not impress me. Rocket From The Crypt Does not impress me. Quicksand does not impress me. Are you sensing a trend here? Against Me! Is pretty good. Bob Mould is good.  The Dismemberment Plan is....strange. The Replacements , the last and main band of the night is...OK. Good music but basic rock music. The Pixies were nice but the sound was too low for where we stood offside of the stage.

At 1815 we headed back to the AFI stage. Their banner is up. The crowds are
growing. I stake out a spot on the side and we wait. I am tired, cold, and wet. I
will not even try to get closer at a fest., so my pix are few and blurry. Then... the
rain stops. The sky is a rosy red as the sun sets behind the breaking clouds. How
perfect! How... miraculous? This is my 20 th time to see them. It is just as exciting as the first time. They are THAT good. The sound was good, the guys were perfect. As I picture them on stage I see the job they do. They put forth their music like it is the only thing that matters. And I would have to agree. We sing along. We all know the words. Davey climbs and sings. Jade and Hunter play and jump. Adam keeps that beat. Some things never change. THIS IS A GOOD THING! Enthusiasm is the word, on both sides. They have perfected what they do and they give us everything they have. A Fire Inside. They still have it.

The Leaving Song Pt. II
Girl's Not Grey
I Hope You Suffer
A Single Second
Love Like Winter
Ever and a Day
17 Crimes
Kill Caustic
Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover)
Bleed Black
Medicate
God Called in Sick Today
Miss Murder
The Days of the Phoenix
Silver and Cold
Dancing Through Sunday (this set list is a cut and paste. There my be errors)

I mention to my friend that he has lost his AFI virginity. I speak to the young
couple near us. She too is seeing them for the first time. We discuss our love of the band, the music, and their incredible stamina as a band. Then it is over and we move to the next stage. The sky opens again.

We leave the fest over muddy grounds. We seek food and then I am dropped off
again at ORD. It is 0215. In 45 minutes I will have been up for 24 hours. The first
flight is 0530.

Thank God ORD has such good food selections. Travel makes me weary and
hungry. All flights are full, all day long. I do not get on the 5am, nor the 6am. Not the 8am, not the 9am, not the 11am. Not the 12n, not the 2pm. sad sigh I do get a few naps curled up on the gate area chairs, but I am beyond tired. Then I made the decision to reroute thru CVG. There is a flight leaving at 3:30. The 3:30 IAH flight is full, but if I take the connection, which is already running late, I might not make the last connecting flight to IAH. What to do.

The airport gods smile on me and the two flights are at adjoining gates. I am torn between the two. IAH: might have 2 seats. I am #2. It is almost time to go. Gate agent tells me to go stand by the door. And I wait for her to give me a seat. And wait. And wait some more. Other people arrive for this flight. I go tell the agent at the CVG slight that I will take the direct. Then.... go, go, go. I got a seat, the very last open seat on the plane, and I am headed home.
I finally crashed at hour 42. I slept like the dead and woke after 1300. whoa.
Was it worth it? HELL YES! :-)

Scotland

Hoots man! A lovely visit to Edinburrrh and Glazzgow.

After thinking about a road trip to Vancouver, we shifted gears and flew to Scotland. Edinburrrrrh, as the locals say it.

Connecting in EWR, to our delight, we get the last 2 seats in Business First Class. We are wined and dined across the Atlantic. Arrival early Thursday. Quick stop at the tourist board, then bus to city center and a short walk to our hotel. As it is only 0930, we check in and drop bags until our room is ready.

Thu: Slowly we walk to Edinburgh castle. The historic fortress dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh. Up and down, down and up. Steps. And more steps. Rain and more rain. Some very old parts, some newer. Interesting, but going from building to building in the rain is not fun. Some parts look like they haven’t been updated in ages. When the sun broke through the view was breathtaking.

Pet cemetery.

Back to the hotel for a little R&R. That's rest and re-hydration. Find one converter plug does not work so we have two phones and the notebook vying for charge time. Nearly 1900 we wander off to seek dinner. If we exit one door we are at street level. If we go the other direction there are TWO flights of steps . No rush and we plan tomorrow's day. Back to our room where we drop into bed, legs aching.

Fri: Early start to Parliament buildings. We try to avoid the hoards of Froggy school kids. Private tour when no one else joins. At noon we take the underground tour of Mary King's Close Underground tour. Once a busy 17^th century street, these houses are now underground. We learn about life and death from disease. A little bit “kitschy” for me, but fun all the same.

Backtrack to Holyrood Palace, which is the official residence in Scotland of the British Monarch. We wander through the 16th century historic apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots. Outside are the ruins of the Holyrood Abbey. On this dull, rainy day I want a box of crayons to add some color.

I need some crayons.

Fish and Chips for dinner. Decide to spend one more day in EDI. No room in the inn so we book a hotel down the road. Then book our GLA hotel. Once more, we drop into bed.

Sat: Full Scottish breakfast at the little eatery. Steady rain. Check out and relocate. Off to the Medical Museum. We love the Concession Entry fee, meaning Old People. Small, but interesting. Then off to the National Museum. It’s a good day to be inside.

Sun: Slept until 9am! Cloudy, but no rain. B just outside the Waverly Train Station. R&R until noon check out and 1315 train to Glasgow. One hour ride and a short walk to hotel. Check in and Coffee.

I love being in the city.

Coordinate meet up time with Ali. I am so excited to meet her after knowing her online for so many years. At 4pm we meet and head to a local pub where the three of us we eat and drink the afternoon away. I asked her if she remembered HOW we met. “AFI.” Walk back to our hotel where we continue eating and drinking and chatting. A lovely day.

Mon: Rain again. After B we head off to the Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis. This is a beautiful gothic cathedral dedicated to the founder of Glasgow, St Mungo. We opt for the private tour inside. It is well worth it. Our guide points out many things we would have missed on our own. Wander the shops on Sauchiehall Street. Find a tourist shop with all the souvenirs I need.

Huh?  :-)

Most museums closed on Mondays. We did find the National Piping museum.   and see an assortment of bagpipes.  OK, I could do without the nonstop music.  

Rain again. So glad we brought along umbrellas this trip. Three PM hotel stop for hot chocolate and leg rest. We have one hour to see the Museum of Modern Art. We do it in 20 minutes. Dinner time we set off to see what is available. We like the menu at the first place we look, but continue meandering just to see what is out there. A long walk down the street and we decide the very first place had what we both want. Back we go only to find they are out of these items now. Ugh… We retrace our steps and finally have our dinner. 

Packing to leave.  It has been a really good trip despite all the rain and steps.  Good food, nice sights, perfect meeting of friends. 

Should have stocked up as I finished them all.

 

Oh... and the last two Business First out of GLA.  Life is good.