friday 8/17, we hit the road with myself at the helm, scott riding shotgun, and the kids in the back, at around 2:15 on our journey to the promised land known as NEW JERSEY! (cue laughter)
around 3pm we hit the belt parkway in queens. dead standstill. threatening clouds. big downpour! needless to say, i'm pissed. an hour later, we finally cross the verrazano bridge into staten island. (cue cheers) Glen's Retrospectacle has already played twice, and i switch over to the beatles' LOVE. the skies open up in a huge downpour. (it is now after 4pm, we need to leave my sister's house in princeton jct (excuse me... west windsor (you have to say it with the snooty uppercrust accent) by 5:45 to make it to New Brunswick for our 6:30 dinner reservations. scott pulls out the handy dandy laptop with his wireless card and proceeds to navigate us through the back roads where we brave the wilderness of STATEN ISLAND!!! (cue more laughter, and pungent odors) 40 minutes later we are on the outer-bridge crossing on our way into...:::drumroll::: new jersey!!! Thank you, GOOGLE MAPS!!! the kids haven't killed each other yet, scott and i basically did a chinese firedrill on Arthur Kill Rd., and we might actually make it to my sister's house in less than 3 1/2 hours (90 miles away from our humble abode, for those who are keeping track.)
we make it onto the jersey turnpike, and signs warn of congestion ahead. they lied.
(cue angels rejoicing) after numerous "are we there yets" and another listen to "LOVE" we pull into the drive way of my sister's mc mansion at 5:40pm. her husband and babysitters arrive seconds later. the children run into the house and sit down for a sumptuous meal of chinese take out.
10 minutes later i'm dressed and ready to hit the road. we grab a few provisions (beer) and jump into their new A6. 3 seconds later we pull back into the driveway when we realize that nobody has a bottle opener. (steve the driver abstained, as all drivers should!) finally we were off! (cue cheers!)
we passed in and out of heavy rains, and amazing cloud formations. we finally made it up to the infamous Exit Number 9 on the turnpike around 6:30pm. we would be late for our dinner reservation at some hip cajun place in new brunswick. luckily, we call ahead and find out that everybody else is late too. damn traffic!
we arrive, order, and enjoy our tasty meal. some things overheard during dinner: it's big AND it's sweet!!!! it's MY ass, MY shit, that's IT!!!!
recommended dishes: jambalaya, shrimp creole, a very tasty clams in wine & garlic sauce. the creme brulee could've been a bit warmer.
we chatted with a group of journalists at the table next to us who were also attending the show! one of them got a really nasty looking red snapper who was poised to leap off the plate at a moment's notice! (cue theme from JAWS)
it's 8:00, we need to get to the show!!!! AAAHHHH!!!! i'm practically dragging the other 3 out the door. once again it's raining (i blame glen, since it always rains when i'm trying to make it to a show at the state theatre!!!, and for those keeping score, it's always his fault anyway!-- luv ya, glenie! )
we make it into the theatre moments before the smithereens take the stage. i see suzanne from poughkeepsie, and we quickly exchange greetings. we wave to a few other familliar faces in the orchestra section (lucky bastards!
) and then we make it to our seats in the front right box of the balcony. perfect for videotaping!!!
i do a few quick tests during the smithereen's set. i saw them back in november at the crazy donkey in farmingdale. i got free tickets at glen's gig with vanilla fudge in october. (it's all connected somehow...) they played a few songs from their upcoming release "meet the smithereens" back then, and played the album in its entirety this evening (the smithereens basically re-recorded meet the Beatles, smithereen style!) it was a lively show, and the crowd really enjoyed it. i counted down the minutes until the next performance- glen burtnik & friends doing "sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band!"
after the smithereen's set, i noticed a woman with a tripod on the other side of the balcony. i walk over and chatted with her briefly. she's married to John- one of the members of Liverpool, the beatles cover band glen plays with that will also be backing him up this evening. we exchange email addys so we can trade tapes. suzanne is also recording the show so we have 3 tapes to potentially edit into a multi-cam production extravaganza (yeah, i have high hopes... bear with me!)
the lights dim, and the orchestra takes the stage. soon after, glen, drew & john from Liverpool join them along with steve holley from wings on drums. the beginning strains of "Sgt Peppers..." sounds and the audience erupts.
It was really difficult to contain my enthusiasm during the performance, but then again, i was the designated "videographer". and, learning from past mistakes (ie, glen's Tin Angel show in Feb) i refrained from singing along, to spare the ears of those of you in the youtubeland.
you can thank me by sending donations to your local aspca. i do wish i had a tripod with me. upon viewing the tape this afternoon, i might need to enclose a few dromamine tablets with each dvd i burn. sorry! 
but the picture quality and sound is great!
the show itself was very different from a typical rock concert. since this was a live performance of an "album", the whole vibe felt different. audience reaction between songs was short, and the band's banter/interaction between songs was minimal, except for a few brief stories from glen. The orchestra, brass band, harpist Erin Hill, etc remained on stage for the duration of the show, but only played on around 4 songs. still, their impact was felt immediately. This was no ordinary rock concert! When the sitarists/tabla players joined the stage for Within You And Without You, all that was missing was the incense and pot smoke.
Vocally, the band was spot on! Drew impressed the hell out of me, singing as Lennon- A Day in the Life was breathtaking. Equally impressive was the heartwrenching She's Leaving Home with a poignant vocal by Glen. Gorgeous. Other favorites included Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite in all it's psychedelic glory, the humorous When I'm 64, the mystical Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. And of course, no animals were harmed in the performance of Good Morning, Good Morning.
As the last note of A Day in the Life sounded, the audience erupted in a standing ovation. They were mesmorized throughout the show, and saved the accolades for the end. It was comparable to seeing a symphony performed and waiting until the end to respond. Very different from a typical rock show, but in no way disappointing.
Glen humbly said his thank yous, and the band returned to play a few encores along with the smithereens. (i have to check my tape- i think they played twist and shout, money (that's what i want) etc. )
The rest of our party was tired and wanted to head home, instead of partaking in some new brunswick festivities, so we (I begrudgingly) made our way back to the parking garage. It was roughly 10:40pm. (what can i say- my relatives are deadbeats! LOL!
)
45 minutes later the car finally emerges from said parking garage. a few lessons have been learned during the exiting process. NEVER park on the upslope. the "down low" is the way to go.
satellite radio rocks. parking garages intentionally keep the traffic flow slow in order to collect extra money on each ticket. and in addition to that, each couple had to cough up an extra $10 per babysitter due to our later arrival home. stupid parking garage!
Saturday was my daughter arden's 7th birthday, and we had a nice day planned at mercer park where the kids played in the playground, and we rented paddleboats for an hour. our legs will never be the same again. we should have known- any time my sister plans some sort of activity, it will cost us somehow!
(luv ya jen!) The cousins all had a blast, enjoyed a yummy carvel cake, and the evening culminated in a meal at Cheeburger Cheeburger. We then hit the road and headed for Highland NJ where we would be spending the night at scott's friend's apartment. we arrive around 9pm and put the kids to bed. we have a nice day in asbury park planned for tomorrow.
And of course, our plans were foiled once again by mother nature. We get up, shower, pack up the car and hit the road by 9:45 am in search of a diner. Being from NY, where you pick a direction and hit a diner within 5 minutes, we figured that this would be a piece of cake. WRONG! Finally, almost 40 minutes later, we find a lovely diner somewhere on route 36, and settle in for breakfast.
we head back down the jersey coast through the lovely shore towns of sandy hook, seabright, longbranch etc on our way to asbury park, where we are supposed to attend the clearwater festival in sunset park. the event promises vendors of all sorts, children's entertainment, food, and live music (including al stewart and of course, glen burtnik). instead of a nice day collecting shells on the beach and walking around sunset park, we're treated to cool temperatures, constant drizzle, a matinee of Daddy Daycamp (don't bother!) and pizza at a local restaurant.
around 4pm, we arrive at the park. i find queenie and we try and figure out the plan for the rest of the day. Scott decides to take the kids to the monmoth mall, because at this point the drizzle had turning into substantial precipitation, and he and the kids refused to stand around in the rain waiting for the rest of the show. I stayed behind with queenie, my umbrella, and beach bag full of camera equipment etc. we call kathy, who is stuck in traffic, but due to arrive shortly. and soon al stewart takes the stage. queenie sets up her heftybag encased video camera, and we wait.
the soggy crowd enjoys the show- al, another guitarist named dave, and some beautiful acoustic music. He played Time Passages, Year of the Cat, and a few other songs i recognized as well. His scottish accented voice is still as smooth as honey. I could listen to him sing for hours. But not in the rain. Fortunately, we didn't have to, because glen would be performing next. sometime during the set we see the red jeep arrive. we also notice kathy watching near the other side of the stage. al's set runs a bit long, but he finishes around 5:45.
the stage is being readied for mr. burtnik. queenie & i comment on how we've definitely crossed the line here, standing in the rain for hours waiting for glen's set. oh well, we were already in the neighborhood, so what the heck.
we see kathy, who joins us for a bit. then i spy a pair of piercing blue eyes and tousled hair emerging from underneath a black hoodie. we've been spotted. glen wanders over and greets the group of wet admirers that has congregated beneath tree branches and umbrellas. we chatted a bit about friday night's show, and glen's hectic life. but he needs to get ready for his set, so off he goes.
Moments later we hear "Here Comes The Sun". wishful thinking! LOL! Glen then plays Folsom Pinball Wizard Blues (luv it!) and a song about being technologically inept (Hilarious- i need a copy of this!!) to the remaining drenched fans. Glen shared the stage with a woman signing the lyrics to his songs. he commented that he had to give her the lyrics in advance, and that he couldn't promise those would actually be the same lyrics he'd be singing! LOL
Since there were only about 30 people left at the festival, he proceeds to invite us all up on stage under the canopy to watch the remainder of the show and dry off. How sweet.
we eagerly accept. And now i have the opportunity to video the remainder of the set! The show continues with versions of Follow You, Sometimes Love, learning to crawl, perfect world, etc. I see scott across the field signaling to me that the natives are getting restless, so i begrudgingly give up my spot on stage, blow a kiss goodbye, and off i go. of course, glen says goodbye stacy, comments on how he knows everybody there personally lol, and everybody waves goodbye to me as well. thanks!
as i'm leaving, i hear him begin Kiss Your Ass Goodbye. twice. oops.
i'm sorry i have to miss the end of the show, but i know i'm lucky that i caught the show at all, considering the weather and fact that my family's patience was waning. alas, theyindulged me thus far, so i wasn't going to push my luck. so off we go, in the rain, in search of the garden state parkway. we narrowly miss being hit by someone speeding through the traffic circle (SLOW DOWN, it's RAINING!!!!!) and make our way up the GSP towards the cheesequake rest area where we take a 5 minute pee/snack break.
we eventually arrive home around 9:30, unload the car and put the kids in bed. it was an exhausting weekend. but fun. Thanks glen, for making it memorable, in spite of the weather.
and thanks to those of you who have stayed with me here. sorry-this was not as brief as i had hoped, but then again, it's not War & Peace either.
links to photos and the youtube clips will be posted later this week, once i free up some space on my computer. hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed reliving the events of the weekend. 
