Aftereffects...

The concert proved thoroughly entertaining, so thorough in fact that I couldn't pen down the experience for a week. Now that the week has passed and the stars have aligned in their pristine glory for an auspicious date and time, I forge ahead with typing down all of it.

I have already forgotten quiet a few details , so I might make up stuff, just to add to the excitement.

It was a late Saturday afternoon on a quiet sunny NJ day, when I began the road trip down to lets call it Bryandale NJ because I don't seem to recall the exact name of the place and I don't have the inclination to actually look it up. Because there in an obvious chance that I might lift off on a tangential journey from there on and never come back to edit this post again. So the show was supposed to begin at 6.30 in the evening, but the utter enthusiast (read over zealous and stupid) that I am managed to reach the place a good hour and a half before. Now my fellow concert goers had informed me that I should expect bunch of people camping in the parking lot besides enormous SUV's of this country blaring Bryan's songs on there stereos. To my utter surprise it was all true with just a minor glitch , they were playing songs of some thorogood guy rather than Bryan who happens to be a big rock N roll star from the yesteryear's. WTF, I thought, we are at the wrong place and its good that we were smart enough to come early. Now we can still reach the right place without being late. It turns out we were at the right place and Bryan was supposed to play AFTER this thorogood guy. So in the spirit of the concert I tried to wade through my minds library for any songs that might resonate with the name thorogood. None. Deep breaths, breathe in, breathe out, don't panic. You might still be able to salvage this. I tried to listen in to the songs that were being played across the parking lot, and after a few agonizing minutes I could make out the sounds of a couple of songs, most notably, Bad to the bone with flash of a leather bound Arnold Schwa$@*#&& , whatever his surname is, stepping out of a dilapidated bar in T2 and Moving on Over with no such flashes. Hi Fives and punches in the air. I won't be sitting like a jackass in the concert. There were serpentine queues on the entry gates, me being the head of one of the serpents thanks to the lead time. We were at the concert arena well before Bryan had ever thought of singing in the first place in his native Canada. Lawn chairs secured, sleeping bags rolled in front, umbrellas over our head, did I mention Mr Sun himself had come down half a distance just to scorch people that day, we were all set. Bring on Mr Thorogood. It took a good part of an hour for any live action to start on the stage but around me there was no dearth of action. Plenty of kids crying, guys getting drunk already and women who should never have worn anything less than a circus tent parading in skimpy clothes. Ohh the horror. But the actual action turned out to be pleasantly melodious with guitars riffs flying through the air and pounding drums getting the beat going raising my rock crazy spirit. A fitting opening act, I must say, to the amazing music that was to follow. It cemented my belief that a live act far supersedes anything recorded and even if you are listening to it for the first time in your life. Enough said.

Finally Bryan arrived on stage with There ll never be another tonight and the crowd erupted. The set list went something like this:

Can't stop this thing we started
I need somebody
Kids wanna rock
Life is an open road
18 till I die
Let's make a night to remember
Back to you
Summer of 69
Everything I do
Cuts like a knife
Baby when you re gone (with the person from the crowd)
Its only love
Heaven
Only thing that looks good on me
Run to you
Straight from the heart
All for love

In fact this is the precise set list because I was typing it down on my blackberry during the concert. The gifts of technology I tell you. I was singing along throughout minus the time I spent typing that is. Bryan did his customary "call-a-person-from-the-crowd-and-make-her-sing" routine, which has been duly noted in the set list. Damn I am good!
In all a divine experience which I would definitely like to repeat with other monks of the business namely, St. Metallica, Guru Iron Maiden and others in the upper echelons of Rock divinity. The setting would have been complete if I would have come back and played a couple of the above mentioned songs on my guitar, but alas the sleeping monster in me awoke and St Bryan had to migrate to my dreams.

PS : The thorogood guy actually has a name. He goes by George Thorogood and is accompanied by the Destroyers. And he is thoroughly good.