Oof, let's hope not! But considering we have to get through the better part of winter before we can get to the cruise, which is practically in the spring...
Since my last post, we've been to see Nightwish at the Sound Academy in Toronto (September). It was my first time there, my first time seeing Nightwish, and my first time seeing Kamelot, who opened for them. I enjoyed both bands, but I really liked Nightwish, and everyone put on great shows and sounded great.
I actually first heard of this band while I was watching "Metal Evolution", an 11-part series on the history and evolution of metal music, by Sam Dunn and his company, Banger Films. The series aired on Much More Music here last winter, and it is fascinating. For those of you who aren't familiar with Sam Dunn, he's an anthropologist with a passion for metal music, and he's managed to successfully combine the two. He's done the documentaries "Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage" and "Iron Maiden: Flight 666", as well as "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey", just to mention a few. In "Metal Evolution" he goes right back to the very roots of metal, seeks to answer the question, "Who is the first heavy metal band?", and explores the influences of classical, jazz, blues, and punk music on the heavy metal genre. There's a ton of interviews with band members, and he travels all over the world to meet up with everyone and to do his research. Each episode focuses on one sub-type of metal (such as progressive rock, shock rock, hair metal, grunge, thrash, etc., etc.). It is really just a fantastic series -- so interesting and very well done. If you have even a passing interest in heavy metal music, I urge you to check it out. Anyway, in one of the later episodes, Sam and Co. were in Europe covering the rock festivals (still going strong) over there, and one of the many bands shown was Nightwish. I liked their sound right from the first time I heard them, and so I was quite thrilled to get to see them this year in Toronto. (We don't get a lot of access to European bands -- or music -- here in North America.)
We also went to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra in November -- and that was our first time seeing them too. A few of our friends have raved about them, so when I heard they were coming on tour, I contacted everyone and we ended up with a group of seven (no pun intended) going. I think 3 of us had seen the TSO before, and it was the first time for the remaining 4. WOW! I have never seen a stage show with such fabulous special effects. They put on a great show, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, their tickets aren't crazy expensive (the way some rock bands are). They must charge enough to make a living and cover their expenses (and it cannot be cheap hauling that stage set-up around the globe), and still have some left over to donate to charity. (Makes me wonder about the level of greed out there...) It was definitely great value for my money, and I'd see them again. And for all of you MOR cruisers out there, Joel Hoekstra was with them this time around. Remember him with Night Ranger on the cruise?
And now for a sidenote: I was in Toronto on a Saturday afternoon recently to meet up with a friend for lunch, and we were just sitting in the hotel lobby for a bit before heading into the restaurant (we were early). There was a man and a woman sitting nearby, and when they got up to leave about 5 minutes later, I glanced up and it turns out it was Bruce Springsteen and his wife!! How cool is that?!
110 MOR days! Less than 4 months to go!!
We're closing in on double digits, people!
