This was my 2nd Blue Rodeo concert, the most memorable, and my favourite concert.
The show started at 8pm, but the fun started before that. We left for the show around 7:15, and as we were waiting for the light to change, we saw there bus coming from the opposite direction. My parents dropped me off at about 7:30. (They told me later that they drove around back and saw Jim stepping off the bus with one of his guitars.)
I found my seat and sat down. (Yes, I was there by myself.) The people around me were quite nice. The opening act, Starling, started right on time and played for 45 mins. They were pretty good, but everyone was waiting for the main act. After a 15 min intermission while the stage was setup, they walked on.
They opened the evening with a couple of new songs, and played for the next couple hours. After 21 songs, they set down their guitars and walked off stage. But the crowd wasn`t going to let them get away that easily! Everyone stood up and kept clapping and cheering. After maybe a minute, the lights suddenly went bright white, and the crowd cheered even louder. They played three more songs for the encore.
There were also some other highlights during the performance. The show happened to take place during the 2000 NHL playoffs, and the Toronto Maple Leafs were in a series against the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs` had recently won a game against Ottawa, so Jim`s comment was: "I don`t have much sympathy for Ottawa fans right now, being a Leafs fan". Greg also started singing part of Try. And Jim commented on a regular audience member. The fan yelled out "Yeah!" and Jim yelled it back, then said that guy was there every night, and he said that they`d miss him if he wasn`t there. There were also a couple fans that got up to dance in the aisle.
The show was great, but the best part for me came after the show. While the other guys went off stage, Jim stayed to signed autographs. I got Jim`s autograph, and a picture with him *see below* (he`s got quite the strong grip!). They may not have played my favourite song that night, but after that picture, I sure was "Flying".
Setlist:
