My 3-Day Rock Tour (Part 3: VAST in PA)

Sorry that day three came so late but better late then never huh…so here is day 3 the final day of my adventure finally!

DAY 3: VAST IN PHILLY @ THE KHYBER- MAY 9, 2009

The next day I slept in until noon, allowing for my sick behind to recuperate from the amazing two nights before. This show was a last minute addition that was added a few days before the trip. I still marvel at how well the puzzle pieces fell into place as far as concerts back to back to back goes. We stopped at a local restaurant so I could eat some of the world famous crab fries Wendy kept talking about. Sorry not as good as my beloved MD Old Bay Fries but they were very good, OK so I’m bias. The food was terrific but the waiter not so much. As Wendy could tell you I don’t think he kept sustained eye contact with us for 5 seconds, super customer service jerk. Wendy got the meal, but as she can attest to we kept going back and forth paying for stuff so I guess it evened out in the end. In another random observation something fancy must have been going on nearby because I’ve never seen so many fancy ball gowns on women of all ages at 2pm on Saturday. Made me feel so underdressed in my skinny jeans. But before I walked into the restaurant I discovered the woozy feeling at the Killers and the trippy almost drunk feeling I had before I ate this day was due to Robitussin…what the crap is in that stuff?

After lunch, feeling slightly better but still looking and feeling a bit sick we headed out to go find something to do near the Khyber. The Khyber show was slightly unorthodox because both Wendy and I are used to doors opening at a specific time and us having to wait in line forever. So when we were told you couldn’t go in until 9pm we realized we had left way too early. So now we had to kill time for several hours since it was too long of a drive to go all the way back to her place. After loads of driving around and some browsing in stores we decided to just chill at the Starbucks. While sitting at a table outside things became very interesting. The first instance was a homeless man who singled us out and decided to tell us that he “forgave all our sins” even did the whole gesturing thing to forgive us like a Priest. Then he went into a diatribe about people dying constantly and how many people do we know that died this week? He ended with the pleasant comments: if we want to sit here with our cakes and sodas we will spend eternity with Satan. This was particularly funny knowing I had just been telling Wendy that I have relatives who think I am a heathen and are trying to convert me to being a super soldier for Jesus. Just as we stopped laughing over that randomness, something else happened. The next thing was very surreal because I now can say I think I’ve been hit on by a guy on every method of transportation (yes even a man on a horse). Two guys on a tandem bike rode by and while Wendy and I sat chilling and drinking our frappuchinos they proceeded to yell “We have cup holders!” This made us laugh and felt like it was some skit from Saturday Night Live, actually one of the dude’s looked like Andy Samberg so hmmmm?

NOW FOR THE PURE ROCK N ROLL PART OF THE TALE

We finally decided to leave for the Khyber at 7:30 and after parking we walked up. It was very bizarre because unlike every other venue I’ve been too there’s no will call or place to pick up tickets. So we decided to sit at the bar and order a few drinks and just chat while we waited. I couldn’t help but notice the music being played was very impressive. I’m sorry any place that plays loads of Ramones tunes and the Sex Pistols rules! I may not look Punk but I so am! But seriously there just aren’t enough rock bars/clubs like Khyber anymore!! At the Khyber not only were the signs on the doors of the bathroom the best ever, they were marked “Sit” and “Stand” but once inside we got a pleasant surprise. On the toilet paper dispenser there was a Your Vegas sticker, so of course both Wendy and I took a picture of it. Your Vegas dorks unite! The size of the venue made me sad I missed their show last year at this place. So Wendy and I sat at the bar waiting to see how tickets would be distributed and finally a man stamped our hands after checking a list that stated I had paid already. We then made our way through the crowd gathered at the tiny doors and headed on in and took our spot by the stage. I looked around and was pleased because the crowd was actually quite impressive.

After the opening band who I had never heard anything from tried to tune up and get ready on the super small and very crowded stage they began to play. What we heard from a band called INTO THE PRESENCE was mind-blowing and I am now officially in love as is Wendy with them (I think her even more so). They are hard to describe almost like a mix of classic rock, Audioslave style rock and more. They are just too good for words. Lead singer Luis Maldonado not only had a jaw dropping voice but his guitar skills are amazing. Part of the way through the show a female who we saw warming up with them joined them on stage with her cello. I immediately was fixated by the amazingly cool electric cello that looked less like a cello and more like a guitar. The girl who played it was awesome and seriously made me wish I had learned to play the cello if I knew it could look so cool that is. We really got into their set and some guy actually yelled at one point exactly what I was thinking “CELLO SOLO!” To which Luis said “who said that, that was awesome.” He even acknowledged the guy later when there was a cello solo. The entire band was amazing including the incredible drummer and the kick-ass female bassist. They actually made me wish I was in a band. Luis at first seemed nervous but as the crowd really got into it the more and more he warmed up and was cracking jokes and chatting with the crowd who were really getting into them too. At the end of the show I couldn’t resist, due to the closeness, I stopped Luis as they were getting their stuff off the stage and said “you guys were un-f***ing-believable.” He smiled and said “aww thank you so much.” As Wendy said, it was so cute he got all bashful when I said that. Yes Luis is very cute too, so it was quite adorable. The only drawback of their set was the fact we made the mistake to leave a bit of space in front of us because three girls decided squeeze into a space that should only fit one person. The one girl on the table to the left of us who kept messing with her hair drove me nuts. They finally left afterwards but one of them unfortunately came back for the VAST show.

After Into the Presence left the stage much like the very, very long wait for the Killers there was an even more long wait for VAST. I amused myself by listening to drunken conversations around me and at one point sang “Beat On The Brat” by the Ramones as it played. It was fun to watch the small door by the stage open and close as the bands loaded their stuff out the door. That was part of the amusement watching faces of passers by on the streets wondering WTF was going on. I think Wendy and I found stuff to stay occupied reading the tiny sticker that said “love” over the stage, playing musical chairs as we took turns sitting in the lone chair by the stage and more. The sound check guy was also fun to watch as we stared at his tattoos and listened to him throw playful jabs at the guy over at the sound booth, my favorites “God your voice sounds magnificent coming out of this microphone.” and him saying he may need to hold our hands to climb off the stage once the show starts.

At 12:30am I once again probably embarrassed Wendy because just before VAST took the stage the lights dimmed and what came on but… “In Dreams” by Roy Orbison which just happens to be my fave Roy O. song. So I proceeded to sing the song animatedly and sighed because it was so cool to hear this played somewhere. Then after the final notes of the song played, VAST finally took the stage, the crowd sang along and screamed to every song. They especially sang loudly to hits like “Touched,” “Pretty When You Cry,” and I must admit I went nuts when I heard those songs along with other personal faves like “Be With Me,” “Turquoise,” “One More Day,” and my all-time favorite “Here” to which, yes I head banged. The sound system was amazing because the machine behind the band recreated some of the ambient sound from songs like “Touched.” The music was a perfect blend of VAST’s diverse catalog and blended mellow and loud tunes flawlessly. Jon Crosby aka the mastermind of VAST was amazing but his touring band were equally amazing and watching them play their instruments was mind-blowing. Although I think Wendy and I simultaneously developed a crush on the keyboardist who was so gorgeous. Midway through the show, the tallest of the three girls from earlier came back only with a camera. The sound guy now sitting in the chair annoyingly told me and Wendy excuse me so she basically stole our spot. If it wasn’t for her occasionally leaving and also sitting on the sound guy’s lap I probably would have gone ballistic.

so I can say I hit both of the famous cheese steak places in Philly. I let Wendy order since there is a specific way to order subs at Genos to save time and I didn’t want to look completely like an outsider/idiot. The sub was great and I even got Wendy to capture the me biting into its tasty goodness with my camera to prove to my brother that I did. He did after all say I better eat a Philly Cheesesteak in Philly. While sitting there at the tables we sat next to the most stereotypical Philly guy ever in his thick accent and had a love of the F word but he was very entertaining. The temperature had dropped so we decided to abandon the table outside for the warmth of the car. She popped in her newly bought and newly developed obsession’s CD and we drove back to her place. I went to bed at 4am I think and it was slightly bittersweet because I knew tomorrow I would be ending my journey. I also must add I had the chance to meet her mom who I cracked up because she was very much enthralled by my long trip to Ireland and seeing Roxy Music with Bryan Ferry while there so I saw a little of where Wendy got her desire to go to the Emerald Isle and her love of music. I also think she thought I was a bit crazy yet brave to travel alone from state to state. Yes I am but that’s me exactly: crazy and brave.

THE LAST DAY OF MY ADVENTURE:

The next day unfortunately was my last day of the adventure and after getting up, taking a shower and packing, Wendy and I ate one of the biggest but most delicious strombolis or calzones (sorry always get them mixed up!) that I have had in a while. She drove me a long ways from Doylestown to the crowded Philly bus station and off I went home. I was a little sad to see it end and to have to go back to normal life. But in the back of my mind I knew that I would be back in PA two weeks later for Coldplay at Hershey Park so that perked me up and made me feel better. So I rode the bus home tired and still a bit sick but remembering all the fun I had on my rock n roll adventure. Viva La Rock and Viva La Adventure!!

PS: STILL SEEKING THE SETLIST WILL UPDATE ONCE I FIND IT!