chase the light

Aw yeah… Rock Rock ’til you drop! Ha ha ha! A couple of years ago I bought some tickets to a show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London and ever since I get these emails every week about shows in London. I really need to unsubscribe but it’s kinda fun to see who’s going through town. Anyway, I got one awhile ago saying Def Leppard and Cheap Trick were going to be playing on the day I arrive in London. I thought that would be a pretty funny rockin’ show from the 70’s and 80’s.

The problem was I wssn’t sure how we were going to feel after a crappy night on the plane. We got in at 5pm and everything went smoothly and got to the hotel about 6:45. I was way loopy from lack of sleep and food, but otherwise feeling pretty good. So we bit the bullet and rode over to the Apollo and checked for tickets. There were lots of people selling tickets and even one guy in the lobby! Total no-no in the States, not sure here. They all had general admission tickets down below and I wasn’t sure I could handle standing through a show all night. So we went with the tickets at the box office, and damn some seats were available in the front row of the balcony!! They must have been returned because they were amazing!

In we went and Cheap Trick had just gone on with their first song and it was great! The Sheffield boys Def Leppard came out and paraded through the hits and all was good even though my head was nodding occasionally. We left just before the encores because of exhaustion and hunger and headed back into the center and grabbed some midnight dinner and then passed out.

The last time I saw Def Leppard was 1983 opening for Billy Squier in the pouring rain. I was in the orchestra seating area and I waved to Phil Collen back stage and he waved back! Ha! Then Danette McGregor decided she wanted a better view and climbed on my shoulders and all I saw was the inside of her thighs for about 4 songs.

Interior Day: The hotel I booked had an upgrade to a “family room” so since there is a lack of space in London hotel rooms I upgraded and we checked in and there’s four beds in this place! They tried giving us standard room unlike what I had made reservations for so we questioned it with “Well we have a friend that’s staying with us that’s why we reserved the big room…” Anyway, a behind closed door meeting went on and he came back out and gave up the room! So there ya go, lying can be guilt free. Well, I had reserved it and paid for it so it shouldn’t have been an issue anyway, but we’re here and all’s good. Yep, Rock Rock til you drop, and we did.