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05/22/2009 Entry: "My First Floyd Story"

Found this in the archives. Check out the date!

Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1993 12:15:28 -0400
From: astanley@world.std.com (Adam Stanley)
Subject: My First Floyd Story
To: echoes@fawnya.tcs.com

I haven't posting in a long time, and I have to admit that I usually do not
get into posting stories about concert trips and stuff like that, but I
thought I'd throw in my story anyway. I have been a serious fan since a
little after The Wall was released. I remember the night before I went
to camp Summer of '82 I went to go see Star Trek 2 (not that I'm a Trekkie)
and I saw the preview for The Wall movie. Then later that summer at camp
I was in the shower and someone came a got me out because the radio station
was premiering When The Tiger Break Free. Anyway... Summer of '87 my friends
and I went to get ticket to see Roger on the KAOS tour. We got tix in
Minneapolis, but I went to college in Iowa 300 miles away from the venue. We
got sixth row and I was pumped. So I went off to school only to learn that I
was supposed to have a mid-term the day after the Minneapolis concert. Being
the severe advocate of education that I am I decided not to go to the concert.
I was crushed. The day of the concert came and it was about Noon and I was at
lunch and a guy had a Waters concert shirt on. (Roger had been in Chicago the
night before.) I left. I drove 300 miles there by myself. Did the concert.
Made eye contact with Roger several times. And then I drove back to school,
300 miles only to sleep for two hours before I took my mid-term. I got a B-.
So now it's like the end of the school year. I got tickets to see Pink Floyd
in Cedar Falls Iowa at the UNI-Dome. I great tickets right as they went on
sales. The concert was the night of the last day of school. So that will
be a nice way to celebrate the end of the school year - seeing Pink Floyd
for the first time. To make things even better the night before I got to go
see OMD (my second favourite band) in Cedar Rapids in a very small arena with
general admission seating (except that there were no seats). So I've got four
tix and I can't find anyone to go with me to Cedar Falls (about 75 miles away
from my school) since everyone is partying because its the end of the school
year. So off two friends and I go with an extra ticket. We get up to Cedar
Falls and start finding our way toward the UNI-Dome (University of Northern
Iowa, BTW). We decided to stop at McDonald's for some food. The place is
packed because everyone else had the same idea. We finally order and I am
quite perplexed as to why the McDonald's staff is not in their usual uniforms
but rather wearing pink hats and shirt. About five minutes later while my
friends and I are eating it dawns on me. (This from a guy who has ECHOES
license plates on his car). I didn't know if it was cool or lame that
they were all wearing pink. Anyway we go to the venue and park (me being
nervous about my PF related plates) and find our seats. We are right along
the side of the stage about 20 rows up, however, the angle is so tight that
we can't see anything. We go and complain and this nice lady gave us new
tickets on the other side about a section back and only four rows up. I had
left our fourth ticket in the car since I didn't know what else do to with it.
Good move since I have started to collect unused tickets. (Besides about 13 PF
tickets I have a set of Clapton and Lollapolozza tickets from last year, but
those are two different stories). The show starts and we find out just how
great our seats are. The concert was great. One of my friends asked if
Great Gig was going to be played and I said no because all the tapes and
boots I had were only from the Fall North American tour and I didn't know that
it had been added in Japan. So we were happy about that. No eye contact with
Dave (or anyone else) because we were so far away. BUT, while we are clapping
and yell before the encore one of friends notices someone right next to us
(three people away from me) video taping the show. My friend says, "There's
your boy." I am so excited. I had just started doing video trades (most
difficult when you don't have a VCR!) We all walk out and I start talking to
this guy. He was pretty nice and receptive. I start talking to him about a
trade, but the only really interesting thing I have is a copy of U2 in Iowa
City the previous fall. I then find out that he taped it. I thought that I
was dead. But like I said, he was a very nice guy and saw how excited I was
and about two weeks later I had a tape of my first Pink Floyd show. (Funny
side note: Watching the tape you can hear me all over the place which is
embarassing, but the funny thing is that when the pig comes out you can hear
the taper's friend say, "Here comes the pig!" which ends up being like the
loudest talking to can hear. It's hilarious!) About a week later I saw Pink
Floyd at the Metrodome in Minneapolis and it was not nearly as exciting.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on and on, but I thought you'd like to hear
about it.

Adam Stanley
astanley@world.std.com