Talk about lucky fucking breaks. Last night, around 6:30, I get a phone call from my buddy, Becky, who is the manager at our neighborhood Blockbuster Video. She says, "I know this is REALLY last minute, but I've got 2 extra tickets to Sgt. Pepper Live tonight. Would you guys be interested?". All I can say is I've never gotten ready to leave the house faster than I did last night. The Hilton is less than a mile from my house and the show was going to start at 8 p.m. .....I told her "Hell yeah, woman!!" She told me to meet her at the entrance to the showroom and she'd give us the tickets there.
When she and her husband finally got there, I ran up and gave her the biggest non-gay smooch in history and thanked her profusely for her generosity. She handed us our tickets (Balcony, but totally NOT bad seats, as this was a very intimate showroom) and we bolted upstairs. After we found our seats, I went back out to get hubby and I a couple drinks to have with the show. If you have never been to a show in Vegas, be prepared for the following or worse: 2 whiskey & 7-Ups cost $15.50!!! Needless to say, we only had 1 drink a piece.
The line at the bar was long, naturally; by the time I had gotten back to my seat, the opening acts had started. Thankfully, I can't stand Joan Osborne, so I wasn't missing anything. The orchestra wasn't half bad, which is a good thing...seeing as how there's a whole lot of that in Pepper and the 4 songs that were performed at the completion of the album (3 from Abbey Road and 1 from Magical Mystery Tour). When it was time for Cheap Trick to make their appearance, the turnstiles on the stage revolved to reveal their equipment and my heart began to race upon seeing that familiar black-and-white checkerboard pattern Neilsen is so famous for.
Bun, Tom and Rick entered the stage first; no slouch in the 'awesome guitar' department, Nielsen was equipped with a yellow guitar with the faces of the lads on it that was too fucking sweet for words. Then it happened......Zander strolls out onstage in a long, white, Sgt. Pepper-type coat, white pants and a white captain's hat. The scream that emerged from me surprised more than just my husband.....you see, it's been NO secret that I've got the hots for Robin Zander. Why? Well, if I have to explain it, you just wouldn't understand. If he wants my love, he's got it. If he needs my love, he's got it. I won't hide it...I won't throw his love awaaaaaay. Oooooooooo!!!
His voice was far from disappointing, even after all these years. He did fudge the lyrics in a few places, but there's not much I can't forgive the man for. Rick was the only member of the group who actually spoke to the audience, with his usual sharp wit and comic approach (i.e.- after the 'Within You, Without You' performance...which included a genuine Indian ensemble, complete with Gingger Shankar, perched on a moveable platform where they were all sitting comfortably, holding the traditional Indian instruments....Rick walked up to the mic and said, "Man, I gotta get me one of those!)".
After "All You Need Is Love", several canons fired off, filling the entire showroom with little pink paper hearts. I grabbed at them as if they were dollar bills, collecting as many as I could inside the bag that held my concert t-shirt that I'd purchased before going inside.
We ran into Becky and her husband on the way out of the showroom, where they were waiting to say goodbye to us. Becky had placed one of the hearts on her forehead; I thought that was adorable, so I had to be a copycat. Walking back out through the casino, people were staring at the crazy woman with the heart on. I just grinned back at everyone....feeling higher than Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
