Living and Dying

Grandma Ruth Fillmore

Yesterday I received the sad news that my dad's mother passed away. Her name was Ruth and she lived in Oak Harbor, OH. She had been a smoker most of her life and was suffering from fluid in her lungs the last few months. The situation worsened and she left this world at 5:45 PM on June 17th. Unfortunately, I didn't spend much time with Ruth growing up as my parents were divorced by the time I was 12 and I spent the majority of my childhood with my mother's family. I was grieved for my dad's loss.

The news of my grandmother couldn't keep us from the day of work ahead of us. Evan played his second show on the tour last night in Tampa, FL at the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater. Evan and I both commented on the peculiar name as most of venues on the tour were named after multi-million dollar companies which were recognizable; Verizon, TD Bank, Comcast, etc. We got the full story behind the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater when we stopped at the Cigar City Brewery on our way to the venue.

Apparently, the amphitheater used to be named the Ford Amphitheater until a medial/lawyer referral hot line started a catchy radio campaign preying on listener's fear of not knowing where to turn for a good lawyer and/or doctor in a bind. The new hot line, 1-800-ASK-GARY was so successful that they were able to invest in various community centers like the amphitheater and eligibly have their eye on the community baseball diamond. The guys at the brewery were hopeful that "Gary" would not be successful in their next venture as the name is off putting. Good luck Tampa!

1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater,
formally known as the Ford Amphitheater

Even with a strange name, the structure of the Tampa amphitheater was impressive. The high rise ceiling over the seating area was designed for its acoustics but resembled an ocean wave frozen in time. The lawn at the back of the seating area was only 1/3 of the viewer space so the screams and clapping was multiplied inside the dome. Additionally, there was a large wall that was built separate from the theatre that sat at the end of the lawn to help keep the sound reverberating back to the stage instead of lost in the open space.

As Evan finished his set (same songs and order as the other night) the crowd of thousands sounded like millions partially due to the acoustics and partially because neither Evan nor I have every heard that many people applaud in favor of Evan's talent. It was an amazing feeling. I was able to image for the first time what our future in the music business could look like. It was overwhelmingly powerful.

Def Leppard on stage

At Evan's first show in West Palm Beach I had met most of Heart's band; Ben Smith on drums, Craig Bartock on guitar, Debbie Shair on keys and synthesizer, and Kristian Attard on bass. I still haven't met Ann or Nancy Wilson although I have been around them I haven't been formally introduced. At last nights show I met and carried on conversations with most of Def Leppard's band; Joe Elliot on lead vocals, Phil Collen on guitar, and Rick Allen on drums (the sweetest guy). I watched Def Leppard sound check and as they came off the stage they greeted Evan and expressed interest in watching his set that night. Unfortunately, non of them made it out to see him but they all apologized and promised that after the first week was over things would be less hectic and they would come and watch Evan play.

We headed out that night for Atlanta and at the half way mark stayed at "America's Best Value" hotel to rest before finishing out the driving the next morning. We slept hard and welcomed a shower. These hot days in Florida take a lot of energy out of you. I am hoping these will be the most humid dates on the tour and that from here on out the heat, while it may be scorching, will be dry!