OUR EVENING WITH RUSH
Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 8:20 am
In one word, "brilliant" !!!
After a two hour drive I arrived at the Rotterdam Ahoy venue at about three in the afternoon. I had asked Higgy to call me right away if he got there...and about an hour later...a car with three guys in it, suddenly parked right next to ours. I thought already that I reckognized Higgy, but once he stepped out of the car, he grabbed his cellphone and started to call...I smiled and just put my cellphone out of the window...and when it rang, Hig also knew that he was already standing right next to me, hahaha...such a huge parking place and still right next to me, can you guys imagine that ? Well, of coarse we stood there chatting for some time..and then we decided to go to the ticket box, to see if our "passes" had already arrived. But the lady behind the counter told us that there was no such thing and asked us to come back later. So Hig and me were almost quite sad already...like...OH NO ! this is NOT going to happen eh ? The biggest moment of our lives and yet NO passes...
But we stayed calm..thanks to the folks around us...and went to this little place close to the venue, called (how appropriate..) the meeting point. It was great to meet all the other Rush lads and lassies there, mostly from the t-n-m-s forum (great forum as well....great bunch !)
So it got real nice there for a while...but in the meantime Higgy and myself got all more worried and worried about the whereabouts of these passes eh ? So we went back to the venue again around 5 pm and we decided to ask it again there...and hey !! good news...Higgy had seen that my name was already on a list !! goody ! some other friendly woman asked us to come back again in hour, in order to receive these "so wanted" meet and greet passes..Eventually a little before six o'clock, we went back...AND there they were !! our meet and greet passes with Rush !!! People around us could really see the exitement that was written all ove our faces !!! Brilliant...the thought to finally come face to face with the people that have changed our lives so sigificantly...Both for Higgy and me, one of the greatest moments sofar in our entire lives !!!
Well, you can guess the rest...we went inside....ran stage left immediatly...and there we received further instructions. We were all lined up and they told us that the boys were already on their way over !
Suddenly they walked in...Alex first, Geddy right behind him...and there they were ! finally...Jawdropping moment...but at the same time...some awfull screamssss....joy ! happyness !!! Welcome to Holland !!!!
Well anyway...Hig and I were the second ones to go and I tell ya ! it was a blast....really...I first shaked Alex' hand...padded him on the shoulder and he did the same, while Higgy gave Geddy a Holland loves Rush t-shirt...Oh !, and Alex HAS no middlename ( for some of you that were interested in that, hahaha...or he has one, but doesn't want to say it...) But my oh my...what a sweet guy he is ! very very friendly...so we chatted a few words and I quickly went to shake Geddy's hand..we also had a comrad like touch there for a while...I said my name and told him that it was a great honour for me to finally meet him...and he said, "oh no no...it's a great honour for me to meet you Tonny, with a friendly smile on his face...that was awsome !!
From that moment, it was time for a picture...they took three...( one of them didn't happen, so we have two left ). Time to go...so I shook both Geddy and Alex' hand again....wished them a very good show -and a nice further time in my nation...and they both ended up with wishing US a good show as well...and they thanked us for saying hi to them....
And the next thing we knew, Higgy and I stood there in the hall...we looked each other up and down a bit...and said, "was this really happening to us ?" ....but we agreed on having such a great time...and well...with smiles fro ear to ear, we walked back in the venue...where many people were staring at us, cause the saw the meet and greet stickers that we still had attached on our shirts..
So people kept asking all over and over how it was...well...you guys already know the answers to that eh ? It's now...Saturday afternoon here...I'm still full of it...just got the photo's back and they are splendid...but I think it's best that you guys will be the judge of that, kk ?
Ever since I was nine years old, I have been dreaming about this to happen....now I'm 39 and it happened !!! It has been 23 years ago that I last saw them live...and yesterday it happened....and, I will keep rapping about it, had the greatest honour to be able to shake their hands and to have a nice little chat with them...goosebumps I can tell ye...
Oh ! and the show ??? well, what do ye reckon...front row arena tickets...but I went everywhere....at the front...at the back...in the middle...all over...and I had the time of my life....here are the photo's for proof ( Alex, Higgy, Me and Geddy, other photo : Geddy playing very close )
I bet when you guys see these photo's...you can easlily imagine how I felt last night !
Regards, Tonny (DutchRush)
After a two hour drive I arrived at the Rotterdam Ahoy venue at about three in the afternoon. I had asked Higgy to call me right away if he got there...and about an hour later...a car with three guys in it, suddenly parked right next to ours. I thought already that I reckognized Higgy, but once he stepped out of the car, he grabbed his cellphone and started to call...I smiled and just put my cellphone out of the window...and when it rang, Hig also knew that he was already standing right next to me, hahaha...such a huge parking place and still right next to me, can you guys imagine that ? Well, of coarse we stood there chatting for some time..and then we decided to go to the ticket box, to see if our "passes" had already arrived. But the lady behind the counter told us that there was no such thing and asked us to come back later. So Hig and me were almost quite sad already...like...OH NO ! this is NOT going to happen eh ? The biggest moment of our lives and yet NO passes...
But we stayed calm..thanks to the folks around us...and went to this little place close to the venue, called (how appropriate..) the meeting point. It was great to meet all the other Rush lads and lassies there, mostly from the t-n-m-s forum (great forum as well....great bunch !)
So it got real nice there for a while...but in the meantime Higgy and myself got all more worried and worried about the whereabouts of these passes eh ? So we went back to the venue again around 5 pm and we decided to ask it again there...and hey !! good news...Higgy had seen that my name was already on a list !! goody ! some other friendly woman asked us to come back again in hour, in order to receive these "so wanted" meet and greet passes..Eventually a little before six o'clock, we went back...AND there they were !! our meet and greet passes with Rush !!! People around us could really see the exitement that was written all ove our faces !!! Brilliant...the thought to finally come face to face with the people that have changed our lives so sigificantly...Both for Higgy and me, one of the greatest moments sofar in our entire lives !!!
Well, you can guess the rest...we went inside....ran stage left immediatly...and there we received further instructions. We were all lined up and they told us that the boys were already on their way over !
Suddenly they walked in...Alex first, Geddy right behind him...and there they were ! finally...Jawdropping moment...but at the same time...some awfull screamssss....joy ! happyness !!! Welcome to Holland !!!!
Well anyway...Hig and I were the second ones to go and I tell ya ! it was a blast....really...I first shaked Alex' hand...padded him on the shoulder and he did the same, while Higgy gave Geddy a Holland loves Rush t-shirt...Oh !, and Alex HAS no middlename ( for some of you that were interested in that, hahaha...or he has one, but doesn't want to say it...) But my oh my...what a sweet guy he is ! very very friendly...so we chatted a few words and I quickly went to shake Geddy's hand..we also had a comrad like touch there for a while...I said my name and told him that it was a great honour for me to finally meet him...and he said, "oh no no...it's a great honour for me to meet you Tonny, with a friendly smile on his face...that was awsome !!
From that moment, it was time for a picture...they took three...( one of them didn't happen, so we have two left ). Time to go...so I shook both Geddy and Alex' hand again....wished them a very good show -and a nice further time in my nation...and they both ended up with wishing US a good show as well...and they thanked us for saying hi to them....
And the next thing we knew, Higgy and I stood there in the hall...we looked each other up and down a bit...and said, "was this really happening to us ?" ....but we agreed on having such a great time...and well...with smiles fro ear to ear, we walked back in the venue...where many people were staring at us, cause the saw the meet and greet stickers that we still had attached on our shirts..
So people kept asking all over and over how it was...well...you guys already know the answers to that eh ? It's now...Saturday afternoon here...I'm still full of it...just got the photo's back and they are splendid...but I think it's best that you guys will be the judge of that, kk ?
Ever since I was nine years old, I have been dreaming about this to happen....now I'm 39 and it happened !!! It has been 23 years ago that I last saw them live...and yesterday it happened....and, I will keep rapping about it, had the greatest honour to be able to shake their hands and to have a nice little chat with them...goosebumps I can tell ye...
Oh ! and the show ??? well, what do ye reckon...front row arena tickets...but I went everywhere....at the front...at the back...in the middle...all over...and I had the time of my life....here are the photo's for proof ( Alex, Higgy, Me and Geddy, other photo : Geddy playing very close )
I bet when you guys see these photo's...you can easlily imagine how I felt last night !
Regards, Tonny (DutchRush)
.....and I knew you'd have a blast 
.