Epcot Flower Power Concert:
Alan Parsons Live Project (American Pavilion Outdoor Theater—Sunday)
New to the festival in 2014, Alan and his band put on a great show. The band had really good energy on stage, and they played a number of his hits, including "Eye in the Sky". (For those not that familiar with A. P., he's from the UK, and was at his musical peak from the mid-70s -1990 or so. He still has an active concert schedule. In addition to being a musician, he's also done audio engineering and production; some of his highlights included the Beatles' Abbey Road album, and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. )
While I was waiting for the theater to open for the 6:45 p.m. show, a couple of roadies (for a different band) told me they had enjoyed the earlier show, and wanted to check out the amplifier equipment on stage. I mentioned to these guys that my DH used to be a roadie (years ago) for some local, as well as some famous, bands (including The J. Geils Band). So, I figured that after the show, I could walk up to the stage and write down some notes about the equipment, and I could share this with DH after my vacation.
When the concert was over, we walked up to the stage. They had some nice Hughes & Kettner amps; we discussed whether these were solid state or tube—I voted, definitely tube. Then, one of the roadies pointed out a red & while stomp box (said it looked like the one Eddie Van Halen uses). But, all of a sudden, he decides to jump up on stage to take a closer look. OMG, I absolutely froze—I knew security would come, and I was afraid we'd all get thrown out of the park.
Instead, one of the stage crew immediately came out and asked what we were doing. Somehow, I managed to gently diffuse the situation by telling him that I was only there to write down equipment notes for DH, who could not attend their wonderful concert. (You know . . . it's all in your approach . . . ). He relaxed and became very friendly, and told me that the Hughes and Kettner amp, was a 6-channel, tube amp (with EL34's; or 6CA7's). He said sometimes they use a smaller box, but he really liked this particular set-up. We had a pleasant conversation with him, and we thanked him for his time.
. And then go home and do the same thing the next day. Bestie said she had looked grumpy that morning. We figured out why. Lesson: even if the CMs aren't smiling, just tell them thank you and that you appreciate it because you might not know the half of it...
