In-Greta-ble

SHOWTIME: So, Thursday night we went to a show. Not just any show, but up- and-coming (well, actually already here and CRUSHING IT) Greta Van Fleet. Three young (under 25) brothers + a drummer, rocking it hard.

We were lucky enough to get to see them last September. They were supposed to play two nights back then. We had tickets to the first show, they canceled their second, and I predicted to the family that when they rescheduled a make up, they'd add a second date. They did just that, and that's how we wound up seeing them again on Thursday night.

Unfortunately this show, like their last, was 'festival' seating, which means every man, woman and child for  themselves.

We had balcony tickets and wanted front row of the balcony, so we arrived about 3 p.m. for a show with doors at 7.

It meant 4 hours on the concrete, but we knew what we were getting into, and this wasn't our first rodeo, so we planned accordingly. We had layers upon layers. Umbrellas, multiple hats and gloves. Plastic garbage bags for seating and wearing. Snacks. Water. Multiple charged batteries for our cellphones. We were ready for the rock'n'roll apocalypse.

We scouted out where the nearest bathrooms were and how to access them, and did just fine for ourselves on the sidewalk, fortunately.

Once inside, we got the best seats possible, and enjoyed a sit for a bit. Until ... the fire alarm went off.

Actually, truth-be-told, everyone disregarded the fire alarms. I think we were all kind of secure in the assumption that the excessive fog machines on the stage set off the alarms. That, and we'd waited four plus hours to get into our spots/seats, no one was moving unless they saw flames, I predict.

We did some people watching before the show. A number of Seattle music scene honchos were on hand, including Chris Ballew, former frontman of the Presidents of the United States of America and currently kiddie rock star, Caspar Babypants.  In the photo below, he as his wife (artist Kate Endle) are chatting with a friend.

Around 9 p.m., Greta Van Fleet finally took the stage.

Fortunately, they were worth the wait. :)

LONG WAY HOME: After the great Greta Van Fleet concert at the Paramount, we could have hopped on I-5, but we chose to take the long way home. We wanted one more drive down the Viaduct - a 60-plus year old waterfront freeway that closed down forever on Friday, January 11.

Filmed through a gritty windshield dotted with dog nose prints, my video of that journey is not a glamour shot, but it's our last shot.

As a child traveling to Seattle, sitting in the backseat of a Volkswagen and heading northbound Viaduct and into Seattle, the Emerald City sparkled like a rare jewel. And I will never forget the first time driving into Seattle, some 15 years ago, via the Viaduct and knowing I was driving home.
The tunnel is another means of transportation, but it can never replace the Viaduct.

(Note: The lovely song playing in the background of the video is "Lost in My Mind" from The Head and the Heart - a Seattle-based band. Obviously I do not own the rights to this song and am not profiting from posting on my commercial-free blog. Incidentally, one of the band's videos was filmed on Seattle's Great Wheel. You can check out their music here: http://www.theheadandtheheart.com