PG4 / Washington DC

The last night for me. My faithful traveler back with me for this last event. We arrived in DC on Saturday and stayed in a hotel right in the downtown. With the show not til Sunday night we had some time to relax, take in the sights and enjoy the city. Low coolant? Nope. Strangely, nope. It was so strange to me that I remarked to my faithful traveler that the Low Coolant seems to be improving. Of course that was the wrong thing to say; Sunday morning, as if on cue, there was a large, pinkish puddle gathering under my car. Lovely. But not to fear, plenty of mixture in my car.

On the way to DC, we approached a truck with the logo 'Truck n Roll' on the back. My faithful traveler noticed this and remarked that this was the same logo on some of the trucks used to haul PG's stuff. We took a few pics (coming soon) and then I pulled up along side the rig - at 65 mph. In my back, driver's side window, I have a promotional placard that has the 'Up' album cover and PG's name and some other highly recognizable PG images. I asked my faithful traveler to pull this off the window and shove it out her passenger window, towards the truck. Always indulging my slightly odd suggestions, she agreed. The truck driver, though initially confused, gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. I followed suit. A cool moment indeed.

DC was really great, but oddly empty for a weekend. Restaurants were half full at most during Saturday dinner hours. Had a nice meal. Checked out Sunday morning at 12noon then had several hours to shear before the show. We toured around the capital for a while; saw lots of monuments. DC is a very nice place. Clean. Safe. Comfortable. Friendly. But what was more important is that I developed the first etchings of appreciation for this country's history. Some of it is ugly; some of it is wonderful. Regardless, it's all part of our national culture, history and heritage. And while I've been in college for a while, I can't say that I know all that much about this country's history. I felt an urge to know more; to understand where we came from and how we came to be. It was at this moment that I decided to begin this journey, slowly but certainly. Books, of course, are always my guide in these sorts of things. My father, no doubt, will assist me for I've always admired his grasp of our history. More on this later perhaps...

The most powerful piece of this visit to Washington was at the Vietnam war memorial. At the bottom of one of the memorial sections, a little more than halfway along, was a rubbing of a name. Can't say that I remember the name. What I can say quite clearly is that moment meant something to me. It clarified things for me. Without sounding hokey or corny, it was moving.
And the show. Floor seats. Probably second best to MSG. Good crowd; good energy. I myself was tired. I admit it. Four shows. Seven days. Probably 1500 miles in total? Then walking around DC all day. My energy level definitely rose during the show but that drive home was one of the toughest. The highlight of the show came at the end. During the first three shows I learned where PG enters, exits the stage and at what times. I also realized that the folks in the DC arena weren't too rough on moving around (some venues don't want you standing in the aisle).
Knowing this information, I decided to try and make this show memorable. When PG came out, I was there. Just wanted one handshake. Didn't get it. Band came out. Nothing. Left after the first set. Nothing. Second set. Nothing. Then, finally, as he was walking off after the final song I reached out and we hit hands. Totally warm and dry; I'd be up there dripping buckets. It was a great moment and made that show unique for me. A wonderful way to end.