2003-02-03 - 1:52

Fuzzy dice

So the Toronto weekend went reasonably according to plan, with one notable snag. We got off to a predictably late start, although the delay was rather irrelevant, since we had ample time before the show.

We rolled in to Toronto and met up with a friend of Nick's for a late lunch, which became quite a feast. The siren call of all-you-can-eat Korean barbeque is difficult to ignore.

While we were there, I gave Richard a call and found out that Liam's flight had been canceled. That was quite a let-down. It would have been great to get together with Liam again. Actually, it would have been the third time that he was around to catch a Rollins spoken word show with me. I guess we'll have to come up with another excuse for him to fly to Ontario.

After we finished stuffing ourselves, we popped over to the Pacific Mall. I tend to hate malls, crowds, and people; but I think that the rest of the crew had fun. Heh. It was certainly quite the crush of humanity present for Chinese New Year.

Next up, we made it to downtown, where we met up with Richard. We had left ourselves barely enough time to grab a quick snack at a bar. Given the size and timing of lunch, though, I would have been amazed if anyone could have eaten a real supper, anyway.

Once we dashed out of there, it was off to see Hank kick ass for a two hour and forty-five minute show. That was a great time, although in all honesty, it was probably my least favourite of the four Rollins spoken shows that I've seen. Considering how highly I rated the earlier shows, though, that comparison doesn't mean that this one was poor, by any means. The entertainment value was as high as ever, there were tons of laughs, and his delivery was bang-on.

The only area in which I felt that the show was lacking was that it did not hit me with the same degree of inspiration with which I had left earlier performances. Certainly, just witnessing Rollins and hearing his take on life shine through his stories provides inspiration; but that emphasis didn't seem to be brought to as fine a point. I'll have to think about that one some more, though, as it also could be a reflection of where my head was at going in to the other shows, in comparison to last night's.

As I said, though, the entertainment value was undiminished. You can't do too much better than being there listening to Hank telling stories about him and Joe Strummer talking to Johnny Cash after a Cash concert. Or explaining how he got himself into Bad Boys II. Or giving a follow-up to his proposal to derail the Klan. Or, really, any of the stories and thoughts he delivered for the best part of three hours.

Unfortunately, the expected tour CDs were not present, so it was back to the highway empty-handed after the show ended. Surprisingly, everyone was awake for most of the trip back, which didn't feel that long. To match the snow that marked our departure from Ottawa, the return leg of the travel included a super-dense fog bank; but that didn't last too long and I was home by 3:30.

All in all, a very worthwhile trip. It was definitely fun getting together with the full crew for a show, and they all really enjoyed the show, too.

Now I just need to make it to Wednesday for Buck 65.

J.