I saw The Church...
…and I got a signed set-list!by andy on 10. Sep, 2009 | No Comments
Performer: The Church Venue: The 20th Century Theatre Year: 2006 City: Oakley State: OH
I was traveling through Ohio on business and I was in Cleveland. Reading the local rag, I realized I had just missed the show there by a day. The next show date was Cincinnati, and it was one of the last dates of this tour. Luckily, Cincinnati was my next destination, so this concert was firmly on my agenda.
I agonized about whether I needed to buy a ticket online and decided I would swing by the venue the day before. This theater is in a very cool neighborhood on the West side of Cincinnati. After a great lunch at the Indian buffet a few doors down, I stopped in the theater. They were not really open, but the House manager just happened to be in the lobby.
He told me the tour manager had the actual tickets so it would be best to just buy at the door before the show. Then he offered to show me around the place so I could check out the layout. All of the movie seats had been removed from the front of the house and had been replaced with round, low tables and some bar tables. The front tables were just feet from the front of the stage. Now I was really excited,
On the day of the show, I raced from my appointment back to Oakely and grabbed a quick sandwich. I was 4th in line at 6:30 and started chatting with the folks in front. Turns out, one of them had an extra ticket on reserve. For face value of $20, I was in the door with my new best friends.
In the lobby, we had a few minutes to shop the CD’s and the bar because they had not finished the sound check yet. As concert goers arrived, many brought gifts for the band. Some had home-grown produce and some had bottles of Jaegermeiseter.
About this time, Marty Willson-Piper popped out of the stage doors and had a nice chat with whomever was standing around. What? How unexpected and totally endearing. Relaxed and friendly.
I sat at the front table with my new pals (who are in the Kentucky-based band call the Pyramid Builders Union — check ‘em out). House music was OLD Pink Floyd until show time.
The band was tight and sounded great. This was only days after the death of GW McClennan and everyone seemed to be aware of this. Steve Kilby said a few words about this and then they played Providence. The guitar tech/roadie played the rhythm guitar and she (yes, she) was solid.
After the show, folks just milled around. I went to thestage and asked the Tech if I could have one of the set lists that had been taped to the floor in front of Steve. She said, “Sure. Would you like me to have it signed?” I said yes gratefully and she disappeared. She reappeared about 5 minutes later the sheet, now bearing 3 signatures. Steve Kilby did not sign, but Marty, Peter and Tim all did.
Signed Set-List
On the side of the stage, Marty and Tim were gathering gear and just chatting with fans. I was able to thank them for a great show personally. Marty also signed my CD of “Univited, Like the Clouds”, which I’d purchased in the lobby.
All in all, this was a great show and a great experience. This has been a favorite band for decades and I’m still thrilled that I was able to see them live.
