O2 1 year ago...pt 1

["Nech" <tytlane@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It was almost 6 am London time when I stumbled into my room at the hotel. It
was hard to leave.

All my life I have been this sentimental wart that as events come to a close
I tend to stay until I am the last or nearly last person to leave.
Well, except parties at people's houses when I have to. But if not leaving a
place, then spending every last second I can of the last day trying to enjoy
it...soak it in...hope that it never ends..

This was no exception, as we were leaving, or trying to leave the O2 others
were there to start their day's work.

I can tell you tales of all nighters that go all the way back to my earliest
days as a cub scout, boy scout, senior scout...anywhere I went, any camp,
the last night was the longest night.

Same went for this night. I just wanted it to never end. Alas it finally
did. But before I tried to force myself to get at least an hours or two of
sleep before heading back off to the airport I did 2 things...post to FBO...
one just my out of body feelings post and then my detailed concert and
afterwards post. It was amazing that I was not in a coma...I did not take
good care of myself that day at all. I forgot or did not want to think about
'responsibilities' I had one meal the day before. Probably the best Thai
food ...heh in London...and for breakfast. The rest of the night was liquid
fuel in form of Boddington's and Evian. And lastly a mutton burger and some
funky hotdog at a stand where sanitation workers were getting their morning
coffee.  I was almost out cold later on the way to the airport. Good thing I
met up with Tangerineman and his friend Stephane for the train ride to
Heathrow and most important that shortbread biscuit he had that kept my
blood sugar & me from completely going south.

1 year...1 year ago today...wow.

Again, Love and kisses to all those folks I met up with there, and many
thanks to Led Zeppelin for making it all happen.

Dec 10, 2007    from a post titled "It's a Great Life"

....this Life of Music - Ahmet Ertegun

          1923 - 2006

I was gonna continue with "the great tale" as a subject line, but after
tonite...no Ahmet's quote is the only one appropriate.

Music. Life. The love of life and music. The love of your family,
friends, and people you don't even know.... it is a wonderful thing indeed.

I discovered many things about myself and people around me tonite.
I'm not gonna go and start a whole University Professor discourse here,
but it is the joy of dancing round without boundaries that really breaks
down all boundaries between people.

Over the past 2 days, I have met folks from Australia to California,
downtowns to uptowns, young tweens wearing brand spanking new repro 77
tour shirts to grey haired grandfathers wearing their original 73 - 80
stretched out over their bellies shirts. All had one thing in
common...the love of good music. The love of Led Zeppelin.

The Song Does indeed remain the same.

It's pushing 6 am my local time at the moment. Yeah, body clock think's
it's only 12 but, I feel as awake as I ever will be. This wasn't just a
weekend of Zep, this was a weekend of great music all around brought to
us by the late great Ahmet, and the musicians that created it. And if
they themselves weren't around, their kin, their spirits, filled the air
with magic, and wonderful, wonderful , my wonderful one, noise. Noise
that can only be described as NEch's Noises..... okay bad joke,
no....wait...Yeah...noises that make this guy you all simply know as
Nech...Dance. Yes Dance. Dancing Days were here again.

  I will go into more details next post, but in this one I just was
trying to convey my gut feelings before delirium sets in. No sleep and
no food ( except a Thai chicken wing breakfast ) make me a bit woozy.

  There were so many people I met that I am sorry if I forget to mention
you. There were so many people that yelled out to me that again, I am
sorry I can't recall. And on top of that there were so many I still feel
like I missed.

So many gaps.......so little time

 From the last vestiges of King Solomon Burke to the first questioneable
glances and soft spoken ..."ummmm...are you Neck??"......"No it's NeCH.
Rhymes with etch, sketch, fetch",  I can only say, I have had the time
of my life.

Well, the rock'n Roll time of my life.

My family knows the true joys of my heart. It's the joy they bring me.
But for this weekend I enjoyed trully what it means to be a rock and not
to roll...

I thank you all.

And YOU, yeah you...you know who you are...I O U !!!

Dinner .....my house.  Next time. Between NY  &   LA, I got a brisket
with your name on it.

Nech

PS Oh yeah, the awesome setlist that Led Zeppelin played..

GTBT
Ramble On
Black Dog
In My Time of Dying
For Your Life
Trampled Underfoot
Nobody's Fault but Mine
No Quarter
Since I've been Loving You
Dazed & Confused
Stairway to Heaven
The Song Remains the same
Misty Mountain Ho
Kashmir
Encore 1
     Whole Lotta Love
Encore 2
     Rock 'n Roll

I have a whole stack of index cards I took notes on that at what's now
after 6:21 am are too bleary to read.

It was beyond awesome. The effect was shattering.

Long Live FBO....I have it to thank for all of this.

Never forget folks....WE ARE THE OCEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!