Portland, ME

Weird but effective theatre layout. Little platforms in front of the stage allowed different pits to form with barriers between them and a little height advantage for those in back. Only problem was that if you were sitting on the main floor, you couldn't see a thing. The seats in the balcony were the designated drinking section seats. We lucked out with a spot on the 2nd platform right in the middle. Only 10 feet from the stage without any pushing the entire night. Fabulous.

During Hayden's set, I looked back and saw this guy in the audience the next platform back sporting a pink baseball cap like the one Gord D. was wearing after the show the night before. I tell my friend Dave, "Hey, that guy looks like Gord." Dave goes, "It IS Gord." We point out this to the people we befriended around us and we all say it's cool that he hasn't been spotted and mobbed yet. And, impressively, we all stay where we all and let Gord enjoy Hayden's set. He was there for another 2 songs and then he went off backstage.

The acoustics were amazing as well. I made out a good 90% of Gord's ramblings on this night. And we was going off on some hilarious tangents. The return of Purple Paint during Meridian (shuffle your feet and make a general commotion / so snakes and scorpions don't get any notions...) was a
personal highlight. This was after Gord started talking about the Toledo incident, he started talking about hurling bottles almost hitting you in the ear, etc. During New O he was talking about price gouging and hurricanes (it's a proud tradition / I'm a price gouger, my father was a price gouger,
his father was a price gouger / in a time of crisis we always raise our prices). He then sang about a Songwriter's Ball, where people are inspired by drugs and alcohol.

All in all, worth paying the inflated American prices to check these shows out. Looking forward to Sugarbush tonight, but would probably trade it in for some serious sleep. Oh well, see y'all there.

Rob