Ragweed Rocks!

What a great day! We left home about 2:00 to head for the zoo, and it the weather was perfect for it. It was in the low 80s and sunny. The Minnesota Zoo is beautiful, but for some reason we hadn't been there for at least ten years. They have a new exhibit, featuring Grizzly bears, and it was incredible. We also really liked the tigers a lot.

As nice as the zoo is, and as well-done as the habitats are, I still find myself feeling slightly sad, though. I know zoos are vastly different from what they were even twenty or thirty years ago, with emphasis on education and conservation, and providing spacious, comfortable, species-appropriate habitats for each animal... but the animals are still captive. I know they're well-kept and safe and healthy, and I appreciate the opportunity to be within a couple of inches of a grizzly bear swimming in his own fish-filled pond, but somewhere in the back of my mind I feel sad for them.

Everybody who told me I'd love the zoo as a concert venue was right. The amphitheater is small, intimate, and scenic. My issue is that I'm used to a certain amount of pre- and post-concert interaction with "my boys," and that wasn't possible here. Until the area opened for seating, you can't even get a glimpse of the stage due to the layout, so I didn't get to sneak a peek of the sound checks. Plus, there was no way to know where the bus was parked, eliminating the possibility of hanging out nearby after the show, because the Ragweed guys are really great about chatting with fans. This left me feeling a tiny bit unsatisfied at the end of the night, having literally only seen the guys on stage.

But the "on stage" part was incredible, as always. How they maintain the energy night after night, for over 200 shows a year, baffles me. Just watching them for a couple of hours exhausts me! Of course I'm dancing and screaming and jumping up and down like a maniac the whole time, which is activity I don't normally have in my days, so I don't know why I would expect anything different.

Seeing them only about once a year (though I did toy with the idea of following them to Bullshooter's for tonight's show, which is only a couple of hours away), the first thing that happens is you notice the changes. Cody's hair is longer than it was last year, as is Jeremy's. Grady was wearing glasses, and Randy had on a nifty hat. Being a little above stage level, which we never are when I'm in my preferred spot front and center leaning on the stage, we got better pictures of Randy (the percussionist) than we normally do.

I tried to post a couple of video clips, to give you a little taste of the Cross Canadian Ragweed Experience, but the ones I wanted to use were too long and were taking forever to upload. You probably didn't need to hear the crazy woman screaming her lungs out (yes, me), anyway. Tom and I need to work out a signal so I know when he's recording instead of just lining up a still photo so I can keep my mouth shut and stop grabbing his arm.

So, instead, I'll just share some still pictures, and one VERY short clip, but be advised that there is a "Bad Word Warning" in effect. Not only is it in the song, but everyone in the crowd seems to feel compelled to shout it out at the appropriate moment. I really want to post the video of "Alabama" and the whole rest of "Wanna Rock & Roll" (the clip is a short bit right near the beginning of it), but they're gigantic. I might post them separately, later, when I can afford to just let the computer sit and work for a super long time.

How long till we can see them again????? Even if it were tomorrow, it would be too long. As expected, we got in very late, so I took the morning off. I'm mostly conscious now, so I'll head in to work shortly. Tom works this weekend, but the weather is supposed to be gorgeous (finally, on a weekend), so I imagine I'll finally spend some time in the pool. Right now, though, I'm still deep in Ragweed Land!

I know you can't possibly enjoy the video and photos as much as we do, but try anyway, 'K?

(A bit toward the beginning of their finale, "Wanna Rock & Roll")
(Remember, Bad Word Warning. Plus, the music seems to be too loud for our camera to record well, so there's a lot of crackly-sounding stuff.)

(The only wide shot we have. Grady, Randy, Cody - facing the rear of the stage - and Jeremy. Jeremy is in some of the clips, but this is the only photo I have him shown in.)


(Randy and Cody)


(Grady and Cody)


(Cody and Randy)

(And from here on down, the rest are allllllll Cody! His eyes did weird things in the outdoor night lighting, so I fixed them the best I could, but they still look a little spooky sometimes.)