I have to admit we have a very tired ol' Edgemeister punching away at the keyboard tonight (Monday). Because of the weary eyes (and bones for that matter) I don't know how long class will be in session this week.
The reason I'm tired you ask? Well I went to the Summer Sanitarium show at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando Sunday night. The concert was really fun and high energy. Hearing that kind of crowd reaction really made me miss the WWE audience. I brought my buddy Ty with me and we missed Mudvayne because we were stuck in traffic. The Deftones were ok, not a huge fan. Linkin Park was great. You could definitely see why they've been so successful. Chester Bennington can sing his ass off. Limp Bizkit was up next and kept the intensity going. At this point it had been raining and everyone was soaked, but the crowd was still into it. In between sets I kept going back to the Rubber Room. It was a VIP tent Metallica had set up with air hockey, pool, food, drink, you name it. Chris Jericho may be the King of the World, but I was definitely king of the air hockey table. From there it was time for Metallica. Now I've said in this column before that I am not a fan of St. Anger (Metallica's latest cd), and I'm not. However I'm still a ginormous (little old E&C) Metallica fan, and they didn't disappoint. They kicked off with Battery and didn’t let up until they finished it with Sandman. By the way, St. Anger and Frantic sounded much better live than on the cd. The drums sounded like drums, not tom toms.The show was done and I had the pleasure of being able to meet them. Now for me, this was a big deal. In a music/wrestling analogy, they are my Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Hulk Hogan rolled into one. So I was surprised to actually be able to carry on a conversation and try not to sound dumbfounded. They seemed like cool guys, we took pictures, they signed my soon to be framed Metallica shirt, and a great time was had by all.
It was 12:30am, which was already past my current bedtime. But the night would not end there. I had run into some members of Creed and guitarist Mark Tremonti's brother Michael who invited us to hang at Mark's place. I was tired but I wasn't gonna say no to that, so we went over. Once again, had a great time.
Listened to some music, checked out his guitar collection (which rules), and, oh yeah, got offered a beer which I preceded to drop and break on his nice hardwood floor. My first impressions rule! Oh well, I had to drive so half a beer was enough for me. Finally at about 3:15 am we hit the road back to Tampa, and I hit the bed at 5am. The sad part is, my mental alarm clock goes off at 8am, and once I'm up, I'm up. Hence the sleepy eyes. Hey, I'm not complaining though. It was, without a doubt the most fun experience I've ever had at a concert, which is saying something. So now my list of rock stars I'd like to meet is down to two: Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney, so if anyone has Sir Paul's number, let me know.
Now I can't finish an Edgeucation without talking some wrestling. Enjoyed the Evolution/Dudleys match. It had that classic 4 Horsemen/Road Warriors feel to it. Also enjoyed the Booker/Christian match. These two make each other every time they wrestle, which is a beautiful thing to see in this business. Can't wait to see Jericho/Michaels next week from L.A. If it's anything like their Mania match, we're all in for a treat. RVD/Kane should be interesting too, especially in Rob's stomping grounds.
When it comes to Smackdown! I'm really looking forward to Benoit/Hardy in the semifinals of the U.S. Title tournament. For those fans who reminded me in case I forgot, yes I realize I was the man to retire the U.S. title, which gives me a beef with someone when I get back, although I have to admit the WORLD TITLE (in block of course) is my top priority. Also can't wait for Rey/Kidman vs. The World's Greatest Tag Team (man that's a handful) at the Vengeance ppv. Personally I think Team Tap or Suck Squad rolls off the tongue better, but hey, they are the champs, and that will be a tough match to follow. It's nice to see guys come into their own so quickly and be able to contribute. The same can be said for Vanilla Flava, The Playa Hata, he's not Constipata (ok I know that was brutal), John Cena (I was going for that Apollo Creed feel, but failed). His match with the Dead Man is another I'm looking forward to.
Well I think that's all I got folks. Don't worry, by next week I'll be well rested and your favorite wrestler (Ok, if not favorite at least top 5), will be back typing like a madman!
Until then, you have been (slightly) Edgeucated.