# Mystery Concert



## 1PUTTS

Next Thursday (Nov 15), I'm attending a "mystery" concert at the ACC. It goes like this - my wife works for RIM (makers of the evil Blackberry:smile. In lieu of a company Christmas party, they are inviting all employees + 1 guest out for an evening concert. The catch is they don't disclose who the acts are - it's all a big surprise.

They did something similar a few years ago, only it was at the Kitchener Aud (much fewer employees back then). The opening act was The Barenaked Ladies and the main act was Aerosmith! It was a great show. Prior to that, they had The Tragically Hip play at a company function but that was before my "connection" started working there.

People around RIM have been doing some sleuthing and it's already been confirmed that one of the acts is John Mayer. I guess he's sort of "sponsored" by RIM so that one was pretty easy to guess. An undercover RIM employee pretending to be interesting in booking Mayer for that day called his agent who let it slip that he in fact was booked for a private function (I think he even said RIM...oops!).

As for a second act, the word on the street is that it's Van Halen! Looking at their tour schedule, they will be in the area around that time so it's quite possible. I was sort of hoping it might be Rush but I guess that would be wishful thinking on my part. There is talk, however, that there may be a third act on the bill so it should be interesting to see who takes the stage next week.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to a free concert next week! Should be fun.


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## GuitarsCanada

Keep us informed on what happens...


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## Guest

F'n'eh man! Enjoy the show.


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## Jeff Flowerday

Man RIM would have had to pay an arm and a leg to get Van Halen into the ACC at their average ticket price.

I truelly think VH would be very wishful thinking. But who knows...


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## Hamm Guitars

I think one of the founders of RIM is really into live music. Back just before the blackberry caught on, I did two of their parties in Kitchener. Both had a live band and an accoustic Jazz Treo that played most of the night. I don't remember the name of the band, but there was very little need to play CD's at all durring the entire evening.

Even then it was an open bar, full dinner and a rolling buffet through the night. At the time I was working for IBM, and I though that they would have been a much better company to work for.


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## GuitarsCanada

Cash flow is not one of RIMS problems.


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## Beatles

Where can I get a job application for RIM???:smile:


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## 1PUTTS

With a market cap of around 70 Billion, I think they can afford to hire VH for the night :smile:

It should be fun no matter who the entertainers are. My wife's "team" hired a fancy tour bus to cart us all down and back so no worries about parking or having a few pops along the way.

Yes, the big wigs at RIM are very conscious of making it a "fun" place to work. They do all kinds of neat little things for their employees as well as the occasional big event such as this one. If I had to give up my self-employment status, I'd definitely be knocking on the RIM door first.

An interesting side note: I mentioned earlier about one of the guys at RIM who was digging for info by calling around all the agents posing as an interested party, but really was just trying to find out who was available that night and who wasn't. Naturally, he had to ask how much to book the bands. Prices generally ranged from 1.5 million to 2.5 million depending on the act. But to book KISS for the night, it will cost you a whopping 15 million! He asked "why so much?" and the agent just said that's what it takes to get them out to play live. My guess is that the agent knew that this was just a blind fishing expedition and was pulling his leg. But if not, whew - that's way above the regular pay scale. I guess all the explosions, fake blood and huge lit up KISS sign costs money to operate!

Anyway, I'll definitely report back after the show.


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## dodgechargerfan

Globelle - a computer product distributer used to do that in Mississauga every year.
Nothng as big as VH and it was always an outdoor deal. But they invited their customers, too.

Walking through the RIM offices in Waterloo, the one thing that is VERY evident: everyone is happy.


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## GuitarsCanada

I bought in to RIM at $60.00 and sold at $184.00 I prolly should have just let it roll.


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## Antz_Marchin

Wow, that would be soooo sweet. Mayer / Van Halen.....haha, what a night and would be a sure thing for a JM/EVH duel. :rockon2:


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## Lester B. Flat

1PUTTS said:


> Prices generally ranged from 1.5 million to 2.5 million depending on the act. But to book KISS for the night, it will cost you a whopping 15 million!


Wow! Talk about inflation. I remember reading an article back in the late '60's which said Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass were one of the most expensive bands, getting $20,000 a night compared to Steppenwolf who could be booked for a mere $10,000.


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## Sneaky

Wow. We had Colin James play our corporate Christmas party a couple years ago. I thought that was pretty cool, but VH (even though I'm not really a fan) would be pretty damned amazing, and only a company like RIM could pull that one off. Mayer too. I saw JM at a club here in Calgary a few years ago, before he hit the Big Time, and yes, he's really good too.

-Pete


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## Steeler

*"Who Can It Be Now??"*

Tonights the night. I can't wait for the results. (Even thought I won't be there.)

I recall a news story last year where the STONES played a private party for a group of 300 European bankers! Money talks. Probably after they write off all the expenses it's no more costly than hiring a local band.

Could the mystery artist be Celine Dion?
She's getting a tour together, and there's the Canadian connection....


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## Starbuck

I work for a Large Canadian Company and every two years they have a Big Black tie dinner for about 3500 employees and there's always a Mystery Guest. They only draw from Canadian Acts though. There's been Burton Cummings, Jann Arden, Last time it was Blue Rodeo.. Wonder who it could be this year? I'm kinda hoping for Bryan Adams!


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## 1PUTTS

Yep, I'm digging through my closet trying to find my old Van Halen concert shirt (with the 3/4 sleeves) circa 1982 or so :smile: If I had more time, I may have even tried to grow the mullet back. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of VH either, Sneaky - certainly not enough to pay to go see them. But for free...sure, I can do that. I really do hope John Mayer is there as I'd like to see Steve Jordan (on drums) and Pino Pallidino (on the bass).

Aside from the RIM employees and their guests, I'm sure there will be lots of other "VIPs" in attendance. So like major shareholders, financial types etc. It wouldn't surprise me, Steeler, if it does end up being a huge write-off. As for Celine Dion, one can only hope...

And Starbuck, my wife dragged me out to see Jann Arden a while back and I'm actually glad she did. It was an awesome show.

Allright, I'll report back tomorrow with all the details! :rockon:


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## Antz_Marchin

1PUTTS said:


> Steve Jordan (on drums) and Pino Pallidino (on the bass).


Pino only plays bass for the JM Trio. He's playing with his band lately and his bassist with the band is Steve Lariviere. Either way, it would be a damn sweet show.


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## 1PUTTS

Gah...I hate surprises! We're 99.9% sure it's VH (we compared seating plan of the RIM show to the recent VH show and it shows the exact same stage configuration). Now it's about 50/50 on John Mayer as another rumour started floating around that the other act is The Hip. Or maybe it's all three. I guess we'll see:smile:


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## GuitarsCanada

1PUTTS said:


> Gah...I hate surprises! We're 99.9% sure it's VH (we compared seating plan of the RIM show to the recent VH show and it shows the exact same stage configuration). Now it's about 50/50 on John Mayer as another rumour started floating around that the other act is The Hip. Or maybe it's all three. I guess we'll see:smile:


It's going to be a great night. We will expect a full review from you. Enjoy !!


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## 1PUTTS

Antz_Marchin said:


> Pino only plays bass for the JM Trio. He's playing with his band lately and his bassist with the band is Steve Lariviere. Either way, it would be a damn sweet show.


Ah, I was really hoping to see Pino. Aside from being a really great player, that's gotta be one of the best names in show business. I just like saying it...Pino Pallidino. It's fun to say.

Seriously, I didn't know there was The Trio and The Band. Ah well, I just hope someone shows up and plays.


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## 1PUTTS

GuitarsCanada said:


> It's going to be a great night. We will expect a full review from you. Enjoy !!


Right you are, sir, and you will have it. I really don't care who's playing - it'll be fun no matter what.


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## Antz_Marchin

Well, after all the anticipation to see what happened here, I heard at 5pm this afternoon on 97.7HTZ FM that Van Halen had been CONFIRMED and they were speculating the Hip to open.


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## Jeff Flowerday

Antz_Marchin said:


> Well, after all the anticipation to see what happened here, I heard at 5pm this afternoon on 97.7HTZ FM that Van Halen had been CONFIRMED and they were speculating the Hip to open.


Now why can't one of the largest Oil Companies in the world(Conoco Phillips) do this for us. Oh yah they barely make a dime at current gas prices, I keep forgetting.


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## Antz_Marchin

Jeff Flowerday said:


> Oh yah they barely make a dime at current gas prices, I keep forgetting.


haha, exactly. They are doing it as charity for us so we are able to drive our cars still :smilie_flagge17:


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## 1PUTTS

The bands were The Hip and Van Halen. We got there a bit late and I was surprised to hear The Hip had already taken the stage (who starts a rock show on time?) So we missed a few songs. But they rocked as usual - Gordo was in fine form and didn't meander too much with his vocals. Since this is a guitar forum, Rob Baker switched between a PRS Double Cut and a Blonde Fender Tele. Paul Langlois held down the rhythm with two Les Pauls. I wish they had played a bit longer because it seemed just as they were getting themselves and the crowd warmed up, it was over. Still a good showing from our Canadian boys.

Van Halen took the stage shortly thereafter with a little "mini" eruption and pretty much rocked non stop. As you would expect, they played all the old classics (none of that Sammy Hagar stuff). One of the girls with us said she knew "Jump" (their encore song) and that was it. I had to remind myself that she was probably wasn't even born when the original band broke up:smile:

A few notes:

Alex is a solid drummer. Playing in a 3-piece is always a challenge so you'd better have good drum/bass synchronicity. Alex and "Wolfie" held it down throughout the entire set. And for a 16 year old kid, Wolfie seems to know his way around the stage pretty well. He did a great job.

As a beginner guitarist myself, I can't really fathom what Eddie is doing up there. When you see someone exploit an instrument for all it's worth, it opens your way of thinking. I know I need to learn the foundations on which everything else is built, but there's so much more to learn.

Eddie's primary axe was a black "Wolfgang" which I guess is being made now by Fender? I'm not sure. It's basically a Ernie Ball MusicMan body shape with a sort of notched headstock. Twin zebra humbuckers, Floyd Rose bridge, maple fingerboard. He grabbed the Frankenstrat for a couple of songs. Frankly, at that volume, I think the nuances of any instrument are lost so I didn't really notice any difference in sound from each guitar. Oh yeah, each side of the stage had 8 EVH 5150 heads and cabs stacked.

My ears are still ringing a bit. The Hip's volume was perfect for my tastes - everything was loud and clear without being obnoxious. VH's volume seemed almost twice as loud and DLR's vocals got somewhat drowned out in the mix. We were pretty close to stage right so maybe it sounded better from further away.

Well there you have it. Overall, a good show by both acts. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to practice my scales a bit.:smile:


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## GuitarsCanada

Right on. I had a report from my co-woker as well. He said the VH volume was way too loud and got spit on by DLR a few times. So he must have been close. I seen them twice on this tour and the volume level was fine to me. But who knows. Sounds like it was great anyway.


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## Starbuck

Wow! Sounds like a great night! Here's what MSN has to say:

http://entertainment1.sympatico.msn...ine=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=False


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## Hamstrung

I missed out on a chance to go as a guest to that show! :frown:
Imagine my frustration when I guy I work with mentioned that he went and when I asked him how it was he said "It was a lot of noise".
Obviously not a VH fan (I'm guessing not even a rock music fan)!!!


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## Antz_Marchin

Very cool.....hmmm, I'm finishing my MBA this term. Sounds like I should be looking into a job with RIM :rockon2:


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## 1PUTTS

VH was indeed very loud from where I was sitting. But again, we were pretty close in the right seats so maybe it was better from half way back.

There are a few good vids on YouTube (and a lot of bad ones). This guy seems to have the best quality so far - Hot for Teacher & Jump. You can see that, even though it's a "Corporate" event, the crowd was very enthusiastic.

http://www.youtube.com/user/jszilvagyi

And this person took some pretty decent still photos, although they seem to have an obsession for DLR. But also some good shots of Eddie with his Wolfgang guitar, Wolfie on bass and Alex on the kit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/travellingzenwolf/sets/72157603200893914/


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## dodgechargerfan

Eddie looks to be in pretty good shape these days.
Good for him!


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