Todd's Arena / Arena District

I knew heading to bed that Friday’s weather wasn’t expected to be very nice, so when I woke to wet streets and the pitter-patter of rain I wasn’t a bit surprised or disappointed. If nothing else, the temperature was mild – 46 degrees. After completing my exercise regimen I leashed up Ykraps and headed out to brave the elements. By then the rain had almost stopped. I didn’t even bother with the umbrella. I was the only household member required to spend my Friday toiling at work/school. Mindy & Bella remained on break and Jacob was off for Good Friday. That meant uninterrupted alone time. After PC, meditation, & stretching I dressed and left for a run. Despite the rain, the sky brightened quickly. It’s official; I’m back to running in daylight, although not until next Tuesday will the sunrise be where it was the day before DLST began. Aside from a light sprinkle and wet streets, the rain held off for the entire run. For this I was pleased. And even though I bought new running shoes on Thursday, I chose not to wear them, choosing not to risk getting them all wet on their first day of service. I made my own breakfast and prepped my own lunch, although Mindy had nuts and fruit prepackaged for the go. Still in bed, I asked Mindy if she wanted coffee. She did. I went back to the kitchen to fetch her some before hitting the shower. Mindy & the kids were planning to spend some time with Teri, Massamo, and Gianna at Dave & Buster’s. Then, later in the afternoon, Jimaken planned to pick-up Jacob & Bella for a sleepover while Mindy & I attended the Todd Rundgren show. I left for work at 8:10am. The day was a busy, but not overwhelming. Courtney called mid-morning to tell me that she bought a used washer & dryer set but needed to borrow at hacksaw to cut the drain stack to the correct height for proper drainage. I agreed to let her borrow mine. I emailed Bob Imber to see if he planned to join us for the Rundgren concert. Never did hear back. We planned to buy our tickets at the door. I wasn’t worried that the show would sell out. I talked with Tom Clark. Sounded like he was still in. Told him I would call later with details as to where/how we might meet. The afternoon was very busy, as is often the case on Friday’s. Happily, I still managed to leave for home a bit early – 5:10pm. Out of habit, I phoned Mindy when I really intended not to call. Instead, I wanted to stop at Kroger to buy her some flowers. I went ahead and talked with her for most of my drive home. I fessed up a bout the flowers. Mindy wasn’t at all pleased with my story. Said I shouldn’t even have bothered mentioning it. I was home by 5:30pm and walked Ykraps almost directly. I think Mindy joined me. We planned to leave the house by 6:00pm for Barley’s with our final destination being Promo-West Pavilion. Mindy didn’t understand that I meant Barley’s Ale House #1, and not the Smokehouse. She was a little disappointed. I explained why it made since. She then begrudgingly agreed. She clarified our plans with Tom Clark. He’d simply meet us at Barley’s for beer & food before the show. We parked in a lot about halfway between the two venues (Barley’s and PromoWest) for $3. We walked over to PromoWest to buy our tickets first. It was just after 6pm. I had my camera out to take pics. As luck would have it, we ran into Todd Rundgren & his wife getting out of their car and heading backstage into PromoWest. Unfortunately, we were across the street. Like a goofy fan, I yelled out his name almost without thinking. He gave a half handed wave and headed in briskly. Can’t say I blame him. It was chilly. I still managed to snap off a picture, but knew it wouldn’t turn out well. I wasn’t sure what to expect at the Ale House. Would it be crowded? Turned out, the crowd was sparse. We took up the corner of the bar and promptly ordered beers. Mindy sampled two selections before settling on their Double Ivan Porter. I went with the IPA, of course. We decided to wait for Tom before ordering any food. Just before Tom arrived Bob Imber called to confirm that he/they wouldn’t be joining us. Tom ordered a beer and some food in one breath. Mindy & I chose to share a Barley burger. I ordered a second IPA. The burger wasn’t even close to the quality we’ve come to expect at the Smokehouse. It was mediocre at best. It was just after 8pm. It was time to make our way over to Promo West. I didn’t realize it at the time but the new Clipper stadium, which is set to open next week, is located directly behind Promo West Pavilion. We took in the view from Nationwide Boulevard & Neil Ave. Very nice! I snapped a couple pictures, too. Once inside Promo West, I immediately ran into some old peeps. And for the first time I can ever remember (musicfest shows aside) Todd had a warm-up act. They sounded very similar to him. Todd didn’t take the stage until 9pm or so. He opened with Black Mariah, Black & White, and another song that currently escapes me. In fact, he did about five old tunes before jumping into his latest release, Arena. He covered the entire CD, or at least he said he would. I didn’t have it at the time so I can’t validate whether he did. I absolutely dug the new stuff. By far his best effort in years, and one that could possibly make him relevant once more. Before Todd started I ran into Randy Large and his wife Lisa, and then Mike Darby. I also saw a handful of other familiar characters that I couldn’t readily identify. Later, during the show I happened upon two old friends, Bertie (Roberta) Coburn and Amy Flowers. I know Bertie from West HS and Amy from Time Warner & CompuServe. Two other noteworthy incidents: I happened upon a couple passed out on a bench during the show. Of course I couldn’t resist the photo op. I found a new cell phone at the entrance to the men’s room. I pocketed the phone and later attempted to call its owner but to no avail. It was raining by the time the show ended, but only lightly. We made our way back to the Honda in the rain. Mindy drove home. Mindy headed directly to bed. She was exhausted after a long day and then standing through the entire show. I wasn’t tired. Once Home, I popped some corn and poured myself a Jack & Coke all the while enjoying some mindless TV. Truth is, I can’t remember what I watched. I headed for bed around midnight.