STEWART COPELAND

by **bella** on 15 Aug 2008 21:22

[quote="TheEqualizer"][quote="Tamadude"] Most of the people there were pitters.

[/quote]

I think I prefer the Bella-coined phrase "pit punks." :lol:

[/quote]

nice to know I'm good for something once in a while.
:lol:

please continue wookieman.

by **Madgrad** on 15 Aug 2008 21:26

[quote="bella"][quote="TheEqualizer"][quote="Tamadude"] Most of the people there were pitters.

[/quote]

I think I prefer the Bella-coined phrase "pit punks." :lol:

[/quote]

nice to know I'm good for something once in a while.
:lol:

please continue wookieman.[/quote]

Personally, I've been callin' ya "Pit Heads", but anyhow. . . :wink:

by **Tamadude** on 15 Aug 2008 21:41

PT.8

The next guys to arrive were TamaJT and his friend John form Atlanta. They are both professionals in the drum industry, and had arranged through Paiste and Tama to do a little tour of The Chariot. And it just so happened that TamaJT is the one who sold me the SC Signature kit, so he had invited me to tour the kit with him and Jeff, should we be lucky enough to get in.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N ... 9/sizes/l/

So we are all chit-chatting for a while, when we finally hear shit getting plugged in. Now this is where my detail recollection gets inconsistent. There are pockets of time where I remember every last specific detail, and then some times where things are a bit blurry. Sorry about that. Anywhoo, let the experience begin!

TBC......

by **samburusunset** on 15 Aug 2008 21:46

Well, fuckin' get there already T'dude!!!!!!!!!

by **Tamadude** on 15 Aug 2008 22:02

PT.9

So this cat struts up to the vip gates and comes out all casual-like and starts rapping with Dietmar. It's Brad! Road Manager for the Police Tour. He's got quite a desirable gig, and he turns out to be a really nice guy, too. He's got the baddest bundle of "unlimited access" laminate passes I've ever seen strapped to one guy's hip. He seems to know Dietmar pretty well.

After a few moments pass, Dietmar non-chalantly gives me a sideways head-motion glance in the direction of the entrance where Brad had come through. Then very discreet-like we tippy-toed off to the second locked gate, which Brad then opened with his mutha-ass cluster of keys. We're then led into the bowl to witness the second-last police soundcheck ever.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N05/2766607956/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N05/2765764143/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N ... 4/sizes/l/

What luck.

TBC...........

by **TheEqualizer** on 15 Aug 2008 22:11

And who's the guy in the brown shirt in the last pic? :wink:

By the way, what was going through Andy's head when he bought those pants.

by **Tamadude** on 15 Aug 2008 22:14

[quote="TheEqualizer"]By the way, what was going through Andy's head when he bought those pants.[/quote]

Kryptonite! :lol:

by **TOWOS** on 15 Aug 2008 22:20

[quote="TheEqualizer"]And who's the guy in the brown shirt in the last pic? :wink:

[/quote]

Hugh Laurie, of course!

by **Tamadude** on 16 Aug 2008 00:19

PT.10

Damn. Here I am. There's like 10 people in the whole bowl. It felt weird. I'm used to being surrounded by thousands of rabid fans while watching the Police play music. We aren't in the front row, but we weren't about to push our luck; I was in a sound check that I had no business being at. You couldn't even buy your way into that soundcheck. We stayed where Brad seated us.

Andy and Sting are mulling around on stage, when Andy starts to play "Ode to Joy", a little ditty that was played at my wedding, so I pressed record. I'd never heard Andy play that. (sorry about the shit-cam pixelation on vids)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3nakETXXJY

TBC.......damn youtube....takes too long to upload vids. :roll:

by **shyvixen** on 16 Aug 2008 02:43

Very cool Tamadude!

by **Tamadude** on 16 Aug 2008 03:09

PT.11

Then it gets even weirder when STEWART comes out, and they break into "Sunshine of your love" by Cream. What??? A cover??? What a cover! That was a most delightful surprise. The most awesome cover song I'd ever heard The Police play to date. Actually, I don't think I'd ever heard any Police cover song to date. I could barely hold the camera still because I was grooving so hard and nodding to the beat. The wookie is knocked delirious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo4RmHrONwA

But then Elvis, his bassist, and his drummer Pete Thomas came out to session the covers, and man-o-man watching STEWART and Pete concurrently bash their kits was unreal. It looked like Pete was really on his toes trying to keep up with the Meastro. Elvis is wearing an overcoat and a hat; he must have been just cooking in that outfit. Right at this moment, I'm peaking. Then they start into Sunshine. All together now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hjgfUfgN2Y

I gotta take a break now so I can return a phone call from TamaJT. Something about some drum set arriving. :wink:

TBC........

by **policerule** on 16 Aug 2008 03:30

[quote]Let me just say this about Dietmar: This man is the quintessential 'Yoda' of Police fandom. Hands down. Bar none. Exuding seasoned mastery, it seems as though he can harness the powers of the Force at will, and then use it to defeat any and all evils of the dark side.[/quote]

I love Star Wars fans.

This is so awesome, TD!!! keep it comin'!

by **luddite lady** on 16 Aug 2008 04:42

Thanks so much for the awesome videos, Tamadude! It was completely freakin' amazing to see the Police and EC and the Imposters playing together like that. (I witnessed the three Elvii, but this was the real deal.) I had written on-line about my hopes of seeing Stewart playing drums with Elvis and I had kept wishing it in private. Now, I've actually seen it. Wow!

I'm so grateful that Hans Solo gave you that extra time off work.

Stop being so humble about your writing style. It's top notch. And you got this whole sc.net serialization make 'em swear for more thing down pat.

BTW I also had to smile at your comment of how you "began to lime" in the line before the sound check. I don't know if anyone besides Ska Man, Bong Boy and me understood you. But, bawy, dat wuz a lime you wuz limin' dat day fur sho' Limin' wit' Dietmar ain't no joke. Dat would be some capital L limin'!

by **Tamadude** on 16 Aug 2008 05:24

Thanks so much for the encouraging words, peeps!

Luddite you crack me up island gyirl!

Sorry about the vids taking so long. I shall return to prose shortly.......

PT.12

When they break into Purple haze, I'm pretty much ready to scream like a banshee. But I can't because I had pressed record again and also didn't want to destroy my camera yet. Oh my fuck. This is fucking full-on. What a treat this is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqhZCoFxfyY

They were practicing this Costello/Police medley thing you may have heard about. Then the music stopped, Andy threw his pick at the two blondies up front, and all I could do was sit there with my jaw on the floor.

Then just like that, soundcheck is over.

TBC.........

by **TheEqualizer** on 16 Aug 2008 05:27

Lime?

STEWART COPELAND

JB2 & NYC: Memoirs of a Flag Wookie

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