7:30 pm – I am working backstage right now in Appleton, WI. Even though a show is going to be happening, the game is going to be on, and I can do both. So, from the Central Time Zone, here is a live blog of the whole thing.
7:38 pm – First crisis is out of the way, with a quick mic swap (actors get their own mic wire, but substitutes need to be changed). Other than that, about 1/2 hour until the puck drops. The show is starting, about on time. No one in theater shows up late to work, or starts the show on time, if they know what is good for them.
7:50 pm – First cue of the night is out of the way, about 5 minutes until the next one. While it may seem like there isn’t much going on during a show, like most things involving live sound, it can be hours of boredom, seconds of terror. You can’t always stop bad things from happening, but you spend plenty of time preventing.
7:59 pm – Second cue of the night done. The biggest part of the job is making sure none of the actors hit the stage with a bad mic, either by bad equipment or the common destroyer of mics, sweat. The problem is, sometimes the wireless mics don’t get into range until right before an actor goes on. That’s when the terror part kicks in. Pregame coverage just started. And the balancing act of my job and hockey starts.
8:03 pm – I hate Zetterburg’s hair. There, I said it.
8::12 pm – You can never gage a game by the first minute, but the Ducks certainly showed up for the game. Can they sustain? I have to go deal with Hyenas. Back in a minute.
8:16 pm – I go to my cue, the Ducks are on the PP, I come back, it’s 4 on 4. I have no idea what happened. (NHL.com says tripping for Holmstrom, but the Ducks penalty isn’t up yet)
8:19 – Ducks Goal!!!! From the faceoff!!! Niedermayer!!!! Shorthanded!!!!! I can’t yell like the other day, as there is a show going on, and I am about 20 feet from the audience. They have no idea what I’m doing.
8:24 pm – First commercial break. More cues coming up. The show rolls on. The other sound guy will be happy the Braves are beating the Mets (for those who don’t know, that’s something they call baseball). But tonight, it’s all about the hockey backstage.
8:30 pm – I get back from the cue, and see a great shot on goal, and a solid check. Do cue, get hockey.
8:39 pm – The Ducks are ruling the play, or they are ruling the play when I’m watching, and the Wings are taking it to them when I am not (in Fantasyland). Still, I don’t expect them to come out like this in the second period. You do not make it to the Conference finals without having a response to a flat game. I hope the Ducks realize this. The end of Act 1 fast approaches.
8:43 pm – Too many men on the ice is no way to win a game.
8:47 pm – Killing it off and getting Lidstrom in the box is.
8:51 pm – End of Act 1 and End of the 1st period. I have a braut brought in by the local crew in hand, and the Ducks are winning 1-0. So far, I’m pretty happy. Both intermissions should last about the same amount of time, so I will be back around the start of the period.
9:09 pm – First song on Act 2 is over and the game is back on. Like I said, Detroit is coming out with more jump. Anyone who didn’t see this coming is in denial. A replay of a Selanne slapshot is my highlight.
9:19 pm – Did the Ducks not read what I just wrote? This is not the way to win games. Stay out of the box!!!!
9:20 pm – GOALLLL!!!!! 2-0 Ducks!!!!
9:39 pm – I leave for a little bit to deal with some things, and all hell breaks loose.
9:40 pm – And it works out just fine. DUCKS GOOAAAALLLL!!!!!!! The best part is where the ref was. Good thing it didn’t need the video review.
9:54 pm – Moving into the final scene of the show, and the final period of the game. Ducks are up 3-0, and the show is going smooth enough. I haven’t had to boogie for anything tonight, which is a plus. When you wind up running, something is horribly wrong. As soon as the show is over, I have to shut down the sound system, collect the mics, and find a bar to watch the end of the game in. This may be the final post at the show, but I’m sure I’ll put the finishing touches on this once I get home. Go Ducks!!!!
12:04 am – Back in the hotel room after the game, a few beers and some deep fried mac and cheese (notice that “fried” and “deep fried” make the final product sound vastly different). What is there to say other than
DUCKS WIN!!!!!!!!!!
Pretty damn happy about that. In fact, as the seconds wore down, and the Wings fans at the bar were screaming out for the tying goal, I was bouncing up and down like I was at a Ned’s Atomic Dustbin concert. The Red Wings go home, Bertuzzi gets nothing, and the crappy Wings fans who spew bile and hatred get to sit on their thumbs and whine about how life is not fair (note that not all Wings fans are like that, and I could even name a few, but it only takes a few to ruin things for everyone). The Wings fans in the bar shook our hands and we celebrated by drinking Spotted Cow beer (local delicacy).
As I finish up for the night, I wish the Ducks the best against the Sens, and thank the NHL scheduling gods that games one, four, and seven are on Monday nights, which just happens to be my day off. Other than a Battle of California, the Flames to step it up (you know, if they were going to beat the Avs, they might as well do something with it), and Marty Turco getting to see what round 2 was like, there is very little more I could have asked for from these playoffs. The finals loom. I need a new Stanley Cup patch.
4 responses to “Blogging the Show and Game”
what a great game, that third period was intense. Sometimes i wonder how we survive sports.
I just wish the Wings had showed up for the first two periods. All credit to the Ducks, they got the wins. I’m bummed. I’m also proud of my team, no one thought they would get this far so it was a good postseason. Just bittersweet this morning.
oh tapeleg, you can’t keep doing this, you’re giving me the worst case of nostalgia. sure there are always days i miss theater, but now that i know it can be combined productively with hockey-watching…
damn, i missed my calling.
Wow. Your hatred of the Wings is almost unparalelled!