LOVE AT LOVELAND

I watched the weather report all day, trying to get a sense of how much snow we'd get out of this approaching storm, the first in a series marching towards Colorado. Loveland reported 4 inches by Saturday morning, with the best was yet to come. The decision was made to pack it up and head to the high country, leaving home around 9 PM. I felt guilty at the thought of going skiing so soon after my Oregon trip and knowing there were other things needing to get done around the house, but the wife accepted it because she always assumed I'd go regardless.

Few vehicles on the road that time of the evening. The snow began to come down half way up the mountains, turning into white out driving conditions, barely able to make out the edge of the road. Loveland Pass was closed and blocked off, so I parked in the Loveland ski area parking lot. About 8 inches of snow had already accumulated during this evening. But it let up long enough for me to crank up the music and enjoy Van Halen from outside the vehicle, being careful not to slip on the compacted snow, the result of my "dancing".

The ski area received a total of eleven inches of new snow overnight, and it showed on the slopes with the excellent skiing. Powder everywhere, all day long. A little wetter than the light fluffy stuff, making for sometimes tricky skiing, as one went from wind packed to the soft and deep stuff on the downwind side of features. A fabulous time! It snowed lightly all day, the sun appearing as a dim orb in the sky above. I took off early to avoid the weekend traffic, arriving home late in the afternoon.

Falls an inch an hour
Anxiously awaits the dawn
Like Christmas morning

Thick flakes falling
Like fog beneath the street lights
Parking lot buried

Saturday night's show took place on February 1, 1989 at the Super Dome in Tokyo, Japan during the Monsters of Rock Tour. It was originally broadcast on Japanese television, DVD copies of which are readily available. The quality is an excellent soundboard recording, can't get any better than this. This version of the show has been edited to remove all of Sammy's chatter between songs. The band played flawlessly. Their perfect performance coupled with how the show was edited, one could easily conclude that this was a studio album. It was a dynamite performance!

A sound so perfect
Play up there on the stage
Four acting as one

Stands in the spotlight
The best guitar in the world
Man from Amsterdam