MSG Finale Flag Report, a.k.a., Yes, that flag was THE Flag.

[animal]

[quote="Grace"]OFF-TOPIC & maybe already linked somewhere, but this one's got some of the afforementioned point action captured for any of you who missed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IX2g2wj ... re=related[/quote]

Holy Crap, Stewart stilll gets points in when the stage is crowded. Wow.

Kellie loving the story telling talk about foreplay.

[dafttart]

[quote="DirtyMartini"]

But it was all pretty simple: Brad came out. I handed him the Flag. Brad and the Flag went away. "Can't Stand Losing You" soon began.

Heh heh. And I just this very moment have realized that little song-cue irony. . . .[/quote]


Awwwww I've shed a wee tear

[bella]

awwww, Kel, what a way to go.


Okay, I don't see Jeff's signature anywhere in the "left lower quadrant". Is it in thick ink? thin ink? Upside down? right side up? Does it just say "jeff"? Does it say "St. Jeff"? Does it say "Fuck off You c.u.n.t., love Jeff"? (Speaking of FOYC. It was great meeting and talking with you outside of Fat Annie's. )



ETA (because I apparently can't read.): D'OH!!! I see, you said UPPER left quadrant. Let's go looksie again.

[DirtyMartini]

Sorry -- meant to mention this earlier: Jeff is actually top-leftish, between Meggi and Kevin, just left of EQ. It says,

Jeff Seitz
Boston
et al


*snicker*

[bella]

[quote="DirtyMartini"]Sorry -- meant to mention this earlier: Jeff is actually top-leftish, between Meggi and Kevin, just left of EQ. It says,

Jeff Seitz
Boston
et al


*snicker*[/quote]

I saw that and immediately thought it was his when I saw the et al, but the boston threw me off. Somehow I feel complete now. I can continue with daily activities.

[Skip]

Boy, this is fun!
Best thread ever DM . . . just sayin' yo.

[DirtyMartini]

[This should have been a part of the last mammoth post, but I screwed up. So pretend this bit is attached earlier please.]


I probably should have felt sad -- I had just physically handed away this monstrous project. But the import and meta-level stuff wasn't in my mind at the time; I was still concentrating on the "job" of it. At that moment, this whole Flag thing was literally out of my hands, and while Team Copeland and I were sort of working together, we sort of weren't, so all I could do was hope that we had communicated well enough. I leave a message under a rock; you flip over a watering can if the answer is yes; I'll throw a flag blindly over a wall, and hopefully you're there at the appointed time to catch it.

Because the one crew guy had just taken measurements and because there had been that whole "Next To You" plan, I didn't expect the Flag to appear until the very end of the show. So during that extra-long break before the first encore -- during which I received a text from Maggie saying that Sting had shaved the beard and had no idea what she was talking about -- I was damn surprised to see this flagpolish contraption appear on stage, and Pecos whisper in her mischievous sing-song way, "Look what Jeff's got. . . ."

. . .

[Maud138]

So there were no waves for flaggy? No kisses? ahhhhhh,

Well it got at least great attention up there on stage!

[samburusunset]

[quote="DirtyMartini"]Sorry -- meant to mention this earlier: Jeff is actually top-leftish, between Meggi and Kevin, just left of EQ. It says,

Jeff Seitz
Boston
et al


*snicker*[/quote]


I initially said "lower left" as that's how I remembered it. But I later corrected my post to "upper left." D'oh! Sorry. Anywho, would've been funny if he'd said

Jeff Seitz

Everywhere

30 years

[nancyrose]

So beautiful...every word of it! Now seems just about the right time for the good cry I've been bottling up since getting back home!



Aside to Grace: THANK YOU for posting the link to that incredible footage! I really hadn't been able to see much of Stewart's playing what with all those NYPD gentlemen blocking my view (sorry, guys, you were all GREAT, too!)...this was quite a treat! And the points...wow, Stewart, how well-trained are you? All that, plus a quick peek of Moe rockin' out!! Perfect!!

[bella]

[quote="samburusunset"][quote="DirtyMartini"]Sorry -- meant to mention this earlier: Jeff is actually top-leftish, between Meggi and Kevin, just left of EQ. It says,

Jeff Seitz
Boston
et al


*snicker*[/quote]


I initially said "lower left" as that's how I remembered it. But I later corrected my post to "upper left." D'oh! Sorry. Anywho, would've been funny if he'd said

Jeff Seitz

Everywhere

30 years


[/quote]

OMG. You mean I actually read that correctly? I thought I was losing my mind when I went back to see it again and it said UPPER! I'm gonna kick your ass, amy!

[sixteenlaps]

I watched Jeff sign the flag and I couldnt manage to find it for a while... took some real detective work

[stevel]

''For "Magic" I passed the Flag to stevel -- who immediately shot the thing straight into the air. Haha. I swear that Steve spent the entire night with at least one arm in the air at all times. I defy you to find a photo of Steve during the show in which at least one arm is not in the air. So far I've only seen one, and his arms were subdued to use his camera. The man simply emanated joy''


'Steve spent the entire night with at least one arm in the air at all times. I defy you to find a photo of Steve during the show in which at least one arm is not in the air'
LOL yep thats me I actually aplogised to Pecos and Apegio standing next to me before the gig cause I was so pent up with energy/anticipation I thought I'll never keep still here ......front row aaaggghhhh.

'Emanated joy'
DirtyMartini lol was it so obvious?
Spot on - yep that would be me!!! - it was an experience I'm gonna tell the Grandkids about!!

Wonderful story.

Great great memories

[BongoBoy]

Yup, "Throw ya hands in de air "

Awesome stuff.

I just wanted to jump in (as this brings back memories) and say Thanks for passing the Flaggie down the front of the Pit. EQ briefly handed it to me and I was taken aback " Hey Look, it's stinky the Flaggie, hows it goin Buddy?" gave it a little frolick in the air and back down the row it went.

a glorious brief goodbye.

It's a barnyard Flag.

sniff.


Cheers.
BongoFrontRow O !

[DirtyMartini]

So unbeknownst to the folks in the pit, Sting is finally shaving the beard -- and then, out of nowhere, Stewart appears on stage with a ridiculous green object in hand. Of course, Stewart first appears on stage *in the dark* with a ridiculous green object in hand (come on, Stewart -- how many years have you been performing, man?), but lights come up to find him showing this ridiculous green object to various parts of the audience.

Because no one -- not even I -- knew that it was about to happen, no one catches the first couple of seconds, but a few fine folks have caught a bit of video of the moment:

Beata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtmJ5mVsM8

Maud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsQwdQyHzmw (tune in around 3:10)

Mo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar4ngBoOT6s&fmt=18

and every photo that I've seen of Stewart actually holding the Flag looks a lot like Susan's:
http://images.kodakgallery.com/servlet/ ... 8_0_BG.jpg

I think it speaks volumes to how excited and flipped-out people were about this that so many photos and videos of Stewart and the Flag on stage are jumping all over the damn place. Just listen to Maud and Tama and Ska Man yelling "Stewart's got the Flag!" on Maud's video. 99% of the audience had no idea what the hell the damn thing was -- but that 1% in-the-know went ballistic.

Awesome.

Mad props to the tall lanky dude who hits shit with sticks.

(I must say that I had to laugh a bit when I first saw the flag's perch: I had actually pictured something more L-shaped/right-angled rather than something quite so crucifixish, but what the hell. In the name of the Stewart, Sting, Holy Summers, amen.)

So Stewart showed the Flag, he pointed, he saluted, he pointed again, while Andy noodled. A few nutters in the audience burst into tears. Some folks swear that Stewart said something -- but I didn't hear that. He got on the mic and introduced Sting sans beard, but if he said anything before that, I missed it over the screaming (my own included).

Again, I probably should have cried. But the whole thing was just too unreal. The whole thing is still too unreal. For the last six songs of The Police's last gig of their last tour, that manky, mangled, stinky green flag that was created on my and Mo's kitchen table and has since seen 5 continents and 91 concerts -- plus a pretty long Elvis taping, so screw it, we're gonna call that 92 -- hung next to Stewart's drumkit. I've seen the videos; I've seen the photos. I was there. I know how the story ends. But I still don't believe it.

And the band played on. It was during "King of Pain" that I got a bit choked up, staring at that flagpole rag on stage and witnessing the wind about to stop and all. And somewhere in the encores, Stewart looked at me and cocked his head toward the Flag with a kind of "check this shit out" smile.

Indeed.

Mad props to the tall lanky dude who hits shit with sticks.

During "Every Breath You Take," the "Thank You" flags appeared. I think I first noticed Pecos next to me with her flag turned Thank-You-side out, and I'm really glad that she did that. I had had mine in my hand so long that I had nearly forgotten about it. But gradually Thank Yous appeared throughout the audience, glowing bright green in front of the stage, at stage-left, at stage-right every time the light hit them. At one point I turned around to see the audience behind me, and I saw a line of Thank Yous spread throughout the floor. It was a sight to behold.

And when the lights came up toward the end of the song and you could see the band really see the message -- it was just as enormous and as heartrending as seeing the Flag on stage.

We may not have made Stewart Copeland cry, but I think we did pretty good nonetheless.

Finally, eventually, the show ends, the fat lady sings, Stewart points, Stewart strips -- general mass hysteria -- lights come up, and Brad appears with the Flag.

Er, wot?

I can't remember what Brad asks me; I'm pretty sure I remember answering a question with a confused "Well, it's up to him, but . . ." It's loud; it's emotional; I'm tired and perplexed. But luckily Pecos has her brain on and tells Brad that now Stewart keeps the Flag. (Thank you, Pecos. Apologies for the confusion, Brad -- that all was just weird.)

And the Flag disappears backstage.

Again, no pomp. No circumstance. It just is.

So where is the Flag now? . . .


[Sorry, but I gotta write a post-script.]