A Day in Indy - Pre-P!nk

If you read the last post, then you know I headed to Indianapolis last Thursday to see P!nk in concert. My first stop along the way was to pickup my ticket from willcall. There were 3 advantages to this:

1. I got a true paper ticket to add to my collection
2. I could scope out the parking situation prior to the show
3. In this case, I could check out the official P!nk merch

I planned to visit the Rhythm Discovery Center when I was downtown, just blocks away, but I couldn't stomach paying parking for then and later for the concert. Next stop was to explore the area around my hotel on the north side of Indy. First up was a little racing and "gambling" at Dave and Busters!

Then I stopped over at Phantom Fireworks. I think the last fireworks I bought were sparklers or the snaps that pop when you throw them against the ground. So, why did I find myself here? Well, I asked my dad if he needed anything in Indianapolis. To no surprise, the answer was yes and minutes later I had his membership card, two coupons, and an address. It was fun to have a personal tour of the store and reviews of the fireworks I got to select from. Mission accomplished!

By this time, it was minutes before 1:30 and past lunchtime for my stomach, so I pulled in to Le Peep where I would order breakfast. As I waited for my food, I saw the waitresses prepping the restaurant for closing. I was slightly confused, but when my food arrived I was informed that they close at 2:30. I felt like a schmuck at this point. I forgot Indiana was goofy about daylight savings time and I lost an hour when crossing the border.

I scarfed down my food, checked into my hotel and navigated my way back downtown where I planned to visit the Rhythm Discovery Center, grab a light dinner and head over to the show. I couldn't figure out where the RDC was, so I parked close to the concert venue, so I wouldn't have to walk too far at night after the show.

This left me walking a few miles that evening in the rain without an umbrella. Thank goodness for hoods because it was definitely poor planning on my part. To my surprise, I found the RDC in the basement of multi-story mall. I left myself a whole 30 minutes to take it all in.

If I had time to read all of the signs that accompanied the exhibits, I'd be able to tell you the origins of the different drums in the photo below. With my half hour, I opted to play every single percussion instrument available to me and skipped over the signs.

I was in heaven. You name the percussion instrument, and I played it... loud and badly!!! It was so much fun. How did I accomplish this feat in so little time? I was the ONLY person in the center.

It's a shame I didn't really learn anything, but it gives me an excuse to go back. Here's another quick video of me playing a gong. Wish I had more hands, so I could show you videos of me playing the steel, timpani, bongo, and snare drums (just to name a few)... and who can forget the cowbells! Yes, cowbells... plural!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I had a smile on my face with every beat of a drum!