PISS OFF! IT'S NOT A GIANT'S CAP!

Every time I wear my Spock's Beard cap, I get abuse for being a San Francisco Giants fan (far from it-go Phillies!).

The cap is black with the above logo in the same orange color as the SF baseball team.

And since it is no longer offered for sale on the band site, I am guessing it is now a collector's item!

I sometimes come a cross duplicate CD's in my collection and sell them off online.

A gentleman (Steve) from the United Kingdom inquired about the Tubes CD I had recently listed.

I stopped shipping overseas due to problems with lost shipments-it's one thing to refund the sale price of the CD (I bought them so long ago I am not actually out any money), but the postage is kind of pricey and that's a real cash outlay. And me being an accountant and all...

Anyway, Steve was going to be in the Phoenix area so he asked if he could pick the disc up.

He came to downtown Tempe, and I walked outside to give him the disc (the Now album in case you're a stickler for details). Since the sun was out and I was going to go get lunch, I had my SB cap on.

Steve took one look and said "You must be a prog rock fan with a Spock's Beard hat."

So the average American would mistake this cap with the logo of a California band for a sport's team's logo, but a man from a continent and an ocean away (5,264 air miles if you're counting) knew it right away.

I have always been a little envious of the music scene in the UK (actually most of Europe), because it seems that their fans support music of all types, where here in the US, it's pretty much rap or country, with a little One Direction thrown in for the kiddies.

The one advantage to being a fan of acts that do not sell out stadiums acts is the feeling of community.

With the music business being what it is, these bands count on the support of their fan base-for them, the business is pretty much what it was before recorded music-they perform, they get paid.

And it shows in how they treat their patrons.

Not only are the bands gracious to their fans, but the other fans are quite decent to each other as well.

I recognize faces at many of the shows I go to-Todd Rundgren and Spock's Beard have fans who are willing to pack an overnight bag to see a show-and have made friendships with some pretty nice people from around the US, and now one across the pond.

At a recent show in Chicago, I reconnected with a gentleman I'd met on the cruise stop in the Bahamas, as well as met three different couples from the city, and a fellow traveler (from Denver).

As it turns out, music can actually bring people together.

And connecting with other people is really what it's all about.

I'd guess that is less likely to happen at a Katy Perry concert.

Although not many prog bands look this good topless...