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Research In Motion knew how to throw a party. In November 2007, the company rented out the Air Canada Centre in Toronto and filled it — the whole thing — with employees, partners, and customers for a private concert called RIM Rocks.

The tickets were free. The catch: arrange your own transportation, and show up at work the next morning. I was based out of the Ottawa office at the time, so a few of us piled into a 1999 Honda Civic and made the drive down the 417 to Toronto — navigating with a BlackBerry Curve, as you did in 2007.

1999 Honda Civic — BB Curve - best selling BlackBerry of all time

Up in the private boxes, sales teams were doing what sales teams do: wining and dining customers, turning a concert into a business dinner with a very good view. On the floor and in the seats below, the rest of us just got to enjoy the show.

The opening act was The Tragically Hip. With Gord Downie at the front of the stage, there was nothing low-key about it. The Hip were at the peak of their powers and Downie was magnetic — the kind of performer who makes a room feel smaller than it is, even when that room holds twenty thousand people.

The Tragically Hip on stage at the Air Canada Centre — The Tragically Hip opening the show

Gord Downie centre stage with guitar — Gord Downie centre stage

The Tragically Hip under blue stage lighting — The Hip

Then came Van Halen.

This was the reunion everyone had been waiting for. David Lee Roth was back, and Eddie Van Halen had brought along his son Wolfgang to play bass. The three of them — Eddie, Dave, and Wolfgang — played a set that reminded you exactly why Van Halen mattered. Eddie's playing was effortless and jaw-dropping in equal measure.

The Air Canada Centre filled with people during Van Halen's set — The full house during Van Halen's set

David Lee Roth, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Eddie Van Halen on stage — David Lee Roth, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Eddie Van Halen

David Lee Roth singing with Eddie Van Halen on guitar and Alex Van Halen at the drums — David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen, with Alex behind the kit

It was a remarkable evening. RIM was at the height of its influence, and the company wasn't shy about celebrating that. Nights like this felt earned.

The drive home was something else. Somewhere on the highway back to Ottawa at around 3:30 in the morning, we nearly ran out of gas. Everyone in the car had been awake for twenty hours. We made it, barely.

The deal was you still came in the next day. No time off, just show up. So we did. Three hours of sleep, and then we hauled ourselves back into the labs. It was a slow morning. Nobody said much. But we'd seen The Tragically Hip and Van Halen in the same night, for free, and that counted for something.