This is really more of my story of the whole event rather than a review and I hope you will read on because it is so special to me. No particular order.... just some of the things I recall about the show.

First of all, I finally got to meet Angie (who I've been waiting to meet for a long time now) and of course my very good friend Debbie (who made it possible for me to go to this concert) made this concert one I will never, ever forget. We started the afternoon out with a nice lounge in the hot tub at the hotel. Great way to relax before the concert! Excellent. Then it was off to our rooms to get ready for the show.

Meet at the will call window. Debbie hands me my tickets...... SECOND ROW ON TOM'S SIDE JUST A TAD BIT TO THE RIGHT OF STEVEN!!! (It was my contact in my eye, Debbie, really...) I could have been knocked over with a feather. I couldn't quit staring at the tickets. We did meet Laura and her husband and we stood and talked while we waited to get inside the arena.

We were so close it was hard to see everything going on. Afgan Whigs were not bad but I couldn't really hear the singer. Don't know what the deal was with that. All I know is I was ready to see Aerosmith!! Security was pretty cool. They were letting people take pictures as long as you didn't use a flash. Too bad I forgot mine. Got a few with Debbie's though. When the lights went out and the curtains came down I was actually looking straight up instead of forward, that's how close we were. The show was great as usual but to be honest, I never took my eyes off Steven. :) My husband kept telling me to look at Joe or look at Joey or whatever else was going on with the others but I really "didn't want to miss a thing" with Steven. :)

The music was a little distorted from where I stood because I ended up going right up front and stood in front of the metal fence that guarded the stage. Any closer and we would have been on the stage. That was so cool. But the music did sound funny because we were right in front of Brad's amps and that's what I kept hearing was what he was playing. It was hard to hear Joe unless he was playing solo. Anyway, I didn't care because at this point, the visual was what I was enjoying. :) Everyone remembers everything about the songs but for this concert it was the visual for me! But I do remember feeling my hair being blowed back during the times the bombs would go off. I don't know how the guys in the band can brace themselves for that!! I remember seeing the look on Tom's face after one of them went off like maybe it was a little bit too close.

During Dude Looks Like A Lady, Steven was looking me right in the eyes as he was singing. He gave a big smile and off to the other side of the stage he went. Well, that was the last thing I remember (just kidding). :) I do remember at one point he was trying to get Tom and Brad to follow him up the side ramp and Tom followed but Brad just stood there looking and never followed. Steven finally ran up to Brad giving him this really funny look as he was singing.

At one point someone in the crowd handed Steven a long coat type thing that was leopard material in the front and the back looked like black silk with "The Demon of Screamin'" in gold glitter. He put it on and showed everyone then took it off.

Joey was messing with Steven at one point and I think he was supposed to be playing his drums and wasn't and I saw Steven turn around and look at him funny and Steven headed back to him, took his towel and was wiping Joey's face and fanning him with the towel and Joey finally started playing.

One thing I thought was strange was when Steven asked if we remembered an album called "Rocks" and they played Lord of the Thighs. Guess after so many albums you can forget which songs are on what album, huh? Anyway, Mama Kin got cut out of the encore and that was a bummer but it was still great and I hated to see the show end.

I asked the security guard in front of me if I could have his setlist but he said he already promised it to someone else. When the show was over my husband and I stood there for a couple minutes and the crew came out and started taking the things off the stage. One guy was taking the setlist off the floor in front of Steven's microphone and my husband asked him if we could have it. GUESS WHO WENT HOME WITH THAT?! ME!!!!!!! It has Steven's shoe prints on it!!! We also got two of Brad's guitar picks that they threw off the stage. It's those little things I love. :)

After the show I got to go backstage with Debbie and Angie. I knew there wasn't going to be an aftershow deal but it was cool to see what it was like back there. We were sitting on this big square thing right beside the doorway that led to the dressing rooms. I look over at Debbie and she's motioning her head for me to look to my right. I turn my head and there stood Brad about a foot away from me!!! He was talking to Big Mike and he stood there for a few minutes and then went back. Talk about the heart racing!!! Mine was. Angie wanted to know if I smelled his breath, we were so close. HA! Unfortunately then we had to leave the hallway before the band came out so we went outside and waited to watch them leave. It started to rain and they pulled the cars into the garage for the band to get in. We got to see them all one at a time getting in the cars. They eventually pulled out and was out of sight. Steven was in a gold Caddy, and he looked right at us as they pulled out. I didn't sleep at all that night. I am sure that was THE best it will get for me as far as anything like that ever happening again.

It would have been great to get pics from backstage but we really had to be cool or Big Mike would make us leave. He wouldn't even let me bring the setlist backstage, afraid I would try to get them to sign it I guess. So I had to have my husband take the setlist (he didn't go backstage, hehe), but I was good and never made a peep so we could be back there. I can't say that would have been the case if it had been Steven so close to me. I probably would have went to JAIL that night! It would have been worth it, Steven!!!!! LOVE YOU!

Well, there's my version of the night and I hope you enjoyed reading about my great experience at the Columbus show. I know I enjoyed it and will never forget it.

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