Valdosta concert ticket.
It's all about my FAVE artist, baby!
Chapter 10: Wild Adventures Theme Park concert review and photos
Touring With Scissors, Valdosta, GA, September 16, 2000
Valdosta concert ticket. |
It's all about my FAVE artist, baby!Chapter 10: Wild Adventures Theme Park concert review and photos Touring With Scissors, Valdosta, GA, September 16, 2000 |
Table of Contents |
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Oh my GAWD!My folks surprised me with 2 backstage passes for my birthday! How they got them, I will never know! I couldn't believe it! I was able to meet Steve and Jim!Prelude To A Concert...Once I knew the Weird Al bug had really bitten me, I checked Weird Al's web page daily to see if a local concert date would appear. I also checked to see where Al and the guys were playing on my birthday. I told myself I'd go wherever the concert on September 19th was. Well, something even better happened: there was a concert near my hometown of Tallahassee, FL, on September 16th! I just knew I had to introduce my Mom, Dad, and Stepmother to the Weird Al experience! I saw the Valdosta concert date on Weird Al's web page in April or May. As soon as I saw it, I knew going to this concert was what I wanted for my birthday! When I called my folks to let them know, the reception was less than enthusiastic, to say the least. I told my folks that I would try to get the best seats possible! I wanted them to see every little thing! That's when my Mom and Stepmother started asking, "Will it be loud?" "I won't like it if it's loud." "I'll leave it it's loud." Then Mom said that I could get good seats for my Dad and me, but to get seats way in the back for her and Marilyn. NEVER!!!! Of course, I was undeterred! I tried to get the best tickets possible! I could only get tickets through the venue. Let me tell you, getting the tickets was the longest time I have ever had to hold on the phone in my life. The receptionist wouldn't put me through to the ticket office before 10:00 AM. As soon as it was time to buy tickets, all I got was a busy signal! How frustrating! I just kept getting a busy signal over and over and over again! So, I just kept hitting redial. Finally, about 10:20, I did get through. They're just taking names and credit card numbers, not assigning tickets. I'd have to call back in a couple of hours to get my seat assignment. I asked how far back in the queue I was: over 40! EEEEK! I just knew we were going to be sitting in the nosebleed section! So, I called back a nerve-filled 2 hours later to find out I HAD 3rd ROW SEATS!!!!! Not bad after all. Of course, my Dad just HAD to say that only I could spend $65.00 for tickets to a free show. I quickly reminded Dad that he, not I, paid for the tickets, so who feels stupid now?!? Ninner ninner! So, as I see it, there are two major issues that will affect whether or not my Mom and Stepmother will enjoy the concert. The noise factor is one. Hopefully, the earplugs I bought them will help. The other factor is this: Weird Al has his finger on the pulse of popular culture; my parents seem to avoid pop culture like the plague! If it's not on NPR, WNLS (Tallahassee's sports talk radio), or related to pro or college football, I bet they don't know about it! This is something I probably can't overcome despite my best efforts! I know my Mom hasn't seen Forrest Gump. I'd bet you that my Dad and Stepmother haven't seen it. Therefore, they might not understand Gump. They might recognize Whip It if they heard it, but I bet they wouldn't make the connection between DEVO and Dare To Be Stupid on their own. I'd bet you that none of them have heard Like A Virgin. I could go on.... So, in my feeble attempt to remedy, or at least alleviate, this problem, I made a tape of all the songs Weird Al will perform in concert in order of appearance. I also printed out the lyrics to all the songs. And, to bring an extra moment of clarity to things, I annotated the lyric sheets with pithy and informative inside information such as: "Weird Al wrote this song when his girlfriend broke up with him," regarding One More Minute. And, "Parody of Madonna's Like A Virgin," regarding Like A Surgeon. Also, "Theme song to Weird Al's Saturday morning TV show," regarding The Weird Al Show Theme. The only way the above-mentioned efforts will be successful is if my folks actually read the lyrics and listen to the tapes! This portion of the equation is out of my hands until I actually get home. However, they will be my captives on the two-hour drive to the concert and I will use the time to the best of my ability! (Maniacal laugh and nervous wringing of hands...!) Top
I had been scared that my folks wouldn't enjoy the concert since I told them I wanted them to go with me. I think it was the lukewarm reception that I got when I told them about it... It was an occasional fear that I only felt every once in a while until I bought the concert tickets! Then, it was practically an everyday occurrence! So, to try to allay my own fears, I did everything I could think of to try to increase my folk's understanding and enjoyment of the concert. I knew all my efforts were in vain when I stepped off the plane in Tallahassee! After the hugs and hellos, I asked my Mom if she got the Weird Al package I sent to her. Mom: yes. Me: Did you read it? Mom: Some. Me: Did you listen to the tape? Mom: What tape? Me: The one I sent with the lyrics. Mom: There was no tape. Me: Yes there was! (blanche, shudder, sigh.....) I later found the tape on Mom's kitchen table. Then, my fears were further augmented when Mom, Marilyn and I went out Saturday morning. I asked Marilyn about the tape and lyrics. She hadn't seen them or read them either! That's when I got mad! I told them at the top of my lungs that I follow college and pro football every stinkin' year just so I'd have something to talk to them about and they couldn't read a few stinkin' pages of lyrics or listen to a lousy tape!?! Oh for Pete's Sake! The show took place at the Wild Adventures Theme Park. The only part of the park I saw was the sidewalk leading to the concert stage. There was a Florida State football game that day and my folks are die-hard, bleeding garnet and gold, Seminole fans! They didn't want to miss a second of the game that started at 3:30 that afternoon. I was chomping at the bit to leave for the concert! Since I had gotten concert tickets AND passes to the park, I wanted to ride a ride or two first! Then, as it took us longer and longer to leave the house, I just prayed that we got to the concert on time! So, we watched the first half of the football game at home. When halftime came, I thought we'd hop in the car and head to the theme park. Apparently, that wasn't the plan! Dad suggested that we wait to leave until just before the second half started so we could listen to the entire second half on the radio before the signal faded. There went my plans to get my folks to listen to the tapes I made in the car! I'm an FSU fan, but this game was against the North Carolina Tar Heels (a.k.a. the Sisters of the Poor)! Not a football powerhouse; not a big game, you understand. It wasn't like we were playing the Florida Gators! The final score was a barn-burning 63-14! What a nail-biting, squeaker of a game it was! We almost didn't win that one! WHEW! In my defense, I was true to my upbringing and my alma mater! Though I had on my Al TV t-shirt, I was representing by wearing an FSU shirt wrapped around my waist. The FLORIDA STATE part was proudly displayed right across my hieney! Go Noles! **starts singin' the War Chant** ;) So, the game ended about 20 minutes before we arrived at the park. I handed Dad the concert tape and said, "Play this!" So he did. When The Weird Al Show Theme came on, Mom said she couldn't understand a word Al was singing. However, she did hear the 'tater tot farm' line. She said, "Tater tot farm?" I laughed and asked, "Isn't that funny?" She said, "It doesn't make any sense!" I blanched and explained that it was a JOKE and that in the video he is driving a machine that "harvests" the tater tots! She didn't get it! Then, when Gump came on, Mom scrunched up her face and complained about how loud it was. Not a good sign. So, Dad turned down the radio so low that you practically couldn't hear anything! I laughed at a line in Gump and said, "That's FUNNY!" Mom again said she couldn't understand anything Al was singing. Again, not a good sign! I buried my face in my hands and just shook my head slowly from one side to the other. I just knew that this was going to be a COMPLETE DISASTER! We got to the park at 7:40 and the concert started at 8:00! I wanted to run to the venue! My folks wanted to walk! Then, Marilyn went into one of the park offices and stood in line for a while. I had no idea why she was there since I had all our tickets on me! She wouldn't tell me anything and I was just plain running out of patience! Marilyn said for me to give her tickets to her and the rest of us could go to the concert. I still had no idea what was going on, but I KNEW I didn't want to miss even one second of the concert! As The Fresh Prince so aptly put it, "Sometimes parents just don't understand!" Dad waited for Marilyn and Mom and I went on to the concert! Mom wasn't walking fast enough for me. I tried to run by grabbing her hand and dragging her behind me. Mom laughed and said she couldn't walk that fast! So I slowed down (slightly!). As it turned out, I got there in plenty of time. Mom and I sat down and waited for Dad and Marilyn. An extra-added bonus was that I knew I'd meet some friends that I met on the MIRC! I just love meeting fellow Al fans when I go to a concert! But, I forgot to bring Rebochan (Rebecca) and Gossamer's (Jeanne) seat numbers with me. D'OH!!! Luckily, Rebo made large sign with her MIRC nickname on it, so I was able to go over and say hello to Rebo. As it turns out, Gossamer just happened to be sitting right in front of her so I got to meet them both! Jeanne had gotten backstage passes for her and Rebecca. I was impressed. At this point, I didn't know my folks had gotten me passes as well. After I met Rebo and Gossamer, Dad and Marilyn arrived. I went back to sit down and Marilyn handed me an envelope and said "Happy Birthday!" I had no idea what it was so I looked inside. All I had to see was that particular shade of bright orange and I KNEW WHAT IT WAS! BACKSTAGE PASSES! I couldn't believe it! I was so excited. I jumped up and hurled myself onto my Dad's lap, nearly giving him a hernia! I just kept yelling thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! I gave everybody a kiss and a hug! Then, I had to let Rebo and Gossamer know I'd be going backstage with them! Woo woo! That's when I realized that I had left Steve and Jim's CDs in the car! So, I ran back to the car to get them. I wasn't going to meet Steve and Jim again and not have something for them to sign! I ran to the car and back and made it back just as the radio announcers took the stage to introduce Weird Al! Well, this was my 9th TWS concert, and just when I thought that it couldn't get any better, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was wrong! This show was a birthday present from my parents. I asked for them to come with me when I first saw the concert on Weird Al's web site in April or May. The concert was September 16th and my birthday is the 19th. My Mom, Dad, and Stepmother came with me. My folks think I'm insane for seeing so many concerts and basically traveling around the country to see Al, et al, perform. So, I had to take them to a show and let them know what the excitement was all about! I thought the show was going to be the shorter, theme park version (like it was at Hershey Park), but it was almost the entire concert! Al played every song in the full-length set except Like A Surgeon. On top of Mom, Dad, and Marilyn seeing the show for the first time, I appointed Dad as the official photographer! For once, I could concentrate on the concert and not worry too much about taking too many photographs! Dad was a trooper! He diligently took three rolls of photos. His camera is way better than mine, so some of his pics are really good! THANKS Dad! Of course I gave Dad, who was sitting right next to me, the standard speech in which I apologized in advance for hitting him in the head with my elbows when I started dancing my head off! He understood! (He's the first one I said that to who really did understand!) Dad took several photos of me dancing my head off! Thanks Dad! Proof that I actually DO dance my head off at Al's concerts!
Sometime during Polka Power, a woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and told me she couldn't see the concert because I was dancing so much and could I keep it down a little? I said yes, I would keep it down, but what I was thinking was, "If you'll munch on a Certs, potty mouth, I'll keep the dancing to a minimum!" She had the worst breath and we were face to face! EEEUUUWWWWW! After she stopped stinking up my personal space, I turned to my Dad and we exchanged disgusted looks. Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited HER! Anyway... Luckily, the seats next to me were empty so I moved over half a seat and continued dancing! I guess this appeased the stinkpot behind me, because I never heard from her again! I sustained an excruciatingly severe hieney bruise because I was sitting half on one chair and half on the other! The seats weren't padded and neither is my butt! Ouch! I didn't sit right for about a week after the concert! Just more proof of how good the concert was! The crowd was pretty wild that night! If you've read any of my other concert reviews, you know I can't stand it when the crowd is really sedate! After the initial excitement of Al coming out and being totally absorbed with what was happening on stage, I tried to gauge my folks' reaction to each song, starting with Jerry Springer. I'm not sure what they were thinking, to tell you the truth! I'm not sure Mom could see the video screen so I think the whole Al vs. Tress showdown (plus everything else afterwards) was lost on her. I think Dad and Marilyn liked it though. Jon only played one note for his drum solo. Al really should give Jon the time necessary to showcase his awesome talent! (tee hee!) They watched Eddie Vedder but I'm pretty sure they DID NOT get it. I'm not sure I could even explain it to them if I had too. I enjoyed the heck out of it though. They DID, however, enjoy The Night Santa Went Crazy! I think it was easier for them to understand the lyrics. They loved the snow! It wasn't a surprise because I've shown them photos of the snow from previous concerts. Dad laughed really hard when the police bubbles lit up! Jim also got to kick Santa Claus. Santa deserved it! He patted Jim on the head and pinched his cheek! Imagine that: a patronizing Santa!?! Who woulda thunk it? Then came Dare To Be Stupid! This is my favorite all-time Al concert song! When Jim and Steve came on stage in their yellow anti-contamination suits, I turned to my folks and screamed, "Dare To Be Stupid!" (As if they knew what that really meant!) Then the music started! I always dance my head off the hardest to this! I also do all the volunteering, pointing at Jim, Charmin squeezing, barking up a tree, spitting on a fish moves right along with Al! Pentiums came next. I KNOW that Mom couldn't understand a thing Al was singing! But, Dad got into the act by clapping a little. I of course, did all the arm-pumping, lyric singing, and hand gestures right along with Al! Al had fun with Germs that night! After he slithered to the edge of the stage, he started rubbing the head of the security guard who was sitting in front of the stage. Al apparently licked the mic stand (like SOMEONE was complaining about on the NG), but I missed it. DARN! Would've liked to see that, let me tell you! I'll keep my eye out for that at the Kansas City concert! Al's monologue prior to One More Minute was about his crazy Uncle Bob. Rubén was really getting into it and Al graciously gave him his '15 minutes' before Al ruthlessly cut Rubén down in his prime. It's all Rubén's fault, Jim tried to warn him! It's a good thing Rubén has the incredible ability to come back from the dead! Being the un-dead apparently doesn't affect Rubén's ability to play keyboard! While it was good that the audience wasn't completely sedate, it did cause problems during One More Minute. It seems to me that security has become really relaxed at the last few concerts I've been to when Al goes out into the audience. I've never seen anyone who seemed to be threatening in any way, but I'm sure that in Mungo and Al's mind there's always a concern! I still can't believe Al leaves the protection of the stage! Hey Al, if you can come out into the audience, can we run up on stage? Nah, I bet it's NOT a reciprocal agreement!?! When we were driving home after the concert, Mom said that when Al gave out the scarves during One More Minute it was just like Elvis! (sigh) At least she understood that reference. Maybe if Al parodied Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love, Mom would have enjoyed it more. When the Medley started, I thought my folks should recognize some of the songs. It later occurred to me that my sister and I listened to Weird Al for years before we moved away from home to go to college, so my Mom should know, or at least recognize, a lot of Al's earlier songs. As an example of Mom recognizing a song we listened to as kids, when Soft Cell's song Tainted Love came on the radio one day, my Mom said, "I've heard this song so many times that I'm sick of it!" I'm sure she eventually felt the same way about Weird Al considering my sister and I were (and still are) such huge fans and we played his music ALL THE TIME! I could tell that Dad recognized Another One Rides The Bus and I Love Rocky Road. He even pumped his fist in the air during Rocky Road! What a wild man! I specifically looked directly at Dad when Al sang Pretty Fly For A Rabbi! I wanted to see what his reaction was. He laughed really hard when Al sang, "All the goyems say I'm pretty fly for a Rabbi!" I just knew he'd find this song funny. He didn't even have to know the original because the song stands on its own. Pretty fly for an old guy, huh? (I mean my Dad -- not Al!?! LOL!) Dad recognized I Lost On Jeopardy as well. I watched him watch the part where Don Pardo berates Al. Dad's actually old enough to have seen Jeopardy when Don Pardo and Art Fleming were on. I'm of the Alex Trebek generation. Al usually looks really ashamed when Don Pardo calls him a 'complete loser' but it was hard to tell that night because Al's hair was totally covering his face. Sort of like a curly Cousin It! I talked to Dad after the concert and he DID recognize many of the songs in the medley. Of the two of us, he's the only one who has heard the original MacArthur Park, so he scores mega brownie points for that! Jim was running all over the stage during Smells Like Nirvana. It's only been the last few concerts that I've seen Jim just go crazy during Nirvana. I love it! Now THAT'S what guitar playing is supposed to be! You GO, Jim! I have to tell you that the Nirvana cheerleaders were the worst I have ever seen backing Al up! They were just awful! They couldn't keep a beat and they rarely made the same move at the same time. I've never seen Al's cheerleaders stink up the joint the way these girls did! Ever heard the saying, "Practice Makes Perfect?" I didn't think so.... Al threw his extra water on these three lucky women who were sitting inside the fence between the stage and the audience. I wonder who they were and how they got such choice seats? They weren't even dancing or clapping much. GRRRR! I'm sorry, but if you have such good seats in full view of the stage, you gotta represent, know what I mean?!? Al seemed especially animated during Bedrock Anthem! I tried to explain to Mom why Al comes out in a clown outfit. She doesn't know who the Red Hot Chili Peppers are and she sure hasn't seen their videos or heard their songs, so it was a lost cause. But I tried... Steve looked especially dapper in his loincloth, I must say. I just love Amish Paradise! It's always a high point of the concert for me! When Al 'turned the other cheek' I looked at my folks to see them really laughing! That made me feel really good. But, it only got better! My folks really enjoyed Fat, crotch grabbing and all! The whole spectacle of the costume was a real hit! As I said earlier, the crowd was really wild that night! This became really obvious when the crowd left their seats rushed to the fence (including me, of course) for the encore! It was great! The people who stayed at their seats stood up and joined us cheering the encore! Mom asked me later if we were supposed to think that Darth Rubén was really Weird Al. Never thought of it that way. I just always knew it was Rubén. We cheered and hollered almost the whole time! Especially when Al sang "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee's a ghost!" We went crazy with the yelling and screaming. Al gave us his best "I'm puzzled about why you are yelling and screaming at this very moment" look! I did not see how my folks reacted to the encore. I was busy rocking to the encore next to this 15-year-old kid who I think wanted me to come home with him after the concert. He had front row seats and he was dancing and singing almost as much as I was, so we made eye contact a couple of times and smiled, sometimes giving each other a thumbs up or the OK sign! After everyone left the stage after Fat, a lot of the audience left. I even told the people behind me (not Mrs. Altoids) that the concert wasn't over, there was an encore! They sat back down. None of us hardcore fans left, we rushed the stage! The kid in the front row saved me a space up near the fence and waved for me to come down. As it turned out, he was from Tallahassee. He was 15 (eeek!) and went to the middle school that was the archrival of my middle school when I went there a long, long time ago! Not often do I feel old, but I am over twice this kid's age.... ugh. Anyway, he asked me where I was from and when I told him Washington, DC, and that this was my ninth concert. Boy, was he impressed! (Please, please, please, save all your praise for Weird Al. I am just his humble disciple!) Anyway, I thought he was wearing a Monkees t-shirt, but later I saw it said 'The Drunkees'. I didn't think that was funny. Especially on a 15-year-old. I sure had a lot of fun when we rushed the stage! Jim was RIGHT THERE in front of me and Al walked along the edge of the stage just to see who we were! The house lights were brought up during the encore like I've never seen before. We danced and danced and danced. There was even a man who was holding what looked like a newborn over his head so it could get a glimpse of the concert. You just know that that kid will either 1) be a Weird Al fan for life, or 2) be scarred for life. Only time will tell. Then this little girl wanted to see, so I let her stand in front of me. She was just a little tiny bit of a thing, she barely could see over the fence. Gotta encourage that second generation of Al fans, ya know! You know, I was so excited about going backstage that I almost (ALMOST, you understand) wished that the concert would hurry up and be over, for Pete's Sake! Then in a flash of a smile and a wave, it was over. Bummer. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.... Going BackstageSo, I get to FINALLY go backstage! As it turned out, there was a pre-show meet and greet that none of us knew about. (Not that I would have made it there anyway....) Al had already headed off to the band bus so we didn't get to meet him. We saw Jon talking on a cell phone but he didn't come over to say hello. I never saw Rubén at all. However, I was not at all upset about any of that because I got to meet Steve and Jim! Steve and Jim are really great guys! I just have to thank them both for being so nice to all of us fans! You can just tell that they truly appreciate our support! Neither of them have that "I'M A STAR!" attitude! It just makes me want to support them even more! Jim was really nice and signed my Coconut Hat CD. He seemed pleased and slightly surprised that I had it. He said something like, "Wow, you have my CD!" I was surprised he seemed surprised! Jim asked me if he wanted the CD signed personally to me. I said yes! Then he tried to spell my name out loud to make sure he had it right. He was very close and I truly appreciated his effort! (Don't worry Jim, everybody has a hard time with it! Apparently, my name is deceptively hard to pronounce AND spell!) He signed the CD To Tara Lyn (spelled correctly), Mahalo (Hawaiian for thank you) for supporting slack key -- Jim West! Gee thanks, Jim! Then, Jim and I were able to talk a little. I told him we missed him at the Hershey Park concerts and we talked a little about the project he was working on during that time. I also asked Jim about an album of guitar music I found by someone named Jim West. I wasn't sure if it was OUR Jim West. As it turned out, it was by some lousy Jim West impersonator! Of all the luck.... At one point, Jim went into the band's trailer and came out with a plate of fruit for all of us. That was so sweet of him! We didn't ask, he just did it. Then, as if that wasn't nice enough, Jim graciously offered to take a few items on the band bus for Al to sign, so I now have a signed copy of Peter and the Wolf! Jim said that on ebay, someone paid $1500 for a copy of it. WOWIE! That's just plain CRAZY! Also, I got to meet Steve again. This time I was not the stammering jerk I was when I met him at Ocean City! Thank heaven for small favors! Finally, a chance to redeem myself, if only in my own eyes! At the outset, let me say that my account of when I met Steve may not be in true chronological order. I was soooo nervous that while I was trying to remember every little detail, many of them escape me at the moment! Unlike Ocean City, Steve and I actually had a real conversation this time. I walked up to Steve as he approached the meet and greet area. I held out my hand to shake his hand and said, "Hello Steve, my name is Tara Lyn." Steve shook my hand and said, "Hi Tara Lyn. I recognized you!" (I almost melted! Steve knows who I am -- WOWIE!) I told myself (silently) not to faint or throw up! Then I asked him how he knew it was me? Steve said he recognized me from a letter I sent to him when I ordered his CD Sea Never Dry. I had decorated the letter with photos of him performing at Hershey Park plus a group photo of me, Amy, Sue, Dave, Christina, and Allison. (How the heck he recognized me from this photo, I will never know!) I told him that I wasn't sure he'd actually see the letter. He said he did see it when he was home on break and he filled my CD order. I told him I hadn't gotten the CD yet and he looked concerned. I quickly said that I had been on vacation and that I bet it would be in my mailbox waiting for me when I got home. (And it was, I might add!) He seemed ok with that! I gave Steve my copy of Tangled Strings to sign. He signed it for me. I told him it was the only CD I played at work! Steve asked me if I wanted him to get one of his CDs out of the band bus. I said yes, so he left and quickly came back. He handed me the CD and I said thank you very much. I didn't look at the CD. I guess I just presumed that it was Sea Never Dry. As it turned out, it wasn't! I don't remember if it was before or after Steve went to the band bus that I asked if I could have my photo taken with him. He said yes and put his arm around my shoulder and I put my arm around his waist. I said something to him to the effect of, "You're so tall. I love that!" Smooth, huh? My Dad took the photo. Thanks Dad! I don't really remember what happened in between. I think I just floated off into the corner to smile my head off (ha ha ha)! All I know is that Steve was talking to Rebo and her friend when I discovered that the CD was definitely NOT Sea Never Dry! I didn't realize what it was right away (I was totally having a mind cramp!) but when I did realize what it was, I went crazy! I took a look at the new CD and saw that Steve had given me a copy of his Self Avoiding Random Walk which hadn't even been released! I bounded back to where Steve was and said, "This is your new CD! I thought it was Sea Never Dry." (Boy howdy, I have an uncanny grasp of the obvious!) He said, simply, yes. Then I said that now I have two CDs for work. I'd have to get a multi-disk changer. I said that I was looking at his web page a couple of days ago and I didn't think that it had been released yet. He said it hadn't been released yet! (It was not until that next Tuesday that the pre-release copies even became available on weirdal.com.) I asked him if he would sign it for me and he said yes. Steve said it was the first one he had ever autographed! Woo woo! He signed it: Tara Lyn- Good luck! Steve Jay. I'd like to apologize to Rebo for just breaking in on her conversation with Steve! Rebo: I sure hope you understand that I was truly in an altered state of consciousness (extreme nervousness and generally in awe) and not responsible for my actions! After Steve signed the CD, he flipped through the liner notes and explained a little about the photos inside. Steve said the photos were taken in Colorado and that's his dog with him in one of the pictures. I cannot remember for the life of me what Steve said his dog's name was!?! D'OH!! Cute puppy though -- sort of a shepherd collie mix I'd guess. I almost asked Steve if he liked to ski, but I didn't. I know that isn't the world's most personal question, but I thought I'd keep the conversation related to his music and the concert. I think at this point, I introduced my Dad to Steve. They shook hands but Dad didn't say anything but hello. I was surprised at this. I asked Dad later why he didn't say anything else to Steve and Dad gave me the most surprising answer: He basically asked what was he going to say except great concert or good show? Hey, Dad, what's wrong with that? That's more than I can usually come up with! I think it was at this point that I said to Steve that I brought my folks to the show with me. I told him that my folks think I'm insane that I travel all over the country to see them all perform and that I had to bring them to a concert so they'd know what the excitement was all about. So, I left Steve to talk with other fans. I don't know if I said goodbye or anything or just wandered off! (Gosh, I hope it wasn't that!) Then later, I saw Steve standing by himself not talking to anyone so I thought I'd take a chance... I wrote down my web page address and walked over to Steve and said that I had a web page and I was working on a Steve Jay tribute page which wasn't up and running yet and that I had a lot of nice things to say about him and that I'd be honored if he would take a look! He said he would but not until the next evening because they had to drive to Charlotte, NC, that night. I said thank you and sort of faded away again! I think I did a lot of that that night! Steve, it's not you, it's all me! I was just sorta out of my head that evening. So, things sort of died down and started breaking up. Steve was the first to leave. As he walked toward the band bus, I yelled, "Bye Steve. Thank you!" He turned around and waved and said, "Good Night, Tara Lyn." Then he went into the band bus. It was while Dad and I were walking back to the car that I decided I'd add a hello to Steve on my Table of Contents, just in case he actually did visit. (It's not that I thought he wasn't telling the truth, it's just that I know he's extremely busy -- obviously -- so if he wasn't able to visit, that's OK!) I planned to get my photos developed that next morning at the 1-hour place and scan the photo and create a simple greeting that next day so it would be on-line if he looked at my web page that next day. I got the photos developed but I couldn't get them scanned and posted to my web page. Unfortunately, I had to wait until I got home on Monday to create the greeting. I don't know if Steve visited my web page or if he did whether he saw my greeting, but I sure hope so. I'm never taking that greeting off-line, let me tell you! Pardon me while I repeat myself: I just have to thank Jim and Steve again for being so nice to all of us fans! You can just tell that they truly appreciate our support. It just makes me want to support them even more! Editor's note: For those of you who don't know my mom, here's a little insight into why I will be in intense therapy for the next 20 years.... From: Cybermommy12 Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 2:40 PM Subject: Re: Valdosta concert Going to Valdosta, Georgia, to see a Weird Al concert was not at the top of my list of things to do, it ranked slightly below hanging by a nipple from the ceiling. First of all there was an FSU football game on to watch and Tara thought we'd never get our butts off the couch and into the car. Well, never fear, we collected up all kind of stuff, bug killer, film, cameras, etc., and got into the car. A good first step. So, the Dad announces that they didn't have any money, so off to the ATM we go. Okay, the money gotten, the Dad announces that they need gas in the car (not that there wasn't enough already) and off to the gas station we go, fill the tank, all back in the car, off we go only to see a little girl chasing us up the road, we stopped to have her accuse the Dad of not paying for the gas. (Editor's note: we did pay for the gas.) At this point, I'm fairly sure Tara thought we'd never get out of Tallahassee, but au contraire, mon fraire, we are off. So, driving, driving, we arrive out in the boondocks to an amusement park, walk in and proceed to the venue, get there to have Tara's Stepmom hand her backstage passes. This occasions much panic as Tara had left her CDs in the car. Tara sprints back to the car, retrieves the CDs and sprints back to the venue just in the nick of time. Well, would you believe it, the concert starts. I didn't understand one word Mr. Weird said, never heard of the songs he was parodying and couldn't understand most of the costumes except the Amish one (got that one immediately) but thoroughly enjoyed the concert, it was a nice night (the thing was outside, hence the bug spray) but was glad of one thing, the ear plugs I had stuffed way down my ear canals, so the sound only reverberated around in my chest cavity and didn't deafen me. Glad we went, and glad the kid had such a good time. The Mom My Email To DadOh, if you're able to read my Valdosta web page and want to make editorial comments, please do. Beth did the same thing for me when I wrote down her account of meeting Weird Al and I think it turned out really cute! GO Noles! Dad's Email To MeTic tic tic tic! Still waiting......Dad's View Of Going BackstageMy Email To DadAt 02:57 AM 10/07/2000 -0400, you wrote: I'm trying to write about when I met with Steve after the Valdosta concert and I'm having a total mind cramp! What do you remember? GAH ACK EEP! :) Tara Lyn Dad's Email To MeTyping at 3:00AM... you're getting as bad as your ole' man!!! Steve at Valdosta.... First of all, what I remember is that both Steve and Jim were extremely nice--friendly, gracious, quiet rather than boastful, and attentive to what their fans had to say; they seemed genuinely pleased that people cared enough about them and their music to stand around for an hour after the concert. I was impressed by the fact that *they* were willing to spend so much time out there after working hard on stage for two hours. If you listened closely yourself, you could learn a lot about their private lives and their work outside the Weird Al tour. If it was all an act (which I doubt), it was extremely persuasive. Jim certainly didn't have to take signs and other items back into the bus for Al to sign, he didn't have to bring out the tray of sliced fruit from the bus for you guys to eat, and he didn't have to mug for that picture as if he were a waiter serving you at an outdoor picnic! Steve seemed genuinely pleased to see you, Tara. Obviously, he remembered who you are, saying 'Hello, Tara' as he approached you. Your website must be very effective--it made an impression on him, at least. Again, he seemed genuinely pleased that you knew and liked his other music, that you actually spent real money to buy his solo albums --- oops, CDs, senior moment!!! --- and that you were more than just another Weird Al Junkie. Then, of course, he gave you a pre-release copy of his latest CD, and he said you were getting the very first one he'd autographed. He even remembered your middle name! What a rush! I've seldom seen you speechless before. And, as I said earlier, no one forced him to go back into the 'green room' or wherever he was keeping the CDs to get you one, so it was something that he wanted to do for you. That's about it....don't forget to remind everybody about your personal tour photographer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [groan....Oh, Dad.....exasperated]. By the way, how did the pictures come out? Love ya, Le Dad Well, I just knew that Mom and Marilyn had humored me by even going to the concert, so I tried to thank them by playing something really soothing: Jim's CD! I don't know who said this but they really just hit the nail on the head: Jim's CD is like a musical massage! I couldn't agree more! I just knew I had to do something to counteract the large dose of Weird Al they just received. On the ride home, I showed Mom and Marilyn my autographs and told them all about going backstage. Top
Well, all in all the night wasn't the total disaster I feared it would be: I had a great time. I met Gossamer and Rebo. Al and the guys rocked! My Mom and Stepmother didn't walk out in the middle of the concert. My Dad enjoyed himself! I met Steve and Jim. I didn't make a total idiot out of myself in front of Steve.
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