Verona concert ticket.
It's all about my FAVE artist, baby!
Chapter 12: Verona, NY, concert review and photos
Touring With Scissors, October 27, 2000, Turning Stone Casino
Verona concert ticket. |
It's all about my FAVE artist, baby!Chapter 12: Verona, NY, concert review and photos Touring With Scissors, October 27, 2000, Turning Stone Casino |
Table of Contents |
Click on photos to view larger image....                                                  |
Getting The TicketsOK, so I'm a Weird Al FANATIC! I can admit it freely now. I had decided a long, long time ago that I wanted to be at the very last Weird Al concert of the tour, no matter where it was. I was afraid it would be someplace like Phoenix, or Oregon, or some such place, but I was determined to be there no matter what. (Once I make a decision, I am a bulldog about making it come true.) As luck would have it, the last concert scheduled (at that time) was on my side of the Mississippi in Morristown, NJ. Amy and I decided to end our participation in the Running With Scissors tour with a BANG: a 3-day, 3-concert saga that began in Verona, NY, went through Delhi, NY, and ended in Morristown, NJ (two shows). So, we set out to get tickets to all four shows. Somewhere along the way, I developed the FRONT ROW OR BUST attitude. I have no idea where that came from!?! Do you? I'm stumped.... Anyway, I found out when the Verona tickets went on sale and stalked TicketBastards to get the best possible seats. By stalking, I meant that I got on the right page long before the tickets actually went on sale and kept hitting the Refresh button until that darn "tickets not on sale" sign disappeared. It's a wonder I wasn't booted off the system! I am already registered with TicketBastards (a sad, sad state of affairs, I might add!) so all I had to do was enter the number of tickets I wanted. I was really tense about the whole thing for couple of reasons: 1) I was at work though I was definitely NOT working, and 2) I WANTED THE BEST SEATS POSSIBLE! Well, 10 AM comes and the tickets go on sale. I have never typed so fast or so error-free in my entire life! In about 3 minutes it was all over and I have these seat numbers but no seating chart to let me know where they were. I was encouraged because the seat numbers were Orchestra, Seats 1 and 2. They sure sounded good! But I had to know for sure, so I called the Turning Stone Casino to check it out. The lady I spoke to was very friendly and seemed actually concerned for me and my predicament. Maybe it was the shaky apprehension in my voice that I could not even begin to disguise.... Anyway, I asked her where the seats were and she said FRONT ROW!!! I started hooting and hollering and screaming my head off, I was that excited!! The venue lady even got into it: I yelled WOO WOO a couple of times and so did she! She was hooting and hollering right along with me! She even said that she was really happy for me, that she could tell I was a REAL fan, and that she hoped I enjoyed the show! I just love it when total strangers care. Know what I mean? I was soooo loud that two of my co-workers who have offices WAY down the hall came by to see what was going on. All I had to do was give 2 big thumbs up and yell, "FRONT ROW, BABY!" They knew what I meant! Then they walked away shaking their heads. I'm used to that. After all our hooting and hollering died down a bit and the venue lady could get a word in edgewise, she explained that it wasn't traditional concert seating, it was like a dinner theater with the tables perpendicular to the stage. She said we were on the left side (Jim's side) but right up against the stage. I was very, truly happy with that! Top
OK, so now that we had these really great seats, it was time to find out where Verona was! As it turned out, Verona is 9 hours away! If we had known how far away it was, maybe we would have changed our minds about going. So, it was better that we were in the dark. They say ignorance is bliss.... I was telling my friend Mary Sue about the trip and she warned me that the main highway to Verona had a lot of construction on it and that we should allow for at least 2 extra hours for potential delays. OK, so now this has become at least an 11-hour trip. Geez! The things we (gladly, joyfully, automatically, uncontrollably) do for Al! We got the time and mileage information from Mapquest. I didn't believe that it would really take 9 hours, so I divided the mileage by 75 MPH and came up with 7.5 hours -- much more reasonable. I think Mapquest gives the driving time at the rate of 55 MPH. Who drives at that speed anymore? "Not I," said the little red hen! But, we still had to account for construction traffic. So, 9.5 hours it was! Eminently do-able, I must say! Hey, I drove that far to see U2's Pop Mart Tour in the Orange Bowl in Miami.... and that concert sucked! Everything I do is a low budget production! But, this trip was going to be a lower budget trip than usual because of a spate of recent car repairs! Luckily, the tickets were already paid for. And Amy did a lot of the legwork getting us hotels through Priceline. I don't think we paid more than $60 a night for a room. THANKS AMY! The major problem that remained was buying food. So, we brought along a cooler of peanut butter (smooth and chunky), jelly, bread, oatmeal, fruit, Nutrigrain bars, hot chocolate, and sodas. Sometimes, you just have to JAM, you know what I mean? (No, that was not a jelly joke.) Since we had to leave so early Friday morning, I suggested that Amy spend the night Thursday night so we could get an early start! I was soooo excited to have a spend the night party. I haven't had a spend the night party since I was in high school. We had planned on getting dinner and seeing a movie. What we ended up doing was driving around for over 2 hours trying to find the drop box so I could pay my water bill. Oh my, did we get lost! We still had fun talking, listening to music, and cursing our stoo-pid directions! It was during this odyssey that we encountered our first of many guardian angels who helped us along the way. We had stopped at a convenience store to ask a cop where the water company was. The cop gave me directions that I could not understand. So, I said thank you and walked out of the store looking for someone else to ask. The guy in the car next to me said he'd lead us to the street we needed. He took us directly to the right place! His gracious help was just an omen of things to come! We encountered many guardian angels along our way and we truly appreciate every one of them! We also encountered one Grinch, but for right now, that's all I have to say about that! So, we get up the next morning to leave at 10 AM. And, of course, we are very late leaving. We got out of the house late, then we had to run by AAA to get maps, then we had to get coffee, and gas. And then I start to panic. I didn't want to arrive in Verona at 9:00 when the concert started at 8:00! I would just have to fling myself off the nearest bridge! So, I decided speeding tickets be damned! And we were off! Prior to leaving, I sent Bermuda an email telling him that we were going to be at the next 4 concerts. I said that I would love to be able to say hello to him if at all possible! I reminded him that he owed me hugs from the Valdosta concert! I intended to collect on that debt, let me tell you! ;) Well, if any of you have ever driven with me, you know that I never drive the speed limit! That, and the fact that I was panicking that we were going to be late to the concert just spurred me to put the pedal to the metal! So, I get on the highway and immediately got the Mitz up to 85 MPH! Hey, when I get on the highway, I don't fart around! I was a woman on a mission! The trip was pretty uneventful: no speeding tickets (like driving home from the Easton concert); no animal disasters (like driving to the Hershey concerts); no construction (thank goodness!) and, we didn't get lost like going to the Easton, Baltimore, Hershey Park, Kansas City, Wilkes-Barre, and Bethlehem concerts. There was a fun part to the drive: I don't know where we were, but we had an ambulance following us. We put in Sting's Brand New Day CD and cranked up the volume. (Yes, we sometimes do listen to someone else besides Weird Al! If that's blasphemy, so be it!) Well, when the music is great and loud, my MPH only goes up! Amy and I were singing at the top of our lungs and dancing and our heads off in the car, and I could see the ambulance drivers through the rearview mirror just laughing and dancing right along with us! I don't know what song they were listening to, but they could rock! Plus, they kept up with us speed-wise! I guess ambulances can really move when they want to (duh)! I looked down and I was doing almost 100 MPH. Wowie! I had really lost track of what was going on. So I slowed it down a bit but did not turn down the volume! Amy said that if I killed us, at least help would be close by! I think that this was the only time during the trip that Amy pleaded, "Please don't kill us!" She's immune to my driving for the most part! Oh wait, I was wrong! D'OH!!! We did get lost! Once we got to Verona, we couldn't find our hotel! Luckily, there was no construction along the way, so we were pretty early! Mapquest just gave us the craziest directions and we never did find one of the roads the directions mentioned! We knew we were truly lost when we drove through a residential neighborhood that quickly turned into a sheep farm! The sheep were soooo cute! We got out of the car to take a picture, but we scared the sheep away. So, after we scared the sheep, we turned around and asked this poor guy who was raking his yard to get us back to the main highway and to our hotel! He was guardian angel #2! With his help we found our hotel -- a dive -- and the concert venue! As it turned out, we did not have to worry about rush hour. Verona was so small that there was no rush hour! So, we found our hotel, the Verona Motor Inn, and checked in. We were very skeptical of any lodging with the word 'motor' in the name! As it turned out, our instincts weren't far off! The place was small and very 50s -- it looked as if it hadn't been painted, wallpapered, or re-carpeted since the 50s! It was very shabby but clean! Hey, it was cheap and the beds were moderately comfy! Sometimes you have to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative! After we moved in, I took a shower to get ready for the concert. The shower itself was an experience! I was alternately getting scalded or frozen. The water temperature just changed at a whim. I never knew when to jump out of the way. When I stepped out of the shower, I heard, "What a guy!" So, I poked my head out of the bathroom and asked Amy if Al was on TV. Al's Behind The Music episode was on, so we watched that while we relaxed and got ready for the concert. Is it just me, or does Jon have the deepest, sexiest voice ever? Perhaps I'm biased.... I brought a brand new pair of red boots with very high heels and a matching red sweater to wear over black jeans to the concert. The boots also have a stacked sole, so between that and the 5" heels, I am at least 6'4"! I used to be really sensitive about my height, but now I believe if you've got it, flaunt it! Amy made the greatest Weird Al necklace! She made the charm out of clay with Al's face surrounded by little palm trees. Then, using macramé, she made the necklace part and added a few beads she had also made. She also made two magnets for Al out of the same clay. These magnets were the greatest! I really think Amy is just so artistically talented. And, I say that with all the envy this artistically-impaired person can muster! So, now that Amy and I are both just so incredibly gorgeous and totally STYLING, it was time to ROCK! Just before we leave for the concert, I remembered that I hadn't written on my car window with white shoe polish! I wanted to pay tribute to Steve Jay by writing "Undying the Fan" on my car. How silly is that!?! Anyway, once I got that idea in my head and it just wouldn't leave! So, I did. I hoped (unrealistically, of course) that Steve would see it! I'm sure that did not happen!
 Undying the fan covers so many bases: Of course, I am a huge Weird Al fan, and an even bigger Steve Jay fan. It also applies to my license plate: ILUVFSU! I am a bleeding garnet and gold Florida State Seminole fan! Talk about killing several birds with one stone.... OK, so we get to the casino. I had never been in a casino before and did not know what to expect. I did have the thought that I would definitely NOT gamble. If I'm going to just give my money away, I'd rather give it to a homeless person or buy pet food for the Humane Society or something. They probably appreciate the contributions more. One thing that surprised me was that the slot machines didn't have that handle that you pull. The people just sat there and pressed a button while staring blankly at the screen. Most of them were not moving except for the finger pressing that button. Never seen anything like that in my life! I thought it was sort of sad, to tell you the truth. I sure don't see the appeal of gambling. Well, we walk toward the concert hall and see the marquee advertising the concert. It said SOLD OUT! Way to go, Al! I stopped to take a photo of the marquee. Two ladies walked by, looked at the marquee, and said they didn't think Weird Al was still performing. If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one.... We said yes he was still performing and that it was a great show!
 So, we go into the concert hall and hand out tickets to an usher. I said "FRONT ROW, BABY!!!" The usher looked at the tickets and said simply, "No." Apparently, there was one row of tables between the Orchestra tables and the stage. So, in reality, it was just like we were in the 4th or 5th row! I was soooo bummed! I almost cried! I just kept apologizing over and over to Amy. I had promised her front row. I had promised myself front row! I told everybody who would listen that I had front row. I was really, truly bummed! I couldn't believe it! The lady who was oh-so-nice to me on the phone was WRONG! I started cursing her family name and will continue to do so for generations to come! I had Angela A., Denise, and Tera's seat numbers with me, so I was finally able to meet them! I just love meeting fellow Al fans! As it turned out, Angela and Denise were sitting at our table. That was great. I love sitting with fellow Al fans at concerts. After I met Angela and Denise, I went to find and meet Tera. She had seats in the first row of tables. So, the opening act is announced: Joe Rizzo, comedian. At first I thought they announced Frank Rizzo. I would have laughed my arse off if the guy's real name was Frank Rizzo. Heh, heh, I'm good like that! (Obscure Jerky Boys references here!) Man, this guy really started bombing. No one was laughing, but he did not give up! By the end of his act, we were all laughing our heads off! He talked about pooping and farting but in a family-friendly manner. Too funny! Way to persevere, Joe! Kudos! During the opening act, I noticed that there were 2 seats at the table right in front of us and right up against the stage that were empty! I waited the whole opening act to see if someone would sit in them. When the opening act was over, I asked the guys at the table in front of us if those seats were being used. Please allow me to digress: the guy I talked to was the quintessential surfer dude! He had the whole handsome, square jaw, wide shoulder, skinny waist, blond hair thing happening as well as the perfect tan! He looked as if he just stepped off the set of Beach Blanket Bingo! Anyway, he said those were his seats but it was very crowded there so he and his friend (not nearly as good looking) chose to sit in the aisle. I asked him if we could sit there and he said yes! Close quarters be damned! I wanted front row, baby! The surfer dude turned out to be the master of understatement! Close quarters was right! I got the seat right against the stage. Amy got the seat right behind me. The guy with his back to me at the next table was rather portly, so he took up WAY more than half of the space between the tables. Plus, I'd guess that the fat lady across the table from me was also taking up more than her allotted space. So, here's the deal: I was sitting at the table with my knees facing to the left with my back toward center stage where all the action was going to happen! So, to see the concert, I swiveled to the right without moving my legs. Rather uncomfortable I must say. My left side was jammed into the table and my chest was pressed into the stage. Luckily, the stage wasn't too high. The edge of the stage hit me just at the armpits. Uncomfortable, but do-able. I was way more uncomfortable at the Easton concert! As you may know, there's nothing that will decrease my enjoyment of an Al concert -- even the potential for grievous bodily harm! Hey, sometimes you just have to sacrifice your body for the cause! Then, like the Music of the Gods that it is, FunZONE started! Jim comes out on stage and prepares for the concert. I was right at his feet, so from my perspective, he looked about 27 feet tall! I smiled and waved. HI JIM! He smiled back! Woo woo! Then Jon counts down the beginning of Gump and Al's arrival on stage. Al struts up to the mic and starts belting out Gump! I couldn't believe my eyes! What great seats we ended up with! Al was only about 7 feet from me. I had a great view of him! I also had a great view of Rubén. He's usually hard to see. My disappointment came when I realized I could not see Steve! From where I was sitting, Al was in my line of sight to Steve. I could only see Steve when he stepped back away from his mic. Sigh!
 Al was in top form that evening!!! And, the concert turned out to be the full set. Al performed every single stinkin' song for us, and oh my, were we grateful! So, Gump ends and Al asks us if we are ready to Polka! Am I ready to Polka? I am born of hearty German stock -- I was born to Polka! Why does he ask that every time? He should know me well enough by now!!! Al missed a line during the Polka. He only sang Intergalactic Planetary twice instead of three times. The third time he let the music do all the talking and his fingers do all the walking! It was during the Polka that Steve stepped back from his mic and wandered back toward Rubén where I could see him. I caught his eye (which we all know is very painful) and I smiled and waved. Steve was soooo funny! He looked back at Rubén then at me and shrugged as if to ask to whom I was waving? I laughed and pointed to him and mouthed, "YOU, Silly!" He laughed and smiled and then had to wander back to his mic to sing or something. One brief shining moment with Steve.... (sigh!) Jerry Springer and Eddie Vedder were more exciting than usual. Al seemed to be really, really bouncy! Bouncier than I had ever seen. Al totally skipped the second verse of Springer and ended up singing the last verse twice. I paid special attention to how Al played the accordion during these songs. Boy, is it impressive! I just don't understand how he does it! The accordion just seems so complicated. The Night Santa Went Crazy was really great as usual. Al really made a big deal out of singing, "NOW YOU'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" I had never heard it sung just quite that way before. Pretty cool, if you ask me. The snow, as always, was a big hit, though most of the snow ended up on the stage somehow. I hardly got any on me. DURN! Then came my all-time favorite concert song: Dare To Be Stupid! This song never ceases to get me dancing even harder than usual! Jim was a hoot that night. He really seems to get into his DEVO role, but did so more than usual that night! When he turned his 360, he did it with almost military precision! I think it was during this song that I really got Al's attention. I was doing all the spitting-on-a-fish, barking-up-a-tree, Charmin-squeezing gestures right along with Al. And of course, I pointed to Jim for his guitar solo! When Al asked, "Can I have a volunteer?" I screamed and started waving both my arms around. Al gave me a quick glance that I had never seen him do at any other concert. Maybe I stunned him! It was right after this that Al started paying a lot of attention to me. I LOVED every minute of it! At the Valdosta concert I heard the audience participate in a brand new way: during the video clip that introduces Pentiums, the rapper asks, "But can Al do this?" and starts dancing, and badly, I might add! At this point, the audience yelled, "YES HE CAN!" I just had to add that to my concert repertoire! So I did. When that moment arrived in the concert, I was the only one yelling, "YES HE CAN!" I'm not sure if I could be heard over the laughing and applauding when Al came out on stage. My first one-on-one "Al Moment" came during Pentiums. When he first came out before he started singing, he came to my side of the stage and was pumping his arms at the audience. He walked right past us and went to the very end of the stage, then, on his way back toward center stage, he stopped right in front of me to pump his arms! He bent down toward me while I was pumping my arms and screaming, "It's all about the Pentiums, BABY!" He was soooo close that I thought we were going to hit our fists together! Woo woo! I was glad we didn't actually collide. Gosh, I can see the headlines now: Weird Al Breaks Hand In Altercation With Rowdy Fan: Tour Bus Used As Ambulance! Talk about accuracy in reporting!?! My second "Al Moment" came during Germs. When Steve sings, "Microscopic Bacteria," and Al wiggles around, so do I! I wave my arms and shake my head so that my hair flies around. I think this got Al's attention as well. I'm not sure about this though. But I do know that when Al was slithering across the stage, he was looking right at me. I was just smiling as hard as I could and still sing at the same time! He usually comes right to the end of the stage but did not that night. During the slither, I had my arms outstretched as if to invite Al over. If I could have pulled the stage and Al toward me, I would have! OH MY GAWD!!!! I got the boxers during One More Minute! It totally blew my mind because I just was not expecting it! It started innocently and normally enough -- Al was reminiscing about his salad days and his close personal conversations with his Crazy Uncle Bob. Then Al ruthlessly caps Rubén for going a little over(key)board! Poor Rubén. Jim wasn't there to try to stop Rubén from sealing his own fate as per usual, but Jim did come out from stage left to view the carnage! (Uh, Officer, can you bring the bodies a little closer? I can't see too good. hee hee hee!) I got the greatest picture of Al shooting Rubén. It's soooo good, I can't believe I took it!
 Then the song starts and Al starts pouring his heart out to us. Man, that girl must have really hurt him! You can just feel his pain! Then, he walks right past me to get to the stairs and go down into the audience. He quickly walked behind me where I could not turn around to see him, so I turned my attention to the stage to watch Jim, Rubén, and Steve perform. It was really interesting to watch them during the song. Though they were singing the chorus and playing, they followed Al around with their eyes! I did not see anyone that night get a scarf. Toward the end of the song, Al returned to the stage. It never occurred to me that he hadn't given the boxers away yet! He usually does that before he returns to the stage. I had no idea that he hadn't. I was pinned in and watching all the action on the stage instead of what Al was doing out in the audience! When Al returned to the stage, he did not stop at the mic stand, he walked over to me, staring me right in the eyes the whole time. Then he turned toward me, reached into his pants, and started pulling out the boxers. I was STUNNED!!! Of course I hoped to get the scarf or the boxers at one of my concerts, but I never thought in a bazillion years that it would actually happen to me! So, Al's holding these bright gold glittery lame boxers and drops them right on my head! I couldn't believe it, nor could I believe my reaction. The first thing I did was yell, "THANK YOU!" Then, I just held the boxers in front of me and stared at them blinking in disbelief for a few moments. My heart was racing and my hands were shaking like you wouldn't believe! It was a good thing I was propped up by the stage and the table, or I might just have slid onto the floor! My hands are shaky right now just thinking about it! Woo woo! After I returned to my senses, I turned to look at Amy and just screamed in disbelief! Amy said she thought I would get the boxers. She just had that feeling. I sure did not see it coming, let me tell you! Then, I waved the boxers at Angela and Denise, who laughed and clapped and gave me the thumbs up sign! We had the perfect vantage point to really enjoy Rubén's antics during Like A Surgeon! He was just about 4 feet away from me on the stage. He really gets the audience going during the number. Half way through it, I asked Amy to give me a dollar. I had heard about other fans trying to stuff dollar bills in Rubén's pants, so I thought I'd give it a try. I waved a dollar bill around but Rubén didn't take the bait. For a long time, I thought he did not even see me, but when I met him after the Wilkes-Barre concert, he said, totally unprompted by me, that he remembered me from Verona! I was wearing the same red sweater, so maybe that was a dead giveaway! Whatever. Woo woo! Next came the Medley! I love the Medley a lot because Al pulls out his older, classic songs. When he does this he honors his long-time fans who have been there since the beginning -- and I am one of those fans! I noticed for the first time that Al licks his fingers before he plays his first notes of Beverly Hillbillies. How long has he done that before I noticed it???? It was during Laundry Day that what I think is one of the quintessential rock moments happened! Jim really seems to get into this song! He does a Pete Townsend imitation by practically using his whole arm to strum! Then, when Al walked over singing his heart out and Jim and Al leaned in together -- that's just what rock and roll is all about!
 It was during Addicted To Spuds that I finally saw the infamous and much discussed pelvic thrust, plus a whole lot more! During the musical beginning when Al walked up to the mic, he was making such faces! You know during the Ricky video when Ricky is getting ready to go to the club and he's looking in the mirror making "I'm so beautiful" facial gestures? Al was doing that on stage but even more exaggerated and with accompanying body movements! On anyone else, it would be lewd and lascivious, but not with Al. I was just entranced! Then, because my vantage point was directly to Al's right, I finally saw that pelvic thrust when Al says, "CHA!" OH MY! When I saw it I screamed! Then afterwards, I was giggling and giddy as if I had just seen something I shouldn't have. You really have to have a side view to get the full effect! My third "Al Moment" came during the medley. After Al sings the first verse of Jurassic Park, he walks away from the microphone during the musical interlude and the dino roar. That night, when he walked away, he looked right at me and gave me one of his patented "puzzled" stares. I was just smiling my head off! I waved at Al with both arms and hands. Woo woo! Eat It was a lot of fun that night! For the first time, I saw the face Al makes when he first circles the stage in the red Michael Jackson jacket! I had never noticed that before! As it turned out, I had the perfect vantage point to take a pic of Al when he leans way back at the end of Eat It! I got a really good picture of that. It was so good, I am still skeptical that it came out of my camera!
 Like I said, Al paid a lot if attention to me that night! I sure had more than my fair share of "Al Moments!" At first I couldn't figure out why. Then, after the eye contact during Jurassic Park, I took a look around at the people (supposed fans) sitting at the first row of tables to see they were just sitting there like lumps! God, I HATE that! This is a concert, for Pete's Sake! If you want to sit there like you just had half your brain sucked out of your skull, then STAY HOME!!! And that's all I have to say about that! When I saw this I realized that I must stick out like a sore thumb: I am wearing a fire engine red sweater and I'm dancing my head off, waving my arms around like a crazy person, screaming like a banshee, and singing my head off! The only mental image I come up with is that of one those crazy lawn sprinklers with the many tubes that wiggle and whip around with the force of the water squirting everything within range. Yep, I bet that's what I looked like that night! What the heck, I HAD A BLAST! At first, Nirvana was one of my lesser favorite songs to listen too. But, now that I've seen it in concert, it is now one of my favorite performance songs. To me, it's the least scripted, most candid moments in the whole show! Of course, Al pretty much covers the stage in the same pattern for each song, but he almost always adds a little something surprising. The thing he mostly does is play with the security guards if they are close enough to the stage. Tonight, it was Steve's turn to show his wacky side. He was really funny trying to imitate the cheerleaders who had come up with a pretty intricate routine. Too bad they didn't execute it very well! When the cheerleaders kicked, Steve waited a partial beat and tried to kick as well. He wasn't a whole beat off, just part of one, so it looked really awkward and funny. Also, because Steve wears his bass slung down around his knees for the song, he had a hard time doing the kicks -- more awkwardness and fun! Steve also tried doing a turn or two along with the cheerleaders. He got wrapped up in his cord and almost fell down! That was too funny! Toward the end of the tour, I noticed Jim getting really crazy on stage, but especially during Nirvana. Tonight was no exception! He was wearing a shirt with a bright green snail on the front, so that night, he was just running around the stage leaving this neon green streak behind him! Woo woo! He was so much fun to watch! Bedrock Anthem is always fun as well! I will say this: Al does NOT go Greek under his Fred Flintstone costume. So, let's just stop that particular rumor RIGHT THIS SECOND! Next came Amish Paradise. For some strange reason, I never got a really good picture of Al in his Amish costume after all the concerts I had been to and all the bazillions of photos I took. So, tonight I was bound and determined to get at least one good shot of Amish Al! So, I realized early in the song that he would probably "turn the other cheek" right in front of me. And, I prepared to take a picture of that because it's my favorite part of the song. Well, I was right, and he did! The picture I got was really funny -- basically just a shot of Al's hieney! I was right below him and way to close to get a whole body shot! I'm almost embarrassed that I have a photo devoted primarily to Al's arse! I didn't mean any harm there, Al!
 During Fat, I had yet another "Al Moment!" Al pointed at me when he sang, "I'm too much man for you to take!" I was soooo surprised at this because when he did this, he was center stage and he pointed to me by turning to his right. He usually just picks a person who is front row center. WOWIE! Thanks Al! I just love it when Al, Jim, and Steve go to center stage and do their very own Fat Line Dance. As much as I love Fat, I know it signals the beginning of the end of the concert. Only the encore to go. But before the band goes backstage to change into their Jedi clothes, Al introduces each band member. Now was the time to show my appreciation for Jim, Steve, Rubén, and Jon individually. Of course, I wanted to give each band member his own standing ovation! However, I couldn't stand up! I was totally stuck! So, I just waved my arms and clapped and yelled for each guy! Not the level of appreciation that I wanted to communicate to each of them, but I promised myself to do WAY better after Yoda! The crowd started a pretty feeble "WE WANT AL" chant. But, at least they started one at all. I joined in. Soon Rubén came out and tried to pump up the crowd. The crowd responded to him, which pleased me! The audience wasn't a total DUD, obviously. So, Al comes out singing, "A long, long time ago...." The crowd cheers. Not the greatest cheer, but a cheer nonetheless! Of course, I'm singing every word and dancing right along. Al holds "Heeeeeeeeeeeee's a ghost" for a little while but not the longest I've seen. The crowd cheered a little. I started it! Gosh, Saga is now over and we're down to one last song: Yoda. I truly didn't want the concert to end because I was just reveling in all my "Al Moments!" Little did I know there were two more Al Moments in my very near future! The first of these last two Al Moments came during Yoda. After the first verse, Al has a big accordion solo and he ran over right in front of me to play it. He crouched down right at the edge of the stage while playing the accordion, wiggling back and forth, and making a funny, intense face. I loved it! He was so close I couldn't see much more than the accordion which took up most of my view. I leaned back on Amy as far as I could so I could see as much as possible! My moment, however, was over all too soon and Al walked back to the microphone for the second verse and the rest of the song. Al pointed the microphone into the audience for us to sing Yo Yo Yo Yoda! I don't know if he was making us usual "I'm not happy with your volume" face or if he really meant it, but he motioned for us to sing louder! Despite my loudest singing, I'm sure we weren't very loud at all. GRRRR! Then came the Yoda Chant. It was fun and lively as usual. I finally was able to fully see Rubén do the chant. He seemed to really get into it that night! Al held the silent part at the end for a little longer than usual before breaking back into Yoda again. The audience seemed to respond to this by being pretty loud. They did save face, but it was almost too little, too late for my tastes. Al ended the song by putting down his accordion and spinning around before he jumps up to signal the last notes. Then it was over. Now, I really wanted to show my appreciation by standing up and cheering my head off. Only one out of the two happened. Again, I could not stand up. I even tried to push myself into a standing position with my arms, but it was no use! I was locked in pretty tightly. Al saw me trying to stand up and looked at me briefly, smiled and laughed. That was my last Al Moment of the night! After I knew Al had seen me, I just settled back and clapped, cheered, and hooted! I waved goodnight to Jim and he waved back. I didn't catch Steve or Rubén's eye, and I never even saw Jon waving to the crowd. Oh well. It was truly the most pathetic Mad Props ever! I should be ashamed of myself!!!! I had to wait for everyone at my table and the table behind me to leave before I could get enough room to stand up! I just knew I was going to have excruciatingly severe bruises on my arms and my left side. It hurt a lot already. Just wait until the bruises came up, then the pain would get even worse! After the concert was over and people were clearing out, I asked Amy to take my picture with the boxers. I sat on the edge of the stage quickly while Amy snapped the photo. It turned out great! THANKS AMY!!!! Amy and I waited around to see what would happen. Our patience was rewarded when Jon came out to say hello! I gave Jon a big hug because I was soooo glad to see him again! He said he got my email earlier in the day and wanted to come out to say hello. I was totally THRILLED! I held up the boxers and asked if he had anything to do with me getting them that night. Jon said he had nothing to do with it. Then he said that Al probably just recognized me from attending so many concerts. At the same time, that just thrilled me no end but I also knew there was no way Al knew who I was! As long as Jon knew who I was, that would be OK with me! But, I would be lying if I didn't say that Jon's comment tickled me to death! Amy gave him a gift of his favorite candy -- Runts, the chewy variety -- a really big Halloween-sized bag of them! He was very pleased and thanked us for thinking of him. He didn't have to thank me for thinking of him -- I'd think of him whether he thanked me or not!!! ;) Then Jon said he had to leave. I told him I was thrilled that he came out to say hello. I gave him a hug then he left. SIGH!!!!!!!! After Jon left, Tera, Angela, Denise, Amy, and I waited out near the stage door to see if Al or the guys would come out to say hello. They didn't. After that, we walked around with casino looking for a bar. Little did we know it, but Indian-run casinos are dry. Of all the luck.... I don't drink much, but when I want a drink, I want a drink. Angela and Denise were going to the next days concert in Delhi, so we decided to meet the next morning and caravan to Delhi. I still can't believe I got the boxers! THANK YOU, AL! |