If you don’t count TF3 (I flew), Vegas would be the longest CT trip for me to date (2200 miles!). The trip was not all about the show, though. More on that later... As always, go to THE SHOW right now to skip the pre-show stuff.

We hit the road early July 1 to make the 11+ hour drive to Phoenix to catch the D-backs vs. the Reds on Sunday. (NOTE: Tim is to Cincinnati Reds as Lisa is to CT… ) Wish I had a videotape of him dancing around the house when he heard the news on the Griffey trade earlier this year…. Prolly looked a lot like me any time I find out about my next CT fix…

Anyway, the drive was amazing the whole way. I love the southwest – even the drive out of West Texas was great: lost count of the rainbows when the sun started breaking through the clouds & drizzle …

Bank One Ballpark is cool. We’d been there in ’98 when the D-backs got spanked by the Cubs. Sammy hit 2 homers that day – woo hoo! Once again the visitors triumphed in our presence: 14-2. The only bummer being that Larkin & Griffey sat out the rest after the 5^th. DOH! Too bad, so sad. We took off early, figuring it’d be fun to get a little more time in Vegas.

The drive to Vegas was another amazing one – tons of saguaro and joshua trees, plus a brilliant sunset. The night sky wasn’t too bad either – there was the slightest sliver of a moon and as we came over the last hill above Vegas, the sea of lights was breathtaking. Tim and I both said "WOW!" simultaneously… He’d been there before (a "convention") but this was my first time…

In the hotel room I immediately spotted a copy of Showbiz magazine (an LV entertainment rag) with CT mentioned on the cover. :) The article was pretty basic but there was a glowing review of the upcoming release of "Authorized Greatest Hits." As we took a spin down the strip that night, I was also quick to notice the video ad running on the Mandalay Bay marquee which included snippets of "Don’t Be Cruel" and "Can’t Stop Falling Into Love."

Monday – the day of the show, Stephanie, Rebecca and I roamed Mandalay Bay and the Luxor while Tim got in a round of golf. The secret word for Vegas 4^th o’ July weekend would be "crowded." Lots of people were there for the holiday weekend, I guess… Oop ack. Since CT was playing the beach there at MB, we decided to check it out.

We ran into Kim, who’d just arrived from San Diego. He briefed us on that show, although he saved his raves for the Saratoga show. As he rattled off the set list, I felt like banging my head on the nearest palm tree before throwing myself in the pool. Acoustic She’s Tight? Borderline? Waitin’ for the Man? Say Goodbye?!?! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Damn! How could I miss that???!!!

The crew was there around 1 pm so we said a quick hi to Sven. Load in at an outdoor LV venue in the middle of July? Blah! I told him I really didn’t envy him his job on a day like today. "Me neither," was all he said… George was in a happy mood. He talked enthusiastically about the last 3 shows – he thought they all went really well and was pleased with the venues.

At that point I’d lost track of Rebecca and Stephanie, as I began my search, I bumped into Kim and Sam again. I know I met Sam at TF3, but I’ll be darned if I can remember when exactly… Anyway, Kim made the mistake of leaving out one of the "a’s" in AAA around 2 smart asses. This sent Sam and me into a routine about the kinds of hotels you could get through AA... Tokens for every night you stay, 12 steps leading up to every floor, etc…

Hmmmm… Location humor. Guess you had to be there…

ANYWAY, as we were talking, Carla, Tom and Allison appeared. Carla was searching for Sushi Man to make sure he got a special backstage pass for his birthday. Cool! Tom was all smiles – he kept looking around and commenting on how pretty everything was in the pool area. I had to agree.

As my search continued for my two cohorts, I was having much better luck finding Kim in the crowds! This time he was chatting with Poser – aka: Danny Saint. :) I eventually found Stephanie and Rebecca and we grabbed some dinner before getting in line for the show.

Ahhhhh. The line. What CT show is complete without it? And it would seem that no show is complete for me without taking some flack from the security/bouncer dudes. When we saw the barricades going up at the main entrance, we decided to stay put. I hit the one who seemed to be in charge with my litany of questions:

After hearing a couple of those, he dropped all pretenses and openly ridiculed me. I told him he could tease me all he wanted – so long as I was in front! :)

Our spot in line was a good place to see the guys going to/from sound check. Actually, I was astounded that they did one at all. Seemed like they were coming of a long string of dates & travel… Anyway, Rick wondered by and commented on us "teens."

Huh?! I like to think I don’t look my age, but ain’t no way I could pass for a teenager! :) He had on a really cool leather coat. Perfect for those chilly Vegas afternoons! :) Robin walked by a little later with Pam and Robin Jr.

After the fact I found out that it was pretty easy to get in for sound check… DOH! Ummm… No thanks! I’d MUCH rather sit on the grass by a barricade with a mouthy security guy! :P Oh well, we could still hear it out front: it included "Borderline" and "It All Comes Back to You."

Around 7:45 they opened the gates and in the tradition of the 25^th Anniversary Show, I ran in with Stephanie following close behind yelling "Run, Lisa, RUN!!!!!!!!" The beach was lounge chair-free for the show and most people opted to stay on dry land. If you know me, that was not an option. Besides, wading in was no big deal – even with the waves on, it was only shin deep…

Make that hip deep if you’re as vertically challenged as Stephanie. (Sorry, sorry! I swear to god I’ll refrain from any other short jokes…)

Tim hung back with the landlubbers – he told me afterwards that the guy sitting next to him was not there so much for CT as he was there to pick up chicks. Alrighty then….

The stage itself was pretty high – I’m guessing 12’ – and almost a circle, with the beach following the curve. The wave pool was more off to the side, so everyone congregated around the stage area. Never been to a concert where they needed a staff of lifeguards…

Interestingly enough there were some barriers down front, underneath some speakers installed downstage center – to keep people from trying to climb up on stage, so I was told. There were 4 huge torches (for lack of better words) on the hill above the stage area. Looked pretty cool, although I’m sure further back the perspective on the aesthetics was better…

Sven was doing his usual pre show thang. He made sure I saw that Homer was on the amps next to Tweety before flicking a couple picks at me (and others). He also took some video and photos of the crowd. He had to change into his "blacks" before the show. Stephanie informed him that he looked like Mr. Rogers as he changed his shoes on Rick’s steps…

The crowd itself was chock full o’ TF3 representatives. Kim, Sam, Danny, Felicity, Hezza & Shezza, and many others I never caught up with… (i.e. Bunezuela & the Mrs., fans from Japan - whose names I don’t know – sorry!) … A couple people around me admired my Homer sign. It was a special "limited edition" I’d made just for the occasion: laminated to protect it in the pool…

Just before show time, you could see the guys milling around the backstage area. There was a walkway leading to the stage – with a large area on the other side for them to hang out. As they made their way to the stage, we started cheering. Tom was particularly good about stopping for photos. :)

They took the stage a little before 9 pm.

THE SHOW

FASHION REPORT

SET LIST

RANDOM NOTES

Rick banter (in no particular order):

The usual praise for the crowd was a little different because of the venue, "This is the best looking waterlogged crowd we’ve ever seen" and pointed out that some people had lost "half their clothes"… MFH is on sale for $5 all summer at the merchandise booth… He also talked about the upcoming release of the 25^th Anniversary show on August 28, as well as a new album at the end of 2000 or early 2001... He was also gracious in his thanks to all the fans who’d traveled so far to see them – making special note of fans in from the UK, Japan & California...

Other Notes:

I have no idea how big the crowd was. We were all well behaved, I thought – given the nightmare that venue could have been. Visions of water + alcohol + shoving = scared Lisa. With only a couple (albiet obnoxious) exceptions, everyone was cool…