Avalon Ballroom
Niagara Fallsview Casino
Niagara Falls, Ontario
May 29, 2005

Tired of the blathering? Click here for some relief. Or you could skip the whole thing and just pretend you read it by clicking here. ;) If you’re a glutton for punishment, carry on…

The day started early, thanks to my typical CT road trip case of insomnia. It was a gorgeous morning, so I headed out for a walk, making my way towards the Fallsview Casino – hoping to have some time to gaze at the horseshoe falls on the Canadian side without the usual crowds.

My hunch was right, so I enjoyed a bit of peaceful, reflective time before searching for coffee fix.

It seems I wasn’t the only CT fan not sleeping. Enroute to Starbucks, I bumped into Mr. Kim Gisborne. It was nice to tag along with him while he checked out the falls. It took a bit of doing, but we managed to get down to river level. I think my favorite part was getting so close to the "crest" of the falls.

After a coffee break, we headed back to our respective hotels to gather our friends for the appointed 10 AM Maid of the Mist meeting time.

We had great weather for the ride and thankfully there wasn’t much of a wait time. Before you got on the boat, there were plenty of nice views – like this one… (our faces aren’t lit very well, but the falls look great!) Here’s the group in our fabulous blue trash bags – er – ponchos… And what the hell, here's one more...

Afterwards, everyone else headed out for shopping and/or more sightseeing, while I wussed out and went back to the room for a much needed nap. Kim may be able to operate on 4 hours sleep, but I’m too old for this crap! LOL

Turns out that my nap was well timed – I missed the hail storm. I heard reports from others about getting pelted by hail stones and driving rain. Good thing those folks had held onto their trash bags - ahem, ponchos.

At 3-ish, Junko and I headed back to the casino, in search of Miss Cara and her date, Donald Sutherland – er – Mark.

Junko worried how we’d find them, just as I spied the 2 lovebirds.

I hardly got out an "Excuse me, miss" before we were all screaming and hugging like school girls. LMAO!

We decided pre-dinner drinks were in order, so we headed for the 360 Club (or is it 350? Whatever. It was 300 something...) inside the casino itself. Cara got carded. Junko, Mark and I did not. Cara looked so happy to present her ID to the guard. LOL!

Thanks to Mark for the tasty beverages.

BTW – if you’re ever tempted to buy a margarita at the 300-Something-er-Other Club at the Fallsview? Don’t.

Back at the theatre, we found out that the band did not do a sound check, leaving it to the technicians. Doh! Oh well. It was around this time that we found Buckwheat - in all the way from Kentucky. He's got a very funny write up of the night here, if you're interested. :D

I thought the boo-fay would be the perfect dinner spot, but the line was daunting, so we ended up at Johnny Rocket's.

Mmmm.... Boca burger....

Back in the theatre for show #2! Sitting in front of the speaker (as I had the night before) I spied the 2 empty seats from the previous evening. At 8:29 PM I claimed one of them for my own, hoping the high rollers who'd been given those seats wouldn't show again. :D

Jimmy and Buckwheat were thinking like me - only their seats' owners showed up. Bummer!

THE SHOW

CT took the stage promptly at 8:30 PM…

FASHION REPORT

SET LIST

RN Speaks

"In case you’re wondering – we’re the same band that was here last night!"

He gave shouts out again – claiming that an African American couple in the 5 row was his mom and dad. LOL!

He informed us that Sass Jordan was on hand last night and they’d failed "Canadian Idol." Doh! He added that she’d "Abdul-ed" him… and he’d enjoyed it.

Some dude in a Dolche Gabanna jacket was in the front row with his rather, ahem, buxom date. Rick enjoyed giving them a hard time about his jacket ("Did you get it at a truck stop? That’s where I got my D&G sunglasses!") and especially when the guy kept taking calls on his cell phone. "Who are you talking to NOW?!"

Another bit of name dropping – he gave a shout out to Danica Patrick. "I live next door to her father… I’d like to thank my manager for preventing me for going to the race today." Doh!

Collin got a less prestigious shout out when Rick heard Robin’s guitar and noted that it was out of tune. "Leave the acid in the US!" As they attempted to take care of the issue, more sour notes caused Rick to add, "Still not in tune! I have perfect pitch - I don't play perfectly - I just know that guitar's not in tune." (Or something like that!)

For the person who kept screaming "Big Eyes" he finally said, "Sorry - we played that one last night!"

A guy approached the stage to show off his CT tattoo and Rick had the lighting folks shine a light on him so he could show it to the rest of us.

Of course my favorite was getting a "Happy Birthday" from my favorite guitar player in the whole wide world. :) After which he added, "Happy birthday to everyone!" LOL!

(Thanks to Junko, Dawn and my specially made Homer sign for getting the message to Rick about that one! LOL!)

MISC. Ramblings from Yours Truly

You can’t go wrong with a set list like that. All of us die hards were banking on that kind of shake up and we were very happy to hear gems like "Whore" and OTOTW. Woo hoo! My only gripe was that "Ain't That a Shame" and "Aufie" were cut. Jimmy was particularly sad with the latter omission. What a tease to have that tune on the set lest both nights - only to to be cut both nights. DOH!!!

OK - I take that back only gripe comment - my other gripe would be regarding the venues sit down policy. It was just too weird. By the end of the night, Rick was making fun of the security guards, pretending to crack a whip. LMAO!

By the end of the show, the Ladies in Black, let the crowd push the stage. Gee, thanks!

ZG got the guitar hand off - but I forget after which song...

Tom seemed a little quieter tonight - keeping more to himself than usual. Towards the end of the set, Rick noticed that his jacket matched Tom's bass, holding up a sleeve next to the bass in comparison.

Speaking of the jacket, Rick seems very pleased with it - as well he should be! It's beautiful! He had a good time flashing the Versace label every so often. LOL! He claims to have found it in a second hand store in Milan. Nice!

POST SHOW SCHTUFF

There was much loitering in the lobby afterwards. I don't think any of us wanted the spectacular weekend to end... Here's a couple group shots for ya...

Several of us headed to the chinese restaurant nearby for drinks. Jimmy found us a bit later and bought a round with his Keno winnings. His stretch of luck is not to be believed. I'll leave that story to him. Buckwheat found us soon thereafter and said he'd seen the band on their way out of the casino....

It was great to have time with friends afterwards, although it was over all too soon. Junko and I headed back to the hotel. She needed to get some rest before her shuttle ride to the airport.

THANK YOU

Cue the "Carol Burnett Show" song here... I'm so glad we had this time together!!!

I'd like to thank Carla, CT & Co. for 2 great shows. Another great weekend to add to my "kaliedescope of memories." Same goes to the many fans and friends who made the trip all the more worthwhile!

Kim - thanks for letting me tag along on your Sunday morning sightseeing!

A big shout out to Junko - CT road trip partner extraordinaire. It's always a pleasure.

And as per usual - the biggest thanks go to my son and husband. Those two great guys who let me get away for these shows. A girl couldn't ask for better.

When I got home late on May 30, there was a sign on the door from them both, wishing me a happy birthday. Awwwww!

Thanks for reading. :D

Peace,
Lisa J.
"I prefer to listen to Cheap Trick."
-Homer J. Simpson

� Lisa Jebsen, 2005