Buffalo

I’m starting to lose count of the states I’ve traveled to for CT shows. Depending on your perspective, that’s a really cool thing or a really scary thing. LOL!

Well, I’ve got a lot of babbling to do so feel free to skip to the show or set list…

Leaving Midland was a lot harder than I thought it’d be. This was my first time away from Zach since he was born 5 months ago. I’d been fairly nonchalant about the whole thing but as the time drew near, the more hesitant I became.

This was not helped by the fact that our other "baby" has been quite sick. Some of you may know that our Husky, Adelaide is fighting the good fight with liver failure. Good news: the last 2 weeks have been better – most days she’s like her old self: eating well, demanding walks in the a.m., being sassy... Bad news: we know this is only temporary. Some day in the not too distant future, we’re gonna have to make that awful drive to the vet to let our girl go. *sigh*

That sadness aside, when I got back Tim, Zach and Miss Adelaide were all doing great. *Whew*

Riddle me this, Batman: How is it that I can fly to London from here with only *one* stop but to get to Buffalo, I gotta do change planes twice?! WTF? LOL….

Anyway all three fights were uneventful and I deplaned in Buffalo about 20 minutes early (alert the media), picked up the rental car and was on my way…

FYI: if the person at the rental counter really tries to sell you on an upgrade, don’t do it! I politely told the Alamo lady that my economy reservation would be sufficient. When I went to pick up the car I knew the reason for the hard sell. There were no economy cars on hand so she *had* to give me a free upgrade. :P Glad I didn’t fall for her ploy!

As promised, Junko met me in the lobby of the hotel. So good to see that my friend from Japan had made it in safely! The good people at the Fairfield Inn let her check in early, so she was able to rest up after her first stop in Chicago. :)

Before heading out for a late dinner, we exchanged gifts. Not only did she have some cool stuff for me (pictures, stationary, stamps and a fan) she had brought a gift for Zach. Three outfits! She told me she could not decide, so she bought them all. LOL! I promised that they would soon make an appearance on Zach’s Picture of the Week.

While making plans for dinner, I thought Junko ought to have some buffalo wings while in the town that had made them famous. And it just so happened that a nice dude in the lobby steered us towards Duff’s – a local spot not too far from the hotel.

We found the place and ordered a variety of "temperatures," working our way up to the "super hot." I’d done OK with the first 3, but those really got me. LOL… I think for awhile there people were staring at the two women wiping their noses and laughing hysterically.

The Niagara Falls at night was a great way to cap off the evening. We got there just in time to see them illuminated. We even found a free parking spot! Woo hoo!

Despite the rainy morning skies, it had cleared up a bit by the time we got to Niagara Falls. We even found the same free parking place! Woo hoo! The day would prove to be a string of good luck: free parking, minimal crowds (despite the fact that it was a Saturday in August) and no ticket even though we were gone an hour too long.

BTW – for anyone going to Falls: the Maid of the Mist boat ride and the Cave of the Winds walking tour (at the base of the Falls) are highly recommended! You *will* get wet though! LOL… Junko and I had a blast.

Afterwards, we had a late lunch/breakfast/whatever at the Cracker Barrel near the hotel. Junko got her first taste of turkey sausage. LOL! Trying to explain things like that provided me with an endless source of amusement over the weekend.

On the way downtown, we searched for a rock station that might say something about the show that night. As it turns out, this was a very wise decision. More on that in a sec…

My less-than-wise decision was assuming that I would find a grocery store for Junko near the park. Downtown Buffalo has some really pretty buildings, but it also has a ton of empty ones. Junko saw one of the more depressing sides of life in the US that afternoon. Yikes!

We finally found a store that served our purposes and about five minutes after we got back in the car, the good people at 92.9 FM announced that they had special passes to get on the field for the concert for the next people at the ballpark.

When I heard that announcement, Junko got a lesson on how *not* to drive. LMAO! I think we were 10 blocks away and we hit every #@%$!* red light on our way there. Despite all that, we made it in time and when the radio dude handed us the passes, we screamed and hugged like little girls. LOL!

The good luck continued when I found yet another free parking spot for us next to the ballpark.

After that score, we went to an "Irish pub" across the street from the field. I found a poster on the wall for the show and decided to swipe it on my way out. Someone beat me to it, though.

Oh well. Too bad, so sad. ;) Later on, Junko found some flyers for us at the park. Woo hoo!

At the time, we had no idea how many people would get on the field, so instead of watching the game, we ended up staking a spot by the gate where we’d been told to meet with security. I didn’t see one pitch of the game. LOL! [Somewhere my husband is rolling his eyes ;)] Junko did get to watch for a bit. We were both rooting for no extra innings and lots of strikeouts. LOL!

During this wait, I saw first hand how the venue managed to ruin the show for many fans. We were staked out next to the ticket window and I saw fan after fan approach, asking for a pass for the field. They were all told that there were only 100 and the radio station had given them all away. They were also told that no one would be let on the field without a pass – even if all 100 people weren’t there.

The best part was when the very same security person turned around and in the same breath and had two of her pass-less friends ushered down to the field.

Anyway, Dunn Tire Park is a nice little minor league park. The Buffalo Bisons are the AAA team for the Indians and they were playing the Red Barons. Where the Barons’re from, I don’t know. Nor do I really care. LOL…. The usual ballpark hotdogs ‘n stuff was supplemented with famous local fare: buffalo wings and weck.

After the game (Bisons won 5-4) the whole CT set up was rolled onto the field – just behind 2^nd base. Little golf cart/tractor things pulled stacks of amps out to either side of the stage. While this set up kept the grass in good condition, it left most audience members about 100 yards from the stage. Not sure if the venue always sets it up like that, but it was very odd.

It didn't help that the security people were clue-free. There was no consensus on things like how to get us out on the field, whether we had to turn over the pass, etc., etc. While the staff members I encountered were nice enough, it was like they’d never done it before. Strange given the fact that they have 3 or so of these things a year.

One thing the security type persons *did* know was that we were to STAY ON THE DIRT AT ALL TIMES. LOL. Yes sir! So they trouped us out there down the first baseline and although some people cheered for us, I didn’t really want to look into the crowd for fear of getting $hit thrown at me.

(Side note: my brother in law asked if I slid into second when we got out there. If I thought that would get me on Sports Center’s Plays of the Week, then I would’ve. LOL!)

The stage was very high (not as high as the Mandalay Bay, but close, LOL) so we could tell from the crowd reaction when the guys were brought "backstage." Rick waved to people and probably flicked out some picks.

I peeked back there and Robin gave me a nice smile and wave (I’m sorry, that’s gonna make any girl’s day!) and while Rick signed some autographs, he shouted out to me to ask, "How’s the baby?" LOL… I said something stupid (imagine that) when I *should’ve* said, "Hopefully sleeping for his dad right now!!!"

CT took the stage and kicked it all into high gear right off the bat… It was a beautiful night – a waning moon on the rise, not to cold, not to hot. Perfect.

BEC	From where I stood, all I could tell was that he had on a CT b-ball cap. Other than that, he coulda been naked for all I know. LOL
RN	Black suit, black and white baseball shirt with white Japanese script (I think) and what looks to be a new pair o’ shades…
RZ	Did you see any of the California shows? That outfit. With the hat and glasses. ;)
TP	A GORGEOUS gray suede coat with fringe (if there’s a TF4 and if there’s an auction I want it! LOL...) black shirt, blue jeans, black cowboy boots and hat

Fashion report for yours truly: I was wearing a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans, thankyouverymuch.

Sorry. Just had to say that. It was a banner day in the Jebsen house when mom got her jeans back on. We had a party to burn the maternity jeans I’d been stuck in for several months. :)

Right before the show started, I met 3 guys from Toronto. They offered to hoist me onto their shoulders for the show. Ummmmm… No thanks! LOL…

Hello There
Big Eyes	No matter how many times I hear this, it always gets me going. :)
IYWML	"This was #1 in Australia and didn't even chart in Buffalo, so thankyouverymuch."
He's A Whore	I read somewhere else that a group of fans in the stands grumbled about no "old songs" after this one. Ummmmm…. How much older than the first album do you want people?! Maybe some Mozart or a Gregorian chant would be old enough for them. :P
IKWIW	The usual intro - noting that the inventor of the 12 string bass is a NY resident.
IWYTWM	One of the guys next to me from Toronto tried to get me to jitterbug during this one. WTF?! He was a regular Xavier Cugat, let me tell ya! I was game, but homeboy was a wee bit too drunk. LOL…
High Roller	This is so cool live. Love it!
She’s Tight
Voices	Said it before, but I’ll keep saying it. I LOVE THIS SONG. And I love this song even more when they do the DP album intro. I actually caught a pick on this one. I think this is the first time. Usually I drop any that come my way and have to scramble for them. Either that or my hair "catches" it. LOL…
Ain’t That A Shame
Southern Girls	Glad this one is back in the regular rotation. :)
Surrender	Either Rick didn’t have a flat to throw or he didn’t want to. He chucked out his Kleenex box instead. LOL!
The Flame	F*ck that reviewer from the Richmond Times. When Robin pops that money note at the end and it always kicks my ass. During this one a whole section stood and swayed. You could tell Rick loved it.
DP
Goodnight Now

Rick kicked things off by welcoming everyone to Shea Stadium. Adding that CT was a perfect way to cap off a Bisons win. He also talked about the first time they played Buffalo. I think he said it was ’77, adding that they ate buffalo wings at Sebastian’s.

Before introducing RZ, he said that Robin had just been up in NYC to put finishing touches on the new album.

During the Kiddie Parade, Rick got an earful from Jeremy. When he asked the boy’s name, Jeremy was flabbergasted. "Don’t you remember me?! I just met you backstage!"

Ahhhh…. A nice little demonstration of why the show biz adage ("never perform with animals or children") is true. LOL... Plus, the two little girls up there couldn’t think of a favorite band. Oh well. What do you expect from kids who were playing in the dirt rather than watching the show?! LOL…

He pointed out a couple of us and let everyone know that Junko was here for her 96^th show.

This is the most animated I’ve seen Robin in awhile. What fun to watch! Lots of smiles and very high energy. Actually, they all seemed to be having a fun time. Smiles all around. Gotta love it!

I have no idea how many people came to the game or stayed for the show. Let’s just say that it was nowhere near being a sell out. Doesn’t sound like there was much advertising. A few flyers in bars in a downtown that’s dead after 5 pm do not an advertising campaign make. :P

There was a camera dude taking shots for the Jumbotron. Not sure what all was projected up there, but I shoved my stupid Homer sign in his face a couple times. LOL….

Before the encores, Rick ran out towards the Bison dugout and threw a bunch of picks into the stands.

Before they left the stage, I threw some brand new TOMCAT swag up to Rick: t-shirt that says "Fixtures wanted" on the front with a photo of some truss on the back. Junko got one too. :) Hell, I don’t even have one yet. LOL…

Speaking of t-shirts – there were a couple new ones at the merchandise table since July. A cool "Summer Tour 2002" shirt with the graphic mirrored on the back as well as a ladies t-shirt with the CT logo in pink. I bought one of the tour shirts, but opted out of the ladies t 'cuz I'm not into pink. LOL…

It’d been a long day. After chatting with folks like Grace, Cee Cee, Rhonda, Carolyn, Cynthia, Bob and others I’m prolly forgetting – doh! - we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep before the trek to Syracuse the next day.

So there you have it. Now I’ve seen CT after a hockey game and a baseball. What's next? A soccer game? A golf tournament? LOL!