A few days ago I bought the best possible tickets online. This service was easy, not too expensive (a five dollar fee) and instant. The only trouble was their server has been offline and down since I bought the tickets and I was unable to print them for the concert. Calling for one whole day was futile, altho after I did get through, being on an automated recording ate up the rest of my monthly minutes on my cell phone. Finally, on the second day, I got thru.
"OH, we know the server is down. We expect it back up within the hour, keep trying," Isabelle said, "you could just take your email with the transaction number with you and they can make you a ticket there." Me, "Oh really. The same email that says this is not a ticket? What if that doesn't work?" Her, "It'll work." Me, "And if it doesn't?" Her, "It'll work. Me, "BUT what if it doesn't?" She hung up.
My sister left her work early. This is a miracle. She was at my place early and we left around 2:30 pm. I got the bright idea to stop at my bank on the way and get a print out of the ticket transaction being posted. I mean anyone can make an email. I suppose anyone could make a bank statement too.
It took us an hour to get there, she drove. There was a fuck up on the freeway as we neared Temecula becaue some biker gang down in Fallbrook decided to have a gunfight with cops and they closed the freeway in both directions. Since my sister used to live in Temecula, back when the population was under ten thousand, she knows short cuts!
We get to the gate at Lake Skinner and in we go. The rangers tried to tell us the park didn't let in festival people until 5 pm but we went anyway. They said to turn around after the checkstand but I told her keep going. Not a lot of people know this but I used to be a ranger at that lake twenty years ago. I know short cuts too.
Anyway.
Long story short. The bank's proof of payment and the email together was enough for one of the chairpersons for the festival to go get us the golden bracelets that would get us in front row center and into the gourmet buffet tent next to the stage. And we were an hour and a half early.
This is HOW CLOSE we were.
Shane Mack won a contest and was invited to open at the Friday night gig. He was good, I predict he'll be a big name in a short time. His songs were clever. He had a great voice and a tight band. He did a cover of a Three Dog Night song and I couldn't help but smile. My high school sweetheart plays with Chuck Negron now and I saw Three Dog Night when I was just 13 at a festival in Ontario, Ca called the November Jam. This was a few years before they held the California Jam and the US Festivals.
Before the genuis chairperson came back with our bracelets, we set up out chairs in front of the stage and watched John Waite do a sound check and tune up. John Waite was in the Babies and Bad English and I Ain't Missing You is one of my favorite songs. I love that guy. The above photo was taking during the show. But he let me take pictures when they were doing the sound check. His show rocked. When he came back for an encore, I walked to the stage and he was sweet enough to autograph my program.
Blake Shelton. I get goosebumps. He is so hot. His show was awesome. I wanted to see him up close. I did. My sister was in heaven. We were singing and dancing and looking up his long legs. Mmm, oh yeah. He reached out and shook hands. He shook mine, and my sister's. When he was doing his hit song The More I Drink, I was smiling and dancing and he pointed at me and winked. How did he know??
I am a little pissed off at myself. I need to spend some money and get a better camera. I barely took any decent photos from this show because his face was so over-exposed from the stage lights. Lots of action and they were blurry. Or maybe my hands were shaking. Beats me. I know what I saw and heard and that is good enough for me.
During the show Blake sat down for a couple of acoustic songs. He place a stool near the front of the stage and sang solo sitting in a single pool of light. I think his voice has just gotten better and better with time. There was another time during the show that the roadie who handed him his guitar made a remark and Blake called him back to explain himself. It was something like, "If you think it's soooo easy, you do it!" I am sure this was all pre-staged and probably a part of the regular show, not improvised. Anyway, the roadie ended up doing a few songs while Blake sat down and watched. He wasn't bad and it was all in good fun.
Before Blake departed the stage for good, he reached down and autographed the program too. I loved this show. It was worth every penny. I wish it could have gone on longer or I could have invited him home for.... nevermind.
Blake's band is awesome. They are tight, in synch and solid. They are talented, fun and personable. When the show was done the bass player came back out and signed a cast for a kid with a broken arm. I saw him there so I walked over. I had been blowing him kisses all night anyway. When I told him I had just watched him on Stripped before we came today, he walked over and pulled the set list off the stage and gave it to me. What a sweetie!
Here it is.
California and that is underlined.
This Can't Be Good
Nobody But Me
The More I Drink
She Don't Love Me
Goodbye Time
Tight Fittin Jeans
Acoustic (2)
Home
Cotton Pickin
Don't Make Me
Playboys
Austin
Some Beach
Redneck Girl
Ol' Red
I have to tell you, it takes one small snub to make someone dislike you. But it takes and even smaller kindness to make someone a fan for life. I believe if more performers knew this, taking 30 seconds to sign a cast would not seem like such a great sacrifice at all.
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