I decided that I'm never again going to or through southern Connecticut or any place that requires me to drive on I-95 again. Ain't worth it.
We got there with just enough time to find a quick place to eat. Then when we get there, I realized I forgot my wallet in the car, so I sent Jackie ahead so she could eat without being too rushed and meet the rest of the gang while I went back to the car. Met up with Amanda Cohen's father and mother, and Jessica (this_is_the_life) while eating dinner.
Fuddruckers gave me a my much needed wine in a glass, so as we're walking in to the theater, they made the usher find a plastic cup to transfer it to. Then we were told we'd be seated up in one of the boxes on the side, so that was the first time I've ever been in one of those. It was fun because we got to see the show from above and get a little taste of what Al sees when he looks out over full audience. Plus we didn't have to worry about bothering anyone when taking pictures or talking or anything. Though I wouldn't recommend it to anyone seeing their first show, as Ruben was impossible to see and you needed to crane your head to see just one of the video screens.
Two of the guys sitting with us in the box were obviously high rollers as they were getting all kind of special attention by the usher and waitress. Really nice guys too. About halfway through the show, they gave Steve some comps for free drinks for our group.
NNY273000 hit most of the highlights already -- no harmonica for "Bob," the bass solo, Al singing to Jessica's friends as they walked into the theater, then singing to an usher who shielded her face, then the elderly woman leaving her seat to give Al a kiss on the cheek during WBUL, the 501st during TSB, and then the poor guy who didn't know the lyrics in "Yoda," Al's Segway mishap, and of course starting all over during "Albuquerque."
Other things you might not have seen if you were on the floor. Skye laughing at and making fun of me when Al sang, "Put my hand in my pocket. I can't believe there's no wallet." The money machine was mounted over the audience and blew the money towards the front of the theater. And during SLN, a white-haired lady in the second row got the brunt of the water in her face. I couldn't see her expression clearly but she didn't appear happy about it.
The audience was probably mostly casino patrons and I'm sure because the usual group of fans who would have been in the first few rows were randomly spread around because of the general admission thing, the audience was quieter than usual, but I didn't think they deserved a "polite" comment. I mean it wasn't anywhere as dead as the audience on the live DVD or anything like that.
We waited inside for a while and ran into Alison and Michelle and Bev and Whitney. Michelle and Bev joined us at the bus where we waited for 45 minutes and saw two crew members. At 1:00, I called it off. Just then, Jon came by, waved, came over with a bottle of medicine in his, said hello, and said not to touch him or get too close because he was sick, then excused himself to go on the bus so he could sleep. There was still maybe half a dozen people waiting when we left, so I hope they didn't have to wait too much longer.
The ride home was long and foggy. I saw two deer in the middle of the highway. Good thing I had my high beams on (it wasn't foggy there) or I might not have seen them in time enough to slow down. They took there time crossing and once the left lane was clear I was able to drive past them.
This was my last show this tour. It was a fun and busy summer. Nice to see old friends and meet a lot of new one. I hope I get to see you all again in 2008!
Dave
So I didn't get to meet Al ... I did however, meet a very nice man named Niel (I wonder if he is a member here ...?) who said he would tell Al I said hi and that I tried to be there to meet him.