Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:16 pm
Very cool pics, Kristine! 
Friday Jerry and I were walking around outside the Monterey Aquarium and he spotted a rack of Monterey County Weeklies- with Al on the top of the front page and this article inside.:
Monterey County Weekly article
Outside the theater we ran across Steve, who said "There you are!" just as if he remembered me and gave me another nice big hug, which always makes me blush and giggle....
I had a lot of fun collecting Rock Hall petition signatures before the concert, and met some really cool people who I hope will come here and say hi- Crazy Craig, Jennifer, Nic- I also got to meet Parody Freak27, addictedtoyankovic, Carlotta, and OE- cool WOWAY members!
The concert itself was (no surprise!) fantastic. Of the 3 I've seen this tour, this was my favorite. Very high energy, and the crowd was really into it. Parody Freak and I got sung to-her outfit makes a lot of noise in the dryer and I'm absolutely perfect, as long as I don't speak! I could hear my husband laughing hysterically the whole time- a guy who rarely laughs out loud! I think he got as big a kick out of it as I did. I saw Kristine in the aisle next to me taking pictures- it was very foggy in the theater, so I didn't even attempt photography. I figured Kristine would have a better chance than me!
I counted 18 kinds of donuts and Zelda called him "sugar pickle"...Before the encore, instead of people clapping and chanting "We want Al", people started stomping their feet, like at a baseball stadium. The effect was extraordinary- the whole theater shook and the noise was tremendous!
Afterwards, the Extremely Magnanimous Orthography Enthusiast gave me her extra backstage pass. I was so excited! We were herded up by the exit- Ruben was in the crowd with his friends just near me so I took advantage of the opportunity to fondle his talented shoulder- I told him I was just trying to see if some of the greatness would rub off and he gave me a great big hug! Thanks, Mr. Magic Fingers!
We went down the stairs into the dressing room area, where it was quite warm and crowded. Very shortly it was my turn to see Al. "He said "It's nice to see you again!" (!!) I was pretty stupid, but I threw down my stuff to get me a Yanko-hug and he obliged very sweetly. I then asked him to touch my poodle- I had worn my red Poodle Hat shirt, in memory of Bela- he did, and autographed it right above her curly head. I couldn't get a picture of me and him because my husband had no pass, but I have pictures in my head!
After that I saw Jon having an intelligent conversation with someone about drumming, so I decided not to bother him with another round of "Gee, you're so great, I just love you!" Jim was likewise conversing coherently with somebody, and my husband was patiently waiting for me outside without his jacket, since I had it with me in my bag, so I decided to slip out and spend the rest of the evening with my favorite guy, talking about the great show.
We had so much fun, I'd love to do it all over again! And OE, thank you so much for the pass! It was a treat to meet you in person!
