Uncasville, CT
August 21, 2005
Sunday morning, we left the house and drove back into Boston to pick up Val and Jaly at their hotel. We were giving them a ride to the casino. We got there in time to say good-bye to Rusty, who was heading home. Although, there was a moment of confusion when he introduced himself to Mike by saying: “Hi! I’m Jaly, from Canada!” Silly boy! We loaded up the car and headed for Connecticut. It’s about a two hour drive, so we stopped for lunch and so the girls could do some souvenir shopping. Arrived at our hotel (we did not stay at the casino, itself), checked in, changed clothes and went to the casino. Spent a bit of time walking around and hooked up with Bulldog, who was taking one of the extra tickets Jaly had. We were meeting him in the lobby of the casino hotel, and Val was on her cell with him, trying to find him in that huge space. Turned out they were almost directly across from us, and Greg was telling him: “There they are! I can see Mak’s hair!” I should rent it out as a signpost! LOL We also saw (and I hope I remember everyone- if I forget you, my apologies): Greg and Maureen, Mia, Wendy, Bonnie, Chrissy, Tania and her son, and Joanne. We saw Neal and Ross in the lobby, but they were obviously busy, so we didn’t bother them. Chrissy gave me a red MS Hope bracelet- thank you! Took some pictures, and by then it was getting close to time for our VIP gathering. Mike did not have a VIP for this show, so he and Steph were sitting together, and he was waiting for her to arrive, since she drove down herself. She got there just as we all set off for the reception.
It was a nice party. Val, Jaly and I sat at a table with Greg and Maureen and Leslie. The “other” Maureen (Steve’sNurse) was at another table. And Gina was there, too. We had some good food (I think Val and I ate most of the crab rangoons, but they were really good!) and a couple beers. We had the 2001 DVD to watch and after Dana handed out the goodie bags and tickets (we got 7th row center, which wasn’t bad, considering the number of VIP packages that sold for this show). Then she started pulling the raffle tickets. Val and Jaly didn’t win anything this time- sorry, girls! Gina won one of the Hawaiian shirts and she pulled my number for the next prize, which was another of the Hawaiian shirts! Thanks, Gina! Then it was time to head into the arena for the show. We got to our seats and I located Mike and Steph in the upper section where they were sitting. I went up to talk to them for a bit, and they pointed out Lydia and her “entourage,” who were sitting about 4-5 rows behind us.
Ok- show time! I will get the rant out of the way first. There is something wrong with the sound at that venue. Last year, it was bad and I remember several instances of technical problems then. This year was no different. Ross was having major problems, to the point where Jonathan had to fill some time talking (usually not a problem for him! LOL) while Ross got some cables or something changed out. And the overall sound was just mushy- Ross’ bass was muddy, Neal’s solos were so mushy you couldn’t distinguish individual notes and it was really almost impossible to pick up the words anyone was singing. And I am beginning to believe it’s the arena there, because Friday nite, the sound was great; Saturday, maybe a little off, but nothing like Sunday. Mike had forgotten his earplugs and actually had to leave for a while, because the sound was so bad. He did find a nice security guy who pointed him to one of the stores outside the arena that sold those foam earplugs and then he let Mike back inside, which was supposed to be a no-no! Poor Steph- the people behind her were being nasty aobut her standing and she is too nice to fight back, so she had to sit. And then her father left her and she thought she was going to be stuck alone for the rest of the show.
Anyway, the band rocked, despite the (relatively minor) problems. The set was changed up a little from the past 2 nights. Deen did not sing lead again, but he was still not feeling well, I guess. They put In Self-Defense and Gone Crazy in the first set, and Ross did Walks Like a Lady, again, too. Every Generation, Faith in the Heartland and Out of Harm’s Way were in the second set. And we got Higher Place, too! Again, the crowd was so-so. Of course, major response to the Dirty Dozen, but kinda cool for a lot of the really older stuff. I loved it, once again. I am becoming a big fan of Kohoutek. Loved Steve on the guitar once again. And after, I asked Mike (without telling him any of the background), what he thought of Steve’s guitar playing and he said that he looked very natural playing it, as if he’d been playing for years, and you could tell that by the way his left hand moved so smoothly on the fretboard. So much for “uncomfortable,” huh? Everyone looked and sounded great. And that is no small thing, given that this was the third night in a row for those guys.
Val has told Jaly’s sad story about not getting back in to her seat after intermission, so I will not repeat it. I just wish I’d gone out there with her- that security gorilla would have had a real fight on his hands!
Lydia came down and talked to us for a bit in the arena. Then, when the show was over, I gave my Hawaiian shirt to Val, who had an aftershow pass and asked her to please try to get Jonathan to sign the Whale’s picture on it. And I headed out of the arena to meet Mike and Steph. As I walked by Lydia’s row, I waved good-bye, not wanting to bother her since she was in the middle of the row and with her family. But all of a sudden I hear her calling me and saying: “You’re not trying to leave without saying good-bye?” She climbed out of the row and we talked for a couple of minutes. She was standing there, playing with my hair!! LOL But better her than the random girl sitting behind me, who was doing the same thing all night long! At least I know who Lydia is!! Met up with Mike and Steph and we waited for Val to resurface. When she did, not only did she get my shirt signed, but she got Jon to personalize it, too!! You rock, Val!! We went and got some food, and then Steph was planning on driving back home, so she went to get a cup of coffee. Just about that moment, Lydia walked by with a couple of her cousins, I think, heading for the casino tables. I asked her if she would mind waiting for a moment to say hi to Steph and she very graciously said yes. Mike went to drag Steph out of the coffee shop, Val came along and we all had a nice conversation with Lydia. We walked with her to the casino, and everyone got big hugs good-bye. Mike says he was very impressed with how very nice and down to earth she is. But we all knew that! And I don’t think the hug hurt any, either! It was quite late so Val offered to let Steph stay in her room overnight, and Steph finally agreed to do just that. So we all went back to the hotel and turned in. Got up on Sunday, went to the casino for a bit. Val and Jaly did some shopping and Mike, Steph and I hit the roulette table. Came away about $35 ahead, so it was good. We left the casino, Steph drove home and we took Jaly and Val to the airport in Boston. It was hard to say good-bye!! I miss you guys, still…
So ends another Journey year for me. Three wonderful concerts, seeing old friends and meeting new, and many wonderful memories, once again! Thank you, Journey, for yet one more fabulous show!