Dad and Hank Snow

 I recently came across some of my father's negatives, some of which we don't have the photos of. I had them printed out, included those from a Hank Snow concert that he went to in 1966. I don't know much about this country artist, but think that it was pretty cool that Dad got to meet him.

Uncle Bill, Hank Snow, and Dad

I looked up some info and the only song of his that I am familiar with is "I've Been Everywhere" but only the version done by Johnny Cash which was used in television commercials. I do have one of Dad's 45s but might be adding it to items to donate or sell.

September 12, 2017- Paul McCartney Concert

 

 My brother and I had a great time at the McCartney concert. Sir Paul put on an excellent show. He has a lot of energy for someone in his mid-70s. He is only 3 years younger than our parents. It was the longest one that I have ever been to- 2 hours and 45 minutes. We definitely got our money’s worth. It started at about 8:40, 20-25 minutes later than I thought that it would.

   He told some interesting Beatles stories before or after some of those songs, like “Something”. During part of that, he used the ukulele that George Harrison had given him. After “Back in the USSR “, I am pretty sure that he mentioned that they were the first rock concert ever in Moscow’s Red Square.

   There were also tales for “Blackbird”, “Love Me Do”, and” I Wanna Be Your Man”; they gave the latter song to the Rolling Stones to record. I am pretty sure that he said that this was the first number one hit in the UK for them.

   I was so happy when he did “Eleanor Rigby” which is one of my favorite Beatles songs. We would have been so disappointed if he didn’t do “Live and Let Die”. There were some loud pyrotechnics during that.  I only knew this and “Band on The Run” out of the 6 Wings songs. I did used to have the albums but my memories of them are hazy.

   McCartney was reading out some of the people’s signs. One guy had seen him either 100 or 110 times. After the concert, I overhead a lady saying that she has seen him 12 times. I wish that I had been to some of his shows in the past. It seems kind of surreal that I was even at this one.

  It was funny hearing a couple of ladies saying something like “He’s so cute” when McCartney was hamming it up a bit.

   I was surprised that my brother said that seeing him was on his bucket list. He sometimes tells me that the Beatles are so over-rated. Yet he has a greatest hits CD of theirs. He wishes that he had gone to see The Rolling Stones the last time they were on tour.

   Once again, regrets about getting rid of my Beatles/McCartney/Wings albums and tapes were on my mind. I took them to the book and record exchange place in Cranford. I didn’t even get that much credit for these and later saw high prices on them. I should have at least kept 1962-1966 and 1967-1970

   I feel bad that I exchanged my Dad’s 2 45’s at a record show too. I also threw out all the dubbed tapes that a boyfriend made for me in the late 90s. I can’t afford to get the CDs of these. I need to save money for other things now.

  I was doing some people watching; those of all ages were there, including some young kids. I couldn’t help feeling like an outsider even amongst other fans as I do at other concerts and events that I attend.  

   We talked to a nice couple at the Linden train station. Naturally, I was feeling anxious. They were going to the Yankees game. They live on a street in that town that is nearby our old apartment.

   I wrote down the set list this afternoon. There were either 36 or 38 songs on it. 5 were new ones that I wasn’t familiar with. McCartney was joking around about the fact that it was like a black hole out there during these unlike during the Beatles songs when the cell phone cameras all lit up brightly, or something similar.

   “Hey Jude” is playing in my head now. This was never really one of my favs. I like it a little up until the annoying part that seems to drag on at the end. Mike feels the same way. I was somewhat getting into it during the show though. I didn’t ask Mike what he thought about that. He probably would say that he wish that he had done “Get Back” instead; he had been trying to sing this earlier in the day.

   I am slightly ashamed that I was singing along during “Yesterday”. I probably would have been more so if my brother were sitting next to me. He hadn’t intended on going but then changed his mind a couple of minutes after I ordered my ticket. He was 3 rows above me, up at the very top of this venue.

   He still teases me about singing along to a couple of Duran Duran songs at the Garden in 2011. He did so about my dancing too. I know that I shouldn’t let this get to me but it is difficult not to.

May 6, 2017- The Mets and McCartney

It was raining so much yesterday that it didn’t seem as if there would even be a Mets game but luckily it stopped by around 4:15. There was only a spot of drizzle during it later on. They beat the Marlins 8-7. It hadn’t seemed like they were even going to win.

   I wish that I could be more descriptive about this but my mind is all jumbled. I mainly recall the rude people, particularly one guy, in front of us who often blocked our view. And the fact that neither my brother nor I were smart enough to realize that we could have moved over to avoid this until like the bottom of the 7^th inning.

   Mike was the one who said that we should do so. There wasn’t anyone else in our row so we went over to the end of it. I wish that we had done this much sooner.

    Syndergaard was supposed to be the pitcher but he is injured. This was disappointing. The free Thor t-shirt is kind of cheesy but I am glad that we got it.

   Don Mattingly, my 1980s crush, is the Marlins’ manager. It’s been nearly 30 years since I last saw him in person. I have been to more Mets games over the past 3 years than I was to Yankees games in the 1980s; 6- 2.

   Mike ate a chicken sandwich and fries from Blue Smoke. It was another chilly night, not as bad as the last time though. I was dressed warmer so this helped.

   The subway was extremely packed this time. I felt so anxious. Some music was playing in my head then, 2 songs apiece by McCartney and Spandau Ballet. This helped to calm me a bit as did some by Depeche Mode during the game.

   He wants to go to another game in 6 or 7 weeks. I sort of want to but mostly I am just feeling like this will be too tiring in every way as it has been these past 2 times.

   I ordered Paul McCartney tickets for Mike and me yesterday morning. Our seats could have been closer and also together if I had done the preorder on Thursday. The Prudential Center had sent me a code only part of me wasn’t so sure that I should make this purchase.

   It isn’t as if I am into his music that much anymore as I was in the late 80s and early 90s. At first, that internal voice won over the one that said that I shouldn’t pass up on this opportunity. I am just glad that I was able to reverse this in time to get these tickets. I probably will always be a bit mad at myself for not doing the presale.

   I was surprised that my brother actually wanted to go with me. He is always saying how over-rated that the Beatles (and each member) are. Yet he has their greatest hits. It is disappointing that we couldn’t get seats together but at least we will be in the same section (far from the stage), just 3 rows and one seat apart.

   That isn’t until September. We have the Lionel Richie concert before that in August. Both are at the same venue. Mike will be seeing Janet Jackson there in November; she finally rescheduled her tour dates. His Roger Waters show is also in September.

   He still is hoping that Bon Jovi will be at Met Life stadium this summer. I guess that I will go too. He had about 7 of their videos on yesterday before we left for the game. I am the one that got him into this group in the first place. He likes them more than I do now. I only listen to them when he does.

 

Later-

I read an article and watched some highlight clips of yesterday’s game. I did remember some of this, like how Granderson got a 2 run homerun, that Montero was the pitcher, and that they had 6 relievers. TJ Rivera did well but I only remember the homerun part of this. Their winning run was from a walk in the 8^th.

    There were a bunch of runs for each team in an inning- 6 for the Marlins in the 4th and 4 for the Mets in the 7^th. I think that this is right. Even after writing down these details, I am still doubting my memory. We were happy that Flores was in the line-up.

Bon Jovi Concerts- 2010-2014

 July 25, 2013- Met Life Stadium- Meadowlands, NJ

My brother and I got seat upgrades because the section that we were in had an obstructed view due to the hanging speakers. It is not as if they moved us way down close; we were just in the section below this, in the first row.  

   A bit of the speakers did still block the view of the new guitar guy a bit. It seemed strange that Richie is no longer a part of the band.

   I can’t remember which song that Jon had told everyone to hold up their cell phones during; obviously one of their power ballads. I had joked around with my brother during “Keep the Faith” that we are in the Church of Bon Jovi now. They didn’t do “Lay Your Hands on Me” which was disappointing.

   A light rain started during “Bed of Roses”. It lasted for two songs then and later during the encore. I don’t remember at which point though. We got a lot of songs for that – 5 for the first one and 2 for the second. Jon had told the crowd that they didn’t feel like leaving.

   The opening act, The J. Geils Band, was pretty lame. Before the show, my brother had been talking a lot which was giving me a little headache. We hadn’t really felt like standing up much and luckily didn’t have to because of being up in front. I did make sure I did so for ‘”It’s My Life” and some other songs though.

Bon Jovi Concert Memories 2010-2014

 July 9, 2010- The Meadowlands, NJ

Mike and I don’t really like the new stadium. The rows seem narrower, for one thing. It is pretty scary climbing up the stairs too. We were all the way up in the last row of this venue.

   The staff made us throw our umbrellas away which we were pretty upset about. We only had brought them to use outside of the stadium if necessary. We had taken a train and lite rail there so we couldn’t put them in our car like the lady told us to do.

   We were sitting next to a nice couple from Upstate NY; I think that the town was Newburg. The husband said that this show was his wife’s birthday gift to him. They asked us what other music that we are into. I was kind of embarrassed when I mentioned Duran Duran. Mike said Def Leppard.

   A drunk guy was a couple of seats away from us. I felt very uncomfortable when he came over to talk to me when my brother was in the bathroom. He asked me where I was from and touched me on my arm. I was relieved when Mike returned.

   Kid Rock was the opening act; he was on stage longer than other such performers that I have seen. We didn’t really care for him. He came back out to sing “Old Time Rock and Roll” with Bon Jovi later. Richie Sambora sang “Lay Your Hands on Me” which we weren’t happy about.

   Late in the show, during “Livin” on a Prayer”, it looked as if Jon injured himself. He said something like he thinks that he might have pulled him calf muscle. He wasn’t moving around that well but kept performing, naturally. When I talked with Mike about this the next day, he told me that he hadn’t even been aware of this.

   Mike had gotten Nathan’s fries for $5.00 and a soda for $4.75. I didn’t buy the tour book this time because it was $30.00; the most that I have ever spent on one for them is $25.00, I think.

   I was beating myself up for not just putting my purse on my seat. It was feeling a little uncomfortable with the strap across my body which was unusual; at other shows, it has been fine.

   Dad had picked us up from the train station. The show ran longer than we had thought that it would. He told us that he had been waiting there for two hours.

Bon Jovi Concert Memories 2000-2007- Part 4

November 4, 2007 – Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

They were doing 10 shows at this new venue. I overheard the girl on line in front of us saying that she had purchased tickets for 7 of them. That definitely seems kind of obsessive. Were they all for her or some for just friends?  We had craptastic seats all the way to the side of the stage. I’m just glad that we even were at this event despite this.

    I bought the tour book which was $30.00, the most I’ve ever paid for one of theirs. Mike talked to a guy from Sweden when we were on line for that before the show. He got ice cream from the Carvel stand. I was still feeling a little sick. It was stupid that I didn’t take off my jacket; it was feeling kind of warm there. I was also beating myself up for not putting the binocular case behind me. The seats are small and the space between rows is narrow at this venue.

   Daughtry was the opening act. I knew 4 of the songs.  We had to stand during “Livin’ on a Prayer” because the people in front of us were doing so and blocking our view. “Lost Highway” was the first song and” I’ll Sleep When I’ m Dead “the last one. Mike was doing a song count – 22. We had a really good time.

   It was embarrassing when my brother yelled out “We love you, Bon Jovi” during one point of the show. I was happy that JBJ would sometimes come over to our side of the stage so I got a great view of him then.  Mike teased me for using the binoculars a lot and for singing and swaying to some of the music.

   It’s such a relief being able to take the train to concerts which is why I like when they are in the city and now here. There is way too much stress driving to them.  If they had one going to the Meadowlands we probably would have gone to many more events there. Well not a whole lot because of financial reasons but definitely more. 

Bon Jovi Concert Memories- 2000-2007- Part 3

 Saturday July 29, 2006- Giants Stadium

My driving anxiety was very high that day. I was so happy when I saw that Stadium and was almost there. I pictured JBJ telling me that it’s going to be alright during the drive there. Their “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” song was on the radio then.

   Two girls invited me to hang out with them and their guy friend in the parking lot. The guy adjusted the bass on my car stereo so it sounds better now. They offered me a drink but I don’t like alcohol so I said no. A friend of theirs who arrived later said that I was brave for driving there after I told her about my driving anxiety. She said that she would do anything for JBJ.

   They all thought that I was younger than I actually am which made me feel good.

    A water balloon was thrown and when it burst my glasses got a little wet. I wanted to wipe them off but my idiot side wouldn’t let me. Why was I thinking that they would be okay? When I got home I noticed that they were a bit spotty so this must’ve spoiled my view somewhat during the show. I can’t do a damn thing right.

  I also shouldn’t have listened to the one girl who said that the opening act, Nickelback, wouldn’t start until 8:00. I know that these acts usually begin at between 7:00 and 7:20 and thanks to me not listening to my smart side I missed 2 or 3 of their songs. I didn’t get to my seat until around 7:30 after using the bathroom.

   I had lied to my brother telling him that I was going to a Huey Lewis & the News concert at PNC because I didn’t want him teasing me and saying that I’m obsessed with Bon Jovi.  I was also afraid that he might be kind of mad at me for not asking if he wanted a ticket to this event.

   It turned out that the people that I had hung out with were in the same row as me, further down. The one girl stood next to me after she returned from the bathroom and asked if she could borrow my binoculars during one of my favorite songs,” Have a Nice Day”.

   I was worried that she might drop them and they would break. My brother would be so mad if that happened. She gave them back to me after 30 seconds but it seemed much longer than that. All that worrying and wanting to get a closer view of Jon myself took away from my enjoyment of this song.

   I felt foolish for dancing around/swaying to the music during “It’s My Life”,” Bad Medicine” and part of “Livin’ On a Prayer”. I also sang along during part of that” Home” song. It’s okay for everyone else to do such things at concerts but it never feels right for me.

   I was thinking “He’s such a ham” and “Such a nice smile” about Jon during the show.

   Afterwards, I was feeling really anxious because I couldn’t find my car. I was waiting in it for at least an hour so that the traffic would die down and I wouldn’t be as stressed out about the drive home.  Further anxiety occurred when a firework exploded nearby. I screamed. I had my radio on. One of the songs that played was “Stairway to Heaven”.

  Mom was spaced out from overdoing it on her meds before and after the concert so I was feeling angry and upset about this. It’s hard not to let that affect my memories of these events. They always seem to stand out more than the good times that I’ve had at them.

Bon Jovi Concert Memories- 2000-2007- Part 2

 Monday November 28, 2005 – MSG, NYC

I was really excited about seeing them at the Garden for the first time. I went to Macy’s beforehand as I always do when attending concerts in the city. I bought 2 sweaters, one of them my favorite color, purple and 2 pairs of gold tone earrings.

   I talked to a nice girl in the souvenir stand line. I should have asked where she and her husband were from. Their accent sounded Australian, but they could’ve been from New Zealand – aren’t these 2 similar? They saw the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.

   Someone asked me to take a picture of him and his friends like at the DD concert here earlier this year. I hope that it came out okay in both instances.

   During the very first song I did not see Jon on the stage and was wondering why he would be singing this backstage. My idiot brain didn’t even think to look around the Garden for him. When I looked down at the floor level in front of me I saw him walking past heading for the stage. I am pretty sure that he had been all the way at the other end of this place during this performance. I’ll never forgive myself for this incident of sheer stupidity.

   At one point during the show a girl in front of me called him fucking hot which I was laughing about on the inside. There was a girl on stage who did some inappropriate touching of him – her hands went down the front of his legs.

   Jon was straight across from my section with the crowd around him during “Blaze of Glory”.  I guess he was standing on a platform type thingy. Jon and Richie sang “I’ll Be There for You” together. “Wanted Dead or Alive” was the last song.

    The screens weren’t working sometimes and the top of them were a little blocked from my viewpoint. I used the binoculars a lot. Was it too much?  This and not enough is always an issue for me at concerts. Mike would have said that I was overusing them, that’s for sure.  I pressed them up too close up against my glasses. I think that my headache was from this. Perhaps I shouldn’t have done so, but if I hadn’t maybe I wouldn’t have held them as steady. What a ridiculous thing to be reflecting upon.

    I was wishing that I could see them again at CAA as a birthday treat but I’m never lucky at getting a ticket for their concerts at that venue because they sell out quickly.

Bon Jovi Concert Memories- 2000-2007- Part 1

 Bon Jovi Concert Memories

Friday November 10, 2000- First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA

I was very excited about going to my first Bon Jovi concert. We weren’t able to get tickets for their show at the Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands, NJ so Matt got us these. It was such a good show. We rented binoculars. He bought me the souvenir book.

  A couple of people in front of me were standing during a few songs which I didn’t feel like doing but now sort of wish that I had. I had to look around them which was annoying. “Livin’ on a Prayer” was one of the songs. I didn’t really look at the screen much which I’m also regretting.

 

Tuesday July 24, 2001- Tweeter Center, Camden, NJ

Mom had one of her bad hallucination episodes from overdoing it on her meds and had to be hospitalized before this. I didn’t use the binoculars at all. I probably wasn’t thinking straight because I was worrying about her and was mad that she did this.

   There were pretty lights in the background on the stage during “I’ll Be There for You”. A beautiful girl danced with Jon during part of” Bed of Roses”. Another girl touched him on the butt at one point during the show which was very inappropriate.

   I was feeling so ugly and also was ashamed that I was going a bit gaga over Jon, thinking that he is so damn cute. I definitely wanted to go to their Giants Stadium show after seeing this fantastic one. This was in 4 days but I was afraid that Matt would be mad at me if I got us tickets for it.

 

Saturday July 28, 2001- Giants Stadium, Meadowlands, NJ

I was afraid that Matt was mad at me for getting these tickets. He did seem a little annoyed and I was upset that he picked me up late and that he told me that his friends who he had been hanging out with actually had to remind him that he was supposed to be taking me to this concert that night. 

   We picked the tickets up at the will call (?) window at the box office. I missed part of Sugar Ray’s performance thanks to his lateness. We were in seats nearly in the top row of the stadium.

   A girl did the inappropriate touching of Jon’s butt at this show too. Matt and I were joking about this. They performed “Never Say Goodbye”, my senior prom song. During this I was afraid that Matt would get mad at me if I told him to stop touching my back which was feeling a bit sore from standing so much.

    I really got into “Bad Medicine” and “It’s My Life” which is semi embarrassing. There were fireworks at the end of the concert. It was being taped for a special on VH1 which we did watch. It looks like they might’ve filmed the 2 shows at this venue and used footage from both.

   Was part of the reason that I wanted to see them again so soon because I was mad at myself for not using the binoculars and looking at the screen during the Camden show? Perhaps, but mostly I wanted to have yet another enjoyable Bon Jovi experience. They put on such an excellent show.

Friday August 8, 2003- Giants Stadium

I worried that it might rain during this concert. Mike bought me the book. I had cigarette burn anxiety again because of the girl smoking next to me. The smoke was annoying too. She was moving her arms around a lot.

   Cell phone users were very distracting as was my brother a bit because he was asking some questions during part of the show. I was beating myself up, wondering if maybe I should have used the binoculars more and focused them better.

   Richie sang” I’ll Be There for You”. There were fireworks at the end of the concert. Jason Mraz and another guy were the opening acts.

 

Dreamtime- February 5, 2010- Bon Jovi Bus Concert

 February 5, 2010- Bon Jovi Bus Concert

I won contest- 2 tickets to a private Bon Jovi concert. Mom came with me because my brother was too sick to do so and I didn’t have any friends even in this holodeck program, which is kind of pathetic. This event was taking place in a very strange place- on a big, nice bus while it was on the road. I wasn’t sure where we’d be driving to yet though.

   It was leaving from the Meadowlands so I had to drive there, but luckily in this reality there wasn’t much traffic and less development in the area, as is often the case. We saw the old Giants Stadium being torn down there too. 

    It was the beginning of May and the temps were in the low 60s by late afternoon. Mom was feeling cold and wore her winter coat and hat. I had on a sweat jacket, t-shirt and jeans.

    There were about 50 people on the bus. In a space at the front of it were the bands’ instruments.  I saw a lady with her doggie, a Border collie mix. I was thinking how odd it was that she had it with her but also was wishing that one of my doggies were here also. 10 seconds later, Mookie appeared on my lap.

    Bon Jovi showed up 15 minutes later and now it was time for this adventure/event to begin.  I’m not certain what road we were traveling on, probably Rt. 3. I’m pretty sure that’s the one near the Meadowlands. But here there were mountains; I saw snow on top of them .The area seemed more rural after about a 5 minute drive.

   They performed 3 songs before stopping to do a lecture/Q & A type thing. I was so upset when my glasses disappeared during the latter. One of the mean aliens must’ve hacked into the program and made this happen. They like picking on and spoiling things for my friend Sam. I hoped that he’d detect this change and correct it so I’d get my glasses back.

   At one point, Richie sat next to me. He was wearing a black leather jacket. I was feeling kind of sleepy, and still angry about the glasses. I started dozing off, completely unaware that my head was now on his arm. A little later, I woke up as he was getting up. He left a flashlight on the seat next to me.

   They were taking a couple of requests, which was good. The first was one of my favorite songs, “It’s My Life”; I was really getting into that. By then, my glasses had been returned, thank goodness. They also did a few songs off of their new album.

    Jon was walking near me and I was feeling a bit nervous. This anxiety increased when he actually talked to me. He told me that he liked my eyeglasses and asked me where I got them. I said thanks and told him that they were from a place in Elizabeth. He was wearing sunglasses which seemed sort of strange to me.

      They had performed only about 8 songs during the 2 hours that we had been on this bus so far, which I was slightly annoyed about. I should have just been appreciating the fact that I was part of such a special and unusual event. I felt guilty for having that negative thought and emotion.

   Jon asked us if we wanted to go to a rest stop for something to eat, their treat, and everyone was saying yes.  When we got there I told mom to stick close to me. We had to leave the 2 doggies on the bus. Mookie had been sitting on Mom’s lap for most of the journey.

   Only about a minute later, I didn’t see Mom. She had wandered off already, which was upsetting. I couldn’t see her anywhere; where could she have gone so quickly? I thought that I had found her a couple of minutes later but this was just a woman with a similar coat.

    There seemed to be a lot of people at this rest stop. It was much better than the ones in reality. Another lady saw how upset I looked and offered to help me look for my mother after I told her about my dilemma. That was very kind of her.

   Luckily, we found her a couple of minutes later. Many of the people from the bizarre traveling concert were getting ice cream from Baskin Robbins, as did mom and I. I chose my favorite flavor, mint chocolate chip, in the kiddie- sized cup.

   We were all back on the bus about 30 minutes later. Bon Jovi did a 6 more songs and there was further interaction between the fans and them. During one of the power ballads,” I’ll Be There for You”, Jon was close to and looking right at me for a bit. I wondered why he had done this, but was also feeling happy about it.

   The return trip to the Meadowlands was much quicker, only about 70 minutes. We seemed to be going the same speed as before. That seemed kind of weird, but in the holodeck many such peculiar things happen.

   It was already daylight by the time that we got there even though it was only 12:30 a.m. Time was definitely different in this reality which was cool, now I wouldn’t have to drive home in the dark which is very hard for me because of my bad eyesight and other reasons. Maybe in this reality I wouldn’t have such problems though.

   When we were in the parking lot, Jon said “Let’s do some more” The audience was excited that the concert would be continuing. The bus traveled on a different road this time for about 45 minutes as Bon Jovi did 5 more songs and chatted with the audience. They signed some autographs too.

    What a long trip/concert this turned out to be, like 5 hours. I did have a very nice time. Mom was tired. Mookie and Buffy didn’t have any “accidents” just like in the real world when Mike, Mom, and I were at a party at Kathy’s house in PA for most of the day. This was good.

   I was petting Mookie in my car for a minute and just about ready to head home when Sam sent me back to my Earth. I had been preparing my lunch before being taken to his world. Mom and I were going to watch “The Price is Right” then. That seemed so dull compared to the thrilling event that I had just been a part of.

Buffy and Mookie

May 31, 2008- Duran Duran in Central Park

Mike and I looked in a few places like the Swatch store and Virgin Megastore before going to the park. I can’t believe that we actually walked there.

   I saw Stacey on the line but felt too anxious to talk to her. I heard a girl mentioning how she had seen DD in Vegas and Connecticut this year.

   The security guard was telling my brother and others not to run when they let us in. My brother had just been walking swiftly. We managed to get into a center, 4^th row spot. The girl next to us had bought a necklace from the souvenir stand.

   A few upsetting things did occur during this show which are unfortunately more vividly in my memory than the good stuff. A girl in front of me had on a backpack and I was being hit by this occasionally. The girl next to me was dancing around a lot and also bumped into me sometimes, esp. during the first 5 songs.

   It started raining lightly during one of my favorite songs, “Planet Earth”. This lasted for about 4 more songs. I put my dorky rain hat on.

   I was wishing that I had remembered to wear my cap. I reminded my brother to do so. If I had, then my glasses wouldn’t have gotten wet. When I was wiping them off, I was so worried that I would drop them and they would be stepped on and broken.

   They did a bonus song, “The Chauffeur” which was good.  I wish that I could remember more about their performance.

     Roger handed his drumstick to a girl in the front row. Another girl got injured when the drummer from the opening act, Your Vegas, threw his drumstick out into the crowd.

   I was feeling so confused and upset when we had trouble finding the subway station. I was so relieved when we finally did. I was very tired and headachy at that point.  

   I brought the binoculars again just in case we wound up further back in the crowd. It was stupid that I stood on the case yet again; can’t I ever learn my lesson. Mike looked displeased when he saw me doing so.

   I am so glad that I had gone to the show the night before; I was able to enjoy myself much more then. I wish that I could have had a great time at this one too. Not that it was a totally terrible experience. It is always a pleasure to see them and I got to be close to them again. I doubt that I will be that lucky in the future.

Tour Book

Dreamtime- January 18, 2006- Revenge Demon and Duran Duran

Duran Duran was doing a concert in my town. I had been the grand prize winner in a contest. I would also get to hang out with them beforehand. As if such a thing could ever happen in the real world.

   This would be taking place in the field across from my old apartment which I still lived in. The DD guys were already in the living room. I was not even feeling that nervous.

   When I went into the kitchen to get a couple of them something to drink, I overheard Simon saying something mean about me “She is both ugly and stupid”.  I was upset that this version of him had been such a jerk and that the others had laughed. I still wanted to hang out with them despite this.

   After that incident, very bizarre and scary things began happening. Simon was acting so strangely for a bit; he sprayed some hair spray around the room and was laughing. A couple of minutes later, the six of us were teleported into my neighbor’s 1970s white car.

   Andy was under a spell that had him driving fast and crazily. We hit a couple of parked cars. We were then sent to another location, the part of the field near the community center. An invisible force lifted up John, dropped him to the ground, and slid him through a big puddle of mud there.

   The guys were seriously freaked out and also mad. They even wanted to leave town then. A loud, deep voice said “You will not be allowed to go until after the show”.

   They did try driving out of here shortly after this but it was as if an invisible force field was preventing them from leaving my small town.

   We went back to my place. Nick actually asked me if I was a witch who was causing all of these horrible things to happen. Why would I do that? I was guessing that maybe some sort of demon was responsible for it all.

   They changed into their concert outfits and we went across to the stage area for a sound check. About an hour later, the crowd started arriving. There would be around 300 people at this event, including a few of my former classmates- Laurie, Michelle J, and Janet.

   Even more odd stuff occurred during the concert. Simon forgot most of the words to “Hungry Like the Wolf”, the sound system was majorly acting up during “Notorious”, and a herd of bulls was coming towards us then disappeared during “My Own Way”.

   The crowd would totally forget each of these weird episodes almost immediately afterwards. Only the DD guys and I would have the memory of them.

   As they performed “Hold Back the Rain”, it began raining heavily for about 45 seconds .Everything was totally dry afterwards.

   During “Save a Prayer”, a TV appeared near some of the crowd near the stage which is where I was. A Bon Jovi video, “Livin’ on a Prayer” was on it. I heard a girl saying “We would rather see Bon Jovi than you guys!” That vanished a minute later.

   Irene Cara magically materialized and performed her hit “Fame”. No one seemed to think that this was peculiar. She was gone right after that.

   I noticed that a giant zit was now on John’s chin during “Planet Earth”. Would such bad things ever stop happening? Laurie, who was standing next to me, told me that she suddenly recalled all of the concert fiascos.

   She said that she believes in the supernatural. She had heard of a revenge demon and believed that it must be responsible for everything. I told her about Simon’s mean words about me. She said that the demon would go away if I get him to apologize.

   I went up close to the stage and motioned for him to come over to me. I told him what Laurie had said. They all did apologize. Roger did say that he hadn’t laughed and even tried defending me which I hadn’t recalled but believed.

   The rest of the show-only 3 more songs-went smoothly.They did not stick around my town for much longer following this. I am sure that they were glad to be out of there.

   Before the demon departed, he telepathically told me that I would be the only one who remember that this concert had happened. I wrote a short fiction story based on this strange experience that was published in a magazine.

Mr. K's car

Our Town Field

Note- The last 2 photos are from the internet

Duran Duran- May 30, 2008- Central Park

I made a last minute decision to try to get a ticket to this concert. My brother and I were going to the one the next night but part of me wanted to see them both times. Also, rain was in the forecast for Saturday so I wanted to see them on a perfect day; the weather was lovely on Friday.

   I feel sort of guilty for lying to my mother. I told her that I was going to the mall then a late night movie. I didn’t want her or my brother finding out that I would be seeing DD twice in one week.

   I was a bit worried that there wouldn’t be any more tickets but there were. I got them at the box office. I arrived at Central Park by 5:00 and only had to wait about an hour before they let us in the venue, the Summerstage.

   I was lucky enough to get in about the third row, to the left. I was talking to a girl for a little while. She moved back to sit on a blanket. She had asked me to join her but I did not want to leave that excellent spot.

   I was kind of annoyed when she interrupted me during the show to ask my name and if I wanted her to get me a drink. It was nice of her to offer but I don’t want to miss a moment of seeing DD.

   I had eaten my dinner at a deli place on 57^th Street. Their prices were kind of high; the orange juice cost $3.00.

   Another girl, Stacey, started talking to me. She asked me that question that I dread and am embarrassed to answer- who is my favorite DD guy. I didn’t really answer her. She said that hers is John and I smiled so she figured out that I like him too. She said that I should not be ashamed about this.

   The two girls in front of me were tall so I stood on my brother’s binocular case to get a better view. It got a bit ruined because of this. I probably should not have done that. My brother will surely be mad at me. 

   I hadn’t been sure that I would get that close to the stage which is why I had brought his binoculars with me. He had won these at Wildwood in the early 90s.

   Stacey asked me why I wasn’t singing along to “A View to a Kill”. When I told her that I don’t know the words she seemed baffled. I did sing along a bit during “Save a Prayer”.

   Simon asked everyone to hold up their cell phones during the latter. Stacey held up a lighter for a little while which made me nervous. I am afraid of fire. I jokingly said “Fire bad”.

   She jokingly offered me $20.00 to say hi and wave to John. No way could I ever do that. At one point, he was looking in our direction and smiling. I am embarrassed to admit that I smiled back. A small part of me wanted to believe that maybe he was just smiling at me but obviously that wasn’t the case.

   John had changed into an Obama t-shirt. I am pretty sure that he still had the armband on then. He threw his orange cap out into the audience. A girl near me caught this. If I had done so, I might have given it to Stacey.

   I did the reaching up thing during “Sunrise” as I had at Roseland. I like that song a lot. Part of me was feeling embarrassed about doing so both times, naturally.

   Simon did that intro bit during “Girls on Film” at the end. I think that he did so at the Roseland show too. I am so glad that I went to this concert; I had such a good time.

   Stacey bought a hoodie and I got the tour book at the souvenir stand. We agreed to share a cab back to Penn Station. We walked around a bit beforehand. Central Park is nice; I had only been there one other time before twelve years ago.

   She showed me The Plaza Hotel. We saw a puffy shirt in a store window. She said that Nick would probably like that. I laughed and agreed with her.

    She asked me what my favorite DD song is. I said “Rio” and “Save a Prayer”. She also wanted to know which one I don’t like. I told her “Wild Boys”. She said that she likes it.

   She asked me another question that I am ashamed about replying to- where do I work. I usually lie and say at a small bookstore but this time I said that I haven’t had a job in 4 years. It has actually been much longer than that.

   I mentioned that I have a lot of dreams with DD in them like a revenge demon one. She seemed to think that this was cool.

   I am fairly certain that Stacey said that she got to meet them once. I should have inquired about more details regarding this. I wish that I could meet them someday but I doubt that this will ever happen.

   That cab ride was only the second one that I have ever taken. The first was in 1985 with my family when we were going to the ABC studios to see Regis and Kathie Lee.

   Stacey said that she would be attending the next night’s concert. I said that I would be there with my brother. She said that maybe we can hang out again then. Part of me wanted to but a bigger part of me felt very anxious about that. Plus, if we did then my brother would find out that I had been to the Friday show too.

   I am mad at myself for forgetting to clean off my glasses before the show. They were dirtier than I even thought. I was semi-obsessing that my view would have been better if I had cleaned them.