Meeting Wayne in OKC and at the 'Roo(or Dizzying Heights and Soul Crushing Lows)
Do you believe in magic?
I do. And have for a long while. The thing about magic is that you never expect it, are always looking for it, and when it comes you're still surprised.
I'll preface the story with a few seeds that were planted long ago...
Joe, Lindsey, and I had driven from Houston to see the show and, just before the concert, Lindsey had managed to say "hi" to Wayne during the costume contest out in the parking lot. We were all three lucky enough to get interviewed on camera just as we entered the venue. This, despite being screamed at the entire time by a local policeman. We stood our ground, answered the questions, signed a release, and set off in to the now "Legendary" show.
Inside, we scrambled to our position located directly in front of the long ramp that had been constructed center stage. This is where we first met Doug(aka kind1002) and his friend Adam. They were bummin' pretty hard because the airline had lost Doug's luggage and everything he had for his travels to 3 shows in 2 states over the next few days. Harsh. At the conclusion of the evening, we swapped e-mails and Lindsey, Doug, and Adam stayed in touch while I lingered about more than I care to admit.
Of course the first UFO show has gone the way of legend, but it had a even bigger meaning for me personally. Ya see, three days before the show, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Melanoma. I was crushed. But, as bad as this news was, I wasn't about to cancel this vacation I had planned weeks before while at Lollapallooza(I'd purchased the OKC tickets at 9am the very same morning I was to see them in Chicago's Grant Park). In fact, I needed the escape now more than ever. And while I won't discount the "love" that was in abundance at the show, the "hope" provided to me by the band and audience in OKC was the thing I held on to most of all. The crowd at Bonnaroo was playful and giddy with excitement. But the OKC crowd was simply beside themselves with joy. Their cheering lasted the entire show and never let up(even during the opening acts). The noise they produced resembled that of a 747 engine soaring down the runway. It was HEAVY.
Did I mention that there were a couple dressed as a nun and priest standing next to us? Well, there was and I took the final exclamaion of "LOVE" during Spoonful to propose to Lindsey and have the priest marry us. I can hardly wait to see our wedding video(he-he).
Anyway, we parted ways with Doug and Adam with the agreement to meet again at NYE. Sadly, this did not materialize. I was scheduled to start chemo around that time and was in no shape to spend the time or money that it would have taken. Meanwhile, I watched as Doug took the "Dance On Stage With The Flaming Lips" prize on NYE. I knew there was something special about that guy and this confirmed it. I was sooooo happy for him. He is truly a freak of the highest order.
Fast forward....
Lindsey(who celebrated her birthday on June 1st) said she'd like to go to Bonnaroo as her gift and I was more than happy to accommodate her. After a few e-mails to Doug, we all agreed to meet up at some point during our 4 day musical extravaganza. We made contact the first evening and, after several calls and text messages plagued by electronic gremlins, hooked up again in front of the Which Stage(4 hours before the Lips were scheduled). Yowza!
This is where things start to get crazy...
I do. And have for a long while. The thing about magic is that you never expect it, are always looking for it, and when it comes you're still surprised.
I'll preface the story with a few seeds that were planted long ago...
Joe, Lindsey, and I had driven from Houston to see the show and, just before the concert, Lindsey had managed to say "hi" to Wayne during the costume contest out in the parking lot. We were all three lucky enough to get interviewed on camera just as we entered the venue. This, despite being screamed at the entire time by a local policeman. We stood our ground, answered the questions, signed a release, and set off in to the now "Legendary" show.
Inside, we scrambled to our position located directly in front of the long ramp that had been constructed center stage. This is where we first met Doug(aka kind1002) and his friend Adam. They were bummin' pretty hard because the airline had lost Doug's luggage and everything he had for his travels to 3 shows in 2 states over the next few days. Harsh. At the conclusion of the evening, we swapped e-mails and Lindsey, Doug, and Adam stayed in touch while I lingered about more than I care to admit.
Of course the first UFO show has gone the way of legend, but it had a even bigger meaning for me personally. Ya see, three days before the show, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Melanoma. I was crushed. But, as bad as this news was, I wasn't about to cancel this vacation I had planned weeks before while at Lollapallooza(I'd purchased the OKC tickets at 9am the very same morning I was to see them in Chicago's Grant Park). In fact, I needed the escape now more than ever. And while I won't discount the "love" that was in abundance at the show, the "hope" provided to me by the band and audience in OKC was the thing I held on to most of all. The crowd at Bonnaroo was playful and giddy with excitement. But the OKC crowd was simply beside themselves with joy. Their cheering lasted the entire show and never let up(even during the opening acts). The noise they produced resembled that of a 747 engine soaring down the runway. It was HEAVY.
Did I mention that there were a couple dressed as a nun and priest standing next to us? Well, there was and I took the final exclamaion of "LOVE" during Spoonful to propose to Lindsey and have the priest marry us. I can hardly wait to see our wedding video(he-he).
Anyway, we parted ways with Doug and Adam with the agreement to meet again at NYE. Sadly, this did not materialize. I was scheduled to start chemo around that time and was in no shape to spend the time or money that it would have taken. Meanwhile, I watched as Doug took the "Dance On Stage With The Flaming Lips" prize on NYE. I knew there was something special about that guy and this confirmed it. I was sooooo happy for him. He is truly a freak of the highest order.
Fast forward....
Lindsey(who celebrated her birthday on June 1st) said she'd like to go to Bonnaroo as her gift and I was more than happy to accommodate her. After a few e-mails to Doug, we all agreed to meet up at some point during our 4 day musical extravaganza. We made contact the first evening and, after several calls and text messages plagued by electronic gremlins, hooked up again in front of the Which Stage(4 hours before the Lips were scheduled). Yowza!
This is where things start to get crazy...
posted by Starfucker at 5:39 PM
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