Doll..thanks for posting those!!!!  Inga says she and KK are a perfect match due to their heights!!! She signed her last e-mail to me..."Mrs. Downing" ...funny lady... and this was only the second time in her life that she had ever seen Priest....

Hi girls, love the pics! I'll try to get mine up soon - working this FTP thing out. Here's my review. I gotta go edit the Bible belt version for the folks back home
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Travelling with Priest (TOUR SPOILER)

Haha, just kidding. I travelled to Milwaukee to see Judas Priest on 7/2 and then to Minneapolis the following day to see them again. Most of the Sinfully Delicious ladies were going to Milwaukee and Marla was going to Minneapolis. I priced up flights hopping to both, half-joking, and it turned out to be not much more.

I had to work Wednesday, having just returned from vacation in Latvia on Friday. I flew up that evening to meet up with Dee & Janet, who'd arrived from NH and Jeanine, the kind soul putting us all up (thank you so much!). In the morning, we rode over to Summerfest to meet Mara & Becky and get in line before the gates opened at noon. We managed to snag the front bench, slightly to Glenn's side. I was actually a bit fuzzy on details up until that and hadn't realized we were going to be there for 10.5 hours and sit through three other bands. Then again, it's always fun to do something you never did before. We took turns to get food and browse the booths at the festival. Mara's sister Inga joined us a bit later. The gigantic biker sitting next to me turned out to be a really decent guy who watched my spot while I was on breaks and I watched his. I came back from a break to find him confronting a drunk who'd moved into my spot. I decided not to take any more bathroom breaks and made myself eat a pretzel and ALL the salt. (Well, it worked.)

The last band to play before Priest made a teensy faux paux. Cherry Pie, which is an '80s tribute, played a song that the audience absolutely HATED. I had to look this up - "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. They started throwing things. Becky scored a poster after convincing a guy not to light it on fire. I watched a couple in the front row break up - he was holding his hand out for his ring and she had to take it off and hand it over. It was insane! They just could not stand that song.

[[[Milwaukee show]]]
It seemed like that British Steel curtain was up forever. By then, everyone was crammed in like sardines. A few minutes before the band came on, there was a mass singalong to what I'm told is "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath. (I'm the worst metal fan in the world <g>.) Finally, the curtain dropped and there were the boys already going! I couldn't believe how close they were. At local bands, people are afraid to get near the stage. I was just blown away. Glenn was doing his expressions and gestures, Rob all over the place and KK just freaking possessed by the guitar god. (No wonder they never play SC...) I had trouble seeing Ian behind a fan and I'm sure Scott is under that massive kit somewhere because I can sure as heck him. Someone was calling for a drum solo.
I almost forgot about the cameramen until I caught the cowgirl trying to pull my top down. (Don't make me hurt me you, drunk girl.) I was shocked to see my hand, in a horn gesture on the jumbotron! (We're all on YouTube now!) I don't really do the horns, but with a Leica strapped to my wrist, I couldn't really clap them. I noticed a counter tinking down on the camera display and realized I'd taken hundreds of pictures. I took everything, even roadies putting guitars away.

We managed to catch up KK & Scott in the lobby of Mara & Becky's hotel. Scott was in good spirits, if tired. I was having one of my deer-in-the-headlights moments and he noticed I wasn't talking. When he heard my odd accent, he asked where I was from. Raleigh is only 3 hours from his hometown, Norfolk. The accent to that region is more of a drawl and not very "southern" sounding. I've lost mine, being half-northern/half-southern and married to a Latvian.

I was curious to hear KK's accent as I've read the Black Country has their own dialect. KK is the sweetest person. Even after posing for pictures and signing my pickguard (OMFG! I'm not worthy!), he perched on a desk and seemed in no hurry to get out of there (it was almost 2AM). Right after my picture, I knocked a little kiss on his cheek and thanked him (southerners never kiss people <g>). It turns out the reason he keeps answering my Q&A questions is because he answers ALL of the questions sent in. He seems like a good listener. Upon hearing how we liked the women's British Steel tank tops, he was going to put in a word on the current tour apparel. I mentioned that I was attending the next day with Marla, whose name he recognized (Scott had said "oh THAT Marla" <g>). We kept offering to let him go and eventually he did start shaking hands and kissing us goodbye.

We got in at 3AM and Jeanine and I got back up at 6AM to catch my flight to Minneapolis. I was thinking about grabbing a snack at the airport and annoyed to find the fridge full of cheese. Oh, Wisconsin, I get it. Haha. The shuttle driver turned out to be a very sweet elderly man who carried my purse onto the shuttle for me. My wonderful hotel let me check in at 11:30 in the morning (Fairfield is in my the cool book) and I crashed. I had wanted to go see the Mall of America next door and never made it. I finally dragged myself out of bed and called a cab to Taste of Minnesota, which turned out to be in St. Paul. Oops. The foreign cab driver first took my ticket with him on a trip to the toilet, then returned and told me to ride up front. Neither of us knew where Harriet Island was, but eventually he found someone on the radio who did.

[[[Minneapolis show]]]
This festival was more like the state fair with rides and games. Marla called my name as I was heading to my seat. It was so great to finally meet her after all this time! I wish there had been more time to hang out with her & co. I missed most of Whitesnake's set because I didn't feel well enough to stand up in my fourth row seat (bad pretzel?). It took 4 advil, 1 caffeinated mint and 1 unidentified domestic beer to prop myself up for the feature presentation.

We checked will call and just before the show, 2 front row tickets were there in my name. How awesome is that?! I've never had a front row ticket in my hand and I will treasure it forever :)  Unfortunately, security had allowed anyone in the seated section to crowd into the front row and were unwilling to interfere. We found some of Marla's friends in the crowd and they made room. I'm still not entirely comfortable with the idea of being sandwiched between beered-up metalheads and it was nice to have someone watching my back.

Sure enough, "War Pigs" again and I still don't know the damn words, haha. We were on KK's side and I got some great shots of him. KK's fans may not be the greatest singers in the world, but they have some pretty badass praise going on! I finally got a glimpse of Ian - love the costume. During "United" Rob walked off the stage. I couldn't see anything (barely 5'4"). All the heads were facing left and someone said Rob was in the crowd! (Please be on YouTube.) The boys seemed in a bit more energy. Maybe they were more comfortable with the new setup. Rob seemed to be struggling a bit with "Freewheel Burning" and was using his goblin voice. Toward the end when Rob came out with the U.S. flag around his neck, he talked about it being our "birthday tomorrow." What a smile he has :)  I tried getting KK's attention toward the end, hoping he'd throw a pick. I don't think they can see the crowd too well.

On the way out, I picked up a Whitesnake jacket for my mom :)   I also had the awkward experience of attempting to photograph the Judas Priest portapotty. (Can I have one?!) It was hard to believe it was all over. Back at the hotel, the pool area was open til midnight and the hot tub empty. The one time I remember to pack my suit when I'm certain I won't need it :)

It was a great feeling to get a night's sleep, though I was still moving slowly. At 9:30 I was waiting for the elevator with wet hair and no makeup when two girls in pajamas joined me. (Why does breakfast have to end at 10AM?) One looked at the other one and said "I know what you're thinking" a la Old Gregg. Haha, now I'm awake.

A misunderstanding led to me missing the hotel shuttle and being put into a cab one hour before my flight was to leave. This one took the $15 the manager offered him and drove me off the meter. Where do you find these cab drivers? He said Minneapolis was a smaller airport than St. Paul and I did make my flight in plenty of time, no thanks to airport security. She wanted me to check my bag over a 5oz bottle of spray-on sunscreen and I offered to throw it away. She pointed out a trashcan 20ft away and when I got back, she was angry that I had "run off" Ugh, at least I made it. Think I'm getting the hang of this travelling thing.

I cannot wait for San Antonio! While I'm at it, I may just hit MD as well :)

Hi girls, love the pics! I'll try to get mine up soon - working this FTP thing out. Here's my review. I gotta go edit the Bible belt version for the folks back home
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Travelling with Priest (TOUR SPOILER)

Haha, just kidding. I travelled to Milwaukee to see Judas Priest on 7/2 and then to Minneapolis the following day to see them again. Most of the Sinfully Delicious ladies were going to Milwaukee and Marla was going to Minneapolis. I priced up flights hopping to both, half-joking, and it turned out to be not much more.

I had to work Wednesday, having just returned from vacation in Latvia on Friday. I flew up that evening to meet up with Dee & Janet, who'd arrived from NH and Jeanine, the kind soul putting us all up (thank you so much!). In the morning, we rode over to Summerfest to meet Mara & Becky and get in line before the gates opened at noon. We managed to snag the front bench, slightly to Glenn's side. I was actually a bit fuzzy on details up until that and hadn't realized we were going to be there for 10.5 hours and sit through three other bands. Then again, it's always fun to do something you never did before. We took turns to get food and browse the booths at the festival. Mara's sister Inga joined us a bit later. The gigantic biker sitting next to me turned out to be a really decent guy who watched my spot while I was on breaks and I watched his. I came back from a break to find him confronting a drunk who'd moved into my spot. I decided not to take any more bathroom breaks and made myself eat a pretzel and ALL the salt. (Well, it worked.)

The last band to play before Priest made a teensy faux paux. Cherry Pie, which is an '80s tribute, played a song that the audience absolutely HATED. I had to look this up - "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. They started throwing things. Becky scored a poster after convincing a guy not to light it on fire. I watched a couple in the front row break up - he was holding his hand out for his ring and she had to take it off and hand it over. It was insane! They just could not stand that song.

[[[Milwaukee show]]]
It seemed like that British Steel curtain was up forever. By then, everyone was crammed in like sardines. A few minutes before the band came on, there was a mass singalong to what I'm told is "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath. (I'm the worst metal fan in the world <g>.) Finally, the curtain dropped and there were the boys already going! I couldn't believe how close they were. At local bands, people are afraid to get near the stage. I was just blown away. Glenn was doing his expressions and gestures, Rob all over the place and KK just freaking possessed by the guitar god. (No wonder they never play SC...) I had trouble seeing Ian behind a fan and I'm sure Scott is under that massive kit somewhere because I can sure as heck him. Someone was calling for a drum solo.
I almost forgot about the cameramen until I caught the cowgirl trying to pull my top down. (Don't make me hurt me you, drunk girl.) I was shocked to see my hand, in a horn gesture on the jumbotron! (We're all on YouTube now!) I don't really do the horns, but with a Leica strapped to my wrist, I couldn't really clap them. I noticed a counter tinking down on the camera display and realized I'd taken hundreds of pictures. I took everything, even roadies putting guitars away.

We managed to catch up KK & Scott in the lobby of Mara & Becky's hotel. Scott was in good spirits, if tired. I was having one of my deer-in-the-headlights moments and he noticed I wasn't talking. When he heard my odd accent, he asked where I was from. Raleigh is only 3 hours from his hometown, Norfolk. The accent to that region is more of a drawl and not very "southern" sounding. I've lost mine, being half-northern/half-southern and married to a Latvian.

I was curious to hear KK's accent as I've read the Black Country has their own dialect. KK is the sweetest person. Even after posing for pictures and signing my pickguard (OMFG! I'm not worthy!), he perched on a desk and seemed in no hurry to get out of there (it was almost 2AM). Right after my picture, I knocked a little kiss on his cheek and thanked him (southerners never kiss people <g>). It turns out the reason he keeps answering my Q&A questions is because he answers ALL of the questions sent in. He seems like a good listener. Upon hearing how we liked the women's British Steel tank tops, he was going to put in a word on the current tour apparel. I mentioned that I was attending the next day with Marla, whose name he recognized (Scott had said "oh THAT Marla" <g>). We kept offering to let him go and eventually he did start shaking hands and kissing us goodbye.

We got in at 3AM and Jeanine and I got back up at 6AM to catch my flight to Minneapolis. I was thinking about grabbing a snack at the airport and annoyed to find the fridge full of cheese. Oh, Wisconsin, I get it. Haha. The shuttle driver turned out to be a very sweet elderly man who carried my purse onto the shuttle for me. My wonderful hotel let me check in at 11:30 in the morning (Fairfield is in my the cool book) and I crashed. I had wanted to go see the Mall of America next door and never made it. I finally dragged myself out of bed and called a cab to Taste of Minnesota, which turned out to be in St. Paul. Oops. The foreign cab driver first took my ticket with him on a trip to the toilet, then returned and told me to ride up front. Neither of us knew where Harriet Island was, but eventually he found someone on the radio who did.

[[[Minneapolis show]]]
This festival was more like the state fair with rides and games. Marla called my name as I was heading to my seat. It was so great to finally meet her after all this time! I wish there had been more time to hang out with her & co. I missed most of Whitesnake's set because I didn't feel well enough to stand up in my fourth row seat (bad pretzel?). It took 4 advil, 1 caffeinated mint and 1 unidentified domestic beer to prop myself up for the feature presentation.

We checked will call and just before the show, 2 front row tickets were there in my name. How awesome is that?! I've never had a front row ticket in my hand and I will treasure it forever :)  Unfortunately, security had allowed anyone in the seated section to crowd into the front row and were unwilling to interfere. We found some of Marla's friends in the crowd and they made room. I'm still not entirely comfortable with the idea of being sandwiched between beered-up metalheads and it was nice to have someone watching my back.

Sure enough, "War Pigs" again and I still don't know the damn words, haha. We were on KK's side and I got some great shots of him. KK's fans may not be the greatest singers in the world, but they have some pretty badass praise going on! I finally got a glimpse of Ian - love the costume. During "United" Rob walked off the stage. I couldn't see anything (barely 5'4"). All the heads were facing left and someone said Rob was in the crowd! (Please be on YouTube.) The boys seemed in a bit more energy. Maybe they were more comfortable with the new setup. Rob seemed to be struggling a bit with "Freewheel Burning" and was using his goblin voice. Toward the end when Rob came out with the U.S. flag around his neck, he talked about it being our "birthday tomorrow." What a smile he has :)  I tried getting KK's attention toward the end, hoping he'd throw a pick. I don't think they can see the crowd too well.

On the way out, I picked up a Whitesnake jacket for my mom :)   I also had the awkward experience of attempting to photograph the Judas Priest portapotty. (Can I have one?!) It was hard to believe it was all over. Back at the hotel, the pool area was open til midnight and the hot tub empty. The one time I remember to pack my suit when I'm certain I won't need it :)

It was a great feeling to get a night's sleep, though I was still moving slowly. At 9:30 I was waiting for the elevator with wet hair and no makeup when two girls in pajamas joined me. (Why does breakfast have to end at 10AM?) One looked at the other one and said "I know what you're thinking" a la Old Gregg. Haha, now I'm awake.

A misunderstanding led to me missing the hotel shuttle and being put into a cab one hour before my flight was to leave. This one took the $15 the manager offered him and drove me off the meter. Where do you find these cab drivers? He said Minneapolis was a smaller airport than St. Paul and I did make my flight in plenty of time, no thanks to airport security. She wanted me to check my bag over a 5oz bottle of spray-on sunscreen and I offered to throw it away. She pointed out a trashcan 20ft away and when I got back, she was angry that I had "run off" Ugh, at least I made it. Think I'm getting the hang of this travelling thing.

I cannot wait for San Antonio! While I'm at it, I may just hit MD as well :)

Hi girls, love the pics! I'll try to get mine up soon - working this FTP thing out. Here's my review. I gotta go edit the Bible belt version for the folks back home
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Travelling with Priest (TOUR SPOILER)

Haha, just kidding. I travelled to Milwaukee to see Judas Priest on 7/2 and then to Minneapolis the following day to see them again. Most of the Sinfully Delicious ladies were going to Milwaukee and Marla was going to Minneapolis. I priced up flights hopping to both, half-joking, and it turned out to be not much more.

I had to work Wednesday, having just returned from vacation in Latvia on Friday. I flew up that evening to meet up with Dee & Janet, who'd arrived from NH and Jeanine, the kind soul putting us all up (thank you so much!). In the morning, we rode over to Summerfest to meet Mara & Becky and get in line before the gates opened at noon. We managed to snag the front bench, slightly to Glenn's side. I was actually a bit fuzzy on details up until that and hadn't realized we were going to be there for 10.5 hours and sit through three other bands. Then again, it's always fun to do something you never did before. We took turns to get food and browse the booths at the festival. Mara's sister Inga joined us a bit later. The gigantic biker sitting next to me turned out to be a really decent guy who watched my spot while I was on breaks and I watched his. I came back from a break to find him confronting a drunk who'd moved into my spot. I decided not to take any more bathroom breaks and made myself eat a pretzel and ALL the salt. (Well, it worked.)

The last band to play before Priest made a teensy faux paux. Cherry Pie, which is an '80s tribute, played a song that the audience absolutely HATED. I had to look this up - "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. They started throwing things. Becky scored a poster after convincing a guy not to light it on fire. I watched a couple in the front row break up - he was holding his hand out for his ring and she had to take it off and hand it over. It was insane! They just could not stand that song.

[[[Milwaukee show]]]
It seemed like that British Steel curtain was up forever. By then, everyone was crammed in like sardines. A few minutes before the band came on, there was a mass singalong to what I'm told is "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath. (I'm the worst metal fan in the world <g>.) Finally, the curtain dropped and there were the boys already going! I couldn't believe how close they were. At local bands, people are afraid to get near the stage. I was just blown away. Glenn was doing his expressions and gestures, Rob all over the place and KK just freaking possessed by the guitar god. (No wonder they never play SC...) I had trouble seeing Ian behind a fan and I'm sure Scott is under that massive kit somewhere because I can sure as heck him. Someone was calling for a drum solo.
I almost forgot about the cameramen until I caught the cowgirl trying to pull my top down. (Don't make me hurt me you, drunk girl.) I was shocked to see my hand, in a horn gesture on the jumbotron! (We're all on YouTube now!) I don't really do the horns, but with a Leica strapped to my wrist, I couldn't really clap them. I noticed a counter tinking down on the camera display and realized I'd taken hundreds of pictures. I took everything, even roadies putting guitars away.

We managed to catch up KK & Scott in the lobby of Mara & Becky's hotel. Scott was in good spirits, if tired. I was having one of my deer-in-the-headlights moments and he noticed I wasn't talking. When he heard my odd accent, he asked where I was from. Raleigh is only 3 hours from his hometown, Norfolk. The accent to that region is more of a drawl and not very "southern" sounding. I've lost mine, being half-northern/half-southern and married to a Latvian.

I was curious to hear KK's accent as I've read the Black Country has their own dialect. KK is the sweetest person. Even after posing for pictures and signing my pickguard (OMFG! I'm not worthy!), he perched on a desk and seemed in no hurry to get out of there (it was almost 2AM). Right after my picture, I knocked a little kiss on his cheek and thanked him (southerners never kiss people <g>). It turns out the reason he keeps answering my Q&A questions is because he answers ALL of the questions sent in. He seems like a good listener. Upon hearing how we liked the women's British Steel tank tops, he was going to put in a word on the current tour apparel. I mentioned that I was attending the next day with Marla, whose name he recognized (Scott had said "oh THAT Marla" <g>). We kept offering to let him go and eventually he did start shaking hands and kissing us goodbye.

We got in at 3AM and Jeanine and I got back up at 6AM to catch my flight to Minneapolis. I was thinking about grabbing a snack at the airport and annoyed to find the fridge full of cheese. Oh, Wisconsin, I get it. Haha. The shuttle driver turned out to be a very sweet elderly man who carried my purse onto the shuttle for me. My wonderful hotel let me check in at 11:30 in the morning (Fairfield is in my the cool book) and I crashed. I had wanted to go see the Mall of America next door and never made it. I finally dragged myself out of bed and called a cab to Taste of Minnesota, which turned out to be in St. Paul. Oops. The foreign cab driver first took my ticket with him on a trip to the toilet, then returned and told me to ride up front. Neither of us knew where Harriet Island was, but eventually he found someone on the radio who did.

[[[Minneapolis show]]]
This festival was more like the state fair with rides and games. Marla called my name as I was heading to my seat. It was so great to finally meet her after all this time! I wish there had been more time to hang out with her & co. I missed most of Whitesnake's set because I didn't feel well enough to stand up in my fourth row seat (bad pretzel?). It took 4 advil, 1 caffeinated mint and 1 unidentified domestic beer to prop myself up for the feature presentation.

We checked will call and just before the show, 2 front row tickets were there in my name. How awesome is that?! I've never had a front row ticket in my hand and I will treasure it forever :)  Unfortunately, security had allowed anyone in the seated section to crowd into the front row and were unwilling to interfere. We found some of Marla's friends in the crowd and they made room. I'm still not entirely comfortable with the idea of being sandwiched between beered-up metalheads and it was nice to have someone watching my back.

Sure enough, "War Pigs" again and I still don't know the damn words, haha. We were on KK's side and I got some great shots of him. KK's fans may not be the greatest singers in the world, but they have some pretty badass praise going on! I finally got a glimpse of Ian - love the costume. During "United" Rob walked off the stage. I couldn't see anything (barely 5'4"). All the heads were facing left and someone said Rob was in the crowd! (Please be on YouTube.) The boys seemed in a bit more energy. Maybe they were more comfortable with the new setup. Rob seemed to be struggling a bit with "Freewheel Burning" and was using his goblin voice. Toward the end when Rob came out with the U.S. flag around his neck, he talked about it being our "birthday tomorrow." What a smile he has :)  I tried getting KK's attention toward the end, hoping he'd throw a pick. I don't think they can see the crowd too well.

On the way out, I picked up a Whitesnake jacket for my mom :)   I also had the awkward experience of attempting to photograph the Judas Priest portapotty. (Can I have one?!) It was hard to believe it was all over. Back at the hotel, the pool area was open til midnight and the hot tub empty. The one time I remember to pack my suit when I'm certain I won't need it :)

It was a great feeling to get a night's sleep, though I was still moving slowly. At 9:30 I was waiting for the elevator with wet hair and no makeup when two girls in pajamas joined me. (Why does breakfast have to end at 10AM?) One looked at the other one and said "I know what you're thinking" a la Old Gregg. Haha, now I'm awake.

A misunderstanding led to me missing the hotel shuttle and being put into a cab one hour before my flight was to leave. This one took the $15 the manager offered him and drove me off the meter. Where do you find these cab drivers? He said Minneapolis was a smaller airport than St. Paul and I did make my flight in plenty of time, no thanks to airport security. She wanted me to check my bag over a 5oz bottle of spray-on sunscreen and I offered to throw it away. She pointed out a trashcan 20ft away and when I got back, she was angry that I had "run off" Ugh, at least I made it. Think I'm getting the hang of this travelling thing.

I cannot wait for San Antonio! While I'm at it, I may just hit MD as well :)

Hi girls, love the pics! I'll try to get mine up soon - working this FTP thing out. Here's my review. I gotta go edit the Bible belt version for the folks back home
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Travelling with Priest (TOUR SPOILER)

Haha, just kidding. I travelled to Milwaukee to see Judas Priest on 7/2 and then to Minneapolis the following day to see them again. Most of the Sinfully Delicious ladies were going to Milwaukee and Marla was going to Minneapolis. I priced up flights hopping to both, half-joking, and it turned out to be not much more.

I had to work Wednesday, having just returned from vacation in Latvia on Friday. I flew up that evening to meet up with Dee & Janet, who'd arrived from NH and Jeanine, the kind soul putting us all up (thank you so much!). In the morning, we rode over to Summerfest to meet Mara & Becky and get in line before the gates opened at noon. We managed to snag the front bench, slightly to Glenn's side. I was actually a bit fuzzy on details up until that and hadn't realized we were going to be there for 10.5 hours and sit through three other bands. Then again, it's always fun to do something you never did before. We took turns to get food and browse the booths at the festival. Mara's sister Inga joined us a bit later. The gigantic biker sitting next to me turned out to be a really decent guy who watched my spot while I was on breaks and I watched his. I came back from a break to find him confronting a drunk who'd moved into my spot. I decided not to take any more bathroom breaks and made myself eat a pretzel and ALL the salt. (Well, it worked.)

The last band to play before Priest made a teensy faux paux. Cherry Pie, which is an '80s tribute, played a song that the audience absolutely HATED. I had to look this up - "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. They started throwing things. Becky scored a poster after convincing a guy not to light it on fire. I watched a couple in the front row break up - he was holding his hand out for his ring and she had to take it off and hand it over. It was insane! They just could not stand that song.

[[[Milwaukee show]]]
It seemed like that British Steel curtain was up forever. By then, everyone was crammed in like sardines. A few minutes before the band came on, there was a mass singalong to what I'm told is "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath. (I'm the worst metal fan in the world <g>.) Finally, the curtain dropped and there were the boys already going! I couldn't believe how close they were. At local bands, people are afraid to get near the stage. I was just blown away. Glenn was doing his expressions and gestures, Rob all over the place and KK just freaking possessed by the guitar god. (No wonder they never play SC...) I had trouble seeing Ian behind a fan and I'm sure Scott is under that massive kit somewhere because I can sure as heck him. Someone was calling for a drum solo.
I almost forgot about the cameramen until I caught the cowgirl trying to pull my top down. (Don't make me hurt me you, drunk girl.) I was shocked to see my hand, in a horn gesture on the jumbotron! (We're all on YouTube now!) I don't really do the horns, but with a Leica strapped to my wrist, I couldn't really clap them. I noticed a counter tinking down on the camera display and realized I'd taken hundreds of pictures. I took everything, even roadies putting guitars away.

We managed to catch up KK & Scott in the lobby of Mara & Becky's hotel. Scott was in good spirits, if tired. I was having one of my deer-in-the-headlights moments and he noticed I wasn't talking. When he heard my odd accent, he asked where I was from. Raleigh is only 3 hours from his hometown, Norfolk. The accent to that region is more of a drawl and not very "southern" sounding. I've lost mine, being half-northern/half-southern and married to a Latvian.

I was curious to hear KK's accent as I've read the Black Country has their own dialect. KK is the sweetest person. Even after posing for pictures and signing my pickguard (OMFG! I'm not worthy!), he perched on a desk and seemed in no hurry to get out of there (it was almost 2AM). Right after my picture, I knocked a little kiss on his cheek and thanked him (southerners never kiss people <g>). It turns out the reason he keeps answering my Q&A questions is because he answers ALL of the questions sent in. He seems like a good listener. Upon hearing how we liked the women's British Steel tank tops, he was going to put in a word on the current tour apparel. I mentioned that I was attending the next day with Marla, whose name he recognized (Scott had said "oh THAT Marla" <g>). We kept offering to let him go and eventually he did start shaking hands and kissing us goodbye.

We got in at 3AM and Jeanine and I got back up at 6AM to catch my flight to Minneapolis. I was thinking about grabbing a snack at the airport and annoyed to find the fridge full of cheese. Oh, Wisconsin, I get it. Haha. The shuttle driver turned out to be a very sweet elderly man who carried my purse onto the shuttle for me. My wonderful hotel let me check in at 11:30 in the morning (Fairfield is in my the cool book) and I crashed. I had wanted to go see the Mall of America next door and never made it. I finally dragged myself out of bed and called a cab to Taste of Minnesota, which turned out to be in St. Paul. Oops. The foreign cab driver first took my ticket with him on a trip to the toilet, then returned and told me to ride up front. Neither of us knew where Harriet Island was, but eventually he found someone on the radio who did.

[[[Minneapolis show]]]
This festival was more like the state fair with rides and games. Marla called my name as I was heading to my seat. It was so great to finally meet her after all this time! I wish there had been more time to hang out with her & co. I missed most of Whitesnake's set because I didn't feel well enough to stand up in my fourth row seat. It took 4 advil, 1 caffeinated mint and 1 unidentified domestic beer to prop myself up for the feature presentation.

We checked will call and just before the show, 2 front row tickets were there in my name. How awesome is that?! I've never had a front row ticket in my hand and I will treasure it forever :)  Unfortunately, security had allowed anyone in the seated section to crowd into the front row and were unwilling to interfere. We found some of Marla's friends in the crowd and they made room. I'm still not entirely comfortable with the idea of being sandwiched between beered-up metalheads and it was nice to have someone watching my back.

Sure enough, "War Pigs" again and I still don't know the damn words, haha. We were on KK's side and I got some great shots of him. KK's fans may not be the greatest singers in the world, but they have some pretty badass praise going on! I finally got a glimpse of Ian - love the costume. During "United" Rob walked off the stage. I couldn't see anything (barely 5'4"). All the heads were facing left and someone said Rob was in the crowd! (Please be on YouTube.) The boys seemed in a bit more energy. Maybe they were more comfortable with the new setup. Rob seemed to be struggling a bit with "Freewheel Burning" and was using his goblin voice. Toward the end when Rob came out with the U.S. flag around his neck, he talked about it being our "birthday tomorrow." What a smile he has :)  I tried getting KK's attention toward the end, hoping he'd throw a pick. I don't think they can see the crowd too well.

On the way out, I picked up a Whitesnake jacket for my mom :)   I also had the awkward experience of attempting to photograph the Judas Priest portapotty. (Can I have one?!) It was hard to believe it was all over. Back at the hotel, the pool area was open til midnight and the hot tub empty. The one time I remember to pack my suit when I'm certain I won't need it :)

It was a great feeling to get a night's sleep, though I was still moving slowly. At 9:30 I was waiting for the elevator with wet hair and no makeup when two girls in pajamas joined me. (Why does breakfast have to end at 10AM?) One looked at the other one and said "I know what you're thinking" a la Old Gregg. Haha, now I'm awake.

A misunderstanding led to me missing the hotel shuttle and being put into a cab one hour before my flight was to leave. This one took the $15 the manager offered him and drove me off the meter. Where do you find these cab drivers? He said Minneapolis was a smaller airport than St. Paul and I did make my flight in plenty of time, no thanks to airport security. She wanted me to check my bag over a 5oz bottle of spray-on sunscreen and I offered to throw it away. She pointed out a trashcan 20ft away and when I got back, she was angry that I had "run off" Ugh, at least I made it. Think I'm getting the hang of this travelling thing.

I cannot wait for San Antonio! While I'm at it, I may just hit MD as well :)