Post by bexface on Aug 11, 2003 12:38:59 GMT -5
The first announced M&G since the start of the tour. I stayed overnight real close to make sure I made it to the venue early in the day. I was there at about 7:30 AM. As I approached the auditorium, I saw four other people doing the same, some of them very familiar. It was John, Dor, Danico, and Lisa (whose name I got wrong, sorry 
). We were the start of the crew. Dor had thoughtfully brought a sharpie and we started a numbering system on our hands. I was number five! WOO-HOO!!
It didn’t take too long for others to show and by 10 AM, we were at twenty or so. Some of these twenty included Noah, Destiny, Shannon, Sean, Jacob, Katy, Benjamin, Rebecca, Megan, Sandy, Julie, and Jim. Jacob, Katie, and Benjamin were from the Quad city area between Iowa and Illinois. I had “met” them on-line and it is always great to meet people in person, to see how your pre-conceived image of them matches the real
thing. Jacob had done an impressive job of burning bootlegs to exchange with others. They had a blanket spread out to lie on. Rebecca was another person from the forumz. She was there with her 8-year-old daughter, Megan, who had been raised as a Toriphile by her mother. Megan impressed me. She could recite the ends of lines from Tori songs after her mother started them! They were pretty geeked to be there. As we all were by that time.
More of the tour regulars started showing. Molly and Steve from California. (I had met Molly before in NYC and both Molly and Steve for Santa Barbara’s non-M&G. Molly Knight is keeping up a website of her tour swing that I highly recommend. Steve is flying back and forth from California to catch more of Tori.) Christopher who takes these AWESOME professional-grade photos of Tori from M&Gs and concerts. At one point, Joel came out and sat on the steps, first making fun of Lisa sleeping on the step and then to talk to a few of us. He chatted for about five minutes and told us that he would have the M&G inside the building and it would happen between 2-3 PM. How nice of him to spend the time with us!
After noon, the excitement and tension built (as usual). More and more people showed up to the point that we reached the 50s in the numbering before 3 PM. Joel came out again and talked with Dor. She was obligated to make a wedding in town by 4 but it was clear Tori would not be out soon enough. That sucked since Dor was Number One on our lists. Steve did a great stint as regulator and moved people back into a line configuration based on our numbers. (I have seen people ignore the numbering system before, causing animosity amongst the crowd. We must truly thank the efforts of people
like Steve and others who have the wherewithal to ask people to stay in the order they arrived. It is not a fun job but it sure makes the experience better for all of us. Thanks, Steve!)
Finally, it happened. Joel opened up the doors and we marched into the small hallway, probably about twelve feet wide. No mad rush ensued from what I could tell. Everyone stayed in order and thus all the faces from the front were really in the front. Good job, folks! Right up against the barricade, I was! I was surprised to find 8-year-old Megan right behind me with Rebecca a further behind her. Tori came out, all resplendent with a colorful frock and plenty of smiles for us all. She started on the other end with John, Lisa, and Danica, who had a lot to talk about. It never ceases to amaze me how much of herself Tori gives to her following. She never wavers in her attention to that one person when they are talking and when she responds. Her answers are priceless and go to the heart of the matter.
I got a lot of pictures of her as she made her way up towards my end of the barricades, one person at a time. Jim handed her his cell phone, playing on it the stored Tori songs that he uses for his ring. She rocked her head from side to side, smiling at the electronic renditions. He gave her two pieces of Lennon/McCartney sheet music (one of them being “Imagine”), which appeared to be a hint to play some Beatles. Then she found Megan and Rebecca. She asked Joel to pull out Megan from behind the barricades so she could talk to her face-to-face. Megan was pretty excited. She recited her memorized “Take to the Sky” line to her; Tori was thoroughly delighted at the rendering. Rebecca spoke at length to her about the trials she had gone through with childbirth. Tori consoled her with the understanding that only she could give.
Not much later she got to me. Oddly enough, even though I was calm, I still did not get to say the things I wanted. But I knew that would probably happen so I gave her the card
with my primary thoughts, thanking her for her role in my life. I also gave her a book from a local New England historian about the Native Americans and settlers and their conflicts before the American Revolution. After that, my tongue got caught in my throat, wondering if I should ask her for a picture or to sign my Scarlet’s Walk book. She looked at me funny as I tried to say one or the other. Finally, I asked for the photo op.
She readily obliged. (Unfortunately, that was the only photo that turned out blurry. I have yet to get a good photo with her. BLEH!
)
At the end of the barricade, she recognized Molly and spent some time with her. Molly asked if she could explain Tombigbee. Tori explained that Tombigbee was the common name for a bone collector man but I forget the Native American name and the name of the tribe. Then she went into a complete recital of the lyrics for her. (I believe Molly has posted them by now.) The crowd got really quiet as she did this. It was marvelous. Leaning over to talk to her, she was only inches away from me, brushing me with her arm as she put her voice into the recitation. She also promised to play it that night. David gave her a book from a philosopher from the Denver area. Then she made to leave but turned back to sign one more CD cover (that from Kayla) before making the final exit.
I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet her again and to see her profound effect on others. I did not make the most of my opportunity but that is irrelevant, really. Just being there and seeing with others is a total trip, one that I will relish over and over again as I progress in life. And it does appear that there will not be another M&G until the east coast shows so I am doubly fortunate. I truly hope anyone reading this will reap the benefits from meeting her someday. It is so worth it.
). We were the start of the crew. Dor had thoughtfully brought a sharpie and we started a numbering system on our hands. I was number five! WOO-HOO!!It didn’t take too long for others to show and by 10 AM, we were at twenty or so. Some of these twenty included Noah, Destiny, Shannon, Sean, Jacob, Katy, Benjamin, Rebecca, Megan, Sandy, Julie, and Jim. Jacob, Katie, and Benjamin were from the Quad city area between Iowa and Illinois. I had “met” them on-line and it is always great to meet people in person, to see how your pre-conceived image of them matches the real
thing. Jacob had done an impressive job of burning bootlegs to exchange with others. They had a blanket spread out to lie on. Rebecca was another person from the forumz. She was there with her 8-year-old daughter, Megan, who had been raised as a Toriphile by her mother. Megan impressed me. She could recite the ends of lines from Tori songs after her mother started them! They were pretty geeked to be there. As we all were by that time.
More of the tour regulars started showing. Molly and Steve from California. (I had met Molly before in NYC and both Molly and Steve for Santa Barbara’s non-M&G. Molly Knight is keeping up a website of her tour swing that I highly recommend. Steve is flying back and forth from California to catch more of Tori.) Christopher who takes these AWESOME professional-grade photos of Tori from M&Gs and concerts. At one point, Joel came out and sat on the steps, first making fun of Lisa sleeping on the step and then to talk to a few of us. He chatted for about five minutes and told us that he would have the M&G inside the building and it would happen between 2-3 PM. How nice of him to spend the time with us!
After noon, the excitement and tension built (as usual). More and more people showed up to the point that we reached the 50s in the numbering before 3 PM. Joel came out again and talked with Dor. She was obligated to make a wedding in town by 4 but it was clear Tori would not be out soon enough. That sucked since Dor was Number One on our lists. Steve did a great stint as regulator and moved people back into a line configuration based on our numbers. (I have seen people ignore the numbering system before, causing animosity amongst the crowd. We must truly thank the efforts of people
like Steve and others who have the wherewithal to ask people to stay in the order they arrived. It is not a fun job but it sure makes the experience better for all of us. Thanks, Steve!)
Finally, it happened. Joel opened up the doors and we marched into the small hallway, probably about twelve feet wide. No mad rush ensued from what I could tell. Everyone stayed in order and thus all the faces from the front were really in the front. Good job, folks! Right up against the barricade, I was! I was surprised to find 8-year-old Megan right behind me with Rebecca a further behind her. Tori came out, all resplendent with a colorful frock and plenty of smiles for us all. She started on the other end with John, Lisa, and Danica, who had a lot to talk about. It never ceases to amaze me how much of herself Tori gives to her following. She never wavers in her attention to that one person when they are talking and when she responds. Her answers are priceless and go to the heart of the matter.
I got a lot of pictures of her as she made her way up towards my end of the barricades, one person at a time. Jim handed her his cell phone, playing on it the stored Tori songs that he uses for his ring. She rocked her head from side to side, smiling at the electronic renditions. He gave her two pieces of Lennon/McCartney sheet music (one of them being “Imagine”), which appeared to be a hint to play some Beatles. Then she found Megan and Rebecca. She asked Joel to pull out Megan from behind the barricades so she could talk to her face-to-face. Megan was pretty excited. She recited her memorized “Take to the Sky” line to her; Tori was thoroughly delighted at the rendering. Rebecca spoke at length to her about the trials she had gone through with childbirth. Tori consoled her with the understanding that only she could give.
Not much later she got to me. Oddly enough, even though I was calm, I still did not get to say the things I wanted. But I knew that would probably happen so I gave her the card
with my primary thoughts, thanking her for her role in my life. I also gave her a book from a local New England historian about the Native Americans and settlers and their conflicts before the American Revolution. After that, my tongue got caught in my throat, wondering if I should ask her for a picture or to sign my Scarlet’s Walk book. She looked at me funny as I tried to say one or the other. Finally, I asked for the photo op.
She readily obliged. (Unfortunately, that was the only photo that turned out blurry. I have yet to get a good photo with her. BLEH!
)At the end of the barricade, she recognized Molly and spent some time with her. Molly asked if she could explain Tombigbee. Tori explained that Tombigbee was the common name for a bone collector man but I forget the Native American name and the name of the tribe. Then she went into a complete recital of the lyrics for her. (I believe Molly has posted them by now.) The crowd got really quiet as she did this. It was marvelous. Leaning over to talk to her, she was only inches away from me, brushing me with her arm as she put her voice into the recitation. She also promised to play it that night. David gave her a book from a philosopher from the Denver area. Then she made to leave but turned back to sign one more CD cover (that from Kayla) before making the final exit.
I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet her again and to see her profound effect on others. I did not make the most of my opportunity but that is irrelevant, really. Just being there and seeing with others is a total trip, one that I will relish over and over again as I progress in life. And it does appear that there will not be another M&G until the east coast shows so I am doubly fortunate. I truly hope anyone reading this will reap the benefits from meeting her someday. It is so worth it.