| Fox Cities Stadium
On The Road With MaggieMay... I waved goodbye to the Dells with a happy heart full of music and blue jeans. We didn't have a single problem getting on to the highway and back to Milwaukee. Getting back to our hotel was a different matter. We took a wrong exit, turned around and headed back toward downtown. We rely on printed directions and when they go wrong we're in the soup. Summerfest is a multi-day event in Milwaukee and we hit a barricaded street (the street our directions told us to take) and ended up in a horrid maze of traffic and one way streets. It took us forever to get back to our hotel! Quite maddening! LOL SueC finally figured out *how* to get us back and I was relieved to pull up and crawl out of the car. After a pleasant Sunday afternoon lunch, I set to work. Work, work work! That's *all* I do on tour! LOL SueC and CL made small talk as I typed away. I hate it when people lock me in a room and expect something brilliant. I do much better with a little noise around and with people who *understand* and don't try to actually engage me in conversation while I'm typing, but are there to answer little questions as I work and keep me supplied with coffee. We had set our time to leave, and I was busily writing away when John came by and asked US if he was the last one down. I adore them all, but I think JL is the funniest and most down to earth of the three. He parted the palm leaves *hiding* us and did his best Arte Johnson imitation saying "Verrrrrrrry INTERESTING"! LOL We enthusiastically offered him a ride up to Appleton with us, but it turned out they hadn't left him after all! You gotta have the bass player. 
I left my responsible
friends in charge of the journey north and hopped in the Malibu's back seat
and continued to work. I have a new power cord adapter for the laptop,
but the specific tip for my well-traveled Gateway kept slipping out, resulting
in a flurry of angry profanity from the back seat. No one cared!
sigh
We made good time to Appleton and didn't have to use The Force to find the venue. I had heard that the concert was sold out and we planned to get there early. It was a good thing we did! There was a huge amount of activity when we got there 2 hours before the concert. We pulled up to the first entrance and had to turn around and go out to the second one. I have that bad left knee that keeps flaring up on concert days and we sweetly asked the traffic fellow if we could park as close as possible. He was very understanding and pointed to the numbered spaces next to the main entrance to the venue. Thousands of cars were there already and there were a number of tailgate parties going on complete with grills, huge coolers, tables and chairs, flags - I thought for a minute I was at a college football game! I would say that the volunteer firefighters annual shindig is the highlight event for the area. 
I'm always
hopeful that someone *might* be trying to get rid of some front row tickets,
and we wandered around for a while looking approachable and interested, but
to no avail. Our 3rd row seats were going to be it for us. We
had a last smoke and watched people go thru the ticket line. There
was a large sign as you walked up from the parking lot (right by the huge
bucket truck where SueC wanted to watch the concert) with a large list of
forbidden items - no lawn chairs, no cameras, no video, no coolers, no carry-ins,
no loose women OOPS! The last *were* allowed. The whole camera
thing just makes me crazy and it has turned me into a criminal. The
security at Fox Cities Stadium was DETERMINED not to allow any dangerous
cameras in. One *might* go off! (Oh, wait - that's handguns!)
Almost everyone going in had some sort of bag with a sweater or jacket or
seat cushion in it and EVERY bag was searched. It took forever!
Bags were gone thru THOROUGHLY, emptied in some cases, and I saw several
people with the misfortune to be found carrying a camera. One woman
explained that her camera didn't have any film in it, but she was pointed
toward her car and told to take it back. Well, it was THEIR party,
and if they didn't want cameras/photography, that was their right.
Our car was fairly close, but I am a camera criminal and always at least
try to get mine in, jic the nearest security guard to my seat doesn't have
a problem with photos or has been given different guidelines. It's
just happened that way too many times. I'm naturally a very guilty
person and full of envy at the sociopaths that can smile and fib so effectively.
I just can't! I have developed a couple of "tricks" that work for me
that are admittedly deceptive but do not require outright lying. Every
married woman will understand this important quality as necessary for a happy
marriage - at least one happy for HER. That's why I roll on the ground
with laughter when I hear No More Lies. Mild deception is the cornerstone
of a great relationship! I picked a line with a male security guard
(less wise in those womanly ways) and held out my purse for inspection.
Unzipping it was not enough - he insisted I remove item after item, until
my hands were full of cigarettes, passport, tissues, pens, but no lighters
since the Canadian airport security took my last four. He saw my cell
phone and wanted to see it. MY CELL PHONE!!! He opened it and
looked it over and asked if it takes photos. Well...it does, but only
with a little camera attachment that works from 4 ft away and no farther.
He finally shooed me in to the venue. At least he didn't have me raise
the legs of my jeans and turn around in a circle like they did at Fleetwood
Mac! I felt like I was doing a weird version of the Hokey-Pokey.
LOL
SueC and CL soon followed and we checked out the merchandise table. This was the first time I noticed the 2003 Moodies calendar for sale and as I bought one I asked if I could have one of the small venue posters taped to the side of the table. I liked the guy's response! He said, well, I can't GIVE you one, but I *could* turn my back and slowly walk away! If you're given tacit permission to steal an item, is it stealing? I've given up struggling with moral and philosophical questions, and I'm *now* going with: If it feels good, do it! The Fox Cities promo poster uses the new Moodies promo photo that adds a Graeme in sunglasses to a photo of the Jays. The only problem with this photo is that it makes John look about 5ft 9. He's the tallest 5ft 9 *I* ever saw! Food was next and since we were in a baseball stadium (Home of the Timber Rattlers) we ate baseball food. SueC indulged in her annual summer glass of beer, which looked and sounded so good at that moment that I took a big swig of it before I handed it to her. I was worried when I eyed the ladies room line. We looked around a bit and finally figured out how we were going to get to our seats. The stage looked damn far from the top of the stands and we were relieved we hadn't bit on any of the stands tickets. There was a big crowd of people and we had to do some waiting and wading to get to our seats. 
THE VENUE The Great Fox Cities Celebration was held at Fox Cities Stadium, a minor league baseball stadium. It looked fairly new and was very nice for a baseball stadium. It was relatively small, with only one level of seating, not a gargantuan place like Reds Stadium. Cozy and compact, I'd call it. The temporary stage was set up at second base and directly facing the stands. Baseball diamonds are standard, pro or minor league makes no difference, and I can tell you that the stage was a FAR ways away from the stands. There was a large number of temporary chairs set up on the field, and some lawn seating on either side of the stands. I asked at the box office, and the total seats for the concert setup was about 8000; I don't know what the split was between the field level and the stands. At 6pm, only 60 to 70 tickets remained for sale, primarily singles, and I saw people buying tickets so I believe the Firefighter Rep when he said onstage that the concert was a sell-out. They had wisely covered the field with a thick white tarp to protect it AND to keep my sandaled feet from getting all dusty. There were two or three aisles down to the field and they examined your ticket, marked it with a red pen AND stamped your hand at the bottom of the stairs. Plywood was laid as a walkway to get you on to the tarp. There was a scaffolding setup on the tarp for lights. The two center sections (C and D) were directly in front of the stage, and the promoters had laid out sections ridiculously past the stage on either side. Video screens were not provided, and my guess is that those people couldn't see a thing from the side/front sections. My seat was in the 3rd row of section D and I was right *at* John. The stage was high and had a gate about 4ft in front of it. Front row was a good distance back and I would guess I was about 25 ft from John's mike. I can't complain! At least I could clearly see him, and people in the stands were 125 feet back, easily. The Moody Blues were stick figures to them. The stage was open on all sides and you could see the sky in back. There was a large stack of speakers on either side of the stage - 6 on 6, with small front fill speakers on both sides facing into the audience. Packing cases labeled "Moody Blues" in white spray paint were seen around the sides. The field, stage and chairs were laid out very attractively. THE FASHION REPORT GE - Flag shirt first half, 2 Ladies shirt second half, black slacks JL - White long slvd *bib* shirt first half, its black counterpart second half, leathers, boots JH - Pink long slvd ruffled shirt first half, thin white long slvd shirt second half, black jeans Gordy - Leather shirt first half, white short slvd shirt with black pattern second half, white slacks Paul - White long slvd white shirt Norda - Black jacket over black sexy midriff top, black hiphuggers Bernie - Black on black Gordon had the HOT look tonight in his mirrored shades. ; ) I was sorry when the sun went down and he had to take them off! Though I love Graeme's Hula shirt, the 2 Ladies do a great job of shimmying during H&H. Almost as good as his girl in the (red) grass skirt! THE CONCERT It was a beautiful night in Appleton Wisconsin; the weather was perfect. Thank God it was, because the tickets said Rain or Shine and we were completely exposed on the field. Luck was with us! Just a gorgeous night. The evening began with a exciting air show which peaked with a fabulous starburst maneuver. It was the first time I had ever seen an airshow done by prop planes, and you could hear them buzzing overhead. A nice looking young fireman came out onstage and did a very respectable a capella solo of The Star Spangled Banner. You could tell he was a Wisconsin boy when he let out the first note OH OH Say - it had plenty of regional accent on it. The firefighter's representative (I didn't catch his official title) gave a short welcome, and again, it was a nice job. I *did* notice that who ever he was, he ended up front row center, but I'm sure that was a safety measure in case the stage caught on fire. ; ) I figured that's where those front row center tickets had ended up, and I was right. Rather tacky! After all that, we FINALLY got what we came for: The Moody Blues! The start was clean, but LTSY was marred by feedback and then the sound popped out briefly. It happened again on TSIYE. Bernie kept on singing into the guitar solo on Story, caught herself and looked guilty. LOL I caught Justin squishing a bug on Big Red's side, then flicking it onto the floor and looking down at it. That was too funny! The sound was quite good considering the outside/temporary set up. The Band seemed relaxed and the show went very well. The 2003 setlist was played in its entirety, and I was very surprised that they had the usual 20 minute intermission. The show was followed by an impressive fireworks display which included heart shaped explosions - something I had never seen before. The concert was very solid, near perfect - a great show and a fun evening. Not extraordinary, but I'd have to move it into the Great category for the weather and the general fun atmosphere. It was the largest audience I've seen in quite a long time! These days The Moodies tend to play in indoor venues to numbers maxing out at 2000 or 2500. This was a LOT of people! It wasn't so much a Moodies concert as a regional celebration. The firefighters use the net for various area charities and I would guess that most people came more to support those efforts than to see a rock 'n roll concert. However, they had a good attitude about it and were prepared to enjoy themselves and were very welcoming. There did seem to be a hell of a lot of beer being poured and consumed, which probably added to those pleasant feelings. LOL This is not to say that there weren't a number of casual fans among the crowd which had a nice mix of ages, and plenty of younger people. I had worn a denim Moodies shirt, one of 5 that commemorate our Midland Texas experience of a couple years ago and the fellow behind me WANTED it. LOL With that opening, the people around us began to pepper me and SueC with questions, including: Did The Moodies bring their orchestra? (Well, they didn't HAVE one, and they don't *do* that any more, but you'll like it. Anyway, they have Paul. They don't NEED an orchestra!) Where's Ray? (They got the short answer - He's retired, was tired of touring - he's FINE.) Are those cute guys up front married? (This was asked hopefully by a young blonde sitting behind me. Cute Guys Up Front - um, you haven't "lost" it! LOL ) HOW many concerts did you say you've been to??? (I decline to put that answer in print. It's always followed with: Can I come with you?) You're not going to STAND, are you? (More than you would expect me to!) I always try to keep in mind that other concert goers might not feel as enthusiastic about the music as *I* do, and I try to be considerate. I was sitting with regret at one point then glanced around and was amazed to see the two complainers who had whined about the prospect of ME standing, up and dancing themselves! Humph! I happily joined them. Security was good about not allowing people to wander up and stand at the stage, and when one drunk lady moved up to gaze admiringly they moved her out, though it took three of them to reason with her. I never really know if that blank look is a result of beer or the sign of another crazy wanting to achieve a spiritual connection with a Band member she was married to in a former life. HAHA! (Though the latter is more common than you might think) Though I didn't see it, CL told me that one woman had her film confiscated. This was a bit of a pisser since a couple of pros shot part of the concert and these "pros" included one lady with a small digital camera. ; ) I rather *doubt* she was a pro! Like I said earlier - it was their party. Other than the very fine concert by my favorite rock 'n roll band, my favorite moment was the scene in the ladies room. This place was NEVER meant to hold 8000 people. It was built to hold baseball games, not concerts which included a couple thousand (or more) on the playing field. These people drank beer like they were in Hinckley, Minnesota! LOTS of beer. (Concessions must have made a fortune at this concert) I had decided to "stretch my legs" at the interval and after a smoke with the Girls outside the main door, I left them for the ladies room. The line was easily a 100 women long. The show started, but by that time, I knew I could sell my spot in line and it would be a shame to let it go. As I neared the ladies room door, I heard a loud voice shouting inside. What was going on? I finally rounded the corner and was met by the sight of an older woman holding a stall door shut with one hand and a beer in her other hand and I was confused, because she was in some sort of official uniform. I quietly asked the woman next to me (who had the biggest &3$# I had ever seen and really it was frightening) if they allowed the employees to drink on the job. She informed me the woman was the toilet police. LOL!!! At that very moment, the woman shouted: DON'T BE SINGIN' WHITE SATIN IN THERE!!! MaggieMay Nights in white satin, Never reaching the end... Photos, such as they are, courtesy of SueC |
Milwaukee