At the end of 1999, I found myself in San Diego, CA walking on the beach on New Year's Eve. I had gone out there to visit some friends and coming from the Northeast, you could not imagine thinking of being on the beach that time of year, much less doing it. There was a tree on the beach decorated with beach balls that served as ornaments and there were surfers hoping to catch a wave. San Diego reportedly has one of the longest piers in the country and I can tell you that IS one long pier. While I was there my friends and I visited La Jolla and spent the day in Tijuana, MX. Tijuana is the ultimate tourist trap but we had a really good meal in a small cafe there. What's sad is the poverty there. Children would sell anything to make a buck and the cutest little girl who couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 begged for my bottle of water. When we left, a couple of guys got detained at the border for trying to bring steroids into the country. You can buy almost any prescription drug there without a prescription. I bought a bottle of antibiotics which I never did use because someone asked how I knew what I was really getting. Who wants to run the risk of barking at the moon because you're simply trying to get over an upper respiratory infection. LOL Detainment meant that they were instructed to disgard the items in a trash can nearby and to get at the end of the line. I had arranged to meet up with a Garthnutt (Dawn) out there and it was rumored that Garth had bought some property on Coronado Island. So, John and Woody (also from NJ), Dawn, her Mother and I set out on a trek to find out if it was true. The infamous Coronado Hotel from the movie "Some Like it Hot" is quite stunning and is also where I dropped my camera but thank God only the zoom lens broke. If you can imagine, here was a group of people jaunting around this very affluent community stopping frequently to ask if anyone knew about the rumor. A mail person should know, the police and a realtor definitely would know. But as if they were Stepford people, everyone had the same response which was, not that they'd heard of. Interestingly enough they all had this look in their eyes like they knew but how did we. At the end of the day when it was too late, we found out that we could have simply gone to the County Clerk's office, did a deed search and found out since it's a public record. I had a lot of fun out there and it would not be my last visit over the next few years.
The Garthnutt community was once again a buzz as it was announced that Garth would participate again in Spring Training in 2000. This year it would be with the NY Mets in Florida; the year before it was with the Padres in Arizona. A number of fans had gone down to Florida in the first fews days of his arrival and had gotten to spend quite a bit of time with him in between practices. Some friends and I decided to go and flew into West Palm Beach on February 27, 2000. It seemed to take forever to get to the land of sun and fun and after touchdown, we headed to the St. Lucie County Sports Complex just in time to make it in before the gates were locked. We spotted Garth and he announced that he had to get to the High School for Meet the Fans Day and would not be able to stay and sign autographs. For some unknown reason as he was leaving the field on a golf cart, he stopped and got off and began to sign autographs. He was instantly mobbed and as he stood there sweating profusely, for the life of me I could not understand how he kept from passing out. The scene turned ugly as an overzealous fan insisted he get Garth's attention. It was not enough that this man was always the last to leave the field each day and gave so much of his time, but that this particular person needed his attention and needed it then and there. All I can say is it was so nice not to have reporters and camera people around at that time and we knew that we would see him much more during those six days there.
More and more fans arrived there that week and it was really nice meeting Cathy from Canada (the one from the Garth concert in Philly), Cindy (who now lives in Nashville), Maryann (from Oklahoma) and Virginia (who drove down from NY) and Sue and Summer (Camille) who flew in from California to join us the following day and many, many more. Virginia and I first connected via the net when she posted a plea for help in finding a Garth sweatshirt she had obtained many years prior when the Garth Store was still open. Virginia had been diagnosed with terminal Cancer and wanted to be buried in that shirt. Once she received the devastating news, she moved from Canada to NY to be near family and in the process she believed the shirt had been mistakenly given away to charity. I contacted several agencies and while Capitol Records sent her some others, we were not successful in our endeavor to find that particular shirt. It was very special to me to be able to meet her then and once more later that year. On one day, I called Ann (from upstate NY) who I had become acquainted with throught the Chris Gaines message boards and PlanetGarth. We were at the field and practice was over. I had hoped to keep her on the phone if and until Garth came out so that I could ask him to say hello to her. Ann said she couldn't do it, she would be so overwhelmed she'd throw up for sure. Once I realized she was serious that she would not be able to go through with it, I said goodbye and I would call her again. On another day, I had Garth sign a copy of the George Magazine, once owned by JFK, Jr., with Garth on the cover to Cheryl in Arkansas. We too had conversed and became acquainted through the same means...only she was my evil twin. On another occasion, Jim and Cathy attended a special in Nashville at a time where Garth gave a very laid-back stripped down performance. They called me and let me listen to three or four songs. That's the way Country Music fans are. We had a wonderful time in Florida and brought back some wonderful mementos, including photos and video of Garth and the other Mets players practicing and playing in scrimmage games. One day after we left the field, we decided to try and find a particular take-out restaurant and pulled into a gas station to inquire about it. There were two guys standing out front and as I began to ask them, it dawned on me that the one guy was one of the Mets players, John Nunnally, who ended up being traded to Japan. He was tickled to say the least and quite graciously posed for a photo with us. The following day at the field, he chatted for some time with us and it turned out that he had a brother who was living in NJ at the time. On another day, Cindy mentioned getting tickets to see Chris LeDoux at the County Line Saloon and asked if we wanted to go. Chris put on a really good show inspite of nursing a leg injury and we had hoped Garth would stop by to join him in a song or two but he had an early game the next morning quite a distance away. Chris sadly passed away on March 9, 2005 from bile duct Cancer. (Rest in peace Chris) Yet on another day, we would meet Sandy Brooks with the girls too. She graciously shared Garth with the fans for many years and we appreciated that. Too soon it was time to leave the warmth of the area and return to the cold winter up north. But it was a trip that none of us would soon forget.
Later in March, Randy Lee Ashcraft opened for Collin Raye at the local Community College. I think I was as excited to see Randy and the Saltwater Cowboys, as I was Collin. Collin always puts on a high energy show and goes until he's about ready to drop. With Randy's beach-type country music, you always feel like all of the cares of the day have been stripped away. And no matter what the weather, you have visions of laying on a beach sipping a tropical drink. It was at this show, that I would meet some serious fans of Collin's and one (Fran) who came from Kentucky for the show. She and I stayed in contact for some time. She eventually moved to Nashville and our paths would cross again after she went to work with David Mills at Access.FM. Nine days prior, would bring Mark Wills and Martina McBride to the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton and it was on the road again. We had camped out for several hours the morning the tickets went on sale and thanks to Sue and her boyfriend who we had met at Great Adventure, we ended up with some really decent seats and what I think are some of my best photos of Martina. Sue's boyfriend took charge of passing out numbers as people arrived to wait for the box office to open, so that no one would butt in line if anyone had to leave for a short time. Ironically enough, I had "The View" on one day and they were doing male make-overs and lo and behold, there was Sue's boyfriend. He looked great when his make-over was complete and Sue was in the audience!
May 20, 2000 would be another momentous day in this new life that had consumed me ever so pleasantly. The XTU radio station had previously announced that BlackHawk would be appearing at Club 92.5 that night. I knew of their music, had seen some of their videos but had never seen them perform live before. I knew I HAD to see them so three friends and I headed to the club. We got there early enough to insure a good spot up front in the line and to be able to get a table once inside. When the lead singer, Henry Paul, came walking pass the line to get in on his way into the club, all I could think was he was not even 3' away and drop dead gorgeous!!! I was not responsible for the OMG's that came out of me from nowhere. Okay, I was a little responsible I guess but I didn't even react that way the first time I saw Garth face to face. Later during the show, when Henry talked to me from the stage and acknowledged some other familiar faces, it was the coolest thing I had ever witnessed or been a part of. To this point, I had never seen any artist acknowledge familiar fans like that from the stage before and to be honest I haven't seen any others since. Over the next several years, I would come to realize that not a lot of fans can truly say that they've had some one on one quality time with artists they love and it was with these guys I feel very blessed to be one of the lucky ones. Henry teased me about my reaction to seeing him in the hall before the show. (Translation: he loved it! LOL) The place was packed and Henry, Dave and Randy Threet gave an awesome acoustic performance!! That very night, I was hooked! We later learned that the guys came out and mingled a bit in the club after the show but we had left because of work the next morning, which was so unfair. Come on retirement! Needless to say, after that night, I found the BlackHawkFans website, became a registered member of the boards, have accumulated many BH miles on land and in the air and am a fan for life. While BlackHawk has achieved a great deal of success, it saddens me that the most talented group of guys who have been a part of this landscape have not quite experienced the success they truly deserve. Like many I'm sure, in my youthful years I was lead to believe that talent has its rewards. Later in life I would find out all too unfortunately that in some cases that is not true. In our capitalistic society, if the powers that be decide to invest heavily in you and create something that the public will buy largely (talent or not), you could very well become a star. As long as BlackHawk makes music and appearances, I will enjoy it and be there whenever and wherever I can to support them.
The following month, Steve Holy, Travis Tritt, Danni Leigh, River Road, Montgomery Gentry, Chely Wright, Lonestar, Brooks & Dunn and Eric Heatherly would make an appearance at XTU's Anniversary Show of 2000. Eric serenaded us with "Flowers on the Wall" and looked like a young Elvis. He signed autographs for hours after his performance and last year Tina Turner attended his fan club party. The year before, Halle Berry was there. ;) The best way I can describe Eric, his Mother and Father (Nola and Earl), his wife (Heather) and daughter Christiana is they are incredibly sweet and appreciative of Eric's fans!! Picture this, I'm walking down Broadway in Nashville last year on a Sunday and these people in a car pass by honking and waving. Not knowing who it was but thinking it must be some fans that I'd met somewhere, I waved back and went on my way. I learned later that day that it was none other than, Eric, Nola and Earl when Earl said to me, "you didn't have a clue who was honking and waving at you did you?". Three days before while Eric was performing at the Riverfront Stages, he said to me, "didn't I see you dancing on a table at Joe's Crab Shack last night?" That was Tina, Eric! LOL How cool is that??!!
Later in June Martina McBride and Sammy Kershaw would perform at Six Flags Great Adventure and I would meet Martina for the first time. Martina is so pretty, tiny and nice and I would again meet Sammy. The following month Mark Wills performed there and Doug was nice enough to take a friend and I backstage. Although Mark is an extremely nice looking guy, he could loosen up a little coming out of the gate. LOL In August of 2000 my friends and I went to Club 92.5 (which is sadly missed) three times within a seven day period. Starting with the Kinleys, Phil Vassar (who everyone enjoyed and who I requested sing "Postmarked Birmingham") came next and then Ricochet (a nice group guys and I shared a shot with Eddie but thank goodness not his cold). Phil proved to be a very warm and friendly artist who immensely appreciated those who came out to see him. He was beginning to get recognition for songs he had written and recorded. He performed a number of those that night as well as those recorded by other artists. He didn't stick to his playlist, he pretty much let people call out requests. At one point, he started singing Brickhouse by the Ohio Players and everyone started singing along. He only sang one line..."Owww, she's a brick house". Then he said, wait...let's try this again, you have to say "OUSSSSE".LOL It was funny hearing people sing the line of that song in a "country" club. When he started to sing Philadelphia Freedom, he said he wasn't sure if he knew all the words. Well, everyone was singing along with him to the songs(which he loved!), including me, and when he got to one line in PF he was looking right at me singing(my girlfriend and I were at the stage in front) and I sort of had a Philmoment and stopped singing and he was like, motioning for me to keep singing...he'd forgotten the words.LOL Well, the people behind me started patting me on the back and wooohoooing and he laughed! After Phil came back out for his third encore, he wiped his sweat off on a towel and Max asked who wanted it. I have no shame and yet another piece of memorabilia. :) I later learned that Shannon Farmer (Ricochet) used to be with Ty England.
Two days later some friends and I would again see Trisha Yearwood at the Hilton in Atlantic City. On August 26th, Lee Ann Womack stepped off of her tour bus backstage at Six Flags Great Adventure and we thought (from a distance) she was someone's young daughter. Not that she's not young but without the makeup and stage clothes, she really looks young. Five days later Jo Dee Messina brought the house down at the Sands Hotel and Casino and I met a very bubbly, sweet, full of energy Jo Dee. She put on an awesome show and inspite of the fact that she has a rule about not permitting zoom lenses, I went home with some really great photos. In September, XTU started having Eagles tailgate shows and the first one my friends and I attended was to see Sara Evans, who is a very nice lady. For the life of me, I still haven't figured out why more people didn't attend those shows. They were at the First Union Center which is now the Wachovia, they were outside, you could touch the stage, bring your own seat and capture video footage of the performances. But there was just barely more than 15 or so people at the ones we attended. On September 20, 2000 Tim McGraw and Faith Hill brought their 'Soul to Soul' tour to the First Union Center. As a fan club member of either, you were afforded pre-sale tickets before they went on sale to the general public. As it turned out, the pre-sale tickets were not as good as the ones I purchased on the day they went on sale to the general public. I ended up selling the other two to friends. The downside was the First Union frowned on the use of zoom lenses; but the up side was who else attended that concert. Charmaine and I were sitting there and this group of guys walked passed. I was doing something with my camera but I looked up long enough to see some jeans that looked very familiar. Maybe it wasn't as much the jeans that looked familiar, as it was the backside that was in them. These gentlemen sat three seats from us in the same row. I looked at the one guy's profile and I said to my friend, "that looks like Jimmy Mattingly!" (Garth's fiddle player, who is now with the Grascals) There was a young girl and her Mother sitting next to them, so as not to completely embarrass myself if I was wrong, I asked the young girl to ask him if his name was Jimmy. She tapped on his shoulder and said, "the lady over here wants to know if your name is Jimmy". Just about then, 'sugar britches' leaned forward and grinned from ear to ear and I waved. During intermission, I found some Garthnutts who were also at the concert and told them Jimmy was there. We spotted him walking around and went over to chat and have a photo taken. When Charmaine and I returned to our seats, we found out that he was there with Rascal Flatts as they came walking passed us.
On September 29th, some friends and I found ourselves in Ocean City, MD at the Sunfest to see Mr. Moves. Trace wowed the audience, I got an incredible butt shot and my friend's Mother will never be the same. I think she was as nervous as I was during my first meeting with him! Back when Trace was playing in those honky tonks and leading a rough and ready life, I wonder if he ever imagined having that affect on anyone. He is incredibly sexy and Rhonda is one lucky woman! The next Eagles tailgate show was on October 8th and featured Rascal Flatts and I knew Jimmy was playing with them so I was prepared. Charmaine videoed the show and I was ready with the camera. When Jimmy first came out to tune up, he had his back turned to the audience for a while but when he turned around and saw us, he smiled that smile and waved. After the show, all of the guys came down from the stage to sign and take photos. Jimmy was the last to come out, as he was talking with my girl and favorite DJ, Leigh Richards. In the meantime, I got Gary's, Joe Don's and Jay's autographs and when Gary saw what I was going to give to Jimmy he said, "ohhh this is for Jimmy?...I see". When Jimmy finally did come out, we got hugs and we chatted for what seemed like forever. He was even the first to bring up Garth.LOL I gave him a really good photo I took of him inside that venue in 1998. He asked if we were going to the Opry 75th Anniversary in Nashville and while it wasn't certain at the time if all of Stillwater would be there, he told us he'd see us there! Jimmy was like a kid in a candy shop over the thought of appearing on that Opry stage again and with his friend Garth. He said they'd be rehearsing on Thursday at Garth's and for us to have a safe drive down.
The Garthnutts Internet community was so frantically at work purchasing airline tickets, Opry tickets and booking rooms that it's a wonder there wasn't a major crash. We knew Garth and Stillwater would be performing there the entire weekend and everyone who could, would be there. On October 11th, Sandy, Charmaine and I headed to Nashville in Charmaine's Mustang convertible. It was rather cramped with all of our stuff but the adrenaline made the 14hr. trip a little easier. After it was all said and done, we vowed not to make that journey again in such a small vehicle. My friends Jim and Cathy would soon follow. Thanks to them, all our tickets to the Opry had been purchased but once we arrived, we found that if seats were available you could upgrade and turn in your previously purchased seats. I was able to upgrade some before they arrived and purchase matinee tickets from another. Once we checked into the Comfort Inn in Goodlettsville, Deb and Denise left a sign on their room window to let us know it was theirs. Gary and Kim (who I miss dearly) would arrive later from Texas. Since no one was around, we headed to Garth's gates where sure enough a number of Garthnutts had gathered. We learned the next day that Garth had come in from Oklahoma where he was now living and was staying with Kelly. There was this guy who was sitting amongst a bunch of ladies, Marla, Arlene, Cathy and others, who looked remarkably like Garth but on second look it wasn't Garth but he was/is gorgeous just the same. His name is Robert Reynolds and he has three daughters. Sound familiar?...Trisha was married to a Robert Reynolds and Garth also has three daughters. I won't go into the entire story of that weekend because it's all detailed in the Opry 75th Anniversary in the "Garth Moments" section of the website. But I will tell you this, it was an incredible weekend, the Garthnutts were in full force from all over, including as far away as Ireland and England and the Opry will never be the same again. For each performance that weekend, there wasn't an inch of space on the floor in front of the stage and I doubt there were many empty unpurchased seats anywhere. The only time a number of seats were empty was an act or two before Garth and Stillwater were scheduled to take the stage because the idea was to get down front soon enough to 'cop a squat'. Hardwood flooring doesn't give but it was worth every numbing moment my butt sustained. I can't begin to count how many great photos (both color and black and white) I took that weekend (including ones from the Opry Red Carpet on Saturday of Lorrie Morgan, Travis Tritt, Loretta Lynn, etc.) nor can I tell you how many reprints were purchased. Garth has said that he will not (with the exception of the occasional benefit or special event) perform onstage until his youngest daughter is 18. Personally, I don't see him doing it then. He will be 53 and I will be ssss...something else...and I will I go if he does go back to touring. Absolutely, I'll go...they still make canes don't they! LOL I know a lot of people now prefer digital cameras and I do spend a fortune on film and developing but I still prefer a SLR with a 300mm zoom lens. It just feels powerful holding it; throw in a 2x teleconverter and the skys the limit. Maybe someday, I'll become a professional photographer.
That Christmas, a group of Garthnutts who had affectionately become known as Garth*mutts* with our fearless leader of the pack Mary Liz (from Cheyenne) were keeping the "Chris Gaines' Greatest Hits" CD and the prospects of "The Lamb" movie alive and well. The Chris Gaines Message Boards on the Hollywood and Vine website became a daily haunt and inspite of the flack over the idea of Garth playing this fictional character in a wig and leaving Country Music, we knew it was a project and the notion of him moving on to the rock/R&B genre was absurd and we defended him at every turn. Garth's fan base was so vastly world wide as exhibited through his World Tours, why would he leave that which had him eventually selling over 100 million records. Personally, I found the soul patch Garth wore in character and the CD covers for "Crush", "Triangle", "Straight Jacket" and "Fornucopia" to be sexy as hell. The CD is actually very good and brought about many fans who were not fans of Garth's to begin with. God knows I bought enough copies and distributed same. "There's a sudden change of weather for which I am not prepared...how it could snow in July"('Snow in July'). "And I'm so afraid that you'd forgiven one too many times" ('Driftin' Away'). The CD rocks with some fine musicians, Gordon Kennedy, Tommy Sims, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Chris McHugh, Terry McMillan!
I guess it was because of Garth's background that he slid into that style so well because not many Country artists can find themselves comfortable in a R & B style. Frame by frame, song by song, with the media in tow heading towards "The Lamb" we hung on for dear life waiting to see the life of Chris Gaines and his ultimate demise at the hands of a fan on the big screen. We thought it was an ingenius concept! We had the best of both worlds because for most of us our musical influences began in Rock and/or R & B and now our Country icon was presenting both to us. Not a day went by that one of us weren't having to explain what Garth was doing with the Chris Gaines thing. There was Joyce (from PA), an older school teacher explaining things to her students and turning them onto Chris Gaines' music. We got it and we were all too happy to help someone else get it. It was amazing how many people who were not fans of Country or of Garth's became fans of this fictional character and then decided to stick around and enjoy Garth's (and I suspect subsequently Country) music! I really think the media and the Country music industry missed the boat on this one. I mean Country music sales fluctuate greatly depending on the time and the label's push but to witness a wave of new fans to Country because of a fictional Rock character who happens to be a Country artist, was mind-boggling!! Time and time again I would meet others like myself who got into Country music because of Garth. My Country CD's and videos/DVD's far outweigh my others of different musical genres. It's where I am and it has become a part of me and I don't see that changing.
I had driven up to Connecticut to see Diamond Rio perform at the Mohegan Sun in the Wolf's Den on April 8th. The Wolf's Den is a really cool place with man-made boulders and animated wolves. It's completely open except for the wall at the back of the stage and the ropes that cordoned off the exits and entrances. It has really good acoustics and it would also be where I would see Pam Tillis and Phil Vassar perform also. That evening, security had frowned on the use of zoom lenses so you had to be quick and shoot on the sly. Our seats were on the upper level and there was no planned meet~n~greet but a few of the guys were gracious enough to come out after the show on their way into the casino. The following day on the drive home, just approaching the NJ Turnpike, the radio announced that Van Stephenson had passed away the night before. I had never met Van nor had the pleasure of watching him perform with BlackHawk live but nonetheless it was an emotional ride home. You tell yourself to be grateful for the time they were on this earth and for what they contributed to society but somehow you still feel cheated because you know the person had so much more to give. You also know just how deeply their family and friends will be hurting and if you've ever been there, you know the magnitude.
In late May, I learned that Trisha would be performing in NY as part of the Today Show's Summer Concert Series. Charmaine and I would hit the NJ Turnpike at 3:00Am and would arrive at about 5:00Am. I knew exactly where to park; whereas initially on our earlier trips there, we would park at a friend's Sister's house in Jersey City and take the bus into Manhattan. We knew we'd arrive in time to watch Trisha go through soundcheck and we'd also have quite a wait before her actual performance. We were prepared for that and thank God the deli down the block that we had visited numerous times before was still there and open. When we arrived there were already quite a few people gathered and our spots were not that great but it was really cool and I shot some nice B/W photos of Trisha. We determined however, that should we attend any other shows there, we would need to leave even earlier.
Sure enough, we learned that Tim McGraw would be performing in NY at the Today Show's Summer Concert Series. This time we headed up the Turnpike at 2:00Am and arrived at about 4:00Am with spots on the side of the stage. We had hoped for spots in front of the stage but again that was reserved for VIP's. Tim and the Dancehall Doctors came out for soundcheck and some of the guys signed autographs where we were. Jeff McMahon is such a hoot and very animated on the keyboards. After the actual show was over, it turned out to be a good thing that we were on the side of the stage because Tim started signing autographs and my hope that one day he'd sign a photo I took of him in Allentown was realized. Much to our surprise I would later learn that the segment of him signing autographs that day would end up on the end of his video for the song "The Cowboy In Me". I alerted Charmaine and Pat and captured it on tape because we were seen. :D
July 4, 2001 Garth was to be part of the Welcome America festivities in Philadelphia, PA. Some friends and I decided to camp out across the street from the Art Museum the night before. I don't think any of us got any sleep or very little if that. At about 2:30Am five of us ladies decided to try and find out if Garth was staying at the Four Seasons Hotel a few blocks away. At the same time, the radio station was holding a contest where the winners with the biggest sign would get seats in the VIP section in front of the stage. None of us had thought to make a huge sign before hand. Some of us had taken regular size posters though. As we were about to enter the hotel lobby, I said to the others, "when we walk in, head straight for the elevators like we belong there". I figured if we did that, no one would say anything to us and it worked. One lady was a transplanted Brit to the US and about 5'11 or 6' tall (Hey Hazel!) and we made quite the entrance. Seeing the hour, there would be no Laverne and Shirley shenanigans by knocking on the occasional door asking for some made up person. The five of us walked the corridors of each floor and it was hilarious! As we headed toward the end of one corridor, we ran right into a lady who was stationed outside of a room. You don't suppose even the CIA would try and throw everyone off by positioning one female outside of the President's suite do ya? Thinking quickly, I said, "I told you the elevator is the other way". LOL What was rather neat though was that on each floor there was an armoire that contained clean linen for the beds. Don't you dare call us stalkers, we were groupies! At the compliments of the hotel, we were able to make a rather long sign and while it did not win us seats in the VIP section, our photo holding same was on XTU's website.
On the day that Capitol Records honored Garth with a party for the sales of 100 million albums, he announced his retirement. The community was saddened and struggled with his decision to give up touring and become the Father to his girls that his Father had been to him. The following year, the fans would find the production of the studio CD called "Scarecrow" and some friends and I would find our way to Manhattan one last time to see him perform on Good Morning, reunited with the majority of Stillwater and accompanied by Terry McMillan. Before Garth arrived we got to see Ty England, Mark Greenwood and I got to meet Terry and told him how much he rocks on the harmonica. By the time Garth got there, he had just enough time to give eight of us hugs and just before he entered the studio, someone called out that none of us were on the audience list because it was full. After daybreak and after watching the guys go through soundcheck, Garth's publicist Karen was spotted talking to the audience coordinator and pointing in our direction. A short time later, we found out that Garth wanted us inside as his invited guests. They actually made room for us along side of the stage where ordinarily an audience had not been. That was very cool!!! Since 1997, I experience a number of moments of fame on TV and on video, including this one.
