AMPITHEATRE OCT. 21, 2000
Back at the homestead, we both crashed and had much needed naps. Mine lasted about 1 1/2 hours. Felt really great. I got up, went to the liquor store to get my Chastain beverage of choice (rum and coke with a twist of lime, please) and began to prep for the concert.We decided to drive up to Chastain early and have margaritas at Taxco (Mexican restaurant around the corner). Those naturally hit the spot, and by about 7:30 we were ready to roar.
Chastain Ampitheatre was naturally pretty empty. Not Glenn Campbell empty, thank you, but empty enough. We never bothered with our "row T" and went straight to row B. Our lucky streak continued in that our seats were "Starbucks" seats (yes, Starbucks) and the manager who did show up informed us that we were probably in good shape and she had no problems with our sitting there. How cool is that! So we made a good friend right off the bat (she had seen Alice in 1972 when he used to get hung) and the night began its upward spiral of getting better and better.
We caught the first act and the first few Alice numbers in our Starbucks seats, before Paula went to pee and never returned. I figured what she was up to, so I did some moving around myself. I fixed a "tommy-king" sized rum and coke and hit the road. First I settled on a side seat that had a marvelous eye-level view. Close enough
to where I finally established the eagerly anticipated "Alice-eye contact". I caught the "ghoulish" part of his set from there ("Dead Babies" with the two headed doll and "Dwight Frye" wherein he strangles the nurse) and made some more Alice-friends who were singing along with every word. I think these particular folks were impressed by my working knowledge of the show as they inquired "who are you?" in a kind of wide-eyed wonderment. I was, like, "ahhh, Alice and I go back a ways." Suddenly the security broke in the orchestra pit and I was "sorry I have to go" and made a quick dash to the floor. I made it! Not only to the floor, but second row!
Unfortunately, some overzealous security guard was having a real hernia, but the fans eventually won out. At one point I was pushing tables and chairs back and stepping over a wicker picnic basket.
All of this time I was really paying no mind as to where Paula was. I assumed we had a home base at the Starbucks seats and would meet later. That was until I got closer to the center and saw the red hair and leopard jacket bopping up in down in the front row, practically inches away from me. That's my Paula. I tapped her on the shoulder and she was like, "what took you so long?"
The show finished with all the usual hits and Alice just had this big old smile on his face.
Afterwards I met a guy who had a Cooperstown t-shirt on so naturally we chatted. He had gone to the $500 New Years Eve ball at Cooperstown this year and his girlfriend told a funny story of hanging out in the bathroom with Alice's wife. The guy was real strange looking and actually looked straight out of "Spinal Tap". I was convinced that he was wearing a wig.
Before we left I grabbed the usual Chastain programme and was pleased to see a nice centerfold spread with a neat picture of Alice and some clever writing about his career and being re-incarnated from a 17th century witch. A nice Alice-touch to Chastain, I thought.