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| Frenchie King and Alice in Huntsville, AL Sept. 26, 2003 |
| Vicki and I (depending upon how you look at it) took a silly route to Huntsville, AL, meaning we looked it up on Map Quest and ended up taking every back road via Fort Payne. It was actually quite scenic and, I think, made the trip more of an �adventure�. I don�t think we lost any time, but going home, we took the major freeways (after getting lost for an hour!) and realised that our trip needn�t be so complex. Oh well, lesson learned. We got to the hotel at about 2 pm, having gained an hour due to the time zone difference. So, we had plenty of time to kill. A shimmering blue (and inviting) swimming pool was right outside our room, so a quick and spontaneous trip down University Boulevard was in order to find swimming trunks (which we did not bring � isn�t it the end of September?). We both found make-shift swimming outfits (mine needed a safety pin � long story) and ended up �killing� the afternoon pool side with beers. We got in to downtown Huntsville at around 6 and, after eating heartily at a local pub/restaurant (a surprising and successful find), hit the �Big Spring Jam� at about 7:30. �Big Spring Jam� was nowhere near as �eventful� as Midtown Music Festival, by way of size and scope, but we would soon learn that every 17 year old, shaven head, long hair, obnoxiously way under aged, wide eyed, drugged up, alcoholic, reckless youth would be waiting for us at the Alice Cooper stage! That is to say, that it was quite a battle getting up to the front (the phrase �war zone� springs to mind), but we didn�t relent. �Onward, onward, hey there�s a fistfight, let�s step over the guy on the ground, and we should gain about ten feet!� There was moshing (that insane punk-rock thing where people push each other and the crowd is on the verge of one big �toppling over�), people surfing (they pick each other up, over the crowd, and insist that the fellow concert goers hold them up and pass them along to the front), head bashing, punch pulling, and god-knows-what-else. I do not exaggerate. Vicki really got pummeled. More than once were Doc Martins smacking her head. We had to retreat about five rows back (we were third row!) and ten feet to the right, where we finally found a spot that was relatively (using term loosely) calm. So�. We did enjoy the show, finally. And what a show! I say this every time, but Alice Cooper is getting better and better. More relaxed, more confident, voice clearer, band tighter, more talent, energy, enthusiasm, professionalism. You can�t go wrong! We were beat at the end of the show and thirsty! Why, we had been in that insane and idiotic crowd for three hours (and lived to tell!). So, no beer and hardly a buzz. Meaning, we were somewhat refreshed the next day (though I won�t go in to detail about the nightmare I had that night about falling bodies). Saturday was recuperation (pun intended). The drive home was uneventful and fun! We had beer left over and there was no danger of pre-�peaking�, so we had a hoot driving back. Damn, that Vicki is good company. |
| This is a pic from the concert I snagged off the 'net. Thanks to whomever... |