Atlantic City

Posted by Dreamer

At the New York City show last week, I met a couple of female CI&S fans from northern New Jersey who would be going to Atlantic City with two other friends. We decided to get rooms outside of the city because they were much cheaper and only about 15 minutes from the Trump Marina hotel. The four of them were planning to meet and head down in the early afternoon to beat the mad weekend rush to the Jersey shore, then get ready and we would all leave for the Marina between five and six; the show was at 10 pm. I made it down by 3:30 and started to get ready. By five I was more than ready and they had not checked in yet. I waited until about six and they still had not checked in so I headed to the hotel without them.

I scoped out the ballroom first. There was a reception room outside of it where the merchandise table was set up and those guys were hanging out. I sort of nosed around and the doors to the ballroom were open and the tech guys were doing a sound check. I listened for a bit but I did not see our guys anywhere. I was barely peeking in because I did not want to get kicked out. I had not noticed any other CI&S fanatics lurking about and I had no idea how soon people would be lining up. I was starving, so I decided to get a quick bite and be back to catch the sound check if I still could. I went to a caf� near the ballroom and sat at the counter. I was halfway through my meal when a guy who had been sitting across from me returned. He mentioned that he was the bus driver for David Sanborn. Everyone at the counter got into a discussion about the cutthroat aspects of the music business. I finished my food quickly and headed back to the ballroom but now the interior doors were closed, blasted!

I wandered about the casino for awhile, played a few slots and just checked the place out. By then people were lined up at the box office. I went back in to the reception room to see if people were starting to line up for seats. I talked to a few fans that were hanging around. I met a long-time (since '87) CI&S fan from Toronto who was very nice. She said that since they had not been to Canada in years, she tries to see a few concerts a year in various cities. After awhile, they kicked us out of the reception room and said that we could line-up just outside. Luckily, the Toronto gal and I ended up first on line. While waiting, the folks on line began talking. By coincidence, the next person on line was a BHer from central Jersey and she said that she had hoped she would see me there, but what were the odds in that? That felt great, that someone liked my posts. She was there with 3 friends who were CI&S virgins and looking forward to their first experience. There was also a couple from Pennsylvania who were long-time fans. We all laughed a lot and the time seemed to pass quickly. Now the line was getting rather long. Unfortunately, I was facing the folks on the line when CI walked through the casino; I only saw his Hawaiian-shirted back. We also saw Hersh coming and going. I wonder if they were checking out the casino or their crazy fans.

Finally, about 9 pm, they opened the reception room doors. We rushed to the ballroom doors where there was a slew of maitre'ds. The head one was behind a podium. I slipped him money and he looked at his seating chart and said something to one of the guys. Then I slipped that guy some cash and he lead Toronto gal and I down the aisle to two seats in the third row on Hersh's side. We asked why we could not sit closer but he explained that those seats were reserved for the high-rollers. He promised that he would be back for us if they did not fill up. Meanwhile, other maitre'ds were bringing folks down and filling the seats but at least four front rows were still empty. Other people were complaining about the seats and one particularly jerky m'd loudly proclaimed that any one of us could go lose $200 grand in the casinos and would then be welcome to the seats. I met a few more fans including another BHer who was seated two rows behind me. After quite awhile, I finally saw the girls from my hotel. They had hit major traffic on the ride to AC and had gotten to the hotel five minutes after I had left. Then they had to shower, change, eat, etc. They were seated about 6 rows behind me.

The ballroom was rather nice, crystal chandeliers, velvet chairs, and could hold 1,300. The back rows were slightly elevated. There had been two price levels and this is where the lower price ticket-holders were seated regardless of where they had been on line. They had the first row of the middle section right next to the stage. The side sections were tilted so that there was a better view. But it was cramped and I just knew that they were not going to allow mobbing the stage.

Eventually, they started filling the first four rows. Four youngish women were seated in the middle section on H's end; someone said that they were friends of Roly. It was getting close to 10 and there were still lots of empty seats in the front. Now there was a security guy in each aisle next to the stage seated facing outward.

10 pm. The lights went out and the Silvertones took the stage. Toronto gal rushed over to the second row behind Roly's pals and I followed right behind her. The BHer and her 3 friends filled in the second row center. All of the first rows filled up quickly.

Then CI came out singing Wanderin'. They sounded great. The set list was similar to last week at Central Park except that they did not do Don�t You Think Its Time or Return to Me but added Two Hearts. A lot of the stories were similar. CI said that singing kept him away from the tables. During the relationships are important bit, CI said we should listen because they were charging a lot of money for this stuff at the Holiday Inn. They were their usual energetic selves but I did notice that the stage was neither deep nor wide enough for their usual choreography.

The crowd was definitely into them. Finally at the end of Wicked Game, CI told people to come up. Toronto gal, BHer and I got to the stage but it was very cramped. A blonde came up and was shoving herself in front of BHer and I asked her if that was really necessary. She looked shocked that I thought she was doing something wrong. (???) The aisles filled up, but after 1 or 2 songs a rather large security guy came along and said that everyone had to find a seat or else they would be thrown out. I went back to the seat in the second row. BHer and her friends managed to get front row center, lucky gals, and at one point CI sang to them. Soon people were standing/dancing by their seats. Security guy said that we had to sit. We did but Roly's pals did not, so Toronto gal told him that she would sit when they did. Amazingly, he never said another word about it. Most of the folks in the first few rows remained standing for the rest of the show. I suppose the people behind us hated us but�

At one point, CI was lying on his side at the front of the stage, playing his guitar and singing but it was on the opposite side from me so I could not see very well. He also went out into the audience a couple of times. On my side he stopped in front of the BHer who had a "WE 'heart' CI" sign. (Hi Gen!) The show was very good although the cocktail waitress was annoying everyone, I wonder how many drinks she actually sold. She also talked to her boss in the first row a few times; he and his date sat there like lumps for the whole show, what a waste of good seats! Of course, it was over too soon. Chris pulled up two of Roly's pals during BB. There were 8 to 10 fans on stage by the end. Two of them even managed to make a dancing sandwich around CI, lucky gals.

Of course, Chris did the signing and picture thing in the reception room. It was rather crazy but everyone managed to get what they came for, not like at Central Park. The boys also made their appearances and I got to say hi and get an autograph from all of them. Hersh is so sweet but he seems so shy, I wonder if he really likes this part of it. Brett remembered my hotel pals from previous shows and stayed to talk for awhile. He said that they were leaving right away but he wished that they could stay and hang. Of course, I had to make a wisecrack that the poor guys did not even have time for meaningless relationships; he laughed. I had CI sign a few of my things that I never got to last week and I got a picture: after a few words to him, I put my arm around his waist (what nerve) and he put his head to mine. I hope it turns out. (My pictures from last week were pretty bad.) I saw the CI&S virgins and they were now addicted, natch. Everyone left and I misplaced Toronto gal, but I had offered to give her a ride in the morning to NYC where she was to spend Saturday, luckily I had already gotten her room number. My hotel pals and I spent a little time at the slots and we got back to the hotel about 2:30. They were planning to head to the beach in the morning but I needed to head north. I was too wound up to sleep much so I watched ESPN and learned that the Knicks had won the championship, yeah, but I felt sorry for poor Patrick Ewing; after all these years they finally make it and he is not able to play.

Next morning, I picked up Toronto gal and met the Jersey girls at a diner (a Jersey institution.) We rehashed the previous night and other CI&S stories. Toronto gal said that she was going to Tahoe in August. I may try to make that happen for me, too. The Jersey girls may go as well. Then Toronto gal and I made the 2-hour drive north and had a really nice conversation. I dropped her off at a train station in Jersey City which is just across the pond from NYC; I would have like to have taken her all the way but crossing the river can sometimes take awhile. She appreciated the ride, however.

I've read others thank CI on the boards for his music and his fans. That's exactly how I feel. Almost everyone that I have met has been really great and I would love to meet more of you.

I also want to comment on some of the things that have been said in recent posts. That the guys are what? Lecherous? They do pay special attention to certain females. Have you ever met guys who did not notice attractive women? They all have normal male hormones, I think. I do not know nor do I care if they sleep with any of them. But I have also seen them pay special attention to people that they know or have seen many times before. And not all of these are the types that everyone complains about. They have nice conversations with their long-time fans; they genuinely appreciate them. I am a newbie and I wish that I could have any of them say more than hi to me. If I go to enough shows and say something to them that does not make me sound like an oaf, maybe that will happen. Regardless, I have enjoyed the CI&S experiences that I have had so far.

Dreamer's AC Pics I
Dreamer's AC Pics II
Dreamer's AC Pics III
Dreamer's AC Pics IV

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