Billy Bob’s Ft. Worth, TX February 15, 2003

Here it is – the last of my 3-show installment. Click here for show only, click here for set list only, click here to bite me. ;)

I’m a bad fan. CT does 4 shows in Texas and I only made it to 3. LOL

I had to keep Tim happy, y’all. The Laredo show was on his birthday. I’ve been out of town for a CT show on our anniversary before, but I didn’t think doing that on his b-day (which also happens to be Valentine’s Day) would fly. ;)

Anyhoo, I hit the road to DFW bright and early that morning. Although Billy Bob’s was reserved seating, I wanted to get in to town early so I could visit an old high school buddy. Matt and I had a great time that afternoon. He lives in the ultra trendy West Village side of Dallas, so we had fun hanging out and catching up on things. I always forget his wonderful, dark sense of humor until it’s too late. On more than one occasion that day I scared women and small children because he made me laugh so loud.

I have 2 words for DFW traffic: it sucks. Midland might be in BFE, but at least I’m not spending half of my day sitting in that crap. LOL

The weather that day was chilly and quite windy, so thank god one of the bouncer dudes let me stand inside the doorway while I waited for Brian and his sons, Ryan and Christopher to arrive. Brian had been good enough to buy our tickets at the venue the day they went on sale. Thanks, Brian!!!

Billy Bob’s is supposedly the world’s largest honky tonk. Not being a honky tonk aficionado myself, I’ll just hafta take their word on it.

The venue consisted of several large rooms with bars, slot machines and the obligatory BBQ. Anyone who wanted in that night had to at least buy a GA ticket. Of course if you wanted a seat at one of the tables, you had to pay more.

Once inside, we stopped by the very busy merch table, where there was yet another new shirt for sale: a black t with "Jenny Candas" in the traditional CT font. It was a little more than the other short sleeved t’s but Fred told me the proceeds would go towards her college fund. Pretty cool!

My other buddy Brian (truck driver dude) was standing near by. From the sound of things, it was good that I didn’t make the Laredo show. The weather didn’t cooperate so they ended up canceling the show after 5 or 6 songs. DOH!

Turns out that our front spot was right in front of the amps. Double DOH! Ya know, it would’ve been nice if the box office staff would point these things out. :P Oh well. We still had a good view of the stage and thank god for Brian. If he hadn’t had that spare set of earplugs, I’d’ve gone deaf!

By the time the guys took the stage, I’d say there was a good 1500 people in the room. Servers kept the drinks coming, which is fine except for the fact that the beer came in bottles. Given audience behavior at some other shows I’ve been to, this made me a wee bit nervous.

THE SHOW

No opener – unless you count the country band on the smaller stage on the other side of the room.

And I don’t.

A few minutes before the show, a local DJ dude pointed out the merch table and instructed everyone to go buy a CT shirt. I’d never heard that sort of promotion before – hopefully it brought some extra business.

CT took the stage (after the usual Dave Ruhl intro) promptly at 10:30. (This is very late for me to be up BTW. ;) I’ve not been one to stay up late since Sir Zach was born. All the parents in the house will know exactly what I’m talkin’ about…)

FASHION REPORT

SET LIST

MISC.

While I was glad to see CT in a nice large crowd, this was one of those annoying venues that expect you to sit the whole time. I had more than one cowboy nazi give me a shove (nothing major, but an unnecessary touch nevertheless) because I dared to stand up. :P

These are the same cowboy nazis who let dozens of people take zillions of flash photos throughout the show.

Other than that, I thought the guys were in good spirits and put on a darn fine show. Robin was more animated than he had been in Austin, so that was cool to see. He and Tom gave me a thrill when they peeked around the amps and waved at me. :) Rick was also great about visiting stage left to give our side of the crowd some attention.

Mandy and her husband from the Metroplex (gotta use the local lingo, ya know!) were down front with some very cool CT masks. They looked to be from the "Busted" era and were a big hit. Rick took them and handed them out to the rest of the guys. Tom put his hat on his caricature. LOL Bun E was good enough to hand them his drumsticks. Pretty cool!

I didn’t see this from where I was but apparently Robin received another gift from a woman that night: a nightie.

Ahem…

One can only presume that it was her size and she’d’ve been more than happy to model it for him. ;)

Between this show and the Austin shows, I was lucky enough to hear a wide variety of songs. Gotta love that!

RICK SEZ

Rick noticed us sitting and asked if we were alright. "It seems pretty quiet out there." LOL

After the false start for IKWIW, Rick told us Tom’s bass was out of tune and that the version was a special one just for Ft. Worth.

There were the obligatory mentions of Joe Dirt, Daddy Daycare and the new album: according to him, April 8 is the US release date.

Tonight was a special night for Jenny Candas because this week marked her 18th birthday. Rick introduced her and talked about how much they miss her dad, John. Then he had her come onstage so we could sing Happy Birthday and receive her present: an autographed flower-shaped pink guitar (don’t know who made it though). Tom had a beautiful bouquet of flowers for her too. It was all very sweet.

Of course Rick didn’t let her get away without giving her a hard time. He told everyone that she’d be available off stage to take numbers of guys and girls who’d like to go out with her. Jenny looked like she was ready to deck him after the girl comment. LOL! After giving her a hug, Rick added, "I’m her god father, believe it or not!"

BTW – at the Austin shows I got a look at the special laminate made for the occasion. The front was a photo of Jenny, then on the back it said, "Now she’s finally all access!" Bahahahahaha!

Rick’s final goodbye is one that made this (and many other) Texas fans hopeful. He promised they’d be back later this year… We’re going to hold him to it! :)

POST SHOW

I searched in vain for fellow fans like Dave. I was hoping to at least say hi. No such luck.

I did have a nice conversation with Justin - a journalist for a music magazine in Dallas. We talked enthusiastically about all things CT and he promised to send me the link to his review when it’s finished.

I also met one of his buddies whose response was, "Rock on!" after hearing I’d come in from Midland to see the show. LMAO! Without any prompting from me (or a shirt worn by Rick), he and Justin agreed that Robin is the best rock singer. :)

Once again, Brian was good enough to let me crash at his house. Unfortunately parental duty dictated that I had to be on the road by *gulp* 7 in the morning.

Doh!

Tim needed to be at the theatre by noon plus we were hosting a cast party that afternoon for his current production. It was all I could do to not fall asleep in the chips and salsa. ;)

While I was sad to see my latest fix come to an end, I got some good news on my return home: CT shows in Rockford and Chicago this April. Woo hoo! This fan will be there!

Thanks to CT & Co. for another fun show. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, "CT is always worth the drive."

Thanks for reading.