PART 1:
I am back and still on cloud nine--the show was THAT fantastic!
The guys were on fire, the venue was beautiful, and the crowd was definitely into it. The show could not have been any better!
From the beginning: Alpharetta is a beautiful upscale neighborhood outside Atlanta. Our hotel was less than 10 minutes from the venue, which was still so new that we saw areas where the sod had not been fully placed yet. Our parking pass directed us to Parking lot A, the closest to the entrance, and we were instructed to line up at Will Call at 5:45 to meet the rep from Joe's M&G. My friend Lynda and I met up with other posters, including Kelle and Karen, and we got to the venue right on time. We also met Samo and her husband inside--nice to meet you both! They were already handing out 4-Star tickets at the Will Call window so we picked up our tickets and joined a line of about 5 or 6 people waiting for the M&G. So we waited...and waited...and waited until finally they opened the gates for everyone to enter at 6:30. The workers were still getting instructions on how to scan everyone's tickets as the gate opened.No one seemed to know about the M&G, although we asked several representatives from the venue to find out about it, but finally a sweet blonde girl came for us, apologizing for the wait. Threre were about a dozen of us by this point, and we were taken to a private patio with refreshments--coke, fruit, cookies, etc--and were given another M&G pass, and then Joe walked in with his assistant.
Joe looked a little sleepy and disheveled--we wondered if they had just woken him up--with slicked back hair and a stubbly beard, but he smiled warmly and thanked us for being there. He went around to every table, shaking hands and speaking with each person in turn. He shook Lynda's hand and she was almost speechless, but when he shook my hand, I smiled and said, "Joe, could you please sign my Hotel California album?" He hesitated a moment, but I handed him my Sharpie and just kept on talking. I said, "I watched your daughter Lucy on Rock the Cradle and she was very good! I couldn't believe she got voted off--I thought she was the most talented one on the show!" and he grinned. As he was signing, he said, "She was good, wasn't she?" I told him I didn't know that she had been classically trained on the piano, and that I loved her music, and said,"You must be very proud of her." He said, "I am."
He moved on to the next table and everyone there followed my lead and brought out their CDs for him to sign. There was a woman there who was a schoolmate of Joe's so they talked for a few minutes and he hugged her, and his assistant took their picture together. I asked if we all got photos with him and she said No, the rest of us would be in the group photo only. When Joe let go of his friend, I asked him if anyone else could get a hug and he said "Sure!" and wrapped his arms around me for the biggest bear hug you could imagine. It was so great!Then they made us all line up for the group pic. He stood talking to us in a group for a few minutes, and someone asked him what was the hardest part about touring. He stood there thinking for the looooongest time, then finally said that touring makes them very tired sometimes, but he was glad that they had planned breaks in the tour so they could catch up on their rest. Then someone else asked if his fingers hurt from playing the guitar so much on tour, and he said yes, sometimes at the beginning, but then he gets used to it and they don't bother him any more. Then his assisant said he needed to go get ready for the show so he thanked us again for coming and he was gone.
They handed out lots of goodies after he left--a beige Eagles LROOE tee-shirt with the tour cities on the back, a black Eagles baseball cap, a silver metal JWFC guitar pick, and a beige rubber bracelet printed with "Eagles 2008." They told us to help ourselves to the refreshments, and as we were getting a bite to eat, I turned around and looked through the glass window to the private room right inside the venue. There was a big table of food and a group of people eating, and in walked Glenn Frey and Irving Azoff! Glenn started shaking hands with several of the people inside, and they both sat down and started talking to everyone. Scott and Will were sitting at a table at the end of that room, eating, and they waved to our group. I was literally five feet ( and a plate glass window) away from Glenn & Irving. THAT was a surprise. But unfortunately the M&G folks said, "Okay, time for you to go," and ushered us all outside at that point.
Part 2 will be ready soon!
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'I must be leaving soon... its your world now'
Originally Posted by DonFan
Wish I'd been there!
) For In The City, they start out in space like on Google Earth, and they zoom in and in until you are in the street in front of a house. For Boys of Summer, they show all kinds of summer pictures, from lovers on the beach to baseball players. They show clips from old movies with people slapping each other--mostly women slapping men 
