Show Day in Hampton

The alarm's set for 7. I'm up at 6:25. I can't sleep more than 6 hours to save my life. Oh, well. Guess I could use the extra time today – I have more guests coming to tonight's show.

Up and at 'em, Atom Ant!

I always hit the front desk 45 minutes before bus call, to give plenty of time to get the checkout done. Checking out of this many rooms can be a complete pain in the ass if you don't set it up correctly while checking in. Allen, the manager on duty yesterday when I checked everyone in, is back today. He is totally prepared for what I need, so the entire process is under 10 minutes. What a great way to start my day. On top of that, there's a Starbucks in the lobby. One Venti Caramel Macchiato later, I'm sitting on the bus reading the morning paper with 25-30 minutes to kill. I could walk to the venue – it's less than ¼ mile from where I'm sitting – but I think I'll just sit here and enjoy the downtime.

Hotter 'n hell here in Hampton today. Glad my fat ass will be sitting in A/C all day.

Nikki Knott's husband is driving up from Raleigh to see the show tonight with a buddy, so I leave them a couple of VIP laminates at the box office. They come back to the production office to visit about 30 minutes before System's gonna go on. I walk them out to the Front-of-House position and up onto the 2-foot riser that the lighting console and the LD are perched on. It's the best spot to see the show. As we're up there chatting, we're kinda watching the crowd milling about. My jaw drops at something I see and I have to run back to the production office to get my camera. It takes me about 10 minutes to find her again on the arena floor, but finally I spot her to one side of the stage. I ask if I can take her picture and she's more than happy to pose. Ya just don't see outfits like these every day, ya know?

Enjoy…




She says she's coming to the show in Baltimore tomorrow. Ha! Can't wait to see what she'll be wearing then.

When the band hits the stage, I join Jim and his buddy for a few songs, then head back to work.

After the show comes down, Jim and his buddy come to say goodbye. They're heading back to Raleigh. I pack my crap and finish the newspaper.

I'll wake up in Baltimore…

Follow the Bobzilla's Photos link at the right to see photos from my travels.