Cali State Fair

After my roughly 800 mile trip to Lancaster and back, I was glad to spend the heat of the Sacramento day literally cooling my heels in my a/c room.
I had plenty of time to dress and drive the 5 miles there with very good directions from mapquest.

For Sacramento, I had purchased every thing online, concert ticket, fair ticket and parking ticket. I felt like an old hand after Lancaster as I hopped the familiar shuttle that rumbled and bounced around the parking lot. Right away I could tell this fair was a bit more sophisticated that the desert one had been. The shuttle driver was less friendly and drove faster.
More security scrutiny at the entrance gates--I dunno. Is there really so much going down at these fairs that So much security & police are needed in such numbers?

Inside, I had a bit more time to look around as I again navigated my way to the venue. This was a much bigger fair with bigger, more rides and booths. Lots of wonderfully-scented food booths n such. yes, I even saw funnel cakes!

Found the venue, and got to my seat under a tarp-covered roof. Immediately I noticed the temperature jump about 10 degrees and it was sticky hot. I hadnt expected such heat at an outdoor venue, but the stage was in the bottom of a slight depression in the ground with buildings on 3 sides and that tarp roof that held in the heat of the day.
And as reported by David, sat in the middle of an artificial pond. Not the place I'd pick to build a stage full of electrical stuff and people, but --o well!

For this concert my seating hadnt been as good as the first and I was in the last row of the Golden Circle [a bunch of teeny plastic chair wired much too close together] and there was NO rushing of the stage. Security made ppl stay in their areas. Just behind my row was that metal fair fencing separating us Golden Ones from the other ppl and seated behind us and watching for free from the sidelines. Not sure if the ppl behind me had reserved or GA, but every seat was full and ppl stretched far back along the sides of another artificial pond, sitting on the grass. Much cooler there it was, I am sure.

I would have like to have been closer to the guyz, but I'd had my night to stand and watch in awe, having that visual treat. Tonight it would be all about the SOUND. An aural treat.
Since David and the Anthemic couldnt see me, I felt pretty free to enthusiastically wave the Fangirl Deluxe banner I am so proud to bear.

We fans waited for the show to start, fanning ourselves and sipping whatever. Water for me. I had only 1 bottle and in that torpid heat I knew I had to ration it [images of Man vs Wild flash through my head]
Sometimes an area would start to chant: Da-vid! Da-vid! Da-vid! and then die down.
Then the music stopped and the stage went dark. Girls began to squee.

The the opening bars of Mr Sensitive started and the stage exploded into light as we all leapt from our seats and roared a cheer with one great voice.
Umm, I am not the tallest person in the world-about average height, so when ppl stood I could see nothing!
Arg! I stood on my chair. They told me to get down. I did. I sat on the top pf the metal fence. They told me to get down. *sigh* So I just decided to get into the music till people sat down.
The people in front of me NEVER sat down.
As was right and proper at a David Cook concert, laddie! It's what props is due David.

So I danced--had an empty seat on either side of me--and sometimes I sang.
And I squee'd.
Not my squee of Lancaster. No, I have a special squee I use on special occasions. A very distinctive -sounding squee and if I hear it on any vids, I will be tickled, cause that was a LOUD group.

I only sing aloud to 2 Dave songs: Heroes and Declaration. And I did.
Funny story: I can sing of sorts. I can sing in several octaves and tones but the one that is my loudest while still being non-scream-y is my opera voice
It's pretty much what it sounds like, and I do it in FULL vibrato.
And I sang the heck out of Declaration using my opera voice and I could hear myself above the music.
It's my DeeeeeClaratiooooooon! I howled up to the tarped sky like a she-wolf howls at the moon.
I saw the ppl seated [!] in front of me covering their ears.
Ah--song over? that was fun.

After the song, Dave was bantering before he did Come Back To Me, and the guy of the couple in front of me looked up at me and said: "You were singing too loud. It hurt our ears."
At this point I was dripping sweat. My cotton tee shirt was stuck to my back and I had tied my hot pink bandanna around my forehead--Apache style--to keep the sweat out of my eyes and that bandana was SOAKED.
I looked down at this man, sneered and said: "It's a rock show, dude. Get over it."
Thought that'd be the end of it. No, Mr [gray in hair]45yrs, continues on to say: "But do you have to sing so loud? its too loud."
O? Wot?
I heard a funny saying once from a stand-up comic and I liked it so well , I use it. The comic used the phrase in the voice of a young man with a German accent and I duplicated it perfectly, accent and all, and LOUD.
Hey, go to bed, old man!
He got huffy. "I dont wanna go to bed."
I laughed a harsh, German laugh and repeated: "This is a rock show for young peoples! Go home! Go to bed, old man!"
He didnt bother me any more after that. I did notice his date was much younger than him and said nothing at at when I taunted her "boy" friend for being an old fogey. Think I saw her shoulders cringe up at one point. I felt sorry for her she had to date such an arse-wipe. No better could she do?

The whole episode lasted under a minute. Brief. Cruel of me? I dunno. Those ppl NEVER clapped. Never sang. Never danced, then had the nerve to tell me to be quiet??? I dont think so. It was way too HOT for mess like that going down. Movin' on---------------------->

The music was divine. Dave's voice sounded 50% better than it did the night before in the desert. The band SOuNDS absolutely tight and great and kick-@ss! From time to time I could see Andy, or Dave Or Neal onstage, see images on the big screen. I had a hootin', hollerin' good time!
Then the concert was over. Ending with Light On.
No Adam again for me.

to be continued~