Stabler Arena...Bethlehem PA

And thus did the Running With Scissors Tour wind to a close...

I split a room with Sue, Lynn and Dave and, happily, got to sleep in a bit before traveling the 70 miles to Bethlehem.  Sue and Lynn left early since they wanted to go shopping.  Dave and I left around noon, and ended up wandering around downtown Allentown for a while after finding the Stabler arena.  FACT I LEARNED ABOUT ALLENTOWN, PA: at one point during the Revolution, the Liberty Bell was hidden in Allentown, and there's a little museum with a replica of the bell in Allentown to prove it.  Anyway, it was pretty cold and windy, so once it began to get dark we made our way back to the arena and found a great parking spot.  Dave wrote out some postcards and I flipped through the collection of newspapers and stuff Dave had acquired during the weekend.  Eventually, we noticed a small crowd gathering out by the tour busses, so we joined them.  As show time got closer, we wandered around to the front, found Adrian and Ann and joined them to find our seats.

There was quite the crowd of newsgroup/online Al fans present and everyone was running around taking pictures, saying hi and just being goofy in general.  You have to wonder what people who had come to the show for the first time must have thought.  At any rate, it was wonderful to meet people in person who I'd previously only traded email with, and to renew friendships with others I've met over the past year.

I didn't take many pictures during the show, as I was happier to enjoy it (especially since this was to be the last time...until the next tour...)  It was a good, straightforward show.  There had been a lot of speculation on the newsgroup about practical jokes, but I didn't see any.  Though Al did jump onto Steve's back and finish "Smells Like Nirvana" from there.  The guys ended the tour with the energy I recalled from the first time I caught them waaay back in August 1999.

What really made this show special for me was that I got to go to the meet and greet after the show for the first time.  Dave had gotten a pair of passes and he gave me one.  I managed to not get too spastic until we were actually in line to meet Al, and I made Dave go first.  When it was my turn, I introduced myself, and thanked Al for such a good show, and a fun tour.  I had him sign my pass, and then I got to pose for a picture.  I don't think I said anything too silly...I did thank him again, and shake his hands and he siad "You're welcome, Jackie."  Al, you're just cool.

I also got to talk to Jon for a bit (and he remembered me!) and I gave him copies of the pictures from Morristown and Poughkeepsie.  I also said hi to Steve and Jim.  

Once we were all done meeting the band, Dave and I went back outside to say goodbye to everyone.  It was a little sad, but I'm sure I'll be seeing some of my tour friends again.  Then we headed on home....

Happy fans!    PreMedley   PostMedley    Post show

Main   |  Back to Wilkes-Barre