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Dream Theater => Concerts and Set Lists => Topic started by: El Barto on October 04, 2011, 09:56:40 AM
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So as not to keep cluttering up the M&G thread.
And is there actually anybody other than Metty and myself that'll be seeing it?
Thanks DTVT, that's what I meant. She's just going with me to the show and has no particular interest in the M&G.
I decided that since we're spending the night at a hotel anyway then might as well check in early and have her drop me off then go back to the hotel and return again when it's time for the show. I just have to propose this plan very delicatly cause it has the potential of getting a frying pan in the face reply :lol
Driving to and from Nextstatge is a pain in the ass--lots of traffic. And, I've actually seen them try to charge for pulling up to the venue for dropping people off.* Nextstage is in a large entertainment district that includes a minor league baseball stadium and Dallas's only horse track.
I'm still not totally sure I'll do the M&G but the picture you paint there is horrific :o I need to find a really need hotel to the venue so I can park there and walk to the show!
Yeah, that ain't gonna happen. The venue's actually in Grand Prairie, which is 15 minutes down the interstate from Dallas. Unless you don't intend to do anything except arrive, see the show, crash, and drive home, there's no reason you'd actually want to stay there. Even if that's all you're interested in, you'd still be better off staying in Dallas or even Fort Worth, where you can at least find some good chow and an interesting hotel.
As for the M&G, you'd be better off doing that one in Austin. The Nextstage show really offers too many logistical complications to make it feasible. It's not a bad place to see a show, mind you, but it's mainly a get in/get out kind of deal.
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Let me get this straight; you're saying that staying at some hotel in Grand Prairie won't be fun and I won't find a hotel within walking distance from the venue. But since money is tight a hotel in a town outside of Dallas has to be cheaper than one in the city, or at least that's the way I found it in Austin and SA.
I don't really care about how interesting the place is. I'm watching a DT show and I'm meeting El Barto! If I get more excited I might pass out :lol
My chances for the M&G on this leg of the tour are getting slimmer with money problems but I kinda thought if I M&G on the last date of the tour it should be more interesting. In my funny head I imagine the band would be like "So this is the last M&G we're doing on this leg of the tour and that means you can hang out longer" heh
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I will be there on the 27th :D Its looking like we'll get Set B and I'm really crossing my fingers to hear Breaking All Illusions so this could turn out to be awesome.
I bought my cousin and myself a meet and greet package so we'll be doing our first ever meet and greet with the band. I'm going to bring my iPad 2 for at least Jordan to sign and either my Ibanez S520EX or my pickguard to my Gibson Explorer to sign :metal
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Sorry I have to double post about this:
Someone above mentioned something about Nextstage and the Dallas M&G not going to be good...why is that? I bought my tickets a month ago and pray it turns out to be great for my cousin and I. Please tell me I haven't wasted my money and will really get to meet the band and get a good spot in the first 5 rows without a hassle :-\
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Sorry I have to double post about this:
Someone above mentioned something about Nextstage and the Dallas M&G not going to be good...why is that? I bought my tickets a month ago and pray it turns out to be great for my cousin and I. Please tell me I haven't wasted my money and will really get to meet the band and get a good spot in the first 5 rows without a hassle :-\
I was only referring to Metty's logistical situation with his old-lady. The original post was in the M&G thread. I think it'll be great for most people.
Let me get this straight; you're saying that staying at some hotel in Grand Prairie won't be fun and I won't find a hotel within walking distance from the venue. But since money is tight a hotel in a town outside of Dallas has to be cheaper than one in the city, or at least that's the way I found it in Austin and SA.
I don't really care about how interesting the place is. I'm watching a DT show and I'm meeting El Barto! If I get more excited I might pass out :lol
My chances for the M&G on this leg of the tour are getting slimmer with money problems but I kinda thought if I M&G on the last date of the tour it should be more interesting. In my funny head I imagine the band would be like "So this is the last M&G we're doing on this leg of the tour and that means you can hang out longer" heh
I don't know what you're looking to spend for lodging, so I'm not sure what to tell you. A quick perusal of Expedia says that the average price for room in Grand Prairie is about $100, and those are for standard 3* chain type places. I've stayed in plenty of HI-Expresses, and Marriotts; nothing wrong with them.
You can get a room at a hotel airport for about $25 less. DFW actually isn't too far away, and there are plenty of nice options if you go that route. The same applies to out of the way suburbs, as well.
You can get a nice room someplace interesting for about $25 more. There are quite a few <$150 deals at 4* hotels going on right now, as a matter of fact. Though stuck on the side of the Interstate, the Adolphus has rooms for $111 right now; quite a bargain. From a touristy perspective, the Hyatt Regency downtown would be a pretty nifty choice. It's walking distance to the West End, JFK's moment of infamy, and a few other sights that people might find interesting.
Figure out what you want to spend, and if you want to do anything other than the show (and that includes eating) and then peruse Expedia. Whatever you do, I'd check with somebody familiar with the area before pulling the trigger. You don't want to get stuck in Balch Springs or some other miserable corner of the metroplex.
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Thanks for the info El Barto :) A 100$ range for hotel is what I have in mind so being in Grand Prairie, we're terrible at following directions so being closer to the venue is important for clueless Egyptians. I do wanna see JFK's assassination spot the next day and not at night. I'm not worrying about the quality of the hotel so much since it's just one night..
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Just a little over a week to go guys!
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I will be there too! It will be the third show I see on this tour, as I'm going to the Houston and Austin shows as well. I've been to the theatre (now called Verizon) many times and I don't think it's as bad as others have made it out to be. It is a bit out of the way and in the middle of an area without many hotels to choose from. However, if you go just a bit further west (maybe 10 miles) you will be in the heart of Arlington, very close to Six Flags, The Rangers ballpark and the Jerry dome. LOTS of hotels around that area so I'm certain you could get a decent deal and tons of restaurants, etc, around that area. The Theatre sits right of 30...If you keep going west you'll cross 360. There should be tons of hotel opportunities in that area. Hope this helps.
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Not sure who said Verizon [henceforth Nextstage] wasn't a good venue. Once you're inside the theater it's a very nice place to see a show. I don't much care for $15-20 parking, or $7 bottles of water, though. It's also not in a particularly fun area. Still, good sound and sightlines.
Thanks for the info El Barto :) A 100$ range for hotel is what I have in mind so being in Grand Prairie, we're terrible at following directions so being closer to the venue is important for clueless Egyptians. I do wanna see JFK's assassination spot the next day and not at night. I'm not worrying about the quality of the hotel so much since it's just one night..
As for clueless Egyptians getting lost, as was just pointed out, it's right off the interstate. If you can find Dallas, you can find Nextstage. If you're concerned about getting lost, just pick a hotel that's within sight distance of I-30 or I-35. That gives you a lot of options, and puts you someplace a little less desolate. As was just mentioned, Arlington is certainly an option. It's one of those places with zero culture that exists solely for tourist money, so it wouldn't be my first choice, but that's also a plus side to people from out of town like you. And it really is just 10 minutes down the interstate.
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As was just mentioned, Arlington is certainly an option. It's one of those places with zero culture that exists solely for tourist money, so it wouldn't be my first choice...
This. Arlington is good for a football/baseball game, that's pretty much it.
Currently going to school very near Grand Prairie, so the venue is a short distance from my apartment. Pretty excited about the show. The most recent time I saw Dream Theater was when they rolled through with Maiden, and before that, Gigantour 2005. The set(s) look great, so I'm glad for that as well.
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As was just mentioned, Arlington is certainly an option. It's one of those places with zero culture that exists solely for tourist money, so it wouldn't be my first choice...
This. Arlington is good for a football/baseball game, that's pretty much it.
Currently going to school very near Grand Prairie, so the venue is a short distance from my apartment. Pretty excited about the show. The most recent time I saw Dream Theater was when they rolled through with Maiden, and before that, Gigantour 2005. The set(s) look great, so I'm glad for that as well.
Wherebouts?
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Dallas Baptist. The one with the big white chapel. Little gaudy for my liking (given the area) but the education is sound and it offers my degree plan.
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Used to ride my bike down there. You'd get up to insane speed coming down Kiest, and this was in the days when helmets were unheard of. Actually made me a bit nervous. This was back around '85. Before the mega-church and when DBU was smaller than many high schools.
Don't know if they still do it, but every Fourth of July people would launch fireworks out to the intake jetty for the power plant. If it was good and dry you'd get the whole thing burning. Good times.
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That's awesome. That church coupled with the white-washedness of the school blows my mind a bit given the location. DBU is still small, the chapel is just mammoth. They invested a lot of money in it and essentially allowed the rest of their facilities to suffer. So that's good.
That said, it is a small world.
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I'll be at the show, driving down from Little Rock. I'll actually be there with a few non-DTF fans and we're having a sort of reunion.
So bottom line - is it better to get a hotel near the venue so I can crash somewhere quick when it's over, or am I better to get something in D/FW?
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I'll be at the show, driving down from Little Rock. I'll actually be there with a few non-DTF fans and we're having a sort of reunion.
So bottom line - is it better to get a hotel near the venue so I can crash somewhere quick when it's over, or am I better to get something in D/FW?
The venue's right off of the Interstate, so it's easy to get to from wherever. It's in a fairly crappy suburb, so I wouldn't recommend staying around there. It's not a shaky neighborhood or anything, it's just not closed to anything but the venue and the horsetrack. I'd stay somewhere in town, personally.
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Two days! I'm getting pumped since this is my first meet and greet with the band. The only other band I've met was Symphony X and that was one of the greatest days ever.
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Okay, thanks. My plans with the other friends moved to Saturday. Any chance you guys are meeting up somewhere to eat before the show? It'd be cool to at least meet a few people while we're all in the same place.
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I'm really stoked about this show, guys. Myself and two of my buddies got the M&G package, so I think that's going to make for a fantastic experience. We're driving down from OKC to see them - woot!
I'm wanting to bring my lithograph from this box set as well as a cd to get signed, think they'll allow for a backpack to carry the stuff in? I dont want to leave the lithograph exposed all night, nor do I want to have to fold it up, etc.
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I'm really stoked about this show, guys. Myself and two of my buddies got the M&G package, so I think that's going to make for a fantastic experience. We're driving down from OKC to see them - woot!
I'm wanting to bring my lithograph from this box set as well as a cd to get signed, think they'll allow for a backpack to carry the stuff in? I dont want to leave the lithograph exposed all night, nor do I want to have to fold it up, etc.
I'm coming from southside OKC to see them! I bought a M&G ticket for both me and my cousin (I know, I'm an awesome cousin).
We'll both probably be wearing the tour shirt from when they opened with Maiden.
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Awesome! Glad to know there are more DT fans in Oklahoma than just myself and a few of my friends - haha. Totally will keep an eye out for you then.
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Made it to Arlington. Just met JP at Guitar Center - what a nice guy!
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Did you know he was gonna be there?
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Yeah, M&G from 2-4. Found out this morning, hauled ass from Little Rock. I was the last guy in line.
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Finished up the meet and greet about an hour ago. Hanging in our seats listening to Metallica. Can't wait for the show!
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HIS NAME IS JAMES FUCKING LABRING IT, BITCHES. AND HE WILL FUCK YOUR SHIT UP. :metal
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HIS NAME IS JAMES FUCKING LABRING IT, BITCHES. AND HE WILL FUCK YOUR SHIT UP. :metal
So, I'm guessing that the show went well?
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It went well. It was kind of noticeable that it was their 3rd night in a row playing. JLB sounded good, but didn't try to do as much as the two nights before. The sound wasn't as good as Houston, either (I have no idea about Austin).
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My first time seeing them live, a 25 year wait. How is it possible that JLB sings stronger and more passionately than on the albums? I expected the band to be good. James was simply jaw-dropping talented all night. Unbefuckinglevable, this guy.
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Just got back to the hotel. Watched the show shoulder to shoulder with El Barto, pretty freakin awesome.
Got the TSM/BTS/Forsaken list which was great cause yesterday I got the other one :)
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I thought the show was great. James did sound great, probably the best I'd heard him in the three shows I've seen Dream Theater. It seemed like the energy the band had was great, they were a little more mobile up there, interacting with Mike on the kit an what not. They seemed legitimately excited about what they were doing.
James' awkward microphone stand spin has to go though. That was uncomfortable.
Three more notes:
- John Petrucci is a really kind guy. Met him at the Guitar Center in Arlington during the meet & greet. He is so great, so ready to talk, so ready to interact with the fans. Stayed late even to meet more fans. He signed my favorite album, Awake, for me.
- Trivium is really, really good. 'Nuf said.
- Some studio songs are much better live (Forsaken, ES). That was really cool.
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With the help & guidance of El Barto I never caught a glimpse of Trivium. Just heard the noise from outside.. couldn't have asked for less :lol
I'm posting from my iPad cause I'm still in Dallas so hopefully when I get home I will prepare a details review of my two nights cause they were truly a great experience & a mile stone for me.
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Some studio songs are much better live (Forsaken, ES). That was really cool.
I couldn't agree more. I've never been a big fan of either studio song, but man they are incredible when played live.
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DT show was awesome! I felt sorry for Trivium though, everyone was out in the lobby watching the Ranger game.
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I experienced Dream Theater last night for the 7th time dating back to the Awake tour. For me, this was the best performance I have seen. They were so tight, energetic & passionate in their performance. My face honestly hurt from smiling. I couldn't have been more pleased. Mike Mangini has brought the band together in way that I've never seen. It is truly magical. They came across to me as great friends, who cared very much about every note they were pouring into their performance. I almost crapped my pants when JMX went up on the drum rizer. That was a definitle hightlight. Mangini's solo left me speechless and the acoustic part of the show brought a few tears to my eyes. It was a heavenly experience. I am so proud of our mighty DT. They are in the highest form possible and I am thankful that I got to experience it. On another note, I really enjoyed Trivium. Never had heard them much before last night. They were really good musicians. They were tight and I liked their vocals. I will definitely be buying some of their albums. To the other Oklahoma folks, just wanted to put in a word saying hello!! We came from Oklahoma to see DT last night too. First time I saw DT was in Oklahoma at The Roxy on the Awake tour with Fates Warning.
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It was truly an amazing show. What was the deal with no cameras, though? Of course I continued to take pictures with my phone and didn't get caught until BAI, so that was fine by me. :D
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Let's not get carried away about Trivium. Their drummer is excellent, the rest of them are VERY average and they don't have a vocalist.
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You are entitled to your opinion about Trivium, but you need to quit trolling the thread.
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You are entitled to your opinion about Trivium, but you need to quit trolling the thread.
:D
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First time I saw DT was in Oklahoma at The Roxy on the Awake tour with Fates Warning.
The show at the Roxy was my first too! Fates Warning opening. Great show.
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Trivium seemed liked nice guys and they can play, but I'm hard pressed to name a more forgetable band. They play fast, they play hard, they scream in different registers but I can't recall a single riff, melody, or lyric from last night. Same experience as listening to their albums. They try really hard but they're just boring to me. Very agreed with James - they desperately need a vocalist.
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Careful.
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We saw Trivium in Clearwater and Orlando. While that is not my kind of music, I thought they did a good job. I'm not a fan of growling vocals, but some of their riffs were pretty good. Their lead singer did a good job interacting with the crowd on both nights and he praised DT at both shows too. I liked their walk in music. They got good support at both of the shows we saw. That could be in part because they are a Florida based band. I can't bang on them and I would watch them again if they open for DT next time we see them.
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(https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o291/WildeSilas/IMAG0230.jpg)
I had him sign my FII Bootleg Demo. When I told him my favorite solo he's ever played is at the end of The Way It Used To Be, he said, "It's been so long...you'll have to remind me which song...?" So I reminded him that it was the Trevor Rabin/The Edge/EVHalen thing and he said, "Oh yeah! That one kind of got lost in all the drama." I told him it gutted me that it didn't make the cut because it's IMO one of their best songs.
(https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o291/WildeSilas/DSC04098.jpg)
Also asked him if Rod Morgenstein's name came up after MP left. He said, "Yeah, yeah, it did. We all know Rod, he's a great guy." I said, "Well you obviously picked the right guy." He thanked me and signed some pictures for my kids, posed for a picture. I expected him to be a little shy because of the way he is on camera sometimes. But he was very talkative, friendly, and generous. Hung around an extra 45 minutes so he could talk to everyone who came out for the M&G. No rock star bullshit at all. Made me proud to be a fan.
(https://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o291/WildeSilas/DSC04099.jpg)
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Great pics :tup
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Aw, JP looking happy. Love it. :heart
We went to this show too--I'd have to say that one of the downsides was driving in the rain during rush hour, with next to no visibility. :tdwn
I got verklempt towards the end of the show, and the utter ROAR of approval from the crowd after Under a Glass Moon was so incredible to hear. OH, and the baseball updates... :rollin
Another great show from the guys, hope they come back to TX very soon. :metal
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Aw, JP looking happy. Love it. :heart
We went to this show too--I'd have to say that one of the downsides was driving in the rain during rush hour, with next to no visibility. :tdwn
I got verklempt towards the end of the show, and the utter ROAR of approval from the crowd after Under a Glass Moon was so incredible to hear. OH, and the baseball updates... :rollin
Another great show from the guys, hope they come back to TX very soon. :metal
Amen to that.
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I'm sorry I couldn't make it. I really wanted to, but family duties called. Sh*t happens when you have a 13 year old who is active in not only middle school football, but Boy Scouts as well. :angel: Did see them with Redemption in 07 and Maiden after that. From what I've heard, they sound fantastic this time around. Even better than the last couple of tours.
I'll definitely be there next time, though. Glad you guys had a good time. Though I haven't really called it Nextstage in a while. But corporate sponsorship changes so often, its hard to keep track! What used to be "Starplex" down at the State Fair became the Smirnoff Music Center, then something else and something else. Don't even know what its called now. I just call it the "Vodka-plex". So Nextstage to me is something else. Isn't it the Verizon something-or-other now? ??? Or was that the previous name? I can't keep track!! :facepalm:
I'm just glad "JerryWorld" [aka Cowboys Stadium] and The Ballpark In Arlington don't have that sponsorship. At least, not yet.
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I made the decision to stick with Starplex the very first time the name changed, and given how many changes there've been since, I made the right call. For that reason I've kind of adopted that as policy. It's still Nextstage. It's still the Ballpark (and it's actually had several sponsors).
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Aw, JP looking happy. Love it. :heart
We went to this show too--I'd have to say that one of the downsides was driving in the rain during rush hour, with next to no visibility. :tdwn
I got verklempt towards the end of the show, and the utter ROAR of approval from the crowd after Under a Glass Moon was so incredible to hear. OH, and the baseball updates... :rollin
Another great show from the guys, hope they come back to TX very soon. :metal
Amen to that.
Didn't James say they were going to come back sometime during 2012?
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Aw, JP looking happy. Love it. :heart
We went to this show too--I'd have to say that one of the downsides was driving in the rain during rush hour, with next to no visibility. :tdwn
I got verklempt towards the end of the show, and the utter ROAR of approval from the crowd after Under a Glass Moon was so incredible to hear. OH, and the baseball updates... :rollin
Another great show from the guys, hope they come back to TX very soon. :metal
Amen to that.
Didn't James say they were going to come back sometime during 2012?
He made mention of going on tour next year. I don't specifically remember him saying they were coming back to DFW. I certainly hope so. I hate going to Houston or New Orleans to see them.
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AFAIR, James didn't specifically say DFW but he did indeed say that they would be back in 2012.
I actually don't mind Houston, as I grew up there before moving to Austin--bummed that we had to miss the Houston show, but I didn't have enough time to take that day off too. :(
Oh, and what was up with the peeps acting like paparazzi with Jordan? End of tour hijinks? :lol
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AFAIR, James didn't specifically say DFW but he did indeed say that they would be back in 2012.
I actually don't mind Houston, as I grew up there before moving to Austin--bummed that we had to miss the Houston show, but I didn't have enough time to take that day off too. :(
Oh, and what was up with the peeps acting like paparazzi with Jordan? End of tour hijinks? :lol
That was funny. I have no idea what they were out there doing. You may be right that they were just playing around, or they may have been getting some pictures for his endorsement deals.
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We had no clue either, but we were laughing our asses off. :lol
Although... I noticed in some of the pics we took the night before that the red hat and suspenders were on the right side (facing out to the crowd) of MM's drum riser, but no one came out to mess around with them. Hmm.
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Although... I noticed in some of the pics we took the night before that the red hat and suspenders were on the right side (facing out to the crowd) of MM's drum riser, but no one came out to mess around with them. Hmm.
They were there for all three shows. The gloves, too.
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Yeah what are those?
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I would say part of the costume of the unicycle rider on the cover of ADToE.