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More pics to come!
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First, I start getting ready around 2 because I take forever when I am gonna And it took me a really long time to get ready, until 5:15pm, so then I get in the car and GO GO GO.
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Pics of my house, well from my living room.
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I arrive at the venue and there are lots of big buildings all around it and no big sign that says BILL GRAHAM CIVIC AUDITORIUM so it cause me to semi-run a red-light in front of a cop, but I backed up and he was cool, he's like "this chick has Alabama tags and they don't know anything so she's forgiven, no ticket needed" haha. Everyone told me what a hard time I would have parking, but that was not true! It was 5:40, 20 minutes before doors opened and I got a spot for 5 bucks one block over. In San Francisco, this is *magic* no shit! So I parked and walked to the venue. |
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At the venue, Sharon, my date for the evening, was waiting for me and we went to the will call line for our seat tickets. We had to wait in line for like 20 minutes for our tickets, so during that time I surveyed all the 15 year olds scantily clad and their skirts that barely cover their asses and I was like "you're grounded!" haha. Teenagers! So we got our tickets and Sharon gave me the money for them WHOO and then we got in the Press Will Call line. |
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Press will call was so cool. They said "name and where you're from."
They said "are you by yourself or do you have
someone with you" and I was like "well, I have someone with me..." and was
going to explain that I only needed one pass but they gave me two before I
said it and so I shut up. The pass said GUEST and in the corner there was a
stamp that said MEDIA. I was like WOO a Guest! WOO! Being that Sharon had that same pass for the past 2 years Bammies, she shrieked with excitement when I presented her the pass. She said "With this pass, we can go ANYWHERE and we don't need seats and we have top clearance." So I did the happy dance and we went inside to see what we could see, it was about 6:30 and the show started at 7:30. |
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So inside we went and first stop was the hospitality room backstage. I promptly walked to the bar and got two red wines (tried for a Cosmo but they were out of stuff already, fucking rock star drunks) and then we proceeded to walk around the huge room looking at the exhibitors. Chevy's was there handing out free chips and salsa, powerbar folks were there handing our power bars *ick* and then some water people were handing out water. |
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All of
the media were set up back there, too with cameras and lighting and mics. I
saw Vinnie and Sarah from Alice 97.3 and they looked nothing like I
imagined. I see why both of them never get laid now as they say on the radio all the time. |
| So we walked around some more and I couldn't tell if there were famous people back there or not b/c I don't know what they look like so I could have been around famous folks for all I know. We found this computer with a web cam on it and it was taking pics backstage so we took one and it let you email it to two people so I emailed it to me and to Janine. (It still hasn't arrived but oh well) |
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So then its like 7:15 and the awards will be starting at 7:30. We found our table seats and they weren't as good as I expected but it didn't matter cuz we found out that we could sit on the floor in the very front like right in front of the stage and take the pictures. WOO So we grabbed this free shit from the table and headed up to the stage. We parked it right in the front/center and a few minutes later the awards started. Like, I didn't know any of the presenters except Alice and Vinnie or whoever they are. |
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So a lot of awards and a lot of performers that were cool and all. Took lots of picks of Tom Morello dude from Rage and Kirk from Metallica. |
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Oleander performed they were ok. |
| Stroke 9 presented some award and they came out with these long wigs on, it was so funny, and they had these gold records hanging from around their necks. I was like what? haha They also won Best Debut Album award. They were cute and thanked everyone under the blue sky, and thanked someone named Jennifer and Sharon goes "is that you?" and I was like I wish, but I dunno. hehe I wish! |
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Skip to bully
performance. The curtain opened and there was bully! Kevin in his usual spot just like he was still with 3eb, but he wasn't! The drum kit even had their logo on it and they rocked like they had been together forever. I could see Kevin's love of music come pouring through and I must say this is the best I have ever seen Kevin play. He was so into it and I feel it's because this was HIS music and HIS band and this was HIS hometown and he was playing for HIS folks. All the 3eb fans were there just to see what Kevin is up to and how the new band sounds. Well, it fucking rocked! Kevin opened his eyes from his rock trance only twice that I saw. I snapped 3 rolls of film during all two of their songs. |
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About an hour later there was a 30 minute intermission and Sharon and I went
to the hospitality room to schmooze. We were walking through the massive
crowd (where did all these people come from?) and I run into Cool Doe. I
was like Hi and he says you're Jen and I am like yeah. So we talked for a
little while and he was really cool. I told him that I heard them on Alice
the morning before and really like Angel vs. Train and things that the morning show at the radio station were saying after they left. He asked how I liked the bully performance so I told him what I told you guys...it fucking rocked! hehe for lack of better adjectives and larger vocabulary words. |
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After we talked to him we went over to where Stroke 9 was standing and I got my pic with Luke. We said bye to Luke and they were going to get ready for their performance. |
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So we go back out to our position in the front just in time to see Kevin autographing and taking pics with fans like two feet away. We walk over. I was in line to meet him and right when I was saying "hi Kevin..." this girl walks up and goes "Are you Jen from the 3eb mailing lists?" and I was like uhhh yeah. I turned back to Kevin like sorry! and he says to me, "you're that Jen?" and I was like yeah and he said "you're the super Jen?" and I was looking all confused and he said "the Jen who runs all of cyberspace?" and I started laughing and was like I guess so *now has a complex on these impressions that I give* |
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Kevin was really excited that it was the super Jen live in person, HAHA. He said "wow! I can't believe you're here!" and I proceeded to tell him that bully and Stroke 9 were my only reasons for being there since 3eb wasn't present this year. I also told him that the best 3eb fans are the BIGGEST bully fans. I wholeheartedly believe this, and apparently it's true for the amount of traffic that was at his table that night. I had my picture taken with him and Sharon and Kevin hugged us both really tight and I felt really good about his intentions to bond with the fans. It was so honest and pure. Every autograph he signed was an original, nothing composed or cookie-cutter. I took some pictures with him and the fans. I promised to make a bully website (Janine, it's you and me baby) as soon as possible. So I stood back and watched Kevin for a moment and wondered what all happened to make him get kicked out of 3eb. As I recalled a conversation in June 1999 in Pensacola that I had with Kevin in the rain with while he watched flash lightening announcing "we don't have this in the bay area," I chalked it up to music business and shrugged and walked over to my "seat" in the floor center stage alongside photographers for Rolling Stone, SonicNet and every other big time site. |
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Some awards are given away. Kevin and Stephan win best song writer. Eric Gotland, 3eb's manager, accepts the award "on Stephan's behalf" and I wondered why Kevin didn't go up there with him. I assumed it was some lawyer agreement to have Eric accept. Eric proclaimed that "Arion should have been nominated for this, too" and I agreed. Eric walked down from the podium and a few minutes later I see him and Kevin obviously arguing. I was like uh oh and realized that maybe him accepting the award wasn't pre-planned. |
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Third Eye Blind performs via taped appearance "10 Days Late." It's cool that they kept their Miami concert scheduled, though I wish I could have seen them perform that night. :( |
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Fast forward to Stroke 9. They rocked the house playing "Tear Me N 2" and "Little Black Back Pack." The little girls all dressed up in their Sunday best rushed the stage and suddenly I had A LOT of company. Luke didn't help matters by thrusting his pelvis around. haha All I can really say is that they put on a great 2 songs! I was really happy that they had such a good response. Stroke 9 is like my pet band, I want them to make it so bad and they are and it's so rad! WOO! Go Stroke 9! |
  
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Cool Doe, the drummer for bully and Messiah, the bassist, got to jam with Kirk from Metallica, and Eddie Money. |
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So fast forward some more towards the end of the show. The announcer comes out and says that they have to present the Songwriter of the Year award again because Kevin was here and didn't get to say his thank yous. So they award it again and Kevin comes out and I am like HOLY FUCK trying to film in the camera so I can take more pictures. He announces that when it was awarded earlier that evening that he was backstage doing a TV interview "and some guy with hair plugs and a goatee was out here accepting my award! What the fuck?!" and he thanks the fans and a lot of people. I was happy that he got a chance to address the people who voted him and Stephan for that award. |
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Right after that, they award Signer of the Year. Stephan Jenkins was nominated but it was awarded to Steve Harwell from Smashmouth. I couldn't fucking believe it! He cannot sing that well to me, but he won so I just shook my head in disapproval and listened to his thank you speech. Just when I thought he was done, he leaned into the microphone and screamed "STEPHAN JENKINS SUCKS!" You know, if he thinks that Stephan sucks so bad then why did he all bogart Stephan's old Abraham Lincoln beard? HUH? haha |
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So Smashmouth comes on and Sharon and I are suddenly forced against the stage. Well, I was right in front of Steve Harwell's standing space and I just looked really bored and Sharon and I looked at each other like THIS SUCKS. To make it worse, one of their fans was pulling my hair as she leaned forward trying to steal Steve's shoes and so I told her to back off or I would punch her out. haha She was like ohh come on and then she apologized like 50 times so I forgave her and she gave me a bracelet. :) She didn't know she was pulling my hair. *has sensitive scalp* Haha So then Smashmouth begins this lame cover of House of Pain's "Jump Around" of which I was a HUGE HOP fan back in the day. My boyfriend at that time when I was in 10th grade (he's dead now *sigh* ) loved them a lot and he had one of those boom-boom cars so I was like WHY are they DOING this! Then Kevin came on stage and jammed with them and all the sudden Jen Came to Life! I started screaming "GOOOOO KEVINNNN" like the big ole tard that I am and then I was all part of the audience. I think I pissed Harwell off by propping Kevin so much during their set. HAHA So then they sing the All-star song that sounds just like 10 other of their songs and then that was the end! YAY! |
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We got our stuff and walked over to Stroke 9's table, which was also right by Kevin's table. I talked with John from Stroke 9 and took a pic and congratulated them. |
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Sharon and I walked into the hospitality room and waited in line to meet Kirk from Metallica. I got my pic with him. He was really nice. I really like the S&M album so it was cool as shit to meet him. Sharon and I strolled around this backstage area for a while and then we left. It was almost midnight. |
| After that, I went to the launch party for
www.picklepilot.com in the Poterero District. Over and out, Jen |
