still Masquerade show stuffs

Ok, this post may be a bit lame and a little off of what really happened because a) I'm not really in the mood to write this and b) It's been a little while since it happened & my memory isn't so good.

So, I had some folks over to my house before the show. I invited only a select few over. Aisha arrived first (she works with me). Then, Tony. Tony and I go way back, almost 10 years. Then the rest of the crew started to filter in. Bridget and her son, Matt, arrived. Nikki (who I had just met at the last show, but she was a real cool chic), Jess & Sheldon (more cool peeps I had met at EV shows), and then Reggie and his crew (Reggie is my security!).
We all hung out for a bit. We munched on some apps and had some drinks. We jammed out to Echovalve and just kind of chatted amongst ourselves. Jackie text me to come on down to the Masq, so off we went. We took 4 cars down. In my car was myself, Nikki and Tony. We blasted Echovalve and were all singing at the top of our lungs. Since we were carrying on, we didn't hear the phone ring sooooo many times. It was Jess & Sheldon and they were lost. They needed directions on how to get to The Masquerade. I did my best to navigate for them (I stink with directions). We stopped for gas and cruised into the Masquerade.

As we walked in, we said our hellos. I went down the steps and saw Jay first (it always seems to happen like that). We chatted for a sec and then I went over to say hi to Ryan and his dad. Then, over to say hi to Mathieu. All of the guys are so gracious and friendly. Rock on.
We made our way over by the stage and jammed out to 'Love Said No'. We struggled through the next band and then it was time. The main event. The feature players. You can feel the vibe in the venue change. The anticipation is heavy in the air as the boys set up. It's like a teenager right before the bell rings at last period.

So, Jay is testing his equipment and we settle right in front of him (that is my spot at every show, not just for EV). People start to crowd the stage, jostling for position. It is cute, really. I just milll about, letting the newcomers up front so that they can soak in what I already know. I am now positioned comfortably between Nikki and Tony. This time I was super excited to have Nikki by my side, belting out every word with me. Suh-weet. I rocked around for the whole set. I sang with Jess, Nikki, Sheldon...well, pretty much whoever was near me. At one point Mathieu really leaned into the crowd. The girlies up front all had instant sparkles in their eyes. It is so neat to watch the reactions of the crowd. We rocked out for what seemed like hours. I was really living in the moment, but every so often I glanced over to make sure Tony was enjoying himself. He was bobbing his head and had a grin on his face. Mission accomplished, another Valve-O-Holic has been created.

So, the show ends and Mathieu steps into the middle of the crowd and jets back to the merch table. That was pretty rad. I liked that move. However, what was about to happen made me much happier. Jay was about to hand his guitar to Sheldon (who is very shy), but he wouldn't take it. So, I got it. I knew that Jay wasn't trying to give his guitar to some lucky fan...but, I played along. I unplugged the guitar and went to run out the door. ahhahaahahaha I traded Jay his guitar back for his beer. I am no fool. I drank 1/2 of it and returned it with a smile. I think that Jay is one cool dude.

We meandered around to the merch table to say bye to everyone. Mathieu had some posters, so I decided to get all 4 boys to sign one. Mathieu had the only Sharpie. So, I got him to sign and nabbed the Sharpie and passed it to Nick. He signed and dripped sweat onto the poster. I promptly licked the bead of sweat off the sheet. Yeah, I am so that chic. I grabbed the marker and had Ry sign, then went over to Jay. He put the beer I had drank 1/2 of down and went to sign the poster when he spilled beer all over it. I was not about to try and get each of them to sign again, so I wiped it down and handed Jay the marker. He rolled with it. So, I got my hancocked poster and mosied on home with Tony and Nikki.

On the way home we stopped by Waffle House and grubbed. When we got back to my place, Tony jumped in his car and went home. Nikki crashed at my place. It had been a stellar eve. I enjoyed myself immensely. I love the ECHOVALVE. ;)