The road, the rain
I had been to the show in Lowell, MA the night before and gotten to bed about 1 AM, then got up and hit the road at about 11am for my long trip to Bangor, Maine. It rained the whole drive up, and squinting at the huge gray sky made my eyes tired, so I stopped a couple of times just to get coffee or walk around and be sure I was completely awake! I got there in the afternoon, made sure I knew where the auditorium was, then checked into my hotel room. No way was I trying to make that drive home after the show.
For a week or so leading up to the show, I had been sending emails back and forth with a woman I knew from the Styxworld bulletin board, Karen, and we had made plans to meet at the box office at 6:00 to say hi before the show. We had never met - just decided to get together since we'd both be at the same show! I got to the auditorium about 6:00 and it was pouring rain, and they weren't letting people in yet, so I didn't try to look around for Karen. There was a huge line of people extending out into the parking lot. I had an umbrella, so luckily it wasn't too bad for me, but a lot of people were just standing there in the rain. A more devoted (or insane) bunch of fans you won't find! For people like this (myself included), a band you love playing in a small town and a relatively small venue is a big deal, and we appreciate it, and we'll stand in the rain to get in if we have to. I must admit though, I'm sure we didn't think we'd be waiting until 6:20, or most people would have waited in their cars! We're crazy but not stupid!