The last week in December we went on a trip to Las Vegas and Reno.  We drove to Las Vegas first and had lot of traffic because of the rain, fog, and so many people going to Las Vegas.  Normally, xmas week is a good time to go because the hotel rates are at the lowest and not many people go.  This time it was so crowded; everyone wants to take advantage of the low rates.  It took over an hour to check in at the Tropicana.  I barely made it to the Tony Orlando concert on Sunday night.  It was a sold-out show and he did great.  I was in the first row on the left side.  He came into the audience and shook my hand.  He had a meet and greet after the show and I was able to briefly speak to him there.  I told him I went to Puerto Rico last year (he is half Puerto Rican). 

Tuesday and Wednesday I saw EFX.  It was sad knowing it was the last time I would see it because it closed on New Year's Eve.  I was in the second row on the first night and the first row on the second night.  I had never been in the second row before and it was much better than I expected - you get a better view from there and I actually got more eye contact from Rick there.  I was hoping to meet him afterwards but it didn't work out.  I'm sure he was busy seeing his family.

Thursday we drove from Las Vegas to Reno/Sparks and stayed at John Ascuaga's Nugget.  The rooms were very nicely furnished.  We stayed in the west tower, where David was supposed to be but we never ran into him.  There were posters 
advertising the concert all over the hotel and a recorded announcement advertising the concert near the parking garage.  Friday we went to an area in the mountains where they had snow so the kids could go sledding.  Saturday was the windiest day I've ever seen!  We were out and when we came back it was difficult to walk to the hotel.  I was holding something that I couldn't 
control so it wacked me in the face.  The hotel roped off most of the doors so that you could only go in a certain way because of the wind.  When we got in I went straight to the Rose Ballroom to see if David was doing the sound check.  He was just finishing (I wish I had been able to get there sooner).  The rest of my family went back to the room but I took baby David with me.  I waited with the other fans (just outside the door in back of the theater).  Baby David started to get a little cranky so I moved away from the door.  I only saw David for a split second before moving.  He was just finishing up "Could It Be Forever".  Then David sent out a security guard to chase us away so we had to leave.

The concert started shortly after 8:00 p.m.  It was wonderful, of course!  He wore a wine colored shiny shirt.  David sang "I Can Feel Your Heartbeat", "Hush", "I'll Meet you Halfway", "No Bridge I Wouldn't Cross", then he talked about being on tour in Australia in November and sang a line of "She Loves You".  He said this next song is one of his 2 or 3 favorites that he has 
recorded and it reflects the spirit and times of the early 70s.  Then he said someone said to him the other day "It's so cool all these 60s acts are coming back".  He said he never made a record in the 60s even though he loves the 60s and grew up in the 60s.  He said this one is from 1970 and sang "Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque".  After that I got up my nerve and went up to him and gave him a t-shirt that I made for Beau.  I put on it a picture I took of David at the Cerritos concert.  It was only my second time that I put a picture on a t-shirt and it came out great.  I asked him if he would give the shirt to Beau.  He said "I would be happy to - but it's a picture of me!! That's very sweet of you.  Thank you."  I told him I took the picture in Cerritos.  Then he said, "Wait a minute.  You've got a picture of me on there."  I was wearing a shirt with a concert picture from 1991 so I told him it was from 1991.  He said something like "Looks like 106."  I'm not sure if he was saying he looks like he was 106 and not 91(maybe joking about age).  I was probably in a fog so I don't know what he said exactly.  I'm glad I went up when I did because shortly after that everybody rushed to the stage and stayed there screaming and dancing for the rest of the concert.  Before this happened fans went up to him one at a time and shook his hand.  Then he sang "How Can I Be Sure", "Do You Believe in Magic".  He said he will play song that was a hit for him and it's for all the ladies in the audience and sang "Could It Be Forever" (this is the first time I heard him sing this in concert).  Then he sang "Summer Days".  After that he said he loves to rock and he learned how to rock when he was 13 years old.  He sang the line "Here's my story, it's sad but true".  He said he was watching the Ed Sullivan Show and it changed his life forever and the next day he went out and bought an electric guitar.  Then sang "I Saw Her Standing There".  After that he sang "Ain't No Sunshine", "Rock Me Baby", "I Woke Up In Love This Morning", "Gimme Shelter" band introduction, he kept saying Jimmy MacIntosh (guitarist) was fired but he was just kidding.  He said after playing with him for 4 years, he is leaving.  He did not say why.  Then sang "C'Mon Get Happy", "I Think I Love You", "Hollywood Nights".  It looked like it was sold out.  I wandered around a little taking pictures of the posters and then sat at some tables behind the theater where some other fans were sitting.  One of the band members came out while I was there.  There was a female guard who kept going in and out of the door.  I didn't think David was still in there because I assumed he would have left before the concert got out.  I was walking away and a nice couple said to me "Don't go and leave us by ourselves.  Wait with us.  David should be out soon."  I said "Is David still in there?  I thought he had left by now."  Then said they were told by someone that he was still in there.  I told them the only thing I wanted was to get a picture signed of David with my baby and I left it in the room and I wanted to quick get it and come back.  So I did and the the couple was no longer there and neither was the guard.  I must have just missed David coming out by a minute!!!  That is so frustrating!

It snowed during the night so we had to drive through the snow going back which took us a lot longer because people were going 20 miles an hour for the first 1 1/2 hours.  The people going in the other direction had it worse because there was a car to the side of the road and everyone was stopped for miles and people got out of their cars to talk to each other.  

Joyce