So Velvet Empire was ushered off the stage just as the flash-storm hit, there was chaos on the set - A.V. guys running, people shouting and trying to cover instruments with tarps and put anything expensive backstage, camera people running to not ruin equpiment, etc. But the rain passed, and after about a 45 min. delay the crew was able to turn the lights back on, re-set up the stage, put out instruments and dry off the drum sets. I was so severely worried that the show was going to be cancelled, but the Western Fair people decided it was okay to go on. So yes, at about 9:30 the band came out on stage and Amanda came running out and gave the most energetic performance - I was (am) thoroughly impressed. Now, I've never seen Amanda perform before, but I saw the special on CTV on Sept. 15th (Montreal) and it was good of course - but nothing compared to the energetic performance that this was. She was dancing, jumping around, flailing around all over the stage and running to the edge of the audience and just giving the most entertaining performance I have ever seen (in general!) She is a machine! She never slows down! I dont know how she does it - never waivers either - perfect pitch, strong voice and just unbelivably into her music. I can honestly say that her live performance was better than any CD recording or radio track out there. She is truly talented. Period. I loved her live version of "The Voice Inside" too - very cool.

Some highlights: It rained a couple times during her show (a few times really hard) and at one point, the band had started up this one song, and it started to just pour rain. So Amanda turns around to the band and says "no no no - forget this" (or something like that) and I thought she was going to say "we can't play in these conditions" or something. But instead, she turns to us (the audience) and says "there's only one song we should be singing at a time like this!" [Let it rain!] so the band starts that up instead, and she tells everyone to get up, and we all were just this mass group of soaking wet people swaying our arms in the air, singing along to her at the top of our lungs. It was great. By the end of the song it had stopped raining too, so she made some sort of comment like "take that mother nature" but then the rain came back when she was singing another slow song, so she made a joke - something like "mother nature just isnt' liking the ballads - every time I sing one she just wants to weep". And there was just a lot of that type of conversation with the audience - commentary type-stuff and just joking around here and there. She really seemed like she wanted to be there - and I hope she did! At one point she said to us (again, fierce rains) "My manager wants to know if I want to go on." (*4000 people scream*) and then she's like "I think the bigger question London, is do YOU want to go on?" (*4000 people scream louder*) :)

I know she didn't get through the entire playlist of songs because a) they were selayed in starting and b) she decided against doing some ballads because I think she was worried she'd have to end the show early too and wanted to get some of the more energetic songs in there.

I took a bunch of pictures (only 2 of which turned out.....and they're just Amanda, the size of an eyelash, really poor quality....) but I know it was the rain to blame for that....I was really disappointed though. Near the end of the show there was this gathering of people right at the edge of the stage so I made my way right up front and took a couple really close up pictures (like, I was a metre from Amanda Marshall, dude! lol) but of course those didn't turn out! I was so star struck....if she actually caught a glimpse of me at the stage trying to get a good picture of her she would have been like "God help that girl" because I was just like on a mission....the only one not dancing and singing....just me and my little blue camera waiting for her to pass through centre stage! lol