Atlanta

So Brad(eline) is one of Angela's many net friends who all _rilly_ enjoying the band collective soul. C-sol, as those in the know say, is headlining the show, but Angela and Brad are super excited about this up and coming band Steep. That's really the reason that Angela wants to down here, apparently. The festivities start with a trip to the Kmart right across from our hotel.

Apparently there is this inside joke (or something) that drives Angela to get a sock, draw on it, and hope that one of the members of Steep will wear the sock as the Red Hot Chili Peppers did a few years back. More amusing than this to me was the Kmart itself. It was really old, and was actually multi-leveled with set of escalators, as if this was a serious department store. Angela modeled the finished product. A little ambitious, don't you thing?

I love Chuckies. I really bummed recently when I heard that Converse is going out of business. Sounds like the end of the white man's mocassin. I actually don't wear chuckies much anymore because Vans tend to fit my wide feet better, but I still love them. I took these pictures while Angela stole my laptop to find that she couldn't remember her compewserve password, rendering her email less. But there are still chat boards!

First fan-like event for the day: celebrity softball for MS. We were going because two of the members of C-sol were playing in the game. It was very choreographed and very fun. This huge dude, Goldberg, was hilarious. As were just about all the players. The statues were outside in the stadium park. Interesting, and a little strange.

So apparently that's supposed to be a peach. I'm guessing, since Georgia is the peach state. But it really looks like an orange. The state of Georgia, city of Atlanta, or someone really got ripped of, me thinks.

After the game we regroup and head down to the venue super early: 5:30 when doors are at 8. But I guess this is the life a die-hard fan. Sitting on your ass on cold concrete to be right up front, staring straight up the nostrils (or whatever) of your idol. People there at that same time were generally scary. I didn't take my camera anywhere near the venue and with good reason because the security was really cracking down on cameras. The only thing that I really wished I could have captured was the venue.

The place is called The Tabernacle. It used to be a church, and then it used to be The House of Blues, and now it's The Tabernacle. Its a nice old theatre that has been completely vandalized. The entire place looks as though it were painted by a bunch of over-ambitious high schools with a vision and too much pot. Very curious.

The show itself was alright. The music was good and the crowd was really annoying. Drunk, Pissed Off, or both, mostly. Oh yeah, and the pushy blondes. These two 6 foot tall women (6 foot 5 inches if you include their hair) really had to be front and center--where we were--for the second band. push and shove. And then this same band throws a sweat-soaked banner straight over my head into the crowd. A two minute brawl erupts with one guy nearly being choked into unconsciousness with the banner wrapped around his neck. Nice. The South rocks.

I was pumped by the end of the concert and wanted to do something interesting. I had heard that there were pretty cool clubs not too far away. But instead we end up sitting around the back of the Venue for 2 hours, Angela and Brad waiting with all the fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their fave rock star as he goes to the bus to get something. Sigh. I praised my forethought in at least bringing my cell phone and talked to my sister for a while. We discuss a new artists she's heard, Scanner, and how crappy the X-files are getting. By the end of gaggling, the ladies are too tired for anything else and we head back to the Buckhead. =P