BONNAROO REPORT: STEW GIVES THUMBS UP ON THE SCNET FLAG!

[cpriddims]

Hello fellow scnet'ers!

Just got home last night and I have all the police info you want to know, even a little tidbit from the backstage area!

First of all, I want you all to know that Divemistress, her hubby, Ginasupercat and her hubby are outstanding people and they represent sc.net so well. They are level-headed, kind people, good sense of humor, and most of all are truly dedicated to The Police. We had a nice time together and since we officially met, we are now good friends.

The following is a detailed report of my Roo experience seeing The Police.
Here we go...

At 5:30pm I left our spot in the main stage crowd to go to the road that runs behind the main stage (called production row). Only Roo volunteers, workers, and big-wigs can get back in this area. No general public allowed whatsoever, not even vip ticket holders, so as a volunteer, this was a bonus!

I started scanning (not stalking mind you, there's a difference!) for The Police from 5:45pm to 6:30pm. I talked to a security officer and he said they had landed at Nashville airport and were coming to the fest in a police escort. At precisely 7pm, the production row street was cleared of all pedestrians and vehicles to make way for our boys to arrive. A few minutes earlier I managed to ask someone working the backstage gate to see if I could talk to Stew's drum tech and he went to check. While he did that I was allowed to stay at the fence where the police escort would be pulling into backstage with the band.

Now here's the cool part. I had the SC.net flag that Dirty Martini made. Down the road came the Police escort. Two sherriff's cars with full lights going, followed by two passenger vans, followed by another sheriff's car. I started to unfold the flag. As the first van turned in slowly, I was on the drivers side of the vehicle as it pulled in. I opened the flag and held it in front of me so whoever was in the van could see. I was about 10 feet from the van. I got lucky. The van pulled in slowly and stopped briefly before it went into back stage. There was Stewart looking right at me. He was on the drivers side in a rear seat. He saw the flag, got a big smile on his face, raised his arms, and in a jolting body motion gave me the double thumbs up!!! The van then pulled into an area behind the stage somewhat out of view. Stewart recognizing the flag and giving the thumbs up was awesome and very gratifying for having stood around back there for an hour. Now I was excited, but I kept in on the inside so I wouldn't get removed from the area.

Keep in mind, I was the only person other than about five other backstage workers and a few big wigs to even see them come in. There was NOONE else back there at that time. I was now hoping that Stewart would come out and say hi since he saw the flag and really noone was around at this time. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Security rushed them into the dressing room like it was packed but it really wasn't. It was still 2 hours before they were to take the stage but they never came out to say hi. Oh well.

For awhile I stood around catching a few glimpses from outside the fence. I saw the drum tech but couldn't get his attention and I didn't want to act like a fool to do this. I was doing my best to play it cool and not push the limits. I saw Andy walking around, then Sting and Trudie were walking up and down the stage entrance ramp, stopping to say hi and talk with various members from the Santana Salvador band and a few other people, oh like John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin, ya know, no biggie!

Finally, I decided to leave. I started walking back down production row when I made a discovery. Let's just say that it had something to do with a fence not being closed and was in an adjoining area to back stage. It was right off the road for all to see but I guess no one else noticed it. I walked in just to see how far I could get. I had no intention of getting very far or anything. This was simply an experiment to see if there really was a gap in the system. There was.

Realizing I had no laminates or credentials other than my volunteer wrist band, I had to make myself blend in. I was ready to be confronted and removed at any time and was ready to leave willingly and not cause any static. It didn't happen. I called a friend on my cell phone and proceeded to make myself look busy by looking down at the ground, talking and not attracting any attention to myself. It worked. Before I knew it, I was standing in the backstage area observing the hoopla.

I stood behind a small lighting rig next to some people in a golf cart, stayed on my cell phone and simply watched the action. The comedian Lewis Black was a few feet away and so was the legendary John Paul Jones. Unfortunately Stew, Andy and Sting were in the dressing rooms by this time. They were having people come in and say hi but you needed a special laminate for that of course. I didn't bother anyone, nor did I push it any further to try and meet them. After about 5 minutes I left.

Before I re-joined Dive and GSC back infront of the stage, I asked the artist relations person (down the road) if The Police were staying after the show. She told me they were not, and that they were leaving via escort immediately following the show. After the show I confirmed this by asking a friend on street patrol. They drove in, ate dinner, played the show, and drove right out. Damn. Had they stayed I am sure Stew would have come out and maybe signed DM's flag (under a pseudo-name so no one would steal it at a future show!). At least we got the thumbs up on the flag and that was really nice of Stew to notice.

Read next post for show review...

[Divemistress of the Dark]

(meantime, CP is gone for *ages* and Gina and I are convinced that he's met Stew and is backstage hobnobbing...failing all this, we are eventually gratified to hear Stewart liked the flag...)

[Hannaha]

Official thumbs up for the flag - LOVE IT!
DirtyMartini is going to go all funny in her belly when she hears this!

[policerule]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! KICK ASS STORY!

i would have been shitting my pants backstage... (just an expression of course) seems like you held it together pretty well!

that's awesome that he saw the flag... maybe someone could bring it to another show to try to have it signed for DM? do you have a picture of the flag that we all could see?

[sockii]

Very cool, cpriddims! Looking forward to the rest of your report.

[kimmy]

WOW!!!

How exciting is that then?

Cpriddims I'm very impressed you kept it together though.... I think I might have just gone all girlie and silly...

Have you come down from floating yet then?

And for DM she'll love it that Stewart loved the flag.......

Well he's going to see it loads more isn't he.......

I wonder if he's checking out who's got it next?

Kim

[Hannaha]

He's going to see that flag so much over the next few months he may come to dread it - "Oh god - those mentalists from the forum are in the audience again, they'll be bitching about us not playing Bring On The Night..."

[policerule]

geez... guess i missed the flag conversations... i didn't even know it exsisted! is that the plan then... to pass it on to different people at the shows?

[jeffdaweasel]

Freakin' AWESOME story. Nicely done.

[DirtyMartini]

I can't decide if WHOO-HOOOOO, BLOODY HELL, or MWUHAHAHAHA is more appropriate in this situation. So I'm shouting out all three to you, my friend!

SO COOL (and serendipitous!) that you had volunteer privileges, CP! Although can you explain what you mean by "jolting body motion"? Did the brightness of the green send him into a seizure or something? (In which case, forgive me, Stewart.)


Hannah, we are so going to look like stalkers. Loyal and loving stalkers, but stalkers nonetheless.


[quote="policerule"]maybe someone could bring it to another show to try to have it signed for DM? do you have a picture of the flag that we all could see?[/quote]

Actually, PR, we're hoping for the reverse: to get SC.netters to sign it for Stewart. It's following the tour, doing a modified tour of its own.

(After I'm done slogging for work, I'll bump the flag thread and go back to re-figuring the flag schedule.)

Picture of flag before it started to travel: http://tinyurl.com/23urjh


Thank you, CP!
Thank you, Stewart!

[Rusty James]

cpriddims, thanks for the great tidbits. Two thumbs up from the man?! Awesome
There's nothing like praise from Caesar

[DirtyMartini]

[quote="caligula"]There's nothing like praise from Caesar [/quote]

High praise coming from Caligula.


This is shaping up to be the weirdest summer ever.

[BongoBoy]

I wonder if Stewart has come here and figured out it was HIS PEOPLE ?!

You guys/Gals are doing a great job, I know it's a lot of work.

Cheers and Thanks.

[Rusty James]

[quote="DirtyMartiniThis is shaping up to be the weirdest summer ever.[/quote]

It sure as hell is and summer hasn't started yet!
Great to have you back in the forum DM, give us ALL the details of your travels

[Spec A!]

Wow what an awesome story!!! That is sooo very freakin cool you got that close, and actually got some recognition! STEWART IS THE MAN!!!!

(Thanks Stewart for staying ever so humble and still keeping in touch with us, even in these little ways!!!)


I have to admit I've had my little fantasies of having Stewart bring me on stage next week after seeing me wave the flag from the 8th row in Houston!!! I know it's a pipe dream, but I'm hoping he'll see it!!

STEWART! Are you reading this?!?!