Close Encounters of the MLE Kind

So... For a long time it had been a dream of mine to be in Hawaii at the height of whale watching season...

And guess what? The universe listened! And more! :-) Thanks to my sweet friend Frank not only was I able to see my beloved humpback whales (at the height of whale watching season!), but I also got to see Melissa! OK, if that's not the perfect weekend, I don't know what is!!! :-) :-) :-)

The first thing we did was attend the sound check (very cool! It was like this little informal mini-concert!). Then we had a GREAT Q&A session with Melissa. I thought it was excellent! I was a little afraid because the questions were not screened and I was wondering if there might be someone who might act like a total goober and step over the line (you just never know!)... but that didn't happen! We had a nice group of people! Yay!!!

Here is what I remember from the Q&A Session:

Amendments :-)

More on #16 from guitargirl17: "Honestly, I was so nervous about asking my "law of attraction" question that I don't remember too much of her answer. I remember her saying that she has been waiting for someone to ask this question [all her life :-)], that she had been using the law of attraction for a long time without knowing it, like when she younger that she would imagine her audiences and [thousands of] people singing along with her while she was performing [at the bars], etc....how she went to the bookstore, with an open mind, said to the universe to show her what she needed to learn more and picked a book...to give more and be open......"

#22 - (Thanks Frank for the reminder!) Someone asked Melissa if she collected any entertainment memorabilia (of artist(s) she admires). At first she misunderstood the question and was telling us that for a while she collected railroad playing cards... until one day she realized she had way too many and decided it was enough :-)

As far as entertainment memorabilia, she bought a scarf and some beads that belonged to Janis Joplin (thanks Leavenworth Girl!). She told us the story (thanks guitargirl17!) about the Janis fan who told her (Janis') management that she was a writer wanting to interview her for an article, all so that she could meet her. Then she caved and told Janis the truth; they hung out at the bar and Janis gave her the beads and scarf at the end of the night. Melissa said there were photos of Janis (wearing the items?) with the seller as proof of authenticity, so she trusted that they were legit and bought them. :-)

Another time (thanks Frank!) she was bidding on John Lennon's eyeglasses over the phone, and someone kept outbidding her. Long story short, she found out she had been bidding against Bono! Too funny! :-) She let him have them :-)

#1 - Bad news first: Due to the low value of the dollar, Melissa will not be touring in Europe or Australia this time. But she knows she needs to... and she wants to! It just didn't work out for this tour...

#2 - There will be no backup singers on the summer tour

#3 - What she misses most of her life pre-celebrity is being able to pick her nose while in traffic. Seriously!

#4 - She does not do voice warm-ups... she went on to explain something about starting with the mellow songs and building up... I think that's what she said

#5 - About the possibility of using an "Instant Live" type of service (where you can purchase a recording of the live show right after the concert) for the tour, she said that yes! she knew what it was and that they had actually looked into it for the last tour, but it's all about the record company, money, blah blah blah... you know... the usual crappola... but she said they haven't given up and would like to do it for this tour, so everybody, get that law of attraction cranking!

#6 - "The Gospel Of Me" became "God Is In The People". The song "The Seven Sources of Pain" (she named them... can't remember what they all were... I think greed was one of them... maybe arrogance was another?) was a bit too deep and that's why it didn't make it on the CD. There was one other song, "My Experience" that didn't make it on the CD either.

#7 - Talked about following the Acid Alkaline Balance Diet to improve health...

#8 - Also talked about taking care of/loving yourself... physical health is a reflection of how your soul is doing...

#9 - I think she said she has never really had "writer's block"...

#10 - She loves loves loves her band! :-)

#11 - She does not take for granted the (she tried to find another word but quite couldn't) admiration her fans have for her. She appreciates it and respects it.

#12 - Someone told her a story about how they were able to touch someone else's life in a positive way and it wouldn't have happened had it not been for the Melissa connection (I think they had met on a travel package...?). Melissa spoke of how it is exactly like that... we are all connected and everything we do affects others and it's like a chain reaction, so goodness starts with us and radiates... I SO believe that!

#13 - Can't remember the conversation during which this came up... maybe when someone asked her about giving her time for different causes, etc... she mentioned that Tammy had talked about these children in Haiti who have nothing and are literally eating dirt :-( Then she said that Tammy is that kind of mom "Eat your dinner, there are children in Haiti eating dirt"... that was cute...

#14 - She does NOT like all those bra throwing, boob showing shenanigans... but we knew that already!

#15 - Asked what is the most thrilling thing she has done (by a couple of ladies who had just had theirs - skydiving) she said that she did not need any of that, because the thrill she gets from performing in front of thousands of people is enough. She talked about that feeling she gets when she first walks on the stage and how that is the always the most thrilling moment for her.

#16 - She knows the law of attraction works. She knew she wanted to use her music for something big, to help with something at a larger scale AND she wanted an Oscar... and guess what? Darn skippy! It all happened!

#17 - There's not enough STILLNESS...

#18 - She was in Hawaii for a corporate gig (for AVAYA)... they paid for her and the band to go, so they worked out a concert

#19 - The sitcom thing is not happening... it was an idea to stay closer to home... but contrary to what we heard via the media, she just had some very preliminary talks...

#20 - The funniest thing she's ever seen fans do was when these folks built a window with curtains and all and waved it during the concert. I remember this! It was in one of the Chicago shows in 2006 :-)

#21 - She talked about Bailey loving WICKED. While telling the story, she said that Bailey had asked her "who is that lady with the gray hair and the red shirt?" and Melissa told her that is Mare, a fan who always wears a red t-shirt, so she's easily recognized. So Bailey told her that she wanted to do just like Mare and wear the same thing so the WICKED actress can recognize her... OK, how CUTE is that!!!??? :-)

I couldn't believe it, but NOBODY ASKED ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM! Ack!

The concert was awesome, of course! I had a perfect spot right in front of Melissa at the stage (so I gave myself the "water girl" job ;-)... however, that didn't last too long, because security sent us back to our seats and actually kept making people sit down throughout the show... I couldn't believe it!!! Again I gotta thank Frank, 'cause it was because of his backup plan that we had second row seats on the right by the aisle, which allowed me to stand during the concert without blocking anybody's view, so security didn't bug me... yay! :-)

I asked Melissa if I could have her pick during the encore, and she gave it to me :-) I also asked Fritz for a stick before he left the stage, and I got that as well (well, he had to throw me a second one 'cause SOMEONE almost killed me over the first one Fritz threw my way... :-)

I will post/link reviews of the show as they appear... Also, there was no photo restriction, so there will be gazillions of photos, just you wait and see! :-) I will also link to those as they come up! :-)

PattyAK already has shared some on Marnie's site (thanks you two!). Go check them out! :-)

As if the whole Melissa experience wasn't enough, I was blessed with spending a whole day with my #1 love - the beautiful humpback whales. Words truly cannot express what I feel when in the presence of these gentle giants...

So... I'll let my whale watching photos and these videos speak for themselves:

Pec Slap - Mother and Calf

Mugged by a Yearling 1 :-)

Mugged by a Yearling 2 :-)

Competition Pod - 5 fluke up dives! WOW!

Alrighty then! Until next time... ;-)

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