Close Encounters of the MLE Kind

Okay, we got to the vineyard about 2:00 with hopes that we would be able to catch MLE on her way in to the venue and have her sign my 12 string but it was all blocked off and no fans were allowed behind the scenes. So we went ahead into the group that was collecting for the GA sections. It started to pour rain so we went inside the Wine Shop, bought a few bottles and headed back to the car to rest, drink a little wine, and get ready for the show. The rain kept on coming down and it just would get heavier as time went on. We headed to the venue, not properly dressed for rain because the weather said sun (yep, they were wrong!) and found our way to the will call table. They sent us through the venue to the other side to pick up the MEIN tickets. So we walked through the venue to go get the tickets. I found the MEIN ticket area and picked up my tickets, FRONT ROW, CENTER the best seats in the house! Unbelievable!

I went back and found my concert date and shared the info with her, she just about freaked out! So, we realized that we had just over an hour until the show and we were trying to figure out what we were going to do next. Rachel, my concert date, said that she saw MLE's crew walking to the stage with bags of clothes for her and the band because of the rain. So we stopped one of the stage hands (Kenny, we will call him Kenny-sh because he comes up later in the story as well as Kenny the drummer!)

So, we started to talk to Kenny-sh and asked if he could help us out with getting the guitar signed. He said he would see what he could do and talk to Trace. He asked where we were sitting and said he would find us. We went off to our seats and started to watch the setting up process. Kenny-sh walked by and said he hadn't had a chance to talk to Trace but he hadn't forgotten. He came by about 10 minutes later and said the with the rain and a private reception MLE was beyond crazy trying to get ready for the show. He apologized profusely and said to find him after the show and he would hook me up with a goodie.

Did I say that the show was outside and the roof over the stage stopped at the second row (keep in mind that the rain in the Pacific Northwest comes down sideways- so the roof didn't really help out MLE and the band.) Just before the show started Kenny-sh came up to us again and said "I just feel so bad that I couldn't help you out, here are a couple of little things for you." He gave us each used MLE picks and walked away.

Garrison Starr came out first, she really is good, and performed her set. The last song Kenny, Mark, and James came out and sat on the wet stage and played with her. I was admiring Kenny's abilities and he saw me watching him. He gave me this great big smile and winked. After the song they all got up and as they were walking off stage Kenny waved at me and winked again.

Then MLE came on, walked right next to us and gave us a little love. I brought my SPK TRU liscence plate and a sign that said "Pick for a plate?" (And I met the person who had SPKTRU from Washington and told her that MLE collected them. She went and grabbed her plate off her truck and brought it back to the venue to give to her.)

During the second song I grabbed my plate, Rachel grabbed the sign and we were just holding them as we were dancing. MLE saw them and started laughing at us. She was still performing and thinking about how she was going to get the plate. She was looking up, with that "I am thinking really hard" look, and looked at me with that great smile and nodded her head. Through out the first seven or so songs she kept on looking over at me wanting that plate but also being really careful where she was walking because the stage was soaking wet and after every song all of the crew had to come out on their knees and dry the stage.

Finally, when the band left and she was going to perform her solo part she said "Oh, I can't stand it anymore." She walked up to me, said "Trade" and gave me the pick from the first 7 songs and we started talking. I put a song request on the back so Rachel and I were saying to her to "read the back," then the woman from WA came up to her with her plate and gave it to her. She read the back, called me clever because I knew that she wanted the plate and even wrote her a note.

So, she read the note and started to play my song request, which was "Watching You". She said to me "For you you, by request and for giving me the SPK TRU plate from Oregon!" She was joking around with me asking if we knew each other, my response was "We are friends now" she asked how I would have reacted if I saw the WA plate while I was on the road, ...she just kept on going with the comments. I was pretty sure at that point that there wasn't anyone else there!

She realized that she couldn't remember the words and asked Trace for the song book. So, she played the song looked at me and I thanked her, she smiled and winked and welcomed James to the stage. After "The Angels" she started to walk to the piano. She turned around, looked at me and threw the pick that she used to play my song. No one else saw this but it landed far away from me. I couldn't find it and was looking all over. I checked the stage and couldn't find it. I was skimming the ground and spotted it about 10 seats away from me, right in front of another person. I walked over, bent down and as I was picking it up she and her friends realized what I was doing and reached out for it but I got it and walked back.

I forgot to mention that Kenny kept the communication lines open with me throughout the show as well. He kept on waving to me, smiling, winking and playing his heart out. At one point we were talking, good thing we can both read lips, and I asked him if I could have a stick. He said yes!

The place went wild during the second half of the show. The rain was pouring, everyone was soaking wet, and just didn't care. People wanted to rush the stage, but security kept on pushing everyone back. I told them that I was in the front row, and the security that had been sitting there the whole time told the others to leave me alone. They tried to push everyone back, it didn't work, but there was a lot of talking going on. After the show, I heard that someone separated her shoulder in the mob. It was so crazy there that I lost all inhibition and started singing along. I couldn't help it!.

MLE kept on with the nonverbal communication throughout the show! I loved it! So, at the end of the show Kenny came up to me and handed me a stick (Yippee!) and we were waiting around for the mob to clear away and stop trying to steal my stick. I told Rachel that I really wanted a set list so I was patiently waiting for the group to clear out and at the same time Kenny-sh came up to me with a stick wrapped up in a set list. And Trace came up and handed me his pick too! So, I left with 4 picks, 2 sticks, a personal song, a set list, and MLE's water bottle!