1992: As soon as the next fan club magazine came out, I began to get floods of mail from other Moody fans! Wow was that interesting. They started sending articles, pictures, you name it. Stories about the band came in. I found other friends in the Bay Area and started having get togethers with them. In fact, since I lived in Hayward, California, I really started getting overwhelmed! Lots of people wanted the post mark it seemed. I had just started a Master’s program in Psychology at Cal State Hayward in the Fall of 1991, and thinking back, I don’t know how I did it. My son was not doing his homework either, and was turning out to be pretty lazy in fact. The teachers in California were horrible. Thinking back on it, I wasn’t being a very good pen pal, parent OR student at the time. Not to mention, I was trying to work part-time jobs, and find decent day care (absolutely impossible if you must know).

But I WAS HOOKED. The Moodies had me on a line just like a fish!

I decided the next show I should see was in Portland, which is where my brother and his family live. Besides, it would be good for Stephan to see his cousins, he was an only child, and I have strong feelings about kids growing up solo. So we drove up and Stephan stayed with his Uncle’s clan while I saw the Moodies at the Schnitz, March 24.

I slunk down earlier that day, and watched the roadies unload the trucks. Naturally I didn’t see any band members. But I did see some managers in the lobby, looking up at the beautiful vintage ceiling and décor in the lobby inside. The Moodies doing The Schnitz was one of their first "vintage theatre" shows as I recall, and apparently they like it as they have been back to this venue not once but several times since. Downtown Portland was a treat for me too, having never been there. I met one of my first pen pals too, a gal named Carol Hubbard, who turned out to be a very wacky hippy, and we had a lot of fun over the years going to Moody shows, and collecting things. Or talking about old 60’s songs. I haven’t heard from her for years.

We had tickets for the Mezzanine, which is fairly forward in the balcony, and actually a great place to see the light show in the Schnitz. It was a great show. Justin got turned on by the architecture I guess, because he was doing backbends like Buddy Holly (I kid you not, and me with no video camera!) Wow. I’ve never seen him do that before or since! I bet his back was hurting the next day too.

After the show Carol wanted to lurk and see the band come out backstage, and somehow in our travels we had picked up another gal I think (I’ve forgotten whom). There was also a gal with a funny look in her eyes, and black frizzy curly hair. She was doing "vigilance and scanning" which I found interesting. I’m starting to see things I wouldn’t have noticed before were I not studying Psychology.

Finally we figured out there was a bar inside the Heathman, and we slunk in, ordering some wine and making it last. There all stuffed into one booth were John, Paul, Ray, Gordon (I think) and Graeme. No Justin. We sat there and watched them talk to each other, and seeing if anyone would have the cajones to get up and ask for a signature. John had caught my eye a little earlier when we walked in, and it was not a friendly glance he gave me at all, in fact I almost wilted just walking past their booth. Wild horses would not have gotten me over there to bug them after a show.

It finally got too weird for me (John went over to another booth eventually, some blondes were sitting there and it might have even been his wife or daughter for all I know, I was too new to the fan club). Anyway in later years we would figure out that the Heathman next to the Schnitz indeed has tunnels under it for performers to get to their rooms with no hassle or fuss.

Justin wasn’t going to show up, so I left Carol there with our other friend, and took off for my car. I talked a long time out back with the roadies who were unloading, and one of them almost picked me up (I was tempted, but behaved). They were nice, rough edged sorts of fellows. Made me long for my college days in Theatre arts. All night strikes are quite fun, and you get pretty goofy.

Curious note: I do remember Bias coming out after this show and hob nobbing a bit with the fans. One fan told him "I liked your comments on Prodigy, Bias!" Hmmm, apparently there was a new thing your computer could read, and interact with band members with. Bias smiled and signed autographs. Later we would find that people began putting some very rude and very personal things about Bias on the Internet, and he never openly interacted with fans again after that. So remember this, I was there at the beginning and I know why they don’t talk on line very often.

March 25: apparently I hit the trail in the morning with Stephan, and we came home in one day. I don’t remember it, but I do remember similar kamikaze drives like this from Portland to my home in Hayward and sitting in the shower afterwards, hoping the floor would stop moving.

March 26: Circle Star, SF area: This show distinguished itself by being the one that the stage did not revolve for. Man was that a bummer. We looked at Graeme’s butt most of the night, but John ran back to our side more than a few times (Justin too), and the back up singers also came back there to stand. I don’t think the band was very happy about it at all either. I do remember this show Justin and Paul came out after intermission and did "Forever Autumn" I think this is actually the only show I’ve seen that done at live. The other fun thing about this show is that when they did the Dinosaur Walk, they walked right off stage and up the aisle to their dressing rooms and took an intermission.

It was actually a pretty good show, thinking back on it. Justin’s neck looks quite nice from the back. You’re right, I have odd tastes.

Afterwards, the fans were lurking behind the theatre, when a limo pulled up. (I remember leaning against a dumpster, trying to blend in, and yes still fascinated by the behavior of the fans, and observing all I could, with a professional eye). We crowded around the limo. One women, quite determined to get her photo signed (she repeatedly claimed it was for a Cancer benefit) literally leaned against the limo door, plastered her butt against the door handle (!) blocking all access unless she was spoken to. She had a funny look in her eye. She clutched her picture with a death grip, setting her jaw firmly. The limo drivers smiled. As this was playing out, the Moodies were rapidly hopping into vans at another secret door. This woman with her photo, finding she had been outflanked, went ballistic. She glared at me, said something rude when I asked what had happened. Wow was she pissed off! Off she flounced into the night. She had a lot to flounce too. Imagine having to hire a second limo to decoy the fans.

March 28: Tahoe show: I was running out of money by now, so I only did one show in Tahoe this year, and took my son along so he could play in the snow. We had a nice time too. But he’s a light weight, and finally parked himself in front of the television, happy as a clam. His freaked out, and well-hooked mother hiked off in her heels and best earrings to see the shows at Caesar’s.

I don’t remember this show at all. I do remember getting a seat at a very cute little two person table off to the left, and for many shows forever after, all during the 90’s I would try to get a chair there, because it seemed so cute and nice. I do love Tahoe, and enjoyed the drive back with my son. I think it was his first time there.

September 1992 is of course, Red Rocks, and is the first place the blue glow sticks were used for a Moody show. They were used by the on-line group, so they could find each other! It was the first sign of the Internet doing what it was supposed to do, let people find each other, and reach out. I wasn’t there, but it was televised in March 1993 so we all got to see it!