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by PMS*red
by LAWTON
by NOTICKETDONNA
by PADRE_RALPH
by LULUWALLS

An Awesome Weekend That Started Well & Just Kept Getting Better!!

I drove the six hours to Kalamazoo in anticipation of seeing JP once again and also of meeting Reeda and several others for the first time. Wow was it worth it!!

Hello to Lawton and Lightnin' head, Mike and Pam, Crusher and Ed, Donna and the man toy that I never met because he was so exhausted from the night before and of course to Reeda, Terry and Kathy47 and her husband, (Tom I think). I want to say that when I met Reeda at the restaurant she was at a table full of people and it was her husband Terry that I recognised first. He is a gentleman and a real decent guy. Reeda was all I expected and more. Reeda has short red hair that is stylishly cut and is quite an attractive woman. She has this glint in her eye that says she is so full of fun and mischief. She is a party animal with a sense of humour and sense of decency, that portrays the real Reeda. She is warm, friendly, caring and so easy going. I felt like I had known her for a long, long time. She
is who she is in her postings.

I can not remember being made to feel so welcome and at home by complete strangers, and in a different country at that. As a Canadian I have always enjoyed living next door to the USA. It gives me comfort to know that anyone wanting to attack Canada would have to
take on the USA first. Many people around the world have nothing good to say about the USA, but I have nothing but good to say about my new friends. If the world could only meet people like Lawton, Lightnin' head, Mike, Pam, Crusher, Ed, Terry, Reeda, Kathy47, the world would see the kind of people that make the USA what it is, a great country. I was embraced and cared for by these people in a way that warmed my cold Canadian heart. Thanks to everyone of you for welcoming me and making my weekend a great experience.

So I met these great people and we eventually headed over to the venue to see JP. I had a pretty good seat and as I settled in, a couple of young women sat beside me (Reeda has pictures). They had been given tickets and had never even heard of JP until the day before the show. We talked a little and I did all I could to fill them in with JP knowledge. They mentioned going to the internet to see who JP was and they found the JP shrine. They said there was some cool webmistress, I asked if they wanted to meet her and they
said yes. I took them to see Reeda and they had a blast. By the end of the show they were die hard fans!

Greg Trooper opened for JP in Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor and if you haven't heard of this guy, well get to see him or hear him. I bought his Straight Down Rain CD I was so impressed. He is a talented hard playing give you all he has talent. He reminded me of a young JP. He gave us his energy and allowed us to see into his soul as he played his songs for us. I was blown away by him. I met him after the show and as we talked for a few minutes he struck me as a down to earth solid guy. The next night in Ann Arbor I bought his CD and walked over to have him autograph it he looked up and said "you were there last night". We talked a little more and I was surprised that he would remember one fan out of so many that he had met the night before and in the midst of so many more surrounding him. Greg Trooper is a solid performer/talent with a great sense of humour. Oh Julie Miller sings harmony vocals on Real Like That which is an awesome song on the CD and Dave Jacques plays bass on several cuts as well.

JP hit the stage after a short intermission and played for almost two hours. The venue was HOT and no air conditioning! Everyone was sweating and JP was obviously uncomfortable. The sweat rolled off him and he was mopping up between every song. He said later he
thought the lights were singing his hair! He played many of the old favourites, as well as two unrecorded songs, Other Side of Town, and another he did not give the title to. He also played Bear Creek by the Carter Family. The show was well performed and JP delivered a great performance to a crowd that was obviously rowdy and wanted some of his soul. JP bantered with the crowd and when he talked between songs people would shout from the crowd and one fellow told JP to tell us the story behind the song, this after JP said that there are usually stories behind his songs! So JP said there were three stories behind the song and he would tell us the second story, he did and then said he would tell us the third story, and he did, then said he would not tell us the first story, he launched into Fish and Whistle and played the rest of the night away.

After the show was over I met up with Reeda and the crew outside the venue. We were standing there and John's tour manager came out and called Reeda, Kathy47, and Crusher over and said JP wanted to see them! Dave Jacques came outside as did Jason Wilber and I went over to Dave and said that Leonard said hello. I said Leonard Hogg from Winnipeg, he said ya the guy that knows Skip from Nashville. I was floored, Dave remembered Leonard from the Thunder Bay show last year. Now Leonard that is something, you must have made a real impression on him. Reeda, Kathy47 and Crusher were in with JP for about 40 minutes and then the manager came out and allowed me in to see JP. As I got up to the table he was sitting at he started talking to me and I told him I was from Canada and he said, "hey I got a secret to tell you". I crouched down beside the table and he told me about being in Saskatchewan a little while before, and how he had no change for a parking meter so he put a token from Chuck E. Cheese in the meter and it worked. He thought this was a real blast and I found myself laughing along with him. He looked me in the eye and said you know Chuck E. Cheese don't ya, the place you take your kids to. I told him I knew of the place and would have to get some of the tokens. We talked for a little while longer and Reeda took my picture with him and then with a couple of young women as well and JP. Now no matter what Reeda says nothing happened with the young women, nothing and I went back to my hotel alone. I was once again struck with what a gentleman JP is in every way. He was in no rush to say good bye or move me along he was interested in what I had to say and I felt that he was honest in his responses. I was glad to have met him again.

The next day, Saturday I got up and made my way to the house of Lawton. He met me as he was loading hi struck with band gear to take to the camp ground. He welcomed me into his house and wanted to feed and water me. He is such a gentleman. Later we headed out to the campground and met up with Reeda, Terry, Kathy47, Lightnin'head, Crusher, Ed, another Ed, Mona, the Rainbow Farm crew, Donna and so many more that I can not remember all their names. The hog was roasting and everyone was drinking Kathy47's homemade wine. I had a taste and it was very good wine. Seriously the wine was excellent and she makes it from berries and peaches. The peach was two years old and more like brandy! The party was just getting going when I had to leave to make it over to Ann Arbor for the next JP concert. I reluctantly said goodbye to my new friends and headed down the road.

I found the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor easily and had an hour an half to wait for the show so I walked around the town which is a pretty nice place. When the doors opened I found my awesome seat, main floor, center, eight rows back. Sitting in front of me was a woman about my age who was obviously there by herself just like me. We started chatting and she told me she had not seen JP since 1973. Paula if you are reading this I should have gone out with you for a beer after! Anyway she was a delightful person I enjoyed getting to know a little. Greg Trooper came on and I noticed that he looked a little livelier, and then it hit me, this venue has air conditioning and it works! It was nice and cool and I was very comfortable. Greg played and knocked my socks off again.

I got my socks back on just in time for JP to hit the stage and he was really rocking! He seemed full of energy and it did not let up for one second throughout the entire show. He played his Martin, Gibson (I think it was a Gibson), and his Fender Strat all night long and he didn't stop until 2320 (1120 pm). His aunt was there and he must have forgot to get her tickets or something because he apologized to her twice and said not to tell his mom or she would skin him alive! He engaged the crowd which was far quieter than Kalamazoo. The energy he gave us was high and he was moving well with the dancing leg just a bouncing all over the place on several songs. In Kalamazoo he had the dancing leg going only a couple of times. The version of Bear Creek had everyone just jumping in their seats. He rocked us and moved us like I had not seen him in several years, well since Buffalo in November 2000. For the encore he played Please Don't Bury Me and everyone was singing along. Then he played Illegal Smile and turned it into a sing along for us and we did not disappoint him. His smile light the whole place up. There is something about JP's smile that is contagious. Any way he then invited Greg Trooper on to the stage for Paradise. Now he invited Greg onto the stage for Paradise the night before, and he did a good job with JP, but tonight when he sang his verse he did it with such enthusiasm and energy. I watched JP watching Greg and the smile was huge. I found myself wondering how JP must feel watching someone sing his song with passion and energy. I believe JP must have been proud. Anyway it was all over way to soon and I hit the road for the long drive home.

I drove through a couple of fierce storms and was wondering how my friends back the camp ground were doing.

Reeda took many pictures and said she would be posting them in the shrine, remember that nothing happened with the young ladies despite what Reeda says! Reeda you behave now.

©2002 Ralph E. Hale