Summer 1996
Return to Paradise
Dallas July 4th 1996
| This was my first Styx concert. What a day. This concert had not only Styx and Kansas but Blue Oyster Cult too. As I said before I won the tickets and Backstage passes from the website. When I got to the Starplex, I went to the ticket booth to get my tickets only to find that They weren't there...yet, or so I hoped. I met a lot of really nice people standing in that line for an hour, or two. But finally they arrived. The tickets they gave me were row T, I had better, row J so I gave those tickets to my two friends I had brought along. |
| Then I went in to find out when the meet and greet would be. I had never been backstage before at any concert so I didn't know exactly how it worked. Anyway, after some tense moments I found out the info. My contact took me personally backstage. I didn't wait in the line. He brought me where the band was hanging out, and started introducing me around. That is where I meet JY and Chuck for the first time. I did see Tommy but i was brought into the meet and great room before I got to meet him...bummer. Anyway then we had the M&G. It worked the same as all of them, us the fans in a Line they the band behind the table. | 
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| I don't remember all the things I said, but I do remember telling Dennis I couldn't wait to hear Hunckback, Telling JY I loved the JYG Raised by Wolves, and Todd that he was a wonderful artist with the stick figures. Of course Tommy was the one I wanted to meet most. I told him I was Lockgen from on-line, (this was during the WesMntgmry screen name) and he seemed to know me. Keith mentioned I had won the quiz and that seemed to impress him (they were not easy). |
| But I got my Autographs and moved on. Now at this show the Meet and Greet was before the show. So I had yet to see them on stage. Kinda weird that the first time to be close to them was Backstage. Of course the show was everything I could have wanted. The really cool thing though was since this was the 4th of July, there were fireworks during Best of Times. It was really cool to listen to that song and watch it. Seemed very appropriate. Well after the show I meet up with my on-line friends and started off to Houston... | 
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Houston July 5th
| The Woodlands area around Houston is Beautiful. We got into town about noon, got a hotel went to the mall for a while then headed to the Woodlands arena. We had found out that before the show Styx Management would release all the tickets they didn't use for resale. Well, we told the ticket agent this (I don't think she believed us) But we made a deal with her that we would stay out of the line, and the way, till the tickets showed up but she would work with us to get the tickets when they did. About 15 mins after the doors opened Shawna showed up with the tickets. The ticket lady motioned us up and we got the first set of those FRONT ROW tickets. The tickets were right in front of Tommy too. |
Oklahoma City July 25th
| This concert was a General Admission show so we started camping out in line about noon. We were the second group in line. When the gates opened we ran down to the front and got the front row, same position as Houston, Right in front of Tommy. Unfortunately at this venue there were barriers and the band was pretty far back on the stage but we were still in front with a great view. This was about a week after John's death so I wasn't sure what would happen. If there was any difference in the performance it was there was more intensity. They had dug deep into there souls in their tribute to their friend. When they did Show Me The Way, in tribute I brought out my White candle to show them they weren't alone in their grief. | 
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Ames, Iowa Sept. 14th
| I hadn't planned on going to another show but my friends, Judy and Steph, invited me to go with them to Iowa the day before the show. I decided to go. I drove to Kansas then hooked up with them,and we drove to Iowa. We found a hotel and started to go to the venue. I had forgotten something and while going though the lobby saw the Members of Kansas. I told them we would see them at the show and hurried back to the car and told everyone. We all went back into the hotel for....coughdrops yah we needed coughdrops at the little store they were all in. We all took a good view (gotta love David Ragsdale) and went back to the car. When we got there I could only get row 18, But Oh well I had seen the show from up close. This was an indoor show which made the lighting even better, not to mention the heat. The show was great. |
| Afterwards we found out where the backstage area was and went to stand in line. Judy, Steph and Judy's kids had backstage passes. I didn't, but I was hoping. Keith came out and by now he knew us. So he came over and we started talking. Their was a guy that tried to bribe Keith to go Backstage but Keith turned him down flat. As the people were going in Keith was behind a glass window and I motioned to ask if I could go back and he nodded and told the guard to let me though. Keith is so cool!! When the guys came in Dennis wasn't with them, but boy were they in a good mood. JY remembered me and pointed across the room, and when Tommy saw my Hallucination CD cover he started telling, and showing Todd how they stuck his Picture on top of Jacks brother. Everyone was joking and having fun. I was very glad I had decided to go to this one last show this summer. It ended it just right. | 
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