Greetings....still from wine country!!

Hey everyone, absofreakinlutely FABULOUS day.....I have so much to tell and not sure anyone wants to actually hear my babble....but the concert was incredible...all the artists were so great, it was pretty much a perfect day.

Joe dint play his own set though, which we were expecting...instead, he jumped on stage to play two different times with the Doobie Brothers...but that was FAB as well!! And he was smiling, laughing, gettin into the groove....looked like he had a great time!! I got some really good photos, after I get home tomorrow will post them up. Here's a hint...Joe DINT wear his sunglasses on stage!! It was GREAT!! LOVED seeing the expressions on his face as he played...and when he was announced, he brought the house down!!

SCOTTY!!!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! *wink wink*....it'll be in the mail to ya on Tuesday...no pick though...but we DID get to stand and chat with Mike Manning for a bit while waiting in line to get into the venue....he's a really nice and funny guy!!

And yes, we managed to get a chance to say HEY to Joe in person, after the show was over...he was as sweet as ever, signed a picture for us to send to Scott and took a picture with us...he was in a hurry though and had to go but hey, we got a chance to connect again and what could be better!!

As to the rest of this most marvelous day....the winery is so gorgeous, especially at this time of year...the weather was perfect. Lisa Loeb came on first and my goodness, she was a surprise!! That girl can sing beautifully and PLAY!! She's great and was sooooo funny! At one point, the wind blew the back of her dress wayyyy up...so she called for some duct tape, made a big ball of it and taped her dress to her butt!! It was so funny! GREAT singer! I gotta get a cd....

The Turtles were just absolutely classic, and so freakin funny! Loved them! They pretended they were all these different groups throughout the 70's and 80's and did this compilation song from the different groups...so hilarious! Then came Little Feat, great, Loggins & Messina, great, Taj Mahal, great, and the Doobie Brothers, great!! Of course, Joe....GREAT!!

At the very end all the artists came back out on stage for a final jam to one of the Doobie's songs...we were all singing along at the top of our lungs, dancing on the grass..it was sorta magical! Or well, it woulda been cept for all the peeps who were falling down from having had too much wine...guess that's what happens when you have yer concert in a winery!! And no, I dint fall down even once....

All in all, a day to remember....and to go back again next year fer sure...

I interrupt our regulary scheduled banter to say that not only is Tracie the bomb, she's the whole bloomin' arsenal!

: )

Hope you took lotsa pictures!

Trutina:I applaud the guts that took to come here & spill it out, it shows you care enough for the T2J site to try & put things straight, however, i do question if you are able to do that here, where else have you been at it? I know people who are pushing up daisys for a lesser crime.I wish you peace of mind & a brighter future friend

Zenfish:Balance...Unscientific versus Mechanical,an ability to combine the 2 in harmony, always walking the centre line, those that find it are pioneer like

Captain:Aye skipper,that he does

Powerslave, I'm sure one of the production hard-tail JS's was done with a natural finish, but, as far as I know, none of the JS1000's.

Powerslave214...should be easy to find with a google...yes?

dakook...thank you...

cheese101...sounds like a great time...thanks for the update...looking forward to the pics!

Good morning Satchland !

Q&A: NIKKI SIXX

Part One

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - It is 2:30 in the afternoon and Motley Crue bass player Nikki Sixx is just getting up. He lights his first cigarette of the day. Telephones are ringing in the background.

Sixx says that, in general, his life is loud, though he is not complaining. In fact, he is psyched that Motley Crue's comeback tour is proving scores of rock 'n' roll naysayers wrong by grossing $19 million through the first half of the year, according to Billboard Boxscore. In addition, a new two-disc greatest-hits collection, "Red, White & Crue" (Motley/Beyond), has reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200, selling 425,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Though Motley Crue has had its share of lineup changes, drug scares and scandals in its almost 25-year career, the act is demonstrating that it has a strong business sense.

The current tour -- which features original members Sixx, vocalist Vince Neil, guitarist Mick Mars and drummer Tommy Lee -- was so popular in its first leg this spring that the group announced an additional 57 North American arena and amphitheater dates. That brings its number of tour stops this year domestically and abroad to more than 100.

Sixx says music fans want shows featuring more theatricality, which Motley Crue delivers with a circus-tent set, pyrotechnics galore, a fire-breathing midget and aerialists, on top of such hits as "Girls Girls Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood."

The shows have spawned a two-disc, high-definition DVD set, "Carnival of Sins," due October 25 from Clear Channel/Ventura. It will be the band's first DVD with its original lineup.

Q: Why did the band come together for the reunion tour?

A: Over five years ago, we said, "We've been doing this for a long time. Let's just take a break." It was time to get everybody's schedules cleared and get back to the mother ship, so to speak. ... The core of it was, we either want to do it or we don't want to do it. Once we got to that place, it sort of took on a life of its own.

Q: Did you expect the tour to be so successful?

A: None of us had a crystal ball. We knew the band would have an insane show. When tickets went on sale, would it be 1,000 or 2,000 people, or the numbers that it ended up being? We didn't know. We were blown away. I forget what the first date was, but Madison Square Garden was one of the earlier ones. The band's never been over-the-top huge on the East Coast, and some of those first shows went clean (sold out) in a very short amount of time.

Q: What did you do when promoters originally were not interested?

A: A lot of the promoters didn't jump onboard. We rented the buildings ourselves. So, later, when they wanted us to come back, we said, "Well, it's going to cost you, because we just made all the money and why would we give any to you now?"

Q&A: NIKKI SIXX

Part TWO

Q: What has changed in the industry since you last toured as a band?

A: One of the first things I noticed is, all the people that were hired on as our crew or (for) the overall project said, "Oh, my God, I've been so bored for the last 10 years. I am so excited to be on a Motley Crue tour." We were like, "What do you mean?" They were like, "Dude, we've been out doing these safe tours." We met with pyro companies and said, "OK, we want to blow the bass player up, we want the drummer to fly, drums to explode in the air," and everybody is like, "Thank you." We're like, "What are you talking about?" They go, "Well, you know, the last 10 years we've been doing tours, and for the grand finale bands would say, 'OK, we want some sparks.' You guys in one song have more than 10 bands have in their show."

Q: When did you decide to do a DVD based on the tour?

A: We knew once we got out on the road and people said it's one of the best rock shows they've ever seen that it was something that needed to be documented.

Q: How involved were you in the creative process for the

DVD?

A: We're involved in everything, all the way down to what our luggage tags look like. We drive people crazy. We are so thorough.

Q: What's going on with the movie based on the band bio "The Dirt?"

A: We had David Fincher ("Seven," "Fight Club," "Panic Room") to be the director, but Paramount needed him to do a very huge movie and wanted us to wait. In the meantime, we are now meeting with other directors. It will get made, and it will get made right. The project has to be gritty. It's going to be like "Goodfellas," the feeling of "Layer Cake." It's going to have an underbelly to it.

Q: What's next for the band?

mikesb...seeig though Greg has tried some of my arsenal...I can't wait for him to check teh JS 10th Chromeboy out...!

Push Americans to cut energy use

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With U.S. heating fuel bills expected to soar this winter, the Bush administration on Monday will unveil a national campaign to show households, businesses and the federal government how to save energy and reduce their heating expenses.

The government has warned Americans to get ready for higher heating fuel bills this winter, due in part to the shutdown of oil refineries and natural gas processing plants and the disruption in oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

For consumers who warm their homes with natural gas, their winter costs would be 52 percent higher nationally from last year, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The Energy Department's analytical arm forecast heating oil expenses would rise 34 percent and electricity bills would be up 11 percent.

U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and the Alliance to Save Energy consumer group will announce a joint program on Monday to encourage Americans to cut back their energy usage and shave their heating bills.

In three new radio public service announcements, Bodman will convey the message that consumers "have the power" to manage their energy bills and use energy efficiency to ease "the pinch of high energy prices." The ads cover home heating, gasoline and the purchase of energy-efficient appliances with the ENERGY STAR label.

cuthbert1776

How was the concert?

How were your seats / like the Star Plaza?