My
sister Valerie was with me again at this concert. We had actually made plans for
this show way before we bought tickets for the one in Virginia Beach back in
June! Thanks to the "inner circle" club that Meadowbrook Farm offers,
I was able to buy tickets early, and we were in the front row, between JY and
Tommy! I never take front row for granted and I am amazed every time! We got
there and saw Fiona and Erin on the end of the front row, and then Sandy and Tom
came to fill in a couple of the seats between us. Karen, we missed you!!
None of us knew for certain before we got to the show who would be playing first, Styx or REO Speedwagon, since they co-headline their shows together and alternate who plays first. When we arrived and saw Styx's stage set up in front, we knew they were playing first, and this did not sit well with the people I was talking to! Even though the band performs the same show whether they are first or last (supposedly - they did end up playing a shorter set for whatever reason), it's nicer when they play last. For one thing, the crowd in general, those who aren't there specifically to see one band or the other, usually has more of a response to the second band. Part of it may be that most people are used to whoever plays last being the bigger act, but I also think that it is because, for some reason, it's harder to really get into an evening show when it's still light. When it gets dark, the lighting on stage is more dramatic, and the whole vibe is just a little different. Valerie thought we were getting a little more agitated about it than the situation really called for, but what can I say? We're spoiled!
The stage at Meadowbrook Farm is about six feet off the ground, so rushing the stage is not that great an option unless you're in the NBA. The security staff didn't allow that anyway, making everybody stay pretty much at their seats. Like in Vermont, they also allowed people to cross in front of the front row, but with the stage so high, I really didn't notice much, and it never turned into a steady stream of people. I had been here earlier in the year for another show (not Styx - GASP!) and they tried to make us stay sitting down through the whole show. Good thing they didn't try that at this show - maybe once everyone in the front row from me down to the end all stood up, the staff figured it would be pointless to try and make us all sit down!