SHOW IN TAMPA

I slept well on the bus, it was a short ride up I-75. I rolled out of my bunk, dressed and made my way into familiar territory- I have been here many times, both on tour and as a visitor to other concerts. It used to be called the "Ice Palace," but was now called the "St. Pete Times Forum." It was still in Tampa, however. I am confused.

I strolled in and saw a few familiar faces on the local crew- namely Brenda, the Crew Steward. I said hello to a few friends, checked on my lighting crew and made my way to catering for coffee and breakfast.

I headed to the stage and did my focuses; it was still taking longer than I had hoped to get the rig up and trimmed. Finally, it was up, but it was already 2 PM. Load in would definitely have to pick up.

I made several calls to friends making sure if they were coming or not. My Guest List was up to 38 people! Many were confused as to where the "St. Pete Times Forum" was located. St. Pete? No, I explained. One of the girls from my local bar in Deltona, the Sandbar, called and said that her ride backed out on her and she wasn't coming. 3 tickets off the list. I spoke to Brian Johnson, he was definitely coming. I had spoken to Brian a few days earlier, and I expressed to him that the Scorpions wanted him to sing "Hurricane" with them on stage. Shortly after our conversation, I went to the band and expressed Brian's desire to sing "Hurricane" with them on stage. While I wasn't completely truthful, it still worked. Brian was going to hit the stage with the Scorpions tonight! I spoke to several other friends, they all were still coming. My neighbor Pat was coming, but she called and said that her ride decided not to go so she was stuck, and didn't want to drive all the way from Deltona by herself. I thought, hey, the bartender from the Sandbar, but she had already called work and said she was going in. So, Pat decided to drive down by herself. Another catastrophe averted. The biggest surprise was my brother Jeff, who hardly comes to my shows, called and asked if he could come to the show- I was overjoyed! Of course he could come. Finally, I had my Guest List finished, all tickets and passes sorted. I was relieved. I took a shower in the dressing room and went to focus my rig and do some programming.

Focus went quick, so I had time to spend programming the show. I got a lot done, in between phone calls about tickets. The show was looking great.

Doors opened at 6 PM, and I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Friends calling, my brother was lost, as was Pat. Otie, Henry and John were on their way. Brian Johnson and his entourage's arrival was imminent. Aree was nearly there.

My brother called and was at the box office. Problem was, I had his passes in my pocket and parking for him in the backstage compound. He had already paid and parked elsewhere. He got his car and met me in the back. Unbelievably, they refunded his money! Everybody else arrived with no further problems.

I went across the street to meet some friends at a bar called Newks. I go there everytime I am here, it's a pretty cool place. I slammed a beer with several friends, found my brother and headed back to the gig. I found Otis, my pyro guy, he had come over with his wife to see me, and so she could see the show. Also, the wife of the owner of the Sandabr showed up, with her stunning daughter Jessica, who is a bartender at the bar. She had this tiny little top and tight jeans on and all my lighting crew wanted to know who she was. I did NOT introduce them...

I had my spot meeting, then I managed to wolf down a few bites of dinner. I popped into David's dressing room to say hello, and then by the bands rooms to wish them a good show as well. I raced out to the lighting desk after Dokken was finished and got ready for my show amongst a plethora of friends. The house lights went out and Whitesnake was onstage.

Right before "Here I Go Again," David blurts out to the audience, "Light 'em up, Cosmo, let's see these people!" It was really great tonight with so many of my friends around. I felt like a celebrity. The show was great, the fans rocking. It wasn't near sold out, but the volume of the crowd made up for the lack of bodies.

Whitesnake finished and I ran back to see the Scorpions. They were excited about Brian Johnson coming. I made my way back to Front of House and visited with my friends. It was great to see some old faces, but once again, I was working and didn't have much time to visit. Again, the house lights went out and the Scorpions were burning up the stage. The show was great. After the second song or so, Brian turned up. During a lull in my show, I hugged him and said hello. He left right before the encore and headed back to the stage to join the Germans onstage.

The Scorpions came back . Klaus was wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey- the crowd went nuts again! They did Wind of Change and Still Loving you, and then introduced Brian- the crowd went more than crazy. Brian came out and they exploded into "Rock You Like a Hurricane." Brian was fantastic! The crowd was in a frenzy! Then, Brian and Klaus disappeared from the stage- and appeared on the floor of the arena- Klaus was on Brian's shoulders ala AC/DC! I was rolling on the floor laughing at this point- then they started coming farther into the audience! I thought, where is the security? They MUST not be prepared for this! Suddenly, they were as far as my mix position, almost to my console! The fans realized what was going on and I saw people running toward them. I wondered how the hell they would get back. Then, just as suddenly, they turned back for the stage. Security was around them and leading them back. After the show Klaus said to me, "I thought Brian was coming out to see YOU!" They climbed the stairs and both were back on stage, safe and sound. They finished Hurricane, the audience loved it. The band were all smiles, Brian included.

I packed up my gear and brought my guests backstage. I put them all in Whitesnake's dressing room, as the band were all gone; then I went to finish up my work. I always go see my crew after the show; I let them know how things went, good and bad, and I thank them all for the days work.

I found my brother and brought him to the Scorpions dressing room. It was heaving with people. A few of my friends had made their way into the dressing room, and I still had a few friends in the Whitesnake room. Eventually, a few of them left and the rest were in the Scorps room. It was simply packed. Brian was in there entertaining everybody. The entire night was gas. I was still running around with like a chicken with my head cut off.

My friends left one by one, I got to visit with them a little. I said goodbye to my brother and his girlfriend. Eventually, it was just me again.