{"id":1545,"date":"2013-03-21T01:08:24","date_gmt":"2013-03-21T01:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/omdculture.com\/?p=1545"},"modified":"2013-03-21T02:54:04","modified_gmt":"2013-03-21T02:54:04","slug":"san-diego-october-9th-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/?p=1545","title":{"rendered":"San Diego October 9th, 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

OMD Tour Stop #17- Humphreys By the Bay, San Diego October 9th, 2011<\/h1>\n
\n

\"P1110297\"<\/a>Well the day started early for Kim, Jamie, John and I. Funny enough, John and Spencer ended up staying at the same hotel as us girls and it included a Grand Slam (specific breakfast) at Denny\u2019s so we arranged to meet at 8:30am (which meant only a few hours of sleep for us girls as we had ventured back to Sweet Factory after the gig for a middle of the night tummy filler, not getting back in until almost 3am\u2026. it\u2019s Vegas ya know, the city that never sleeps, tee hee ;o). After some good laughs with our waiter (we were all a bit brain dead that things weren\u2019t coming out quite right and she decided to have some fun with us), we said a sad goodbye to John and then headed back on the road to Jamie\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The venue that OMD were playing tonight was a unique set up. It was an outdoor, erm, mini amphitheatre that also had a nice hotel and restaurant associated to it. There had been the regular OMD Gold and Platinum packages but there was no guarantee of early admittance and a front spot because the whole place was assigned seating. AND, the venue itself had packages. The way it was supposed to be set up, first three rows were for packages (quite expensive) that included the show, dinner and hotel stay. Depending on which hotel room you chose, would put you in either first, second or third row. The next option was to take Humphreys dinner and show package which got buyers a seat in rows 4-7. This was what Jamie, Kim and I decided to do and ended up with 5th row center. Missy did the same and had 2nd row side, Irene right next to her (not sure how that happened but great they got up closer!) but Mark had done the OMD package\u2026and ended up with row 11! Well that wasn\u2019t going to do!\u00a0\":o\"\u00a0( But more on that later.<\/p>\n

With a 6pm dinner reservation, I put the pedal to the medal and got to Jamie\u2019s in good time which allowed me to turn around and go to the venue to get ready there as Missy and I were rooming together (she had gotten a good last minute deal so I cancelled my other hotel and bunked with her\u2026..SO convenient and nice to have a 2 minute walk back from the gig to where I was staying! ) The grounds were beautiful! Right on the water, lots of sailboats and such all around. The venue was nice too and super room! We had one with a little patio area and we could hear the end of the sound check. Mr. M\u2019s voice carried to our ears and we both were relieved to hear it because it meant he was doing better, PHEW!!
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\nSo dinner was quite tasty.. choice of appetizer, main meal and desert (watermelon salad, chicken with delicious spinach souffl\u00e9 and even more delicious chocolate caramel mousse\u2026.best meal I\u2019ve had all tour LOL) And the atmosphere was nice too\u2026elegant but not too sophisticated.<\/p>\n

We ended up visiting (Mark joined us) past the start of Washington and by the time we got done running back and forth to the venue and car we made it in to literally hear the last minute of the final song. I\u2019ve gotta say, the sound was wonderfully clear, cutting through the open air like that.<\/p>\n

Mark had done Platinum and asked Mr. M during meet\/greet about whether or not we could come up front to the stage as there was a space about 15 feet up front of the first row. He wasn\u2019t sure and was going to have Ryan check but I wasn\u2019t thinking it probable and when we got to our seats and looked around, we found a fairly mixed bag of attendees. There was a younger couple, I\u2019m guessing early 20\u2032s, behind us dressed up in 80s prom garb but right next to us on my left were two girls who were dead serious and quiet, appearing to be getting ready for a nice, sit down gig with no fuss. Well, Kim, Jamie and I were in no means going to sit down so I turned around to the young couple and asked if they\u2019d he upset if we stood to dance. They were like \u201cHeck no!\u201d so that was that then, LOL (gotta say this though as I\u2019ve NEVER had this happen and I doubt I ever will again\u2026. brace yourselves\u2026. they didn\u2019t know If You Leave!!! Seriously, the three of us were jaws to the floor. They were there more because they just liked \u201c80\u2032s music in general\u201d and thought it\u2019d be a fun thing to do\u2026.get dressed for the part and see the gig. I couldn\u2019t help but tell them how Mr. M. sometimes announces the song as \u201cIf you don\u2019t know this one you\u2019re at the wrong gig\u201d and we all laughed as the man said \u201cI guess that\u2019s us.\u201d<\/p>\n

So knowing all this, and the fact that Kim had been to the venue a few weeks earlier for Tears For Fears and got yelled at for standing to dance, I was a bit apprehensive and just hoped we\u2019d be able to dance at our seats. When the lights went down and the sounds of DS began, there was a slow to build cheer\u2026sporadic\u2026until the guys began to come on one by one. Though this was a repeat city, they had decided to still open with\u00a0New Babies: New Toys\"\"\u00a0(to help get the crowd going) so when Mr. H.#2 hit the hard drum beat to start the song off and the lights came fully on, there were at least 5 of us standing, LOL. I was actually too busy dancing to see if anyone else behind us (besides Mark of course) was up but it didn\u2019t matter because Mr. M. very quickly gave the order to \u201cstand up!\u201d and thrilled to say that most everyone did! Phew again!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nMessages\"\"\u00a0got some fans ahead of me singing and dancing and we belted out the \u2018No, No, No\u201d to\u00a0Tesla Girls\"\", making the guys in front of us laugh and say \u201cAh, back up singers\u201d. But it was just a strange thing seeing OMD in a venue like this. I kept telling myself it shouldn\u2019t feel this strange because last year\u2019s UK\/European tour put them in theatres with assigned seats but I guess after you\u2019ve seen them in dozens of small, general admission venues over a 6 month period, it\u2019s hard to switch gears, LOL.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s Leaving\"\"\u00a0was a treat to my ears tonight, can\u2019t say why, it was just so sweet and then it became time for\u00a0History of Modern (Part I)\"\". I was sad that we couldn\u2019t get Mark up by us\u2026 the rows filled and there was a guy next to Jamie who was sitting down (one of only a few I saw that night) so we couldn\u2019t really squish so I began to just bounce alone\u2026 until I heard my name and saw that Mark had come down to stand at the aisle of my row. WHOO HOO! Out I slipped and up we went, it was wonderful!! The cheers were getting louder with each song and I was realizing that the crowd was starting to warm up a bit. Going back to my seat for the next few songs as I didn\u2019t want to blow off Jamie and Kim\u2026. last OMD gig with them too\u2026.\u00a0(Forever) Live And Die\"\"\u00a0found us swaying back and forth. Then it was\u00a0If You Leave\"\"\u2026.I turned around to tell the couple this was their song and found them making out a bit. Oops, didn\u2019t mean to disturb but they stopped and were like \u201cOh, THIS is it? Our song? Great!\u201d.\u00a0Souvenir\"\"\u00a0went down well and\u00a0Joan Of Arc\"\"and\u00a0Maid Of Orleans\"\"\u2026. well the stage was large so plenty of room for wind milling but I wondered if it would be lost on this crowd. I think it\u2019s safe to say probably not as there were a lot of cheers and whistles.
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\nIt was now time for some slower songs. A few people had sat down for\u00a0Souvenir\"\"\u00a0but had gotten back up once over.\u00a0Statues\"\"saw a few others sit and the couple in front of me start a conversation\u2026 shoot. But it was beautiful and still got a good cheer once over.\u00a0Green\"\"\u00a0was mellow again tonight for the same reasons as Vegas\u2026. super tall stage. In fact this one was actually taller.. above my head! (I\u2019ll get to how I know this later). Unfortunately, during the second half of the song, NO idea what happened (though Kim thought the girl behind me dropped it) but somehow a cup of red wine spilled onto me and the girl next to me, though most ended up on my right leg. I spent\u00a0Talking Loud And Clear\"\"\u00a0in the bathroom washing everything off, URGH!<\/p>\n

I knew\u00a0So In Love\"\"\u00a0was next so rushed back down to Mark just in time to get going. Didn\u2019t really see anyone joining us but that didn\u2019t stop us. And right after\u2026.\u00a0Sister Marie Says\"\". Mark hadn\u2019t recruited anyone so we were on our own (until I caught Kim\u2019s eye\u2026her outreached hands suddenly came together and we were ready) To the credit of the crowd, the new songs got a great response so that was a nice relief. They may have been assuming they were going to see a nice, relaxing 80\u2032s synth band but they weren\u2019t opposed to changing their views once Mr. M and Co. got the show rolling, ha.
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\nLocomotion\"\"\u00a0was funny because since I was in the aisle, I had speakers up a ways but pretty much in front of me. I could hear Mr. H really clearly but I had to laugh as it sounded like he was singing right there at that side speaker, yet he was well across the other side of the stage.\u00a0Dreaming\"\"\u00a0was still its usual sing along, just not as loud tonight (the crowd was still more subdued than the previous gigs). But then it happened\u2026. Mr. M made an announcement that \u201cSince this is our last one, we\u2019ve been told you can come down front to the stage\u201d. Mark and I looked at each other like \u201cOMG, really?\u201d and then whoosh, down we ran to the surprise of the guard who stopped us. I was giving him an excitedly friendly but perplexed look like \u201cBut he said we could\u201d and motioned us towards the stage and then he moved aside and we ran up. I yelled \u201cspread!\u201d and soon we got Kim and Jamie there too. The stage, like mentioned earlier, was really high so we got up on this little step like ridge but I was still feeling like Kilroy and the brick wall (me with the stage about to my chin, hands up on the ridge looking up at the band). But the main thing was that we were up front and able to get into the show like we\u2019d done up to this point. The guys seemed happy too\u2026 a familiar feel having the fans up this close now. We bounced, we sang, we laughed\u2026. yeah, THIS was more like it!<\/p>\n

Well, I\u2019ve gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard a faint OMD chant once they had said their goodbyes and left the stage. Apparently the band won over the crowd\u2026 but no surprise there, LOL. When they returned, Mr. M apologized to the people who paid a lot of money to be in the front row, only to now have all of us in front of them, then launched into\u00a0Walking On The Milky Way\"\". Kim, Mark, Jamie and I had formed our own little choir so arms all spread around each other, we swayed and sang\u2026and later got the mic for a communal \u201cHey Hey Hey\u201d. It was brilliant! Secret went down wonderfully and when\u00a0Electricity\"\"\u00a0came on, we all let out one final excited burst of energy. It was going to be the last OMD gig we\u2019d be doing together and that just made us even more revved up! When it was all over, Mark got his usual group photo and then it was off to try and see the band as Kim and Jamie wanted to say goodbye. And lucky us, we all got to chat a bit\u2026 too all four of the guys bless their hearts!!!
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\nSo highlight of the night\u2026.Mr. M talking to this little boy who was in the front and center row. I had seen him before the gig started and remember thinking \u2018Wow, that\u2019s a young fan!\u201d because he looked 4 or 5. Shortly after the gig started, Mr. M stopped and said \u201cI have to go talk to someone\u201d and he went over to stand in front of the boy, stooping down. \u201cAre you here because you want to or because your mom dragged you here? If it\u2019s because of your mom, make sure she takes you to Toys R Us tomorrow and buys you lots and lots of things.\u201d It was SO sweet! Gotta love it!<\/p>\n

Now, off to Texas for the final 3 gigs, but not before more tears of goodbye, this time with Missy. (I will be seeing Jamie and Kim next weekend as I\u2019m hitting a few other non-OMD gigs in LA before heading home\u2026 yes, I do go see other bands sometimes LOL). It\u2019s goodbye here, and hello the next one as I get to see and stay with Dallas March gig friends Kiki and Rob. Have I mentioned emotions on this tour yet\u2026. yep, they\u2019re there!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Previously posted at\u00a0omd-messages.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OMD Tour Stop #17- Humphreys By the Bay, San Diego October 9th, 2011 Well the day started early for Kim, Jamie, John and I. Funny enough, John and Spencer ended up staying at the same hotel as us girls and it included a Grand Slam (specific breakfast) at Denny\u2019s so we arranged to meet at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2011-omd-na-tour-part-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1545"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1585,"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545\/revisions\/1585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/omdculture.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}