8/5/2007 2:15 AM
I didn't get out of town until about 11:30AM. Running behind as usual, my normal state of being. It's probably a good thing I didn't commit to picking you up, Lorrie. I'm afraid we would have missed it. On top of everything else, I made a wrong turn at Lansing. I-69. . . I-96. . . could they make it anymore confusing. Yes, they could. And they did. On the way up from Indy, I-69 is Northbound (or southbound, as the case may be). But at Lansing, it begins to be East and West bound. And of course they threw that I-96 in there to confuse the whole issue. Anyway. . .
I got to my hotel at 6:30PM. The show is supposed to start at 7:00PM. I have to get checked in, get to my room, change my clothes and try to call my family and let them know I made it. Oh yeah, I also have to figure out how to get down to this Pig Gig thing. I could see it from the bridge over the Saginaw River when I was almost to the hotel (it was only .5 mile from the Pig Gig.) But trying to figure out how to get down to it was a challenge. Then, once I got to it, finding a place to park was the challenge. I first asked a young girl with a reflective vest on if I could park in her lot, and she asked me if I had reserved parking. Well, no, I didn't. She told me to keep on driving to the next person in a reflective vest, and they would tell me where to park. There were no more people in reflective vests. So, I turned around and left the park. Drove around town until I ran into a cop and asked him where in the world I was supposed to park. (We stopped in the middle of the street, tying up cars behind each of us.) He suggested down at the park (gee, what a genius, wish I'd thought of that.) I told him the girl in the reflective vest story. He gestured around us and said anything around there was free game, and that there was an opening in the fence near there that I could cross the railroad tracks and get right to the park. Drove a bit further and found this parking lot right next to that opening in the fence and parked there. Then, it was a walk to find the entrance to this thing. I paid extra for a reserved seat so I was on the will call list. I could hear the guy on the stage starting to thank sponsers, etc. Had to dodge rib eatters on my way to find the stage. I finally find my way into the maze of fences separating the reserved seats from the masses.
There were quite a few empty seats. You could pretty much sit where you wanted, so I didn't sit in the seat I'd paid for, I sat in the 3rd row, pretty much in the center. The guy was still thanking sponsers and stuff when I got seated. So, in about 5 minutes, there was Ian and the Cryers. (Or as they are billed sometimes, like at the Pig Gig, Ian Mitchell's Bay City Rollers.) They did a couple Roller tunes and then Ian started talking to the crowd. He got choked up talking about how much Bay City has meant to him and what an impact it had on him. I sat there thinking, he's right. If the Rollers had picked another town's name, I imagine they wouldn't have been the same. Might not have even made it. We may have never heard of them. Our lives would have been completely different. Anyway, Ian kind of started crying. He said something like, "I don't normally do this!" He went ahead a started Shang a Lang, but he didn't start singing. He ended up going off stage for a couple minutes. Came back and tried to play again, but left for several more mintues. While he was gone, Joe and the Cryers played a few non-Roller songs and just kept the show going. One song they play was "Mustang Sally." Very professional how they kept the show going, flowing. "The show must go on" attitude and all that. Ian finally got his self together, pretty much told us he had to go throw up, then resumed playing and singing. After a couple more songs, he did do Shang a Lang. He always ends his show with Saturday Night. They came back for a couple encore numbers, one of which was "Doctor Doctor (give me the news)". I finally decided to get up and dance during Saturday Night, so I stayed down in front for the encore songs. Jeff Brown was passing out guitar picks and actually, Ian came over and did, too. I wasn't fortunate enough to get one. Oh, and the drummer gave away drumsticks, too, which I didn't get either.
I did bring my 8" x 10" that I told you about. So, I got myself in line to wait for the autograph session. I think Ian had to rest and get himself together first. The other band members were hanging out, but we were waiting for Ian. I walked over to the merch tent and bought one of those "God Save the Bay City Roller" shirts that Ian sells. There were about 3 ladies working it, and you could tell they were fans. I asked them if they were part of the online community, and they all said yes. That that is how they found out about the gig. I asked them if they'd ever heard of my site, the pen pal reunion, and they all stared blankly at me. Obviously not. Okay, I'll slink back into line now. Oh, they did like my plaid purse. I have an "A" button (anarchy) on it. I pointed that out to them, and said I was Punkchick, had they ever heard of me? More crickets. Oh well.
While I was standing in line waiting for autographs, I started talking with the locals. This one guy engaged me in conversation by asking me about 3 times if "the little guy in the kilt" wasn't one of the original members. I kept explaining the same thing to him over and over, how Ian joined when Alan left, and that he had been so young, that he was overwhelmed and had to quit after about 9 months. Well, out of the blue, the guy asks me about Woody! So, I tell him about the Music Kitchen and the MacDonald Bros. and Woody's DVD. He then asked me if I'd ever met Hulk Hogan. I decided to change lines.
The next group I got with were more lucid. But just as friendly! I heard them talking about when the Rollers had come there to Bay City and got their keys to the city outside the city hall. How they had closed off the street etc. for it and that the Rollers had made their handprints, but that they weren't there anymore, they had been taken to a museum in town.
Well, I finally got up to get my autograph, and say hi to Ian and the Cryers. Belle had the cutest outfit on, short plaid skirt and tank top, and I told her. I explained to Ian about the picture and Peggy's program, etc. and had him sign the pic. I was too stupid to take his picture while he was signing it, so I took it right after. Of course, being me, I had to have a camera malfunction. Luckily, it wasn't bad. I accidently hit the timer and had to wait 10 seconds for the camera to take the picture. 10 seconds is a long time when you have Ian waiting. Especially since I knew he wasn't feeling well. So, that's why he's not looking as great as he could in that picture. They had said during the show that it had taken the Cryers 14 hours to get to Bay City but that Ian had flown and it only took him 2 hours. I told them it had taken me 7 hours to get there. I also told Ian I was going to be in Toronto, and he asked if I meant for the Rosetta Stone fest, and I said yes. He said that it is going to be the last time they play together (we'll see about that. I've heard many a band say that. And how many times have the Rolling Stones or Cher called it quits? How many final tours can you do? Anyway. . .)
So, I moved along and then stood over to the side thinking about what I was going to do next. That's when my new Bay City native friends, Paul and Luann, asked if I'd like to eat dinner with them. We were at the Pig Gig (ribs, etc. everywhere.) I said sure! We sat and talked for awhile. Very nice, interesting people. And they lived within walking distance from the park. As a matter of fact, Luann had walked. Paul had worked a booth or something at the event. We talked about our lives, he's an elementary school principal and she's a child psychologist at a school. Their kids are in college, studying music. I told them about my son, Erik, that has Asperger's and they both knew what I was talking about! We also talked music. They'd been to Indy a couple years ago to see Jimmy Buffett. They saw the Rolling Stones within the last couple years and saw Paul McCartney last year. I asked Luann if she'd ever had any pen pals, and she said yes, but that she was from the Rolling Stones/Beatles era. But her pen pals were also from the UK, etc. Very cool, meeting new people like that. Everyone I came into contact with in Bay City was very nice.
I left Paul and Luann and walked around the grounds for a sec before I decided to just go back to the hotel. Ian had said Wendy wasn't going to be there, but it turned out she did come. Unfortunately, I never got to lay eyes on her, let alone get to meet her. I really want to meet her!!!
I went back to the hotel, got me a Bloody Mary to take back to my room and watched some TV before going to sleep for the night.
The next morning, I took a little trip over to the Historical Museum of Bay County to seek out the handprints. It's located next to City Hall. I let myself into the museum and was greeted by no one, although I could hear voices coming from some room in the back. I took the solo tour, very rapidly really, scanning for the Rollers. I did find an exhibit about the Bay City "Rollers" but it was about cigar rollers. lol There was also a story about the Mystical Beaver. I had to take a picture of that! I finally went back to the front and found a lady. I asked her about the handprints, and she said that yes, they are there, but they are not on display now. They are locked up in a room, and she didn't have the key to unlock it. (Yes, I asked to see it!!) I wanted some Bay City post cards, a souvenir spoon and a shot glass. They had nothing I wanted! But another lady directed me over to an antique/gift shop area a few blocks away. I drove over there and they had one post card with Bay City on it. The spoon and the shot glass, I had to settle for just Michigan. I would think they would have the sense to capitalize on their name!! Maybe we're the only ones that would care. Who knows? Took a couple pictures of the river, one showing the Pig Gig from across the water, went back to my car and drove away from Bay City.
The trip home was much easier, and it only took the 5.5 hours it was supposed to. And I didn't make a wrong turn at Lansing.
I plan on adding my photos to the Bay City, Michigan, page I already have started on this site. By the way, I asked the locals about the mural that is no more. They remembered it and had stories about it. I told them I have pictures of it on my website. They were kind of surprised.
Well, I think I am done rambling now. Hope you enjoyed my tale! (A Pig tail?)
