Accompanied by: MJ, Heather, Donna, Bob, Aimee Mae, LeAnn, Doug, Katylalala, Cheryl, Tarquin
Genre: Ef off, Gene Simmons...Rock is NOT dead!!!
Set List: All My Life, I'll Stick Around, Rope, Up In Arms, Big Me, White Limo, Arlandria, My Hero, Cold Day, Generator, Walk, These Days, Prentender, Learn to Fly, Breakout, Skin & Bones, Weenie Beenie, Monkey Wrench, Hey JP, Everlong
Encore:
So what happens when a group of die hard fans decide they want their favorite band to come to their hometown? The go online and ask people for money. Or something like that...thanks to the people of Richmond, VA for deciding to give crowdfunding a shot to bring Foo in for a gig. And kudos to Foo for hearing their plea and while it's really not that surprising that they agreed, it's still pretty freakin' fantastic that it all panned out and as far as I'm concerned, it's an event that will go down in music history as the first of its kind.
Oh, and did I mention that I was there? I hadn't planned on it. It was a pipe dream. But when the text came through on 9/2/14 from a friend (you know who you are!) saying "I've got a ticket, if you can get to Richmond", I had to at least consider the options, right? Two days later, I had my flights booked and it was just a matter of counting down the days.
Yup. Just a mere 2200+ miles from the LBC to Richmond....really not that far in the grand scheme of things, right?! Call me an superfan. Call me crazy. Call me maybe. But, the truth is that going to see my favorite band is just a bonus...it's the group of people that were the real draw. And the memories being made was all the reason I needed to make this trip happen.
Tuesday, 9/16/14 12:30 AM Red Eye Flight to Charlotte, NC en route to Richmond, VA
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| Hello Charlotte. Hello Richmond. |
Crazy how empty LAX is at 11pm on a weeknight. I made it through security in a record 15 minutes which left me TWO hours of hanging out and people watching until my flight to NC was ready to leave. The upside is that once I got on the plane, I'm pretty sure I knocked out because the next thing I knew I was watching the sunrise as we were getting ready to land in Charlotte. Which, by the way, has the nicest airport ever!!
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| Tarquin, Donna & Tai |
A few hours later from Charlotte, I boarded a super tiny plane (causing slight anxiety), and was making my way to Richmond Virginia. Home to Bob & Donna Martin!!
Upon arriving in VA, to the worlds smallest airport next to Long Beach, CA, I was greeted by Miss Donna and Unpractical Tony/Tarquin! I'm pretty sure I squealed and shed a few tears! And the fact that Tarquin picked me up off the ground - picked ME up - left me astounded!! This is totally off topic, but the idea of anyone picking me up and twirling me around is something that I never thought I'd see happen.
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| Scoping out Donna's Space |
From the airport, we made our way to the Martin abode where fresh baked cookies were waiting. Because Donna is the hostess with the mostess!! I had to take a pix next to Donna's computer where all the magic happens!! It's a FFPB thing -it's okay if you don't understand.
I was able to spend a few hours decompressing and trying to nurse my tired eyes. Granted, sleep never really came, there was too much excitement brewing and I didn't want to miss a thing. A few hours later, we had ourselves Cheryl from Iowa and Heather from Pennsylvania!! We caravanned ourselves out Capital Ale House in Glenn Allen to meet up with MJ from DC and a few of her crew.
After dinner, Heather and I headed to the hotel, which was conveniently located a block and a half from the venue. Of course, we did the proper thing and scoped out the area before making our way to the hotel bar for a nightcap.Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Show Day
Happy to say that Heather and I got up early enough to start our day at the gym! Yup, we got it like that. From there, coffee and a quick bite and by 11:00 am, made our way up the block to check out the vibe. There was no doubt that something big was going on in Richmond. The fun was about to begin!! |
| FFPB IRL |
Sure they said no lining up before 5:00 pm...but seriously? By 2pm or so, the line had begun and it was a matter of hurry up and wait. Some people don't understand why getting there early to get a spot in line is so important. If you've never done rail, then it just can't be explained. It's something that needs to be experienced. And sure, it's hours waiting. Sitting. Standing. Stretching. Chatting. Making new friends. Catching up with old friends.
And piece by piece the FFPB came to life: Heather, Mae Mae, KatyLaLa, MJ, Tarquin, Donna, Dave, Jody, Cheryl, Emily, LeAnn...we were everywhere!!
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| FFPB IRL |
Truth be told, the show was just a bonus ...this trip was really about the people. Yes, I love Foo. Yes, I will travel for Foo. But it wouldn't and couldn't be the same without my fellow FFPB's. And just like that the time goes by and it's time to go in and claiming victory at the rail.
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| Rail |
Heather and I got up early enough to grab coffee and a bite. We hugged and said our goodbyes. I had half an hour to kill, so I do what I do and ran out to see as much of Richmond, VA as I possibly could. It's amazing what ground you can cover in 30 minutes. Okay, so it wasn't that much, but I did the best I could.
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| RVA |
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| Grand Canyon & LA |
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| DonnaPalooza 2014 |
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| I went all the way to Richmond, VA to see Foo Fighters and all I got was this lousy drumstick and set list. |
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