Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame !

The Rock Never Stops Concert Review

On August 24, 2005 I and my boyfriend attended the Rock Never Stops concert at the Bilo Center in Greenville, SC. Being a die-hard hair metal band fanatic child of the eighties, it was me who insisted upon attending this concert. In fact, I would have went whether Thomas wanted to go or not, dragging whomever I could along! Anyway, tickets being only $26 bucks a pop for four bands should have tipped me off that something was amiss.
The concert began at 7:00 and , fashionably late as always, we arrive at 7:20 I am carefully dressed in black snake skin pants, a black shirt and boots, sporting glam makeup and glitter; hair teased to the sky. Looking just like I had stepped straight out of the 80s baby! Very excited about this show, we entered the Bilo Center and found our seats-6th row! That’s what I’m talking about!
Firehouse was already playing and we got to hear about 1 ½ songs before they were done. What we heard sounded good and I wasn’t too upset at having missed part of their performance, never having been a huge Firehouse fan. But the high notes the lead singer can hit and hold have always amazed me.
The lights came on for a short intermission while the next band set up. I turned to search the audience for the familiar faces of my youth. There were a few long hairs there with their black band Tshirts and some harsh-looking groupie sluts too. But, disappointingly, most of the audience was made up of slightly middle-aged normal-looking people. Where were the young boys with long hair, eyeliner, torn jeans and attitudes? Where were the fan-girls with snake skin mini skirts and slouch boots who were almost in tears at being in the presence of their idols? Where was this era of lost children from the Glam Rock 80s? Bittersweet memories of my past washed over me as I turned back to face the stage-the next band was starting….
Quiet Riot took the stage. Eh, I could take ‘em or leave ‘em. I like exactly two songs of theirs-”Cum on Feel the Noise” and “Mental Heath”. It was a big shocker when they took the stage though. The lead singer was decked out in a skintight leopard print suit ala Rod Stewart circa 1970s, complete with the mod shag hair style! Whoa! Regardless of this humorous get-up, he managed to kick-ass for an old guy! He obviously ate his Wheaties for breakfast that morning! They did a bang-up job and put on a very engaging performance. Honestly, though, I wanted them to finish so I could see Ratt!
After the set-up guys left the stage, the curtain went up to reveal Ratt!I love Ratt! Upon closer inspection though, I was confused. Where was the ever-charismatic Stephen Pearcy?And who in the hell was this punk in his place? Was this even Ratt? Wait, there was my man Warren Demartini so this must be them. Crushing disappointment set in when I realized that Stephen would not be there. I consoled myself by concentrating on the oh-so-talented Warren instead. He did, after all, grace several spots on my bedroom wall whilst growing up! I tried to make the best of the situation because they were rocking hard on several songs, such as “Round and Round” and “Way Cool Jr.” Hey, the lead singer sounded almost like Stephen on these songs…..yeah, because he was lip-synching! That’s right! He did sing some songs on his own but he was definitely lip-synching on some of the more popular older songs. What a rip-off. I found out later that the lead singer was John Corabi. I didn’t go see Mötley Crüe back in the day because I found out he was Vince’s replacement! As if anyone could take Vince’s place!
Finally, Ratt finished their performance and left the stage. I felt sad and cheated and let-down. Would Cinderella be able to repair the damage left by Ratt? Back when I was a screaming 17-year-old fan girl; Bon Jovi and Cinderella played the first concert I ever attended. So, I had high hopes and expectations for Cinderella. Would they erase these dismaying feelings of disappointment I was experiencing? Could they transport me back to that long-lost girl of 17 who still believed all her dreams would come true?
At last, the band I have been waiting not-so-patiently for all night….Cinderella! With an impressive display of pyrotechnics, Cinderella took the stage! I could feel the heat from where I stood! Looking none the worse for the wear, the band lineup was made up of all of the original members! I literally would have cried if Tom Keifer wouldn’t have been there! Their hair, while still long, was not quite as big and their flamboyant glam was toned down a bit. They still had the cool rock star persona about them and they still rocked the house!
Exhilaration swept over me and goose bumps tingled along my arms and legs. Cinderella swept into their hits, one after another. Tom Keifer is most certainly a master of many instruments; there is definitely more to him than just that wonderfully gritty, soulful voice. He played several guitars, harmonica, keyboards and a grand piano, switching effortlessly between them all throughout the show. The performance of Cinderella alone more than made up for the disappointment of Ratt.
“Heartbreak Station” was performed while tiny bubbles floated over the audience, lending a magical air to the song. “Shake Me”, Gypsy Road”, Somebody Save Me”…..all the old favorites were performed and they were truly as awe-inspiring as I had remembered them to be. Standing amidst the rest of the head banging, screaming fans, I was transported back in time. Once again, I was that fan girl of 17, screaming and singing with both hands raised in the devil horns/I love you symbol, head banging while the music took me back to that long gone time of my youth. Who cares that I have to go to work the next day? Or that I will have lost my voice and damaged my already bad hearing even more? At that moment in time I was living for the music and I was happy.

Dragon Con 2005 Overview with Pictures!

Dragon Con 2005-wow! My 3rd and best DC ever! Me and Thomas left SC Thursday (Sept.1)around lunchish. I had packed my Jeep as full as I could get it because we were gonna be gone almost a week-who knows what all I would need?! Picked up the rental car and proceeded to unpack the Jeep into the Taurus. Thank goodness it all fit, I was worried!

Arrived in Atlanta at the Marriott around 3:15 and called Ellen Million from the hotel lobby. Went to our room and unpacked somewhat and then discovered that Ellen's room was on the same hall as ours, just across the way. We couldn't have planned it better if we had tried. Packed the boxes of Atlantis books over to her room. Got to meet her and her friend Jennie. They were both super-nice and very down-to-earth and fun to be around. Then, we went to get our passes, as we were already pre-registered.We put out some promo materials on various tables in both hotels.Got settled in and went out to dinner together later that night. We all decided on Trader Vic's and it was fantastic food and very enjoyable company. The meat was smoked in wood-stoves-Yummy!

Friday-Sunday: we attended various panels every day. So, it was like we were in class every day anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. We attended panels on anything that could help artwise. We went to a panel on Taxes for artists, how to license your work to T-shirt companies, how to find your niche as an artist, how to run a retail store, and too many more to name. Very interesting and informative. We took notes and learned lots! We were extremely busy and hardly had time to eat in between classes.

When we had time, we went to the Dealer's hall and checked in with Ellen and Jennie. They were pretty busy but took turns attending some of the panels too. They had a nice set-up right on the other side of Ruth Thompson.

Saturday evening, Tina Myers and her mother came to DC. They were both super-nice and very friendly! We met them and hung out for awhile and checked out the Art Show. We went to the Dealer's room and Tina was brave enough to introduce us both to Ruth Thompson! I was too chicken to go by myself! Thanks Tina! Tina told Ruth that we were artists too and fans of hers.Anyway, she ended up exchanging prints with us both! What an honor! She took the time to chat with us and she was so totally sweet and nice, no wonder she was surrounded by fans the whole time! That night, myself, Thomas, Ellen, Jennie, Tina and her mom all went to Durangos Steak House to eat. We all had a great time and got a chance to talk and get to know one another some. Then, Tina and her mom had to drive home.

Sunday, I talked with Ruth some more while Thomas talked to her husband Todd who was a great guy. Got some pictures! I also got to meet L.A. Williams, who had a booth next to Ruth. He was very sweet and charming and told me that I was beautiful and of course he didn't mind at all to take a picture with me! I bought a print of his King Arthur and he signed it for me!

Ann-Juliette,Nene's sister-I also got to meet her. Thomas and I ran into her at the hotel cafe and she invited us to sit down at her table and chat. She was very encouraging to me . She told us how much she had grown and changed as an artist and, that if she could do it, so could I! She was a lovely lady and very nice. She talked with us for a few minutes before going back to the Dealer's table. Later on, we went to her table and bought the 2006 Nene calendar and a bookmark. Ann-Juliette was kind enough to pose for a couple of pictures with me too!

The Art Show was wonderful, as usual. So many talented artists were showing their work. Lots of the art was very inspiring to me as it always is. I was so envoius of the gorgeous stuff on display. On the other hand though, I looked at lots of art and thought, "I could do better than that". So, there's hope after all!

I got to meet several online friends from the Yahoo SciFi group too. Luna/Kim, Christy , Donna, Bryan, Michelle, Kerry and more that I'm forgetting I'm sure! There was supposed to be a get-together at Champions but I missed it again due to last-minute rescheduling that I was unaware of til the last minute. Then, I didn't know what the new time was so I didn't go. But, it was fun to put faces with some of the names I knew from the group. Everyone I met was very nice!

Costumes-they were grand and unusual and some pretty mainstream. Some pretty un-costumes, in my opinion. There were some very creative, unique costumes,but there were alot of just plain sluts running around too who looked like they were just trying to see how naked they could be without getting locked up. I felt bad for the people who had brought their children since it is supposed to be an all-age event. There was an underlying sleazy atmosphere to several events this year more than ever.

One thing I wanted to do but never found time for, I so much wanted to get a henna design on my hand/arm. There was a lady there sitting on some carpets with pillows that was doing lovely work but I just didn't get around to it til the last minute and then, what was the point?

All in all, we had a fabulous time! We were exhausted and ready to go home, but at the same time, depressed and sad that it was over. We got lots of promo postcars and biz cards handed out and put out on tables so hopefully I'll get some business from that or at least get my name out there. Next year, I would like to have a table myself and art in the Art Show. So, I have lots of work to do! If you are still reading this, you must be really bored!

Enchanted Artists; Visions of Atlantis

This wonderful book is a stunning collection of art and poetry from over fifty well-known and emerging artists, including myself, with an introduction to the Enchanted Artists by Jessica Galbreth and a history of Atlantis by Beth Hansen.

Published by Ellen Million Graphics, this soft-covered book is 8-3/8 x 10-7/8 inches with 86 beautifully colored pages of rich Atlantis themed fantasy art work. The artists in this book have definitely went out of their way to bring together some of their best work for our pleasure.

September the 1st was the official release date of the book "Enchanted Artists; Visions of Atlantis". My first 10 customers to purchase this book from me will receive a special free gift, including an 8.5 x 10 print of my art featured in this book! Click here for details! http://www.moonglowhaven.com/Merchandise/books.htm