[vivfox]

Michele, thank you very much for posting this review of Albuq. I was at that show. It was one of my most memorable gigs of Stevies'. Many things stand out to me about this evening and I'm gonna share that expierence with ya now.
In 2001 I was living in Phoenix and since this was a month before Sept. 11,2001 I was able to joke to the stewerdess that if they didn't get me to the concert on time I'd(insert something stoopid here). The plane sat on the runway for an extra hour before takeoff to correct some minor problem. I was ancy on that flight cause they were really pushing it with this time delay.
My good friend Laura who lives in Albuq. picked me up at the airport and the drove me to The Journal Pavilion. You have to drive up a winding mountain to get to this outdoor amplitheatre. Laura had suprised me with a see thru raincoat which she said I'd need for the concert because it was going to rain that evening. As we were waiting in that slow moving traffic jam climbing that mountain to see our Goddess Stevie the sky was a very dark black, dark grey, with serious erie storm clouds forming above as if it were a war from the heavens assembling together in order to pounce on the people of the earth.
We finally got to the top and Laura drove thru the unpaved parking lot as close as she could get to the gate without running anyone over. I put my see thru raincoat with a see thru hood and ran as fast as I could to get thru that parking lot. What felt like a quarter of a mile run delivered me to the entrance of a wide ramp you must climb to get into the venue. I was already exhausted when I got to this ramp but just as I did the music to Bootylicious started. So I ran up that hill like Kate Bush would have and the second I got in my seat the concert had begun.
My first impression was how unbelievably incredible Stevie's voice sounded! And on every song too! But the real hi-lite for me was the approaching thunderstorm that was obviously on its way to "get" us. I don't remember which song it was when the rain started but they kept playing. A roadie came out and held a wide framed umbrella over Stevie while she sang.
It was cool to see him stand there protecting her from the elements. I can't remember if he was covered or not too because truthfully it was hard to see. My see thru raincoat gave me the feeling of looking out your window with the rain splashing all over it during a storm. You know how it gets foggy and drizzly when yer lookin' out that window.
It rained hard, very much a downpour with rain and wind and lightning and thunder and more wind and more water and very few people had raincoats and so many people were completely drenched. Even tho it was August, in the desert in Albq. at nite during a rain storm it gets mighty chilly.
After a few songs Stevie held the umbrella for herself for the rest of the time she needed it. She kept thanking us for staying with her in the rain.
My absolute favorite memory I have of this nite was when she pointed at the rain cloud and said "go that way" and it did!!!
Also Michele I wanted to point out that just after her next show in Denver Stevie got pneumonia and had to cancel many shows for the next three weeks. Luckily she never held that Against Albuq. as she returned to that venue a few years later.