TOUR ARCHIVE

Date: 1998-07-05
Location: Rockford, IL - United States [3 shows here]
Venue: Winnebago County Fairgrounds [2 shows here]
Fan reviews: 2 - Add yours!
Author: Zangfam@aol.com
Setlist: Yes

7/4 Day before ths show

Well 3:30 in the morning comes around and my alarm is going off nice and loud. Very frieking loud. Got on the road at 4 to go pick up Liz and Isabel at O'Hare airport. Lemme tell ya, that airport is HUGE and very confusing. Well i picked 'em up at quarter to six, cuz they took an earlier flight and had sat there since nearly 4 in the morning waiting for me. Well, after escaping getting towed, we head out on a half hour ride to celebrate the 4th with my family and friends. Three and a half hours later we get there, watch the parade, chat for a while, and then its off to Rockford. Thankfully we got there without any problems. We checked in and then headed out for dinner, and later that evening saw some fireworks. Liz also saw a firefly, which was obviously one of the highlights of her trip.

7/5 Day of the Show

Well, we woke up and got ready around 10:30, and we figured we'd head out to the fairgrounds to check everything out, and then go for a bite to eat. Well our plans changed a little when we arrived and saw a few people already starting to trickle in. So we drove for a little bit, then found a guy's lawn to park on, for ten bucks. We walked around a tad, then sat down at one of the gates, at 11 or 11:30, and were seventh or so in line. Gates were scheduled for five o'clock, so we settled in for a long wait. We chatted with the folks next to us, occasionally one of us would go for some drinks, and then the shirt booth opened up so we hit that one at a time. From there Isabel and Liz brought the shirts to the car and then went to will call to get their tickets. About this time, so many people were showing up that security opened the parking lots early, and the gates early as well. When they opened the gates, we got frisked and then ran inside. Someone beforehand had said there was a special area at the front for certain people, but he didn't have any details. It turns out that there was a special area, in the shape of a triangle, with the base of it at the stage, that held about 500 people. Well we ran up there and got wrist bands, and then got FRONT ROW positions. Well, people were getting anxious and then there was a show that started, from the crowd. It was tit fest '98. Then when we the crowd got bored of seeing small tits, everyone started chucking bottles and corn and lemons from their drinks. A little after that, the show started. DOTN came on first. They were alright, but not exactly the greatest. A few minutes after they left the stage, Jerry Cantrell came on. This wasn't anything like I had expected. It was totally awesome. From all the AIC songs and his solo songs, and closing with the Floyd cover, it was just great. Well, after Cantrell was done, the crowd was very anxious, waiting around for the guys. After picking up the paper the next morning, I read that the guys had only gotten to the show just after 9 oclock themselves!!! They arrived with police escort...that's how much traffic there was! Once they arrived, they were also waiting for people who were still trying to get into the venue! Well finally the guys got on stage, they opened with Ecstacy of Gold, and then while the light were flashing, Lars came out, waved, and then they busted right into Helpless. What else can be said really, I mean, the show just totally rocked. There was less pyro then in the past, only on 3 songs. The setlist was cool. Everything rocked. I got to see my favorite song, Nothing Else Matters, and I have to say, I was set for the show. The only thing I didn't like at the show was the guy who squeezed in next to me. The two problems with him were a) the fact that he totally squeezed himself in and caused me to squish the girl next to me, which I felt extremely bad about, and b) that he was thrashing like crazy and blocked my view a lot. I have to say though, that he got his due, when I landed a SOLID punch to his right temple. :) Like I said, overall, it was just absolutely incredible. I can't wait for the next show. I also have to say thanks to Liz and Isabel for putting up with me and at least waiting until they got to the airport to hate me, and also I have to thank Niclas for taking a cool pic of me and Liz at MetOnTour.