What a great run we have had since Vegas. First of all, let me thank everyone for the amazing birthday as well as the generous gifts, which are too many to mention. I am humbled and deeply touched by your thoughtfulness.

Las Vegas was about as much fun as people can have with their clothes on. And come to think of it, some of those clothes seemed to come off and get tossed our way. Now, THAT's entertainment! The people who run the venue at The Hilton called and said they had not seen such excitement in that room since Elvis played there. Come to think of it again, that crossed my mind as we were on stage in the midst of the show.

Tucson, the day after the second Las Vegas show was another love fest. We have not played there in such a long time, I was happy to see they had not forgotten about us there, and we promised them then and there that we would not be so long in returning again.

Santa Fe was special for us because it was a first time for STYX. JY and Suzie had vacationed there and I had played there with Damn Yankees in 1991 although it was in and out and I never saw anything but the hotel and the show before leaving on the bus for the next town right after the show. We spent 2 days off there as well as the day of the show and got to enjoy the magical qualities of this very special place before spending one exciting evening performing for the locals at the very unusual and intimate Paolo Solieri amphitheater. The Santa Fe experience was unforgettable�

Then last night in Amarillo, it was another memorable experience. Amarillo ROCKED! After the show JY and I were searching our memories but could not remember if we had EVER played there. We must have been out of out minds to skip over Amarillo. What a night it was! Trish Murphy, a fresh new face, was on the bill with us last night and she and her band were OUTSTANDING. Most of us in our band as well as some of the crew had the pleasure of sitting out in the empty arena as they did their sound check. You know how boomy and echo-y some arenas can be-and this one was not very good sounding without the people in the seats, yet Trish and her band sounded like a record. She writes her own songs and has an irresistible stage presence. I told her I could see her on the MTV of my mind, as clear as day, singing one of her many hits. It is only a matter of time. What, a few days? Weeks? All the best, Trish-you kicked butt!

By the way, we spent a little time at our sound check and rehearsed "Number One" to the point where we all agreed-Let's Do It! And so last night in Amarillo, we took it for its maiden voyage on our stage there. It was not bad for the first time. The song is such a greasy groove that with a little more time is going to be a burner live. Too bad the next few nights are the 75 minute shows. I doubt we will have time to play it. 75 minutes goes by SO fast! And there are so many songs we want to play, but if you assign an average of 5 minutes per song-well, do the math-there is not any time left after playing the minimum of mandatory songs to satisfy the majority of folks who paid to see us. When we return in October, look for "Number One" to be a part of the set as long as time allows.

Night after night, just when I think things could not possibly get better, we will play for an audience like Amarillo and I have to ask myself, "How many other places are out there that we have neglected?" "And how soon can we put them on our itinerary?"

See you tonight!