8/26/00 - Land spreading out so far and wide...

Hello from St. Louis,

We drove all night after performing for 20,000 fans in St. Paul at the Minnesota State Fair. We were told it was the second largest crowd in their history and I believe it. It was our stage facing the enormous grandstand, filled to capacity. The grandstand itself stretched out left and right far beyond what we were able to see even when we stepped out in front of the p.a. system to get a good look at everyone. There were large Jumbotron screens at either end which made it possible for those fans to see what was going on stage. The video crew was outstanding, and icnidentally fans of our music. They knew the songs very well and this helped to make the live camera switching a very accurate and entertaining adjunct to the restricted angles of the far away seats. Judging from the roar that came back to us every time we acknowledged them, these fans seemed to be having a fine time in their remote seats. Cheers to all of you who stayed there as well as the front seats until the very end.

There was such a loud wave of sound coming back to us every time the audience responded, it was like putting gasoline on the fire of our show. We were a bit tired from the long night before in Merrillville and the overnight drive to Minnesota. Todd was not feeling 100% all afternoon so he had been resting in the dressing room trailer right up until showtime. As we approached the stage, like magic, the adrenaline started pumping and the fatigue melted away like remnantnts of a forgotten dream and the reality of the supercharged audience washed over us like healing waters. The show took off from the first note. I clearly felt the rush as we made our way through "Everything Is Cool,'" even though my in-ear monitor was going on and off for the first few bars. Not a problem. "Cookie," our monitor mixer, was on it, and before I knew it all was well and we were rolling.

It was a humid night, which is the best environment for singers--all the natural lubrication in the air does wonders for the vocal cords . I could tell from the mix in my ears that everyone was in extraordinarily good voice and we were just tired enough that the grooves were super-relaxed and in the pocket. I know you might not think about all these exterior influences as having an effect on live performers and it's just as well. Good players push through with their own personal energy whenever mother nature isn't cooperating. But last night we had everything going for us, so we used it all and left nothing in the tanks. When we left the stage after the final bow it was a show we all agreed lived up to the appetite of this Goliath audience. This is what it's all about--what you try and achieve when you put tickets on sale and commit that you are coming to town.

When we came out for the encore, I was just about to introduce the band members to the audience when Glen walked by and whispered in my ear "Wanna bring Kevin up?" I was pretty sure that's what he said. So as we were just about to start, I yelled out, "Where's Kevin Cronin?!" and began the intro of "Tush," which we were going to play a couple of verses of before starting the final song. As I was singing the first verse, I was thinking, "Uh-oh..." because I didn't see any sign of Kevin! Cool. We do this killer show and then I go mental on the last song, inviting someone to the stage who might just possibly be way down the highway on a bus driving to the next town. But just as this scenario is developing in my mind, here comes KC, stepping up to my mic, barefooted and ready to rock! It was another memorable STYX/REO moment (one of many we've had so far), and the crowd loved it. All I could think was---"WHEW!!!!"

When I woke up this morning we were near Springfield and were running into some serious weather. The atmosphere had that greenish color, there was lightning and a strong crosswind came out of nowhere as the rain whipped horizontally across the highway. Cars were pulling over and we could see their break lights as they lined up on the shoulder while buses and trucks passed by. Billy slowed and put the emergency flashers on as we looked all around to see if there was a funnel cloud, but there was not. As quickly as it had appeared, the weather cleared. It was kind of exciting there for a few moments.

Now, we are here at that usual odd hour when it is really breakfast time for us, and the hotel restaurant it getting ready for lunch. But we fooled them again--cereal on the bus!

Ahhh, another fine, fine day in STYXworld!

Green Acres we are therrrrrrrre! Du-dum da-dum-dum--DumDum! Woo-hoo!!!

Can you say--day off?