09/21/2006: "Roadtrip Days 5 & 6 - Chicago"

Wow, it's been taken me forever to finish writing about our vacation from June. There have been a lot of things competing for my time. But I'll try to wrap up the last few parts up shortly. This portion of the trip was in a city that we both like a lot. It was a time to catch up with an old friend, meet some new friends, and once again see Madonna's Confessions Tour. Now, on to the story...

We awoke on Tuesday morning at Cedar Point and took our time getting ready. The drive to Chicago wouldn't take too long so there was no point in getting up at the crack of dawn. We ate breakfast, packed up, loaded the car...and I longingly took one last look at Top Thrill Dragster before we got in the car and drove away. The drive to Chicago was uneventful. We listened to the radio, talked and enjoyed the drive. We stopped and ate lunch part way to Chicago and made it into Chicago in the early afternoon.

We had reservations at the Holiday Inn in downtown Chicago. When we checked in, they were sold out and unable to give us a non-smoking room (I don't know what it was about this trip and smoking rooms, but that's the way it goes sometimes). The desk clerk offered to have someone spray the room if it smelled too smoky. We got up to the room and although it wasn't too bad (not nearly as bad as the hotel in Memphis), we decided to have the room sprayed. So we made a couple of drinks (jack and diet coke) while we waited. The room was very nice and appeared clean - save for the two different brands of condoms and bottle of lube next to the Gideon's Bible in the nightstand drawer.

The maintenance guy came in with a pump spray bottle and sprayed it a few times and left. We were kind of perplexed because what he did wasn't worth the effort. A few minutes later, he knocked on the door again. This time, he had an electric spray machine. He unleashed this machine with all its fury, which in no time induced massive fits of coughing before we opened the door and window - and then finally escaped the room until it cleared out.

We LOVE Chicago-style pizza, so we go to Gino's every time we're in Chicago. This time was no exception. We met my friend Daniel (who used to live in Atlanta) there and had a good evening of catching up with each other. We walked around for a while and had Starbucks coffee before saying goodnight to Daniel and heading back to the hotel.

The next day we walked around the city for a while before taking the subway to Boystown. We did a bit of shopping, got pedicures (my feet never looked so good), and met an online friend (and his friend) for dinner before the Madonna concert. Let me back up.

A fellow named Ricky (from Minneapolis) bought my CD late last year. I sent him an email to thank him, he responded, and we have conversed via emails and letters ever since. It just so happened that he and his friend had gotten tickets to see Madonna in Chicago on the same night that we were going to see her. I told him that we would also be there and we decided to meet up for dinner and go to the concert together.

I was a little bit nervous about hanging out with someone I had only conversed with online, but at the same time, I was really looking forward to meeting Ricky. We arrived at the Mexican restaurant at the designated time and finally met Ricky and his friend Paul. To my delight, the dinner conversation was animated and very comfortable. We took pictures together at the restaurant and then made our way to the United Center for the Madonna concert.

This was my 7th time seeing Madonna, Eric's 4th time, while Ricky and Paul were virgins. I had already seen the Confessions tour but was still very excited to see her in Chicago. But it was even more exciting because Ricky and Paul were giddy with anticipation. We got to the United Center early but there was already a long line outside. We made it in quickly, walked around, people-watched, visited the concessions tables, and then made our way to our seats.

When I saw Madonna in May, I was on the 14th row right up against the catwalk. For this show, we were 5th row on the side facing the center catwalk and just a few feet away from the right catwalk (looking at the stage). I was looking forward to sitting here because I would have a better vantage point of seeing everything that was going on. We were still very close to the stage, had a great view of everything, and were only a few feet away from Madonna when she used the right catwalk. Ricky and Paul were behind us and over just a bit.

The show was supposed to start at 8:00, but it was after 9:00 before the lights went down. Madonna put on a spectacular show. It was better than the show in LA because she seemed much more relaxed, she laughed and smiled a lot, she was much more talkative than she was in LA and the acoustics were considerably better than The Forum in LA. When the balloons came down at the end, Eric and I grabbed several - including extras for Ricky and Paul. These ballons were different than the ones in LA - the LA balloons were plain while these said, Madonna Confessions Tour on them. Ricky and Paul were thrilled to get them.

The crowd after the concert was on fire, and Ricky and Paul were almost speechless. It was so great to share that experience with them. We decided to walk a little bit to try and catch a cab. We must have walked down the wrong streets because we never saw an empty cab (and not many of them to begin with) and walked almost the entire two miles back to our hotel before we got one. We finally hailed a cab down, dropped off the tour merchandise back at our hotel, and then took the cab back to Boystown to have a few post-concert drinks. All of the bars in Boystown were rapidly filling up with people who had been to the Madonna concert. Most all of the bars played Madonna music videos. It was a Madonna kind of night. It was great!!!

The four of us talked quite a bit about the show, about lots of things. And I knew then that we had made two good friends in Ricky and Paul. As great as it was to see Madonna again, it was even more special because we shared it with them. After a while, Eric and I said goodnight to Ricky and Paul and took a cab back to our hotel. We got up early the next morning and began our drive to our next stop - West Virginia.

Before I end this post, I want to say how special this part of the trip was - mostly because of Ricky and Paul. Since that time, I have gone to Minneapolis for work and had the pleasure of spending a few evenings with them. They are both so much fun to be around. And they're truly exceptionally nice guys. I look forward to seeing them every chance I get to go to Minneapolis. But I have to say a few words especially about Ricky since it's been just about a year since we first communicated with each other.

Ricky is a bit of an old soul in that he prefers writing letters to emails. In the age of email, it is such a treat to get a letter in the mail. In getting to know him, I learned that he's had a few hard knocks in his life. He shared with me how much music, and specifically certain artists and songs, have meant to him at various times in his life. Just listening to him reminded me to never take the power of music - to encourage, to console, to heal - for granted. I'm certainly not the only artist Ricky is passionate about, but he has been tireless in telling people about my music, in sharing my music with his friends and family. Sometimes I think he's as interested in my music career as I am. He sends me letters telling me what's going on in his life. He sends me and Eric cards - and little books - of encouragement. We call each other occasionally and keep in regular contact. Every artist - EVERY PERSON - needs a Ricky in their life. Because he's funny, he's kind, he's caring, he's encouraging, he's generous and he's loyal. I don't know what I did to deserve him, but I am so thankful that I met him. He has truly blessed my life. Just like Madonna said, "Music makes the people come together."