You're welcome, I'll post the dress rehearsal - just as soon as I have a few moments.

Thank you GG! I remember reading your reports on Shidoobee at the time -
they were great fun to read then and they are now as well.

The Tables Roll When The Kids Are Out

February 3rd, 2006 - Friday

I arrived at Wayne State University's gym about 2:40pm.  I was supposed to be there at 2:30 to check in and catch a school bus over to Ford Field.  Our group was among one of the first groups being bused over and since I knew the stage crew wouldn't be there until 6pm - I figured that meant we would sit at Ford Field for three hours doing nothing.  I was tempted to be even later.  But in the end showed up near the time I was supposed to.

Each group was only given four passes for the parking lot at Wayne State.  If you didn't carpool in with other members of your group - you had to park elsewhere. Where the Shidoobees were meeting to carpool would add an hour to my drive to Detroit and that evening it would add 45 minutes to the drive to my hotel, it made sense to skip the carpool.

I was about 35 miles from Wayne State when I talked to Pittsburgh Joe and he said he had no problems getting into Lot 50 without a pass.  He just said he was with the half time audience, the guy let him in without asking for a pass and he didn't have to pay $10 to park.

I arrive thirty minutes later and the woman wants my parking pass.  I start looking around in my car and tell her I can't find it.  She says I can't park there without it.  I tell her I have to, I was told to park there.  I toss things around in my car, trying to find a pass that doesn't exist. She's adament I have to back up and leave.  But then more cars came up behind me so I couldn't back out.  And the line of cars wanting into the parking lot kept getting longer.  Finally, she just waved me through. 

Outside of the gym I found Pittsburgh Joe.  We couldn't find the Shidoobees outside and a red coated person said they were inside.  So inside we went.  We found the person who checked them in, got our names highlighted on the list, showed our drivers licenses and had magenta wristbands attached to us.  They say NFL Half Time Rehearsal on them.  The guy who checked us in said the rest of the Shi'bees had already taken a school bus over to Ford Field.  We were then told to choose a box lunch and to get a couple of drinks - Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist or water.  We were also told to eat our lunch on the bus.  Then we were put on a school bus.  The school buses are from all the communities around Detroit.  I wasn't hungry enough to eat my lunch and decided to see if I could get it inside Ford Field.  Joe was obedient and ate his.  Once off the bus they were making everyone throw their pop and water bottles away - along with their uneaten lunches. A lot of people didn't hear they had to eat them.  The lunches by the way were turkey or ham sandwiches, coleslaw, an apple and two double chocolate chip cookies.  It was misting out, but I ate my sandwich and drank my Sierra Mist outside of the metal detector tent and put my chocolate chip cookies in my jacket pocket. 

Then it was onto the metal detector tent.  Where we had to put all our metal (keys, change, cell phones) into a tray to be passed through and then go through the detector.  I decided to smuggle a camera in today just to see if I could on Sunday.  Nope.  It set the machine off.  They let me take the camera in anyway though.  Next was a three or four block walk to Ford Field.  Once inside the stadium we had to find the L row, since the Shidoobee group was assigned to the L-pod on the field. 

Once settled in with all the rest of the Shidoobees - we sat and waited and waited and waited.  On the field they were practicing the trophy presentation.  Right down to the goofy lines of - "well, we won the game when I caught the football."  They awarded the MVP award and handed over the keys to the Escalade.  They ran through it a few times. While this was going on, two field audience groups were kicked out because they tried to take photos of their groups - not what was going on on the field.  That ended any plans I might have of trying to get a photo of our group. 

Around 6pm they lined all 2,000 of us up in the concourse.  And then we stood.  And stood.  And stood some more.  Long enough that I was beginning to feel lightheaded.  We must have stood in our formation for an hour or more.  Then finally, we were let out of the building, jogged around the corner and made the acquaintance of the terrifying ramp.  The ramp leads to the field.  It must be at least 200 feet long and is about twenty feet wide.  It goes straight down at a very steep slope.  You could ski down it.  Kids with skateboards would love it.  Walking down it is one thing - running down it shoulder to shoulder with 2,000 people is scary.  I'm going to have nightmares about it tomorrow night.  I can't imagine running down that with the 28 stage pieces rolling down behind us.  Mike said his friend Nicole reported when they took the stage down the ramp today it was terrifying - it's everything they can do to keep the stage from getting away from them.  Nicole also said there were two injuries among the stage crew today - a hand got caught between the stage pieces and I've forgotten the other injury.

Anyway - back to the tunnel ramp.  When I got about fifty feet from the end - I looked out at the field and the stadium's lights were dimmed - with the stage already put together.  While we were in the concourse, standing around doing nothing - the stage crew had put the stage together.  There were people moving around on the stage and I recognized Ronnie and then Mick.  I started to forget the scariness of the ramp.  Out onto the field we went and just as we were about to hit the five yard line - the Stones struck the first chord.  Of a very familiar song and one I wish they had retired several tours ago.  But it was just so cool - to be running across a football field with the Stones playing - it was the best Stones song ever kind of moment.

We went to our starting positions.  Unfortunately - our group somehow didn't get into our right place on the far twenty yard line.  We were deeper in the field.  As soon as everyone was lined up, we rushed the stage before the first song ended.  Since we started out in the wrong place, we ended up further up on the tongue.  Where the stage is over six feet high.  All I could see of the main stage were their heads.  That's it.  We also ended up about eight people back, instead of the first five we were supposed to be.  Not the greatest location.  But it was fun when Mick came out to the tip of the tongue - which he did several times.  Keith came out once. 

After the third song - we were sent back to our starting positions on the field for about an hour.  So we sat down and waited while Pierre, etc... tuned guitars, played a song or two, etc...  I don't know where the Stones were at that point.  I didn't see the back up musicians or singers on the stage anywhere.  But as I said - I did not have a good view of the main stage.

After an hour - we were sent running out of the field.  As I passed the tip of the tongue I heard a professional crew member yell to the other pro crew members:  "The Tables Roll When The Kids Are Out."  I'm a kid again! 

Once back in the terrifying tunnel we came to a stop about half way up.  Around a curve and too far away to see the Stones.  Running up this tunnel is not fun.  In fact, it's less fun than running down it.  The fourteen of us found each other again.  We then spent the next half hour or so in the tunnel.  Just standing.  But at least we were in the tunnel.  Others were outside on the street.  The Stones ran through the set again while we were in the tunnel.  And just when I began to think I was going to spend the rest of my life in the tunnel, we were running again - out onto the field. 

As we hit the field this time we were told to go to our starting positions.  But when we neared the far 20 yard line - the red coated people there told us to go to our show positions - which is near the stage.  Everyone was confused and our group became separated.  And were even further back from the stage this time - but more down by the tip of the tongue where we're supposed to be.  The tip of the tongue part of the stage is lower - so one can see the main stage better. 

And then the stage exploded and the Stones hit the first chord again.  The stage is really cool.  I found myself watching the video screens just so I could see what it looked like from above.  In some ways - I almost wish I could watch it from above - even though it's really cool to be on the field.  The stage has had lots of additions to it since last weekend too.  The lighting on it was added and it's been repainted - it's now red instead of a rosy salmon.  This time the the rehearsal was filmed.  The tape will run simultaneously with the live feed and if something goes wrong - they will revert to the back up tape.

Too soon it was over with and we were sent running back up the tunnel again.  Most of us assumed we would be stopping half way up again - since they said we would practice three times.  But I guess they had enough of us - because they sent us back to the buses about four blocks away.  On the sidewalk in front of a long line of school buses we found coolers of pop, water and boxes of potato chips.  We grabbed some potato chips and pop.

I had a friend that was supposed to be at the Winter Blast Festival which was a few blocks away and Pittsburgh Joe was supposed to meet his friends downtown too.  It didn't make sense to us to take the buses back to Wayne State which is in midtown just to get on the shuttle back downtown.  So we said good bye to the Shi'bees and headed off to Woodward Avenue.

I have never seen Detroit so crowded and noisy in my life.  I remember my parents taking me to the Thanksgiving parade when I was three or four - but it wasn't anywhere near this crowded.  Every bar and restaurant along Woodward Ave. was packed.  This is the area where I went to law school and you rarely saw a person walking and most buildings were boarded up.  Since my law school days, Foxtown has become the theatre and sports entertainment area - with buildings coming down, Ford Field and Comerica Park going up, the Fox Theatre (Keith played the Fox in late 1988), State Theatre, Detroit Opera House renovated, restaurants and bars opening up. The side walks were over flowing.  As we walked away from Foxtown and neared the Winter Festival at Campus Martius we could hear music. We tried to wander through some of the tents and the ice garden - but it was too crowded.  I tried to return some of the phone calls I'd gotten while in Ford Field - but it was impossible to hear.  We ducked into a couple of stores selling Super Bowl stuff and I called my friend Jess and left a message on her voice mail.  I doubt she heard her phone if it was in her purse.  We went into the Hard Rock so I could buy a Super Bowl pin, but they were sold out.  They had two kinds and only 500 of each.  Instead I bought a Detroit Hard Rock pin in the shape of a semi truck, my paternal grandfather had been a foreman at GM's Pontiac Bus and Truck for thirty years, so it seemed like a good substitution. 

It was after 10pm and we decided we wanted a beer.  So we headed over to Greektown.  Where even the liquor stores had lines out the door.  The Greektown Casino was so full they weren't letting anyone in.  And we didn't even want to think about how long it was going to take to get into a restaurant or bar by the length of the lines outside of them.  And then once in - who knows how long it would take to make it up to the bar.  I suggested we head south of Greektown towards Bricktown.  There's some bars a couple of blocks away that I hoped wouldn't be busy.  But they were.  So we kept heading south into Corktown, an area that one normally does not wander around at night.  Except tonight - it was crowded.  We were going by St. Andrew's Hall (a concert venue) when Joe noticed a bar that I walked right by.  I thought it was another entrance into St. Andrew's. 

It turned out to be a bar with lots of ambience.  And while crowded, there were empty tables and booths.  Although some of the booths had people passed out sleeping in them.  There was a group of about twelve twentysomethings dressed up as zombies and victims.  And then lots of sports fans, tourists, etc... who just wandered by and found a bar that didn't have a queue out the door.  There was a ledge with a few little yellow stuffed animal duckies, I'm not sure how they fit into the decor.  The ladies room was a real winner - but the Ritz compared to Wild Bill's in Memphis. There was a window next to the toilet and someone had painted the glass green for privacy.  Someone else had chipped away a four inch square so they could watch from outside.

One of the zombie victims named PJ told us the bar was called Steve's Bar.  So we got a couple of beers and settled into a booth.  At one of the tables was a black man with a beat up guitar providing music for the evening.  In between one of his numbers, I heard my phone ring and went outside the bar into an alcove between the bar and St. Andrew's to talk.  It was Charles - a Shidoobee from Houston.  He was caught in the Greektown mess wondering if he would ever get a beer.  I gave him and his friend Bill directions to Steve's Bar.  Back in the bar I found PJ trying to pick Joe up.  She was rather cute.  Mike called me next, so I left poor Joe to the clutches of PJ. 

While I was outside talking to Mike, Charles and his friend Bill arrived and when I walked back in - Charles recognized me by my description of my clothes.  You all know the drill when you first meet someone you've corresponded with but have never met.  Bill had been sure I'd turn out to be a guy.  Anyway - we traded Stones concert stories.  Bill has never seen the Stones wanted to know how we could see the same show over and over.  So I asked him if he golfs, he said yes.  I asked if he usually plays the same course - he does.  I asked if it's the same every time he tees off on number 3 or hits onto the green on number 7.  He said he was starting to kind of get it.  After listening to Charles and I talk - Bill decided he has to see the Stones.

Around 1am, Charles and Bill had wandered off and Joe and his friends wanted to go to the Greektown Casino.  So off we went back to Greektown.  They wouldn't let us in.  So we went back to Dave's van and set off for the MGM casino. The bars at the MGM closed at 1:30.  So no more drinking.  Dave and Doug went off to play some table games.  Joe and I found slot machines that were empty and sat down.  It had been a long day of walking, standing and running.  We did find an I Dream Of Jeannie slot machine to lose a few dollars in.  Around 3am we decided to leave and Dave drove us back to our cars at Wayne State.

There's been a rumor that the Stones might play this one venue tomorrow night that is a few miles northeast of downtown.  So I headed over to it to check it out.  When I got in the parking lot, I called Mike and we discussed what I was seeing - which wasn't much.  There were about two dozen barricades used for queueing people up in.  But no Upstaging truck.  And the area where a truck would unload was empty - although it's not an area where a truck could stay for a long period of time - it would have to be moved.  I couldn't get around the back of the venue because of a fence on one side and a marina on the other.  The venue is on the Detroit River.  It was also not a neighborhood where I should be outside of my car at 4am either. 

In the end, Mike and I decided the Stones may be going to a private party there tomorrow night - but since I saw no signs of an Upstaging truck, it's unlikely they are playing there.  But I may check it out Saturday afternoon just to be sure.

The dress rehearsal was incredible.  Not because of the music - we can't hear the monitors and the speakers are on the field, behind us.  The Stones sounded terrible where we were.  But to be in a football stadium and one as beautifully designed as Ford Field and to see all those empty seats and for it to be just us and Mick, Keith, Charlie, Ronnie, Chuck and Darryl is pretty darn special.  I've pretty much decided that on Sunday I'm going to be in the inside of the tongue.  Maybe in there I'll be able to hear the monitors.  Fortunately last weekend I watched the people inside the tongue practice getting into it and I know their starting point on the 20 yard line.  If I mingle into those groups - I should end up in the tongue.  As long as I stick to the middle and don't go near the stage - I should be able to see what is going on on the stage quite well.  If you can't get too close to the stage - you can't see - the main stage is 9 feet high.       

The Stones presentation is pretty impressive - from the lighting to the stage to their presence.  And they look on - lots of energy.  I wish I could have heard the music better though.  None of us noticed if Mick deleted certain lyrics.  As long as they don't sleep walk through the show on Sunday and keep the energy they had tonight - it should be impressive. 

I learned tonight that three Stones songs can be enough.  Although I would have loved to have had a twenty song set list tonight.  That tongue stage is cool.  And just being so few in such a large stadium is an unique way to see the Stones.

Look for me on Sunday - probably somewhere in the tongue.  

Debbie
Tiger 






My wrist bracelet from the dress rehearsal - I still have it too.





The buckets or tables being put together to form the tongue stage in Ford Field.





The stage with inner tongue audience beneath the tarp at the beginning of the rehearsal - they had problems rolling it back evenly and quickly the first time.





An empty Ford Field - just us and the Stones. For the rehearsal we ended up behind Mick - at the widest part of the tongue - the sound was awful there. For the half time show we ended up inbetween Mick and the camera at the tip of the tongue - closer to the monitors and an improvement in the sound.





The volunteer stage crew really did manage to get the stage down the terrifying tunnel, onto the field and together in five minutes.





One of those moments you don't forget - looking up to an empty Ford Field as the banners unfurled, surrounded by the music of the Rolling Stones.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-02-11 11:52 by GlimmerGirl24.

I believe you've given me goosebumps, GlimmerGirl!
What an experience - yours, I mean, not my goosebumps
(although ... yeah, them too :E )

Quote
Turner68

Quote
DoomandGloom
That performance turned me off to The Stones till the anniversary. To me it was their lowest point and I was certain their career was over. The last few years have been a joyous surprise, I tip my hat to their ability to lift themselves up to greatness once again.

I hadn't heard them live for about 5 years when I tuned in. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they did, I had assumed their age had caused a more rapid decline. I think it was a mistake to play "Rough Justice" ( a mistake to record it too) but otherwise thumbs up.

they are much better these days

In case anyone is interested in seeing it... yeah, heard here, the mix is not on but then again, it was live, so... Ronnie just lays the solo for Start Me Up out on a slab and kills it! His Rough Justice solo was just as awesome. The band is awesomely sloppy... Rough Justice made sense for a new song but it's weird that no matter how steady Charlie is the rest of them just slog the songs! Listening to these it pretty much reveals that it probably wouldn't've mattered what songs they did...

SB40

Part 1 Start Me Up and Rough Justice
[www.youtube.com]

Part 2 Satisfaction (with Keith's solo really up in the mix!)
[www.youtube.com]

The main problem with the Stones' Super Bowl halftime show was the sound mix. As far as the broadcast went,anyway.

Quote
with sssoul
I believe you've given me goosebumps, GlimmerGirl!
What an experience - yours, I mean, not my goosebumps
(although ... yeah, them too :E )

Ditto for me, and the pics are fantastic! Thanks very much for sharing.

My Pre-Show: Electricity, Gloves, Nudes, Fairgrounds

February 5th, 2006 - Super Bowl XL Sunday

I spent a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon emailing back all the people who had asked about the setlist for the half-time show (no one seemed too excited) and writing a report about the rehearsal for Undercover and Shidoobee. After dinner I headed downtown for all the festivities, ending up at the MGM Casino. I had planned to go by the Townsend in Birmingham where the Stones were staying on my way back to my hotel, but between the weather and sleepiness, I skipped it.

Saturday night Detroit got a bit of a snowstorm and the area where my hotel is was especially hit with it.  The wind was blowing so hard it covered the exit signs on M-59 with snow and I missed my exit - thinking it was Adams, the exit before mine.  When I went to sleep, I wanted to make sure I was up in plenty of time to do all the things I wanted to do before checking in for the field audience at 3:45pm.  I set my cell alarm, the clock radio provided by the hotel and a wake up call.  I wasn't taking any chances.

The cell alarm went off on Sunday morning and I turned it off, snuggled back in knowing I had ten more minutes to sleep before the alarm clock and the phone would ring.  Or so I thought.  I woke up an hour later when S called.  The electricity had gone out sometime during the morning because of the winds and snow, making the clock radio useless and the hotel's phone system went out with it.  (My wake up call did finally arrive an hour after check out time).

I scampered out of bed, there was no time for dallying.  My cute little outfit for the half time show was all ready, laying on the chair, all I needed to do was shower and check out of the hotel.  Except my fuchsia leather gloves weren't laying there with my jeans, fuchsia wool sweater and two cotton turtlenecks (just in case I decided one wouldn't be warm enough).  I checked the pockets of the jacket I'd worn the evening before.  I found my left glove, but not the right.  I pulled the pockets out, littering the bed with kleenex, peppermint candies, change and matchbooks.  No right glove.  It had to be in my car, so I tugged some jeans on over my jammies and trudged through the snow across the parking lot to check.  I searched my car, kicked some snow around, no glove. 

I was rather upset.  Losing part of a pair of $80 gloves doesn't thrill me but now my cute little color coordinated outfit was ruined.  I'd have to wear my red leather gloves.  Which might make it easier to spot me on tv, but still - my color coordination gene was cringing.  I decided to call the restaurant and gas station I'd visited the night before.  No glove.  Then it occurred to me that I couldn't remember actually wearing the right glove the night before.  Just maybe it could have fallen out of my pocket as I was leaving the hotel the night before.  I looked outside to where my car had been parked on Saturday and noticed something dark poking out of the snow.  Back out into the snow I went.  My glove!!!  But it was frozen stiff. 

I wasn't ready to give the war up without one more battle, so I placed the fuchsia leather glove in the microwave to defrost.  Two minutes later I had a hot, soaking glove.  I wrung it out in the sink, turned the room's heating unit up to high and spread the glove out on it.  I turned it every fifteen minutes.  Ninety minutes later I had a dry glove, no worse for wear and I was ready to check out of the hotel.

I've been a little conflicted about the whole Super Bowl thingy.  Part of me says the Stones are lowering themselves to play the Super Bowl.  But there is an amusing appeal of having the most sponsored band play the most sponsored sporting event.  Participating in the whole thing though is something else.  But no one said one always has to dine on caviar to have taste.  It occurred to me maybe I should balance my lark out with some culture to keep my little cosmic order in line and had planned to wander the Rodin and Claudel exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts before checking in at the Michigan Fairgrounds.  For those of you not up on your priceless French nude sculpture:

[www.dia.org]

I was though an hour behind schedule, so I thought about skipping Claudel and Rodin.  I decided I could speed view and headed off to the DIA.  The exhibit had lots of intellectuals from Ann Arbor and Birmingham wandering around it.  Lots of tweed.  No talk about blitzes, first downs, Start Me Ups and Budweiser commercials.  I enjoyed the exhibit - lots of sensuous sculpture. I wish I'd had another hour though so I could have perused the information scattered throughout the exhibit highlighting how their styles and skill had changed over their careers.  Not that I probably would have remembered any of it past the first chord of Start Me Up.  Anyway, I got cultured and then it was time to head for the Michigan State Fairgrounds at Woodward Ave. and Eight Mile Rd. where we were supposed to check in for half time audience duty at 3:45pm.

At 3:45pm I was walking across the fairground's parking lot heading towards the Coliseum, a little arena where Wayne State University appears to play hockey.  Outside the doors to the arena I found the Shi'bee's - all lined up in alphabetical order, shivering.  I had decided to go with just one turtleneck beneath my sweater (one doesn't want to appear too bulky on tv) and so far - I wasn't too chilly.  But standing outside without a winter coat on Sunday was not fun.  I joined the queue and about five minutes later the red coated people called Shidoobee and we were lined up in front of the door.  Above the doors into the arena was a mural of a harvest farming scene in Oscoda - which is the town closest to my home. I decided it was a sign that my cosmic order was doing fine and the rest of the day would go smoothly.  We stood for another five minutes or so and then they let us into the arena.  Where we checked in by showing our drivers' licenses, had our names highlighted on a list, a yellow plastic bracelet attached to our wrists (it has the NFL logo and says:  HALFTIME SHOW  Feb. 05, 2006 on it) and had our L number written on our hand (I'm still L9!) with a red Sharpie.  I'm not sure why we were Sharpied, maybe they thought we'd forget our order in the queue.  Once through the check in process we were handed an emergency thermal blanket and directed to choose our lunches - a turkey sub or the vegetarian meal. 

Inside the arena itself, there were four large screen tvs set up, along the one end.  The pregame show was on - but not too many people seemed to be paying attention to the tvs.  The L-pod section (which we're a part of) had a section near the other end of the arena.  We found seats among the L's and ate our lunches.  (The turkey one was a turkey and cheese sub, potato chips, Famous Andy chocolate chip cookies and a bottle of water).  By 4:30 we were done eating and wandering around.  There wasn't much to do.  Except check out what other people were wearing. 

I saw some interesting outfits.  A lot of people had chosen to wear brightly colored gloves or sparkly scarves.  A couple of 20 somethings were wearing brassieres covered somewhat with t-shirts turned into barely there halter tops.  I hope they didn't lose their thermal blankets.

At about 5:30 I noticed that the red coated people were queuing the J's up to take them out to the buses.  I decided to visit the powder room one last time and returned to find the L's just lining up on the arena floor.  I thought we would just step outside and onto a bus.  But no, we waited several minutes on the sidewalk, huddled together with the crinkly, silver blankets flapping away.  I'm surprised that some of the blankets didn't take flight.  I should have unfolded my thermal blanket - but I had planned to do that on the bus.  Finally we were directed towards a bus that had a sign in the window that said L 1-45.  (The Shidoobee group was L 1-14).   

Debbie
Tiger



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016-02-11 11:28 by GlimmerGirl24.

One of the best stories ever told here



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-02-12 07:14 by everwest1.