NESP Forum

I may be the only NESPer who went to Cohasset but not going to Hyannis tonight, therefore I am home and the first to post my recap!

My friend and I arrived shortly after 5:00 and I went to the Box Office to check on HQ goodies (I did not get a M&G e-mail) and the girl handed me an envelope and said "here's your Meet and Greet". My pulse went up but when I looked in the envelope there was a fan club laminate....no wristband. After checking with another employee at the box office I was told that if mine really was a M&G envelope it would have a smiley sticker on it and a wristband....so we had to WAIT IN THE PARKING LOT FOR 1 HOUR & 45 MINUTES because the gates did not open until 7:00! This was the low point of the evening. It was a miracle that I didn't have to use a bathroom after a 90 minute drive and that long wait.
We watched as all the winning fans went in for their M&Gs and a short time later Taylor left the grounds in a limo.  I met MANY NESPers at Liz's car! Now I can put faces to lots of names here!  Karen took a picture of my custom SP jeans and "SOMEONE" put a NESP bumper sticker on the back of the MIX 98.5 van. (it was not me!) Taylor returned in the limo and greeted a few fans before heading back to his bus which was in a secure area behind the main building.
After eating pizza and ice cream we found our seats...4th row right in front of Loren Gold!! This is the closest I have been to the stage! The Tent holds 2200...it was not sold out but the crowd was LOUD and really into Taylor, the stage was small and rotated during the show (theater in the round)...Taylor said he may need help getting back up if he falls off the stage. A lame (IMO) comedian came on first and then the band entered the Tent to great applause. Taylor's girlfriend was escorted in and out of the show by Bill. Many rocking, high energy, fast paced jams last night! Tons of guitar! Covers included Medicated Goo, Going Mobile, and Take Me To The Pilot.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CONCERT:
Taylor was very chatty with the crowd.
Taylor tried several times to get us to do "the wave"!
Can't Trust Your Neighbor..."Massachusetts, Do you have the blues?"
Lots of hilarious facial expressions
Taylor weaving in and out of all the equipment during The Maze
Taylor dancing and shaking his onion...quite the ham!

I got 6 decent pics during the show which will be posted in the picture thread. After the show we were walking to the parking lot and heard screams from the large crowd gathered in front of the main building (next to the merchandise table) and Taylor comes out to sign autographs with about 4 security guards and Bill!! We were approx. 12-15 feet from Taylor (10 people back) and I think it was Liz who said we should yell NESP...so on the count of three we shouted "NEW ENGLAND SOUL PATROL"...we were quite LOUD and we got a HUGE SMILE from Taylor and a little "Hey" and wave and Bill looked up and smiled too.....that made up for no M&G for me!  He must have signed 100 things for people as fast as he could but when he came back to where I was, he posed with a boy in a wheelchair and Bill told him it was time to go. I got 3 close up pics with my 35mm camera (the battery died on the digital) and I didn't want to be pushy and stop him for one more autograph...he was inches in front of me and I REALLY hoped he would sign my jeans (just above the knee...nowhere embarrassing!)...so I kept quiet and Taylor left...after all, his sweetie was waiting!  

I am looking forward to recaps of everyone's M&Gs and of the Hyannis show! 

Oh I almost forgot>>>>>>>RED GUITAR!!!!!

I was one of the oh-so-lucky ones to get a M&G - I had never met him before and as I got in the hallway and heard that familiar drawl "How y'all doin'?" I thought I might faint right there! Well he was polite and took pictures with everyone - Bill is adorable and so patient. My camera was being fussy but he kept trying till he got a good one - more time for me to sit next to Taylor was ok with me! I asked him to sign the back of my jacket that I was wearing (hey - any opportunity for him to get nearer is all I want). He tried but the pen was gray so it wasn't showing up that well. I think I will forever remember the feel of his hands on my back (I know - stalkerish and creepy but I can't help it). He offered to get a black sharpie but that didn't seem to be happening so I settled for him signing a t shirt. Taylor looked tired but what struck me was how dark his eyes are - very smoky and sexy, especially against the white shirt. He also looked much thinner in person. It was a dream come true.

We left to get some dinner and then came back around 8. I saw the woman who ran the M&G and she said Taylor wouldn't come on till around 9 so we enjoyed the air and some wine until the moment arrived. The band was unbelievable as always, with some new members since I saw them at Foxwoods - Loren Gold on keyboards and the adorable Brian Gallagher on sax. Also - no backup singers. I don't know if it was the crowd or the fact that the theater is small and round, but they sounded better than ever and they really responded to the audience. We were in the second row and were making great eye contact all night with Loren, Brian and even Taylor when he stood still long enough! We grooved the whole show, except for the annoying woman behind us who wanted us to sit! Obviously not a true Taylor music fan because how can you possibly sit during this show! Too soon it was over and they were gone. I truly wish they would play longer than 90 minutes - it goes way too fast. Plus there was no encore at all.

We weren't ready for the night to end and for life to resume to normal when we were still so euphoric. We stayed by the stage for a little while and the guys gave out some drumsticks and then unbelievably they handed my sister a harmonica! Now we don't know if that ever touched his lips but just the thought that it may have was enough for us. We walked out and just then Taylor came out wearing a bright red shirt to sign more autographs - so handsome it's not fair. Soon he was gone again back to the bus that we heard was about to leave.

Then Brian Gallagher came out and started talking to people - he was so friendly and genuine with everyone, He saw me looking his way and nodded - I think he remembered me from inside, I told him he was awesome. Then the guards started pushing everyone out the door so we had to leave.

BUT then we saw the bus ready to leave and knowing that the band was playing Cape Cod the next night we figured that they must be staying nearby and maybe they were going to hang out somewhere. So because I am insanely in love with Taylor and now with Brian and because I so wanted to keep this feeling with me longer, we decided to follow the bus to wherever they were going. This is a big bus on small streets so it went VERY slowly but they finally stopped in front of the Clarion in Nantasket Beach, Before I knew it I looked up and saw Taylor in the window of his room on the second floor. He was on the floor looking for something - it looked pretty strange from where we were. But then he closed the curtains. There was a bar on the ground floor and we kept waiting to see if anyone was going to show up, We saw the bass player on the sidewalk but then he went around the corner. After a little while we decided to call it a night without any further sightings. We drove back to the hotel both happy for our magical night yet so depressed that it was over, I am definitely going to get tickets for Staten Island but since the fan club is not selling tickets I don't know if there'll be another chance for a M&G, Also I have a feeling that no matter how many more times I see him, last night in Cohasset will always remain the most special.

These recaps are awesome-we have some great writers in this group.
We'll have to hit as many shows as we can this summer to make
up for the time when he'll be working on his next CD

Quite possibly, the best birthday ever -

I won't get into the whole story of my drive down to Cohasset, MA.  I will just say that I left fairly early from my cousin's condo in Old Orchard Beach, ME and headed into NH to pick up a friend that I had met online and had not met in real life.  Needless to say, DebD and I got along wonderfully.  My sister & best friend followed us down the highway.  This was my sister's first solo Taylor concert.

Our first mission was to get checked into our hotel in Rockland, MA.  When I pulled into the parking lot I could see Margaux heading into the lobby.  Our rooms weren't quite ready so we went across the street and had lunch.  When we came back we also found Aging Hippie and her husband.  This was to be the New England Soul Patrol's main hangout during our "off-time".  We got checked into our hotel rooms and took a few minutes to chill out.  We decided to take a ride to find the venue and our pre-party restaurant and see some other sights in Cohasset.  It was a short 15 minute ride to our destination.  There was a lot going on in the area and I had wished we had more time to spend walking around the open-air art fair in town.  We stopped at the South Shore Music Circus and took photos of the sign announcing the evening's entertainment and sort of looked around but didn't see or hear much going on at this point.  We returned to the hotel to get ready for the pre-party and eventually the concert.  After a quick change of clothes, curling irons and hairspray, we returned to the car and headed back towards our restaurant.  We made one more swing by the tent to see what was going on and could hear the soundcheck but weren't quite sure what we were hearing for a song - it turned out to be Take Me to the Pilot.

We arrived at Feng Shui for our pre-party.  Several members of the NESP were already there.  When I entered the room it was like walking into a family reunion - only I really enjoy seeing all of these people!  Aging Hippie, LindaT, LuvTayNH, AgtMickey and many, many more were there partaking in the festivities.  Unbeknownst to me, these people had birthday wishes & gifts for me!  I received lovely Taylor themed and musically themed gifts - including a new mousepad of Taylor with the Red Sox jersey on and a DVD set of Van Morrison Live from Montreaux.  I was not expecting gifts at all but they all were amazing.  AgingHippie gave me an amazing set of photos that her husband took in Boston & Hampton Beach.

After a quick meal (that was shortened as someone had told me they were going to try and sneak me into a meet & greet - but it didn't happen and that is fine) we ventured back to the venue to park and begin our wait.  Several of our members won meet & greet passes so we awaited their return and stories.  Linda T and I were having a nice talk and discovered Boogie over talking to one of the security guards so we decided to take a walk over and have a chat.  He was very nice, shook our hands and stood and talked with us for a while.  Felix was also nearby talking on his cellphone.  The security guard was a very polite guy and allowed us to stand by the gate as long as we wanted.  Several of us gathered and were just chatting and bantering back and forth when a Jeep approached and we were asked to move.  That was when I realized that Taylor was going to have some companionship for the evening.  I left my sister & friend there to run back over to some of the others to report on the latest development when I look up and see my sister waving to me.  I figured Taylor must have come out to sign or was just out standing by the bus.  When I came around the corner, I see the gate open and Taylor was walking directly at me.  Not knowing what to do or say, and resisting the urge to just hug him, I said "Hi Taylor" and he said "Hello" back.  A black limousine had pulled into the parking lot and he went to talk to someone in it that was apparently from the Make A Wish Foundation.  He was dressed in the Gray Google shirt that says I Feel Lucky on the back.  On his way back over to the bus area, my dearest friend now in the world (lol) LindaT, speaks up and says "Taylor, this lady right here is having a birthday today."  He smiled at me, walked over with his hand extended and says "Happy Birthday" and shook my hand.  Hopefully I replied with a "Thank You" and I'm quite sure I did but that detail is a bit fuzzy.  I never imagined that I would have ever gotten that kind of greeting from him ever.

Finally at 7pm, the gates opened and they allowed us to file in to purchase food, drinks and merchandise. I purchased an adorable keychain that is a new item available (at least new to me).  It's a small working harmonica with Soul Patrol engraved on the side.  At 7:30 they opened the roped off entry to the tent and allowed us to find our seats.  We were in the 2nd row behind the orchestra pit, which I felt appeared to be about the best seats in the place.  We were elevated enough to look over the equipment in the pit and when standing were about eye level with those on the stage.  We were about 10 feet from the stage.

I won't bore you with the opening act details.  The comedian was OK, but not the best I've ever seen.  After his 30 minute set, we were more than ready for some Taylor.  I knew that once he was done we could really begin anticipating.  Shortly before the show began,  I noticed Taylor's female companion seated in the orchestra area sitting on one of the equipment trunks.  It was kind of nice to watch the smile on her face as Taylor came in and started performing.  Eventually, she moved and seated herself on the floor out of the way of watchful eyes.

When Taylor entered the tent, there was an electricity that was familiar but different and the fervor and showmanship that he brought with him was incredible.  I loved the way we were all sitting with the stage in the middle of us so we could see everyone doing everything at all times.  Taylor made use of every inch of that stage as he worked his way through the set.  The band was amazing and Bryan Gallagher has a whole new legion of fans that won't soon forget him (You guys want my autograph?).  It was nice to have him be able to play right in front of us instead of him having to stay at the rear of the stage.  The man has talent that deserves a spotlight from time to time.  Loren was wearing a Red Sox t-shirt and of course, I noticed that!  The entire band was on fire as I've become accustomed to.  I won't get into all the tags, songs, segues, etc as I honestly do not remember them the way I usually do after a show.  I was there to have fun and enjoy myself.  I had my camera with me and I took a few photos but not as many as I usually do.  I tried to dance but three times security came and asked me to sit when the other half of the venue was standing and dancing.  It was very frustrating to see the others dancing but they too were eventually asked to sit.  I am now the master of chair dancing.  It's quite the acquired talent.  My sister and I kept commenting back and forth about different things that he was doing - things that I had warned her about prior to the show (dolphin clicks and tongue rolls) - and new things that I hadn't seen before.  When he motioned for us to do the Soul Patrol wave he just looked like a kid in a candy store.  He was so enjoying everything that he was doing all evening.  When he broke into Soul Serenade, the audience politely quieted and allowed him to share his beautiful voice with everyone.  It was truly a spiritual moment for me.  After The Runaround, he entered the pit area as a sort of walk-off before he did the encore.  The set list had said Take Me to the Pilot - acoustic and since I have never seen acoustic Taylor I was very much looking forward to that.  However, I think he felt the crowd was in too much of a fever pitch to settle for acoustic and he performed the song with the full band behind him.  I still loved the entire show.  I would however still rank it third, with Asheville first and Boston second.  But that is just my opinion.

We hung around the stage after the show and received a drumstick and a copy of the setlist.  After getting asked to please leave, we heard screams from the other side of the tent.  Taylor was out signing autographs in a very secure fenced in area.  This time he was wearing a red Stax t-shirt.  My sister grabbed my setlist and made her way to the front of the crowd and got a barely legible T-H- scratched onto it but she was proud of herself.  He was very accommodating and took a few photos with people.  Something that struck me funny was how very well-lit the area was, however, Bill Will was still holding his little penlight over Taylor's head.  I guess it's a habit that can't be broken.  After a little "New England Soul Patrol" shoutout with Taylor responding with a head throwback and a "Hey!" he left for the buses.  We decided to head out to our vehicles as I was ready to take my shoes off and start to absorb what I had just witnessed.  We heard more screams and figured Taylor was signing by the buses, so we meandered over there but stood back and just watched.  He signed for the few that were waiting and then headed onto the bus.  We decided then that it was time to head back to our hotel.  After a few more minutes of chatting amongst ourselves, we did just that.

Once I made it onto the road, I realized that I was about sixth in line behind the bus.  Since the roads are so narrow, the bus was going at a fairly slow speed (Oh, new bus by the way - not sure if that has been reported yet or not...).  When we got to the intersection where we were to turn left to head to Rockland, the bus went right.  I hesitated and mulled things over in my mind...should I follow or just go to our hotel...I made the sharp right and headed down to Nantasket Beach.  We didn't follow the bus closely, as the back of it was lit up like a Christmas tree anyway.  I could tell where it was headed as we had taken a wrong turn earlier in the day and had seen quite a bit of the area.  The bus pulled up in front of a beachfront hotel and band members starting getting off.  I kept going down the street and parked discreetly across the street on the end.  We stood and watched for a bit and then decided to walk up the street towards the hotel.  We could see Bryan, Loren, Boogie and Felix all getting off and heading inside.  Bill got off, followed by Caroline and then Taylor.  Caroline and Taylor were walking hand in hand and Taylor waves over at us and says "Hi Guys".  I waved and said "Hello" a little dazed that he even spoke to us.  We stood and watched him interact with a few of the hotel employees and then they made their way inside.  We decided that was the end of our evening and headed back to meet up with the others at the sports bar across the street from our hotel.  We stayed there and talked and munched until about 1am and then adjourned to hotel rooms to solve the world & Taylor's problems.  I made it to bed at 3am with a very permanent smile on my face.  It was a birthday - made perfect with Taylor, special friends and great music.  What more could a girl ask for?

Wow.....nice recap Amy! Sounds like the perfect birthday!

I wonder if Taylor will EVER play a New England date on my birthday?
Very doubtful!

Andrea - You never know!!!

I'm glad you enjoyed the recap - I realize I left stuff out but maybe I can do an addendum and I still have Hyannis to report on.

Since I have a late fall/winter birthday, I'd rather celebrate on the road, someplace warm. It's fine with me if Taylor keeps us busy with frequent visits to New England between April and October..

My birthday is New Year's Eve so it would be an amazing ParTay if it ever happens...maybe for my 75th birthday when Taylor is 65 and still making music...do you think he'll still have the lung capacity for some HOTTT harp? LOL!

I am looking forward to the Hyannis recaps...where are they?

Here's my recap I posted at TOSP... I got one for Hyanis too, will post it in another thread!

WEll, well, well.... I really don't know where to start, so I'm just going to ramble for a while. Anyone who was at the show is welcome to jump in whenever...incase I forget some of the details  pic's will follow, but they aren't the best...the lighting really stunk in there  ...My partners in crime this weekend were my daughter Kylee, and DianeC Grims and Mr. Grims  

OK, we missed the pre-party, but got to the venue about an hour before showtime....this was going to be a packed house! I believe the Music Circus holds about 2300, and we found out there was about 1800 in the venue...all ready to be WHOMPED ! The venue is literally a 'circus' tent in the round (rotating stage)...what was nice about that was the breeze coming thru the flaps of the tent! LOL! As we entered the venue, we saw LOTS of people from many sites and were greeted by many there! We also happen to run into Boogie, just walking around (bored, is what he said to me! LOL!) so Kylee and I got a pic with him :


The opening act was a comedian : I still don't get this, but he was ok...just weird to see that before Taylor 

The band came on...they ALL looked really happy to be there, and we were READY to DANCE!  Taylor was a tagging MANIAC on this night...O M G   It was the BEST set I have ever witnessed  The two biggest things I noticed on this night were the band was really pumped, and having fun, and Taylor was VERY relaxed...joking and having a ball! I thought the rotating stage was going to be a bad thing, but from our seats we had a pretty good view (we had 3rd row behing the orchestra pit) The cool thing was when they were 'away' from us, we could see what Taylor does when he turns around to look at Felix and Chris, and to grab the harp  It also allowed us to view the 'whole' band from different perspectiives...I liked that   Here's the set list:

Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu : tags ~ Hey Pockey Way
Heart n Soul : tags ~ Brown Eyed Handsome Man
HOAD: tags~ Another brick in the Wall II
Medicated Goo (O M G!) tags ~ Everyday People
JTFTW
The Deal
Hold on to your Love : tags ~ Jump in the Line  :dance:  AND The Bananna Boat song (DAY-O!) AND the Tide is High
Blues set (I didn't know these, but they were COOL!- need some help here girls! )  and YES Massachusetts has the blues!! (he asked us!)
My Friend : tags~ Wonderful World and Saints go Marching in
Goin' Mobile
Soul Thing: tags ~ Eastbound and Down
Heaven Knows : tags ~ Ain't that Peculiar
The Maze : tags ~ Soul Serenade and LET'S GET IT ON  
Runaround : tags ~ Baby, please don't go (hmmmmmm )

Encore: Take me to the Pilot  

Need I say more  : O M G! I still think I may be in a Taylor induced black-out (a new term I herd this weekend : TIBO!) The crowd was good~ really cheering etc... not a LOT of dancing by the crowd...I still don't get this, but I danced!   And believe me when I say THEY (Taylor and the band)  notice  LOL! After the show, we went out to an area they had set up by their dressing rooms, and Taylor came out and signed everything! He looked sooooo happy, and relaxed at the same time! I've never seen him so happy after ending a set like this...he's usually exhausted, and rightfully so  : I knew there was a young boy there in a wheelchair, and I talked to him and his Dad a bit before the show : it was his first Taylor show, and this kid could NOT be more happy  I herd when Taylor exited the venue, he gave his harmonica to this child  : (happy-cry) and got an autograph after! Once again, good Karma Taylor!   I didn't want anything signed, so I stood in line to thank him, and shake his hand....which I did get to do  : that was REALLY nice! We ran into Mandy and Gretchen while there too (  girls!) We stood around chatting a while, and we got to see Brian Gallagher and chat with him a bit, and got some pics....I think my daughter has gone fangirl over him  :


As far as Caroline......  : I'll keep you guessing!!

Here's the link to the photo's I have:

http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k55/lb...206-16-07/