Standing on Top of the ......Garage Parking Lot

Standing on Top of the ......Garage Parking Lot



From the top of the Garage

October 13. Sammy Hagars actual birthday and he finished his birthday bash series of his concert outside of this Cabo Wabo Cantina. Sammy would tell the audience it's his 21st year playing at the Cabo Wabo on his birthday, his first time playing outside and that he's celebrating being 64 years old.

But first thing first.



We spent the morning at leisure around our swanky hotel pool. Then we took the free shuttle into town (sure beats walking up or down the steep mountain hillside) to the sister hotel to play in the Ocean. That didn't last very long for as the ocean is mean and cruel this part of the world. The drop off is within feet of the crashing waves and the undercurrent take out even the best of swimmer out to sea. If you don't like your children very much, this would be the beach to bring them too.



Then we wondered down to Cabo Wabo to check out the events and the set up for the night. One side of the street, the Cabo security was blocking the street with tall soild wood barricades. No one was going to get a view of the show without paying on that side of the street. The other side of the street was simple metal barricades but far enough back no one would see the show either. A bit bummed we wouldn't see the show without the proper red wristbands my husband suggested we grab a few beers and come back around show time to at least listen. I wholeheartedly agreed since Sammy was the entire reason we were in Cabo.



Dinner and a view at Captain Tony's



We walked a few blocks down to the marina and found a couple of chairs facing out at a place called Captain Tony's. We ordered the bucks of beers and drank and people watched. And then we ordered dinner. Two and half hours later and twenty bucks, it was only 30 minutes to show time.

Back at the metal barricade with high security just a handful of people were hanging out to do exactly what we were going to do; listen to the show. And that's when I looked up and saw a parking a garage. Hey, that's a great viewing spot. We walked around the block, found the enterance to the garage and the attendant told us to go to the top, and use the stairs and that is were I found the top of the world, or the parking garage. Best viewing spot to see Sammy. Sure, we were not close enough to touch him, but we could see the stage and the big screen and the crowd. Best part of the garage was lots of run to move, dance and sing without anyone on my backside. My husband ran down the corner street store and purchased four more beers and we sang along to Sammy.

Guy, from the Food Network introduced Sammy Hagar. He sang more of his older stuff and some of the best of Van Halen. When he sang "Standing on Top of the World" he changed the words to "Standing on Top of the Parking Garage" and gave us all a two handed wave. All of us on the garage jumped up and down with delight and waved right back.

Indeed, on top of the world.

The show with a Rockin view

The show was only 70 minutes long. It ended with Sammy getting a birthday cake in his face, thanks to Guy. He waved and left the stage. Once again, the Redheads stood around and exchanged contact informationg to keep in touch until next year.

For us, it's back to the hotel pool and a airplane ride home tomorrow. I've been thinking what Sammy said at the begining of his show. He's been playing on his birthday for 21 years which means he started that tradition back in his 40's. Somedays, I've been feeling.....old. But heck, it's not too late for me to start a 20 plus year tradition. Somehow just that thought makes me feel young.

My journey feels complete.



Prost.

Sammy's Birthday Bash

Sammy Hagar and Vic Anderson, Cabo Wabo

Mecca to Sammy Hagar's Birthday Bash


Our flight from Portland to Cabo was packed. The airline asked for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for a first class seat out the next day and a four hundred voucher. Temping as it was, we declined. After all, I'm on my mecca to see Sammy Hagar play at his bar on his birthday.




Our seatmate were making their 7th trip to Cabo to see Sammy. They had left their three young children at home for the week. They claim it's the best part of their year. The people sitting in front of us chimed in. They too, were going to see Sammy.

In the van from the aiport, the couple sitting next to us were also going to see Sammy. She was 6 months pregnant and they had left two small children at home.

Shortly after we checked into our room, we went to Cabo Wabo to "check it out." Lines around the buidling. People standing about everywhere.

And then things really got crazy show day.

Wristbands & ready to rock

Our email said wristbands to be released at 2:00. We arrived about 1:30 and there was already a line to get wristbands. The line had security guys making sure people were not taking cuts or doing other rude things. To get your wristband, you had to show your email & id matching the email. They would look you up on the list and write in your ID type and number and then have you sign for the band, and they put the band on your wrist. After that, you'd go to yet another line to wait for the show to start at 9:30 pm. Yes, not a typo again. The doors to the cantina opens for the show at 7:30.

Now standing in lines for 9 hours isn't at the top of my "to do list." And standing in a line that long in 95 degree heat, in the sun is really off my list. Crazy I know. To avoid some of the line wait, we went into the Cabo Wabo Cantina for lunch and a couple of beers and to check out the place.

It's a small ventue. Any place you'd stand would be a good place to stand. So why the lines??? Because everyone wants to be front center of the stage, self included.

We ate lunch at Cabo Wabo. The cantina was closing early by 3 pm to prepare for the nights entertainment. The waitress said they didn't want to make us any lunch but I asked nicely twice and she agreed the cook would. By 3:00, we were kicked out into the hot sun, line and no shade.

And to the line we went. By my count, we were 40 people back. Not too shabby. And we made new friends. It seems everyone in line knew everyone else. People found it odd this was our first time, our first year. The crowd was young to old. One girl who looked a whole 21 said she's been coming here since she was 13 with her dad. And one guy from Iowa told me he's been coming for 15 years and he did know everyone in line. With all the friendly converstation and chit chat, the time went by fairly fast as only time can when it's 95 degress outside. Drinking beer and water purchased from a corner market for a buck helped. As the time got closer to the cantina opening, the line in front of us expanded.

And then the cantina opened. Security people checked everyones wristband to make sure it was on tight and real and told you to walk in or risk being removed from the ventue. And to the front of the stage we went. I was off to the right of the stage and only two people in front of me. Once inside, only a two hour wait, standing firmly planted so you wouldn't get pushed or moved from your tiny spot. The guy behind me knew the back of my body fairly well. I kept thinking it was my husband but it wasn't. The guy kept telling me sorry, it wasn't his fault he was being pushed. I finally forgave him when he told me it was his 40th birthday and he was there alone. Still tho, it didn't give him the right to feel me up. Anyhow.

Two hours inside the sweatbox creaped by. Not even the music and the televisons helped. It's hard to stand that long firmly planted and then, it didn't matter. Sammy entered the stage.

Micheal Anthony 

My mecca to see Sammy was over. There he was on stage doing his thing. He played mostly his older stuff. He had with him stage his buddy and former Van Halen member and current Chicken Foot member Micheal Anthony. Those two boys pounded a few beers and drank shots of tequilla. Sammy had a few more of his friends join him on stage to play the drums and television food personailty Guy.

Sammy played some Van Halen tunes and Micheal Anthony played and sang "Running with the Devil". Sammy played a couple of fan favorites including "I can't drive 55" and "Heavy Metal."

Sammy Hagar and friends on his Bday

Ninety minutes later the show was over. People didnt leave right away. People exchanged contact information with other people. Even I got a few business cards so I could find my new friends oops, I mean Red Heads on Facebook.

I kept my wristband on. It's now a status thing. "Oh, you went to Sammy's birthday bash." And its a becon for other Red Heads. "Great show, how long have you've been going??"

Yeap, I am now offical one of those people, those RedHead people.

Rock on.

Prost.

A Very Long Line

As you may know by now, Sammy Hagar is playing this week in Cabo. Four times to be exact. And its for his birthday. What a bash. His cantina he purchased back in his Van Halen days (who were owners by sold their shares to Sammy when the band broke up) holds grand total of 400 people and Sammy likes to play at his bar, a small ventue for his birthday.


A few tickets being sold a few days before the show Sammy calls "dinner tickets." What you get is a chance to actually get tickets while in Cabo (and not on the internet a few months before which sold out in minutes) and a dinner all for the price of 95 bucks and two days in line. Not a typo, two days.

We went to Cabo Wabo to check it out, to know where we'll be in two days. And there was people every. In line. Acting crazy. I talked to one couple towards the front of the line. The had a cooler, lawn chairs and matteress for sleeping all for the chance to buy dinner show tickets. By the time the tickets are released and if they get them, they woulld of been in line for two and half days. And then there is the line to actually get into the bar to see the show. I was told by yet another person in line to be there by noon the day of the show IF we want a good place to stand on the floor for the 9 pm show. Serious? Nine hours to stand in line see a show? Keep in mind, it's over 90 degress in Cabo and shadow is lacking in the line up aera. I think I might melt. I think I am going to need to sit a bit. I had to search around and find my husband. I lost him in one of the lines. He is retired military after all.

But wait, there is more.

The people in line told me that tonight, Sammy's friend Kenny Chesney is playing, along with Sammys band Chicken Foot. I hope that rumor is true, I'd sure like to sing along with Kenny.

In two days, we'll be in that line. I have disreguard the idea of sleeping in line for dinner show tickets. I have tickets for one of the shows and that appears to be more than most. For now, I am satififed.

Prost.

when is Too Much Service Too Much??

Too say our hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is swanky is a gross understatement.

We arrived to Cabo to a blanket of heat. The second we step off the airplane it embraced us. My sweat had sweat. After the ordeal of immegration and customs, we walked madly fast past the peddlers of service all of the guise of being friendly to the outer edges of the airport to find our ride provided by the hotel. No, the sign didn't have our name on it but they greeted us like it did and check off our name on a clip board. The porter grabbed my bag and ushered into a van. The service only got better, or worse from there.

The hotel porter opened the van door and offered his hand to me. No, wait. He grabbed my hand and helped me out of the van like a 65 year old woman. He grabbed my bag and took me to the check in line. He wished me well and yet, handed out his hand. This was the third tip of the day and I hadn't even checked into the hotel.

After checking in (tip) and the next person to grab me offered me free drinks and breakfast. (tip please.) She showed me where to stand in line to get the golf cart driver to take me to my room. Mind you, I'd rather walk anyday. I did what I was told and waited in line for my personal essort to my room. (tip please.)

Our hotel is on a hill. And after being driven around via golf cart I could see why people prefer that serive for as climbing hills on vacations sucks. There isn't a better word for it. It sucks. The hills and switchbacks makes Lambari Street in San Fransciso look like childs play with it's 8 hairpin switch backs. however, my personal view is that the hotel wants carts to caddy people around for the tip. No sidewalks or naturally safe areas to walk around the hotel are in place. Prehaps an oversight?


Our entire experience checking in, handing out tips took over an hour. Yeap, a hour to be toted around.

Is that when too much service is too much??

And oh, to relax from all this service, we went to the pool. Pool towels, tip please.

The Price of Sammy

My first record, (the big black 12 inch fine grooved vinyl disk that you played with a player that had a needle) I ever purchased was Van Halen II. The second was Sammy Hagar, and I was hooked. Sammy became my man long before “I can’t drive 55.”  I attempted to adopt Red as my favorite color since that was Sammy’s (known as the Red Rocker.)

                “You don’t know what it does to me

                My crimson sin intensity

                I’m haunted by the mystery

                The mystery of red.”

How he feels about Red is how I feel about purple. When he hooked up with Van Halen as lead singer it was a music match made in heaven for me. (I must admit, I liked Sammy better as a solo artist.)  Now it’s time to knock items off my bucket list and one of them is see Sammy play on his birthday at his bar, Cabo Wabo in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico October 13. This is been an ongoing event, well…for a long time.

This is the year I see Sammy on his birthday, and I’m taking my husband (the country guy that he is.)  And even a bigger deal; we have tickets which was not an easy task.

Years ago, the birthday bash was free. My neighbor who has been lucky enough to see Sammy play on that date told me how she waited in line at his bar for more than 24 hours and was one of the last ones to gain tickets. Okay, 24 hours in line I could do that. But a few things have changed. To avoid long lines, line jumpers and just flat out unfairness (is that even a word) Birthday bash tickets are now being sold on Sammy’s web site. For less than a minute. Forty seconds. Gone. Maybe even thirty.

I joined the Red Rocker web site, and signed up for email alerts. The first day tickets were going to be sold I was starting my new temporary part time job with the State of Oregon after being laid off after working for the same company almost 14 years (no bitterness there) and I didn’t think I could jump on the work computers to buy Sammy tickets. I gave my husband very strict instructions on how to open several browsers and attempt to start buying tickets before the go on sale.  He knew he had to score tickets or not come home. As fate would have it, Sammy’s web site crashed and no one got tickets.  And my husband came home.

The second attempt was several weeks later. Same deal. Husband to open several browsers and score two tickets or else. Less than five minutes after tickets were suppose to be release my husband walks into my workplace. My heart dropped. What happened?? Was he coming in person to tell me he couldn’t come home? No tickets?? Quite the opposite. I jumped for joy! Sammy, here I come! I have the email conformation of tickets. The conformation sounded fairly stern, if you were caught selling your tickets they would be revoked and you'd be thrown into a Mexico prison. (I made that last part up.)

A couple weeks later, another email from Sammy. Nothing is in stone yet. The web site and the “team” was still validating the tickets making sure everyone played by the rules.

A month later, and one month before the show, another email. Our tickets will  be released to us upon arrival to Cabo. Must bring ID and tickets are only released at noon a day before the show.  We’ve been “okay’ed” to pick up our purchased tickets. This is serious business.

We got lucky. We made arrangements for our hotel nine months ago. Purchased airfare eight months ago with the sole purpose of going to Sammy Hagar’s birthday bash. I had no idea it would be this difficult to get tickets for one of three shows he is playing his birthday week. According to the web site, he is going to release a few more tickets a couple of days before his show, in person. Looks like we’ll be standing in line for a day. I want that experience.

Sammy, here I come.

Mas Tequila! Prost!

Stories I Only Tell My Friends; the Skirt

I am a skirt loving gal. I like the long hippy broomstick skirts in various shades of purple or black and sometimes white. I like them bedazzled. And I wear them to work on a daily basis.

One sunny day, I strolled around the downtown blocks during a lunch break. As I was nearing my work place and a crosswalk, I saw my husband’s truck coming down the road. Confident he would not hit his very lovely wife I bravely stepped into the cross walk and the truck slowed. I knew he would. I continued across the road and when I got to the middle I turned to face my husband and impulsively decided to give him a show. Yeap, you guess it; I raised my skirt. I hiked it up over my waist. The truck stopped. I laughed in spite of myself and waved my husband forward. I wondered if he was laughing with me.

The truck wouldn’t budge. As I continue to wave my husband forward I am now telling him outloud to pull up and see me. The truck remains still and I see the driver shake his head. Oh good grief, why wouldn’t my husband pull forward? He is now starting to make me angry. Surely the show wasn’t that bad. I think I was wearing a pair of stylish briefs and not my big white pair of grandmother-style panties.

I walk to towards the car and examine the license plate. The plate didn’t look like my husband’s specialized plate. I look closer at the driver; he has lots of hair; my husband doesn’t. Oh crap! It’s not my husband. Immediately, I  hanged my head low and buried it in my chest and charged into to work. I couldn’t believe I did that. I wonder who else saw? I wonder what that driver thought?

I told my husband that night what I had done. Not to surprised at my actions. He just said he hoped the driver was alone otherwise I may of started a long day & night for the driver.

A few days later, we were looking for a parking spot at a grocery store lot. I saw the truck that looks identical to my husband. I hit the floor board and begging my husband to keep on driving. 

My husband suggested I start looking for pants to wear.