So, let's just admit it - without Liz and Amy, Portland never would have happened. I am forever grateful to those two for planning and coordinating the event. Portland was my first foray, outside the web, into the world of the Soul Patrol and I was hooked. So much so, that upon returning home, I emailed Liz to thank her for what she had done, and for her support of this shy soccer mom. But I also offered to create a website to continue the high we were on. We were official now, and we should have an official presence.

In Gettin' Together, we will post member photos, experiences, and recaps. Our first contributor is Concetta who, in addition to giving us some great photos, shares her feelings and experiences related to the Portland event and Taylor/LBMO. Way to go Concetta!

Sit back and enjoy!

Part 1: Nuthin' but jumbled piles at the moment . . .

I got home last evening. Two of the most incredible days of my life. incredible - probably my most overused word, yet at this moment, it just "fits": "beyond belief or understanding" approximately 4 months of experiences crammed into those 2 days .... and here I sit, in the midst of jumbled piles .... jumbled piles of ... unsorted thoughts ... Portland newspaper articles ... significant and insignificant souvenirs ... bunches of unviewed photos and videos on my camera ... symptoms of physical and mental exhaustion ... names not yet securely attached to faces ... fuzzy memories ... over 120 emails in my inbox to read (and that's AFTER trashing all the "obvious" stuff), when normally there are 20 ... an sensory overload of sights, sounds, tastes ......... ... post-partum "blues" mingled with unqualified delight .... I want this all preserved in a verbal scrapbook that is currently completely out of control ....

Part 2: Meeting my soul sister . . .

Ames. Soul Sister.

I "met" her, yet had already known her from what seems like a lifetime ago. She was what I thought she would be - and more. She was the ultimate hostess. It began way before the trip, as she deftly managed so many "details". It continued all through the trip - and each moment confirmed that I have a friend for life. When she picked me up, there was a "name-tag" on my seat. I picked it up, and inside was the perfect welcome card. Ames has a knack for picking what's "just right", and this card was no exception. Then there was a golden heart with an angel perched on it, and "SISTERS" emblazoned on it. On the attached card, it read: "Wear this 'thoughtful' little angel, please do. For I've picked it our especially just for you To tell you that I've known right from the start The two of us were destined to be sisters at heart". Now, is that cool or what??? Ames-mazing. Yacking. Giggling. Sharing. The perfect person to share my experience with. She magnified each moment and thought I had.

Ames was a Soul Patrol celebrity. It seemed everyone knew her. As soon as "Hi, I'm Amy" popped out of her mouth, she was received with a hearty "AMY!!" and a hug of recognition, love, and appreciation. This is because Ames is such a giving person - whether it's in a yahoo group (with the endless Taylor treasures she shares), in the Boogie Board, where it seems "everybody" knows her, or in her dedication to making LMBO's appearance a reality in Portland.

Ames is just a huge amount of fun. I loved watching her as her cheeks flushed with excitement as she spoke about Taylor or LMBO. She was a kick as she carried her life-sized inflatable red guitar through the streets of Portland, into parties, onto elevators ...... She just plumb wore me out. But this half-century old broad had the time of her life trying to keep up with her!!!!

Everyone should have a Soul Sister like Ames to share once-in-a-lifetime experiences with. I will not forget the excitement we shared during Kat's OTR (don't ask us about that performance - we have no idea how it went). We scanned each entrance door, each collection of security guards, every clue that would give us an indication about where Taylor would enter. And when he made his intoxicating appearance, in retrospect I was so glad that I had someone to share that electricity with. There were many overpowering "Taylor-moments", and I remember her giving me an understanding pat as I wept.

And did we ever boogie with Taylor! Would I still have boogied if Ames hadn't been there? Would I still have stayed standing when most everyone around us in our section sat down? Would I still have screamed in response to every thrilling sound and movement in T's set (the people right in front of us kept their fingers in their ears through much of it to protected their eardrums from us). Maybe. Maybe not. Certainly not to the extent I did. And it wouldn't have been one-hundredth the romp it was!!!!

Part 3: My life was inexplicably changed

My life was inexplicably changed .... but it didn't happen this week.

When then? When this unknown reserved gray-haired man with jerky movements, with a voice I later learned was a "soulful whisky tenor" sang two songs I had never heard ("A Change Is Gonna Come" and "Swanee Rock")? No, I don't think I "got" it then.

When I watched a very short clip of this same man in another audition pouring himself out, on his knees, into another song I had never heard of ("The First Cut Is the Deepest")? Not yet, but I think I was starting to "get" it.

When this man (did I have his name before this? I don't remember) long-leggedly strode down the "Green Mile" playing an other-wordly harmonica? Maybe it was then.

When Taylor (I knew who he was now) performed "Levon", a song I DID KNOW, but it was NEW?

OK, I can't pinpoint it. It was somewhere between "I was born by the river, in a little tent, oh-and just like the river, I've been a run-nin-in-in' ever since" and "Alvin Tostig has a son today-ay-ay - hey! allright! And he shall be Levon ..."

I didn't KNOW it was changed, though. When did I REALIZE it? This week. When, if I HAD to choose between the AI Concert and the LMBO concert, I would have chosen the latter. I am NOT downplaying the AI concert, which was an INTENSE THRILL for me. And I WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED TO MISS IT. I'm just saying if HAD to choose ... LMBO would have been my choice over the "big box of Velveeta" (as one of our cohorts described it - and amazing Velveeta at that!!!)

Part 4: Taylor vs LMBO

Taylor is a superstar. He will never be the same. LMBO is a group of regular people. REALLY regular people. They have not changed, because fame has not forced them to do so.

Taylor is inaccessible, surrounded by guards and serious security measures. LMBO's members - (no, it's Brian, Zippy, Sam, and Mitch, joined by Jeff) - are people like your neighbors ... I felt distant from Taylor, disconnected. When you watch the guys, you feel like you're with friends (albeit marked by talent you wouldn't find in people who are just your friends ... )

Thousands flock to see Taylor. At least who they think is Taylor. (They want to hear the music from AI, and to see what "moves" he'll do that evening. I saw a bunch I hadn't seen before, but as I think about it, there was a disproportionate emphasis on his dancing.) A hundred "flock" to see LMBO. And that "flock" sees exactly who they think they will see. A well-oiled authentic blues band.

There were a bunch of silver tour buses lined up in front of the Civic Center. Taylor's whereabouts were always shrouded in secrecy. There were barricades and guards. When he entered or exited it was a major event. After the concert at the Asylum, on our way home, we stumbled across LMBO in the dark. They were loading up an anonymous van pulling a little trailer. Crowds? There were 2 women there talking to them when we approached, and they didn't stay. Amy was missing the autograph of one of the guys, and he was happy to provide it.

Did I get Taylor's autograph? Not even close. Physically or emotionally. And LMBO? I had put together a "LMBO CD", with a cover I created. I went from member to member before and after the show, asking them to sign it. I am not a bold person. But I felt completely comfortable in approaching them. First I went to Brian. I told him I had flown from Florida to see them as much as to see Taylor. He was so thankful, gracious and humble. I asked Mitch, and he looked at the t-shirt I made (it said "Over the Radar"), and told me how much he liked that. Sam was talking to a woman, and I stood a little distance from him, waiting for an "opening". He saw me, and gave me a big smile. I asked if he would sign something for me. He looked at the case, then closed it (I handed it to each member open, where they could sign it). "What is this?" he asked. He looked at it some more, and asked "where did you get this from????". I told him I made it. He looked at each part, and commented. Then he said "This is great! I want one of these! You need to show this to Brian and (I forget who else he said)". I asked him how I could send him a copy. He told me to go and talk to their sound man (pointing him out to me), and that he would tell me how to get it to them. I don't remember what happened when Zippy gave me his autograph. When I asked Jeff, he took the time to draw a cute saxophone on it, and he told me how much he appreciated my "energy" during the show.

These are little details, but I think I'm getting a point across here. Would Taylor have noticed my t-shirt, or drawn a harmonica, or told me that he noticed my behavior in the audience, or asked me for a copy of something I had made? I don't know. My guess is "no". And another guess is that I'll likely never find out.

All this saddens me.

What will happen? MY take is that Taylor has lost too much in this "deal" (though I respect his desire to win, and the fact that he says he wouldn't trade his fame for anything). MY take is that he won't be able to go back to the intimate venues he loved - and I believe he still loves. LMBO won't get the big audiences unless they are with Taylor. Because not enough people love the kind of music they make. But I also think they want to be well-known artists. That thought struck me when they were talking (after their concert, as they were putting stuff away) about wanting to be on a talk show when they were in New York. You know, like Taylor on Leno. And if they ARE with Taylor, and get the big audiences? Why would people be there? And what would they want? I don't think LMBO wants fame THROUGH Taylor. They are still "struggling musicians", as Taylor once was. I heard they will not accept financial support from Taylor, even though they are family.

Taylor away from AI? I really don't know if there are enough people (like us) who want what he REALLY wants to give. But surely it's not all about the numbers?

Part 5: More on LMBO

A word about their musical mastery There is no describing it. You have to experience it to understand it.

I stood in the front row as I watched them. That was not hard to do. I don't think the "crowd" in front of the small stage was ever more than 3 deep.

Brian's fingers were a blur on the keyboards. Jeff, the saxophone player, was directly in front of me, and Sam, lead guitar and vocals, was just to his right. Jeff had a whole row of different saxophones he played. He played 2 saxophones simultaneously several times - I would say better than most saxophonists play one. (A funny note: Jeff was signing someone's t-shirt, and he added "practice safe sax" :)

All of them: Their instruments were just an extension of themselves, PART of them. They were transported by their music - as were the people who watched them. They wholeheartedly enjoyed what they were doing. It's their life. It's their blood. They were more than a "family" - more like people who have been married for decades. You know, people who know what the other is thinking before they say it. Who react to each other instinctively. Their music was an improvised interwoven tapestry.

There weren't a whole lot of people there. My guess is about 100, in a venue that had a capacity of 500. About 30 or 40 in front of the stage, no one on the dance floor, some people at a few tables they had, and some people in the back of the room. I think there were 2 men in the front-of-the-stage group. A lot of people over 40 that you wouldn't normally see in that club. Some people only wanted to see Taylor. One inebriated woman screamed "Our tickets are WORTHLESS!!!! Taylor's not coming". Another younger woman next to us admitted she was only there to see Taylor. She asked us "when is HE showing up?". Amy turned to her, looked her square in the eyes, and pointedly said "We're here to see LMBO". End of discussion. (way to go, Ames!!)

Part 6: This and That: Portland et al . . .

Miscellanea

What a delight to meet fellow Soul Patrollers! These are women who are intelligent, warm, witty, and discerning in their tastes - and these same women will whip out 99-cent plastic harmonicas to create a rather bizarre "concert" in the midst of a fairly elegant lounge (which, incidentally, had a spectacular view of the city)! And with what gusto they live and laugh!

This lady here became half her age for two days. I forgot I was nearly 50, and became temporarily young. Unfortunately, my body was not nearly as cooperative as it could have been. Mercilessly jiggling parts of my I didn't even know were jiggable, abusing my throat, acting like the unabashed youth do, overloading my mind with memories and experiences - I just gave out, aching physically and mentally from head to toe.

Taylor did give 100% percent of what he had. More precisely, 100% of what he had left. I watched the video of the performance of DIMYP that I saw. Taylor is visibly exhausted. With a capital E. An extra-large capital E.

I must plead "temporary insanity" from the moment he first appeared, but I do remember that the high point of the concert for me (though not the highest musical point) was DIMYP, which was accompanied by a montage of pictures from Taylor's incredible journey from first audition to his triumph. It took me back, and I relived it all in a few moments ..... Musically, I think I'd split my vote between Hollywood Nights and Living for the City.

Another highlight was spending time listening to "Phantom" of the Boogie Board. I was so impressed by her. I was also impressed with "Liz", Amy's main accessory in Taylor/LMBO "crime" .... And apparently I must have met the infamous "mj", since we were both in the front line at the LMBO concert ... I know what I've written hasn't been a conventional "recap", but my experience was unconventional - the same as anyone else who has traveled this road .....