Monday, August 30, 2010

Great stuff from Toledo and Idols are in Cincinnati, Ohio tonight!

Well....hello everyone!!  I'm starting today with heavy heart, knowing there are only 2 shows left on the Tour and with excitement that Casey's Coming Home!!!  That boy needs a break in the worst way, and I couldn't be happier!!  He'll get some much needed rest and relaxation and some "ME" time for himself!!  When I think back to how his life was before this, he really has been run ragged!!  I don't know how, for the life of me, how he hung on and continued to rock the stage, night after night, in the shape he's in!  When I'm sick, I don't want to do anything.....much less have fun!!  Yet he seems to take it all in stride, just doing his thing, no matter what!!   Not ever wanting to disappoint not even one fan who paid their hard earned cash to see him perform.  He will continue to not let anyone down too, as his career takes off !  With a new Album to soon be in the works, this is just the beginning for Casey and his musical career, just the beginning!! :)
It looks like there's quite bit of talk about theToledo Show last night, concerning Casey, even though this is more than likely Crystal territory!!  Well, Casey had some fans there too, and they were so totally excited and there's at least one review and possibly two from there!!  But first here are some really nice shots from Deluth, Ga. and St. Louis, Mo.  These are so nice.......





Ya gotta love that Blues guitar face.....

Thanks going out to Machka and SusanG for their great pics!!


And speaking of pictures.......WOW!!!  I came across this awesome bunch of pics taken in Los Angeles when the tour came through there a week or so ago, and all of these, especially Casey's are extraordinary!!!  But don't try to take them with you, it ain't happening, I've already tried! :)  But there are some shots in here that I've never seen Casey do onstage.....absolutely breathtaking shots!!!  Enjoy......


"American Idol Pics Here"


This next bunch of photos are extra nice.....close up and very clear!!  Once again, there's no taking them, but I can post the link so all of you can  see them here!!  Love 'em!!!

"Photo's from Iowa" 

Many thanks to KarenBav for sharing her very nice photos with us!! 

Our girls in Toledo had some really good things to talk about after their experience of seeing Casey!!!  I will post one of the recaps here in full!!!


Here's our friend spinnyjb's recap as she saw it in Toledo, Ohio last night!!  thanks girl!!!
Carolyn and I pulled out of her place about 2:30 or so. Got to the venue and as we were walking up to the arena a well dressed -man w/ a badge around his neck was just outside the doors. He was Steve, head of security and a sweet sweet man! We asked him where the busses were and he told us. Then we asked him if he would PLEASE take our gifts to Casey, because the word on the street was that Casey wasn't going to be allowed to come out. He said he would take them to him personally and make sure. Carolyn had gotten Casey a fedora w/ a cross on it (which casey wore for the last two songs!!) We both wrote him letters about how much he meant to us as fans, our personal "casey" stories. No sign of Casey before the show, so we finally went in. During the intermission Carolyn saw the yellow note tweet from Casey. We weren't sitting together because I got my tickets as a last minute thing. So I was actually calling Carolyn on her cell phone as she was reading the tweet! I was just trying to find where she was in the stands. I was on the floor, manned with my sign wit my twitter name. She called me over there and we both read it and were crying!! So I was snapping pictures like crazy when he put the hat on, but none turned out well. My camera sucks. :( The whole time I was bouncing around w/ my sign. He saw me during It's all over now...and flung a pick at me! I just saw it whiz by. I was scrambling all over the floor for it. I was the only overtly crazy fan in the vicinity, so I know it was for me, he looked right at me and carolyn said when I missed it he chuckled. I couldn't find it, just a bunch of gum wrappers and nastiness. I had given up and all of the sudden a litlle tap on my shoulder and some sweet young girl (I say young, she was prob 20) and handed it to me! I was flabbergasted! No Casey after the show but we stuck around just in case. It was completely and utterly amazing. He sounded like he had a stuffy nose when he talked. He looked tired, but he sounded amazing and his guitar was OFF THE HOOK!! I was out of my mind!!!!
Despite not seeing Casey because he was under doctor's orders not to do any meet and greets, it was the better than I could have imagined it!! I had sent Casey a heartfelt letter with my gift to him. We had hoped to see him before the show and we were asking anyone and everyone to tell him we were waiting to see him. No sign of Casey after 2 hours of waiting before the concert so at 7:30 we gave up and went in. When Carolyn called me over to read that tweet Casey sent (the yellow note above I was overwhelmed with emotion.

I tweeted him when I got home (at 3am!) that "I am blessed that your heart received what my heart was trying to convey in my letter." You just never know how things can get lost in translation. I won't go into details about my letter other than to say I told him how to me he is so much more than a gifted musician and a handsome face... he helped restore my hope through how he handled the hardships in his life. I am still very emotional about the whole thing. Lack of sleep isn't helping, but writing that letter brought up alot of painful memories. But it was very cleansing to write it. That tweet made my night. The pick was icing on the cake. He is such a beautiful soul, with such depth. I am so proud to be his fan. I will be his fan forever. 
Now that......was an incredible recap!!!  Thank you Jen.....I felt like I was right beside you the whole time!!!  You're awesome girl!!!!
And......I have at least one picture from Toledo last night, and here it is....it's quite good too!!!

Thanks to ThatssoAbby for this great shot of Casey in Toledo!!!


Here's another pic I came across and I just LOVE it!!!!  Thanks again to Machka for this awesome shot!!!




Will be back after while.....with more goodies......so check back!


Oh yea.....I almost forgot.....Caseymania is almost in 4th place on the Best Fan Site!!!  Thank you all so very much for all the votes......all of you ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   :)




 


 

Ok yall, we got some more recaps from shows!!  Two more to be exact!!!  I hope yall enjoy 'em!!!

The 1st one is Carolyns Recap: Thanks so much girl!!


Last night, my fiftieth birthday, Jennifer Bussone and I went to see Casey in Toledo. Jennifer was so gracious and drove me all the way there from Port Huron, MI, as I am not able to drive. Anyway, as we left my house, we had heavy hearts because we knew Casey was sick and might not be able to come out and meet us. (Let me state this up front --- we both felt it was more important for Casey to rest than meet us). But being the die-hard Casey fans that we are, we were offering up prayers that maybe, just maybe, we would catch Casey leaving his bus or he might feel well enough to come outside for a few minutes. Off we went with letters and gifts for Casey. I had bought him a cool black fedora hat with a cross on it and Jennifer had given him a cd and had knitted him another guitar cap.


We tweeted to Casey from my laptop on the way to Toledo – thanks to all the ladies who re-tweeted to Casey for us – we really appreciated that our CJCC sisters were trying to help us out!

We arrived in Toledo a few hours before the concert and began to scope things out. We asked some security guards where the buses were, and also asked where the Idols would be signing autographs before and after the show. One security guard said “All 10 Idols will be over by the Aquarium signing autographs after the show”, and another one said, “Casey James is sick and won’t be out signing autographs at all.” Still, we kept a stiff upper lip and kept asking around. I then noticed a very official security guard walking into the front door of Huntington Center and asked him if he was security. He responded that he was Head of Security. I asked him if Casey was coming out at all and he said no. I put my faith in him and asked if he would take our gifts to Casey. He said it would be better to give them to the people taking tickets when we went inside --- but that wasn’t good enough for me. I gave him my best “please, it’s my 50th birthday” look, and he agreed to take them in. Then the praying really started, because we didn’t know if our gifts went on a huge pile somewhere - or in the trash can for that matter.

We went down and stood by the buses in the 90+ degree heat for a couple of hours. Crystal came out to see her hometown fans and she was very nice. It was great to see her – she’s a tiny little thing. Her son & boyfriend were out and her boyfriend was so friendly. He said he would tell Casey we were out there. Boy, Crystal looked really beat. Jennifer asked if she was feeling okay, and she said she had just lost a dear friend and had been crying all morning. Then a piano player from the tour and also Tim Urban came out and talked with some very cute young girls. Apparently he told the piano player to go get them backstage passes; I’m not really sure how that all went down because I was concentrating on spotting Casey. The girls were so excited and crying and shaking. This is where one of the funniest moments of the evening happened. Jennifer said to the guard at the gate, “Sure, the young, cute girls get backstage passes.” The security guard looked at us and said, “Oh ladies, I’m sure that happened to you when you went to see Elvis!” Elvis??? Seriously??? We laughed about that for hours. We asked Tim about Casey and he said he was feeling better, but still too sick to come outside. So we waited by the buses as long as possible and went inside when DiDi started singing.

Jennifer and I didn’t have seats together – she had bought her ticket after I did when she realized that I needed a ride to Toledo. (Her precious friendship to me could be a completely different discussion topic itself.). She was seated down on the main floor, 4th row, and I was up in the first risers. We both had excellent seats. I was sitting with my cousin who lives in Toledo. We watched the first half of the show and during intermission I tried to check Twitter. My phone had been freezing up on me all day, but I decided to take one more chance to see if Casey had tweeted or anything else exciting was going on. Much to my surprise, I saw that Casey had posted “a little note before the show,” or something to that effect. My phone then froze up again, and I was about to pitch it over the balcony, when his yellow sticky note popped up into my screen. It was then that I saw “A special thanks to @carolyn82960 for the note and the hat (which I will wear tonight). And special thanks to @spinnyjb for the card, cd, and hat.” To say I screamed would be an understatement. I probably looked like Jacob Black morphing into a werewolf. At that moment, Jennifer called my cell and asked where my seats were and said she couldn’t find me. I stood up out of my seat and waived my arms like a maniac, and she saw me instantly in a sea of thousands. I started screaming into the phone that Casey had tweeted about us and she came running across the arena towards me and I went running down the stairs to meet her (if you could call my limping running). We were screaming into our phones to each other the entire time we were running to each other. We finally got close to each other and I had to lean over the railing to hand her my cell phone so she could read the tweet. We both burst into tears. It was the most unbelievable moment of my life, really. Then the lights came down and Big Mike was about to come on stage, so we just hugged over the railing and went back to our seats. My cousin freaked out when I told her what happened. Another funny moment…a little girl came up to me then and tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Did you just win the backstage passes”? No honey, something so much better!!!. She obviously saw my freak-out, the little cutie!!!

I was totally shaking through Mike’s set and then out came Casey --- with no hat on. The crowd was going wild. My cousin screamed, “Where’s the hat”? I told her I thought he would put it on during his duet with Mike, but I was kind of worried too. Casey just killed “I Got Mine”. I seriously don’t think I was prepared for his brilliance. TV and U-Tube just doesn’t do him justice. If he’s that good sick, Lord help us all!!!

I think this is the point where Casey saw Jennifer's sign and threw her a pic, but I will let her tell that story! ( I saw the entire thing happen from my seat). Then he sang “Don’t” and I was just swaying and singing along. It was gorgeous! The whole arena was singing too. He sounded a little stuffy, but still hit the notes man!!! Then Casey said Big Mike was coming out to help him sing the next song. And it happened…a stage hand brought out my hat and hung it on the mike stand…Casey took out his hair band and put his hair in a pony tail…and then he put on my hat. He leaned into the microphone and said, “Thank you for the hat.” (Y’all know that sexy, better-than-Bob-Seger, sexy, gravelly, sexy voice!). Had I died then, I would have died a happy woman. They sang their duet (again, awesome). Casey sang his last song, “It’s All Over Now.” WITH MY HAT STILL ON. And then he was gone…

Jennifer and I bugged out after Casey’s set so we could get a good spot over by the Aquarium. We were the first ones there. I had a feeling that Casey wouldn’t be coming out, but Jennifer was still holding onto hope. Then the Idols started coming out one by one. We asked a couple of security guards and they said Casey would not be coming out. It was sad, but we had already been given the best gift ever, I think. Lee came out, DiDi came out, Siobhan came out, Tim Urban came out, Aaron Kelly came out, Katie Stevens came out --- and I got all of their autographs. (Big Mike and Andrew Garcia did not come out;I don’t know their reason why). Despite the late hour, it was still so very hot outside and we were getting soooo tired. We had been on our feet for many hours in the heat at that point. At about midnight, a security guard came out and said either Crystal or her son was sick and she would not be coming out. It was very sad; her hometown fans were waiting there for hours – even some of her elementary school teachers were out there waiting. Jennifer was talking to two of the teachers standing next to us. But people do get sick, as we know.

At midnight we called it a day and we went to stand by the buses to watch them roll away. We tried a couple of times to ask security if Casey could come out, but it was a done deal. We stood across the street as the buses pulled out of the arena and held up our signs. Perhaps Casey saw us as they drove away.

I read Casey’s yellow sticky note to Jennifer several times on the way home. It really hit us on the way home that he actually read our letters and responded to us in an amazing and generous way. I cried when he thanked his fans for being so kind to each other. Jennifer didn’t know me from Adam a couple of months ago, and the Casey James Cougar Club brought us together. She generously offered me her friendship (and a ride!). I think the women of the CJCC are the most amazing people, and I am grateful to be a part of that.

Today as I was telling my family about what happened last night, it hit me that I had the great honor of NOT meeting Casey James last night. Because if I had to pick between getting a picture with Casey for my scrapbook or have him read my letter and respond to me in such a beautiful way, I wouldn’t change a darn thing.

Wasn't that an amazing story!!  I will post the other one now, and it's from a guy, originally posted on MJ's blog.  Thanks to mozart489 for this interesting take on Casey!!!

Casey – I knew nothing of the rumor that Casey might not perform.  I would have been really crushed had he not, because I was looking forward to hearing him.  And damn, I’m glad he did perform – wow.  On the show he seemed like a decent guitar player but it was hard to tell how good he really was cause he never played that much (obviously, it’s a singing competition…right?)  And when portrayed mostly just in terms of his vocals, at times he seemed out of his element.  But the intro to “I Got Mine” was all it took.  Bluesy, gritty Southern style rock…I loved it.  And so did the rest of the Toledo crowd – I’m pretty sure only Crystal’s cheers hit higher readings on the decibel meter than Casey’s.  His album IS now on my list to buy, as long as it’s in this vein.  I wasn’t so impressed with “Don’t” as I was his other 3 songs (…seriously people, why can’t you just embrace the cheese of “Have You Really Ever Loved a Woman?”  He and Mike killed that song on the show, minus 1 note, and it sounded great in concert too) but he’s awesome in his own style.  Slide guitar, rock guitar, country acoustic and electric, even the Spanish/flamenco sort of sound – and he can sing pretty well too.  I like.  Came onto my radar when the videos of him at the Keys Lounge surfaced and it really all clicked what he was about.  Definitely more than just your average bar band guitar player and singer, like he seemed for most of the show.  Hendrix level chops on the guitar is more like it.

Great review!!!!  My page must be 10 miles long now!!  LOL!!!  Oh well.....I don't care.......do yall care????  As long as it's about Casey it could be 50 miles long!!:D



Ok, well, I'm gonna close up for tonight......I'll be looking for stuff from Cincinnati to post for tomorrow!!!  And........Indianapolis tomorrow is the last show.....I'm so relieved for Casey's sake......ahhhhh I can't wait for him to get home and rest....Rest......REST!!!  Aha ha!!!  Yall have a good one.....see ya tomorrow!!!!  ;)

8 comments:

  1. Thanks Glenda for ALL you've done to keep us informed about everything Casey!! I will continue to follow you as long as you are here. I love Casey and his family and appreciate all the details and effort you've put into your site, especially with the things you've gone through with your Mom and vertigo and you still remained faithful to Casey, his family and us, his fans!! I can't wait to buy his 1st CD!! I'm so excited for him and us!! I know Casey's future is bright and something he's worked and prayed for. I believe we'll see more of his family, too, as they are all so gifted! God bless Casey, his family, and you!! Thanks again!! MAE777

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  2. Glenda, thanks for all the cool stuff today!! By the way, the last time I voted, Caseymania was in third place...Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


    Rachel :)

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  3. Your so welcome darlin'!! And thank you a zillion times for all the compliments!!!!! Your a sweetheart!!!!! I will be changing the reason behind Caseymania and I will probably do a site overhaul, change some things around to make it look different, because the Tour is ending and that part of Caseymania is ending. So he'll start his new career with a newly refreshed Caseymania to follow him through it for the next.....oh.....about 30 years or so!! Hope I can hang on that long.....CLOL!!!! Thank you girl for your wonderful comments all the time and God Bless you too!!! :)

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  4. GLENDA YOU IN THIRD PLACE,ON THE VOTE WALL. YOU GO GIRL, I FOR ONE AM VOTING AS MUCH AS I CAN. BUT IM NOT AT HOME ALL THE TIME .I GET TO SPEND MOST OF MY TIME ON HERE,AT NIGHT. YOU DESERVE TO WIN, YOU JUST PUT SO MUCH OF YOUR TIME AND EFFERT TO THIS SITE.AND PLUS YOU ARE JUST AN AWESOME PERSON. WE GOT TO TELL CASEY TO PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US AFTER THE TOUR IS OVER AND HE GETS SOME REST, OR WE MIGHT GO INTO WITHDRAWELS.LOL!!!!!!!!! THANKS GLENDA FOR ALL YOU DO, AND THE REST OF YOU GIRLS TOO.LINDA

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  5. Glenda, where do I go to vote for your website?
    I know I did it when I first found out about it but I can't remember where. Yours is just the best!!! I am also sad but happy that the tour is just about over. Sad because we won't get the daily pictures and videos of Casey but happy because Casey will finally get to rest.
    And he sure does need it. Thanks again Glenda for this wonderful website. Susan/St. Louis

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  6. I know Susan, I feel the same way! I'm gonna still be running Caseymania.....but in low gear....just this and that and pictures through the tour and reposts, but not as often as I do now. It's a full time job right now....lol....but I will still post stuff, as it comes in or 3 or so times a week, I'll be on reposting stuff. to vote for Caseymania, now in 3rd place....squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! sorry.....just go here:

    http://tweeter.faxo.com/Best_Fansite/2010/08

    if it doesn't have the hyperlink, just copy and paste it into your browser!! Thanks for all the votes girl!!!

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  7. Thank you for the pics Glenda. Casey's blues guitar face is beautiful, just livin in the music, and its so nice to go there with him. Hate for the tour and all this great news to end, but much needed. I hope Casey gets back to good health again, and stays healthy. Thank you for the recaps, each one brings me back to the concert and seeing Casey and all the excitement that I felt at the time. I know you will keep us posted after the tour is over of any inside scoop on anything. Everything is valuable when its dear to the heart! I'm about to vote again for your site, hope you make it to #1 you're the best. Thanks so much for all your hard work.

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  8. Awww yall are gonna make me cry right here!! I love this site, it is part of me, and an extention of my personality, who I am!! Thanks to everyone for all the votes, I appreciate it more than you'll ever know!! God Bless each and every one of my readers.....and hang on cause it's just fixing to get even better!!! Caseymania will be coming back stronger and more beautiful than ever!!! thanks for everything....luv yall!!!

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