Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Casey James in Las Vegas and my recap of the whole weekend!

Well, well, well.....what a most exciting weekend it was in Las Vegas, there's so much to tell....I think I may have to do it in shifts!! lol.... I want to just start by saying.....IT WAS~HANDS DOWN THE MOST EXCITING THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED IN MY LIFE!!!!  As yall know, I've always been a huge fan of country music, so seeing all my favorites in one spot, was just over the top for me!!!  And seeing all of them winning and accepting their awards was so great to see!!!!  Cyndee said she got tickled at me at the Fan Jam, because every time a new person or group would go to the side stage or front stage, I would hop up and run with camera in hand, squeeling....."Oh, he's/she's/they are my favorite!!!"  I felt like a kid in a candy store!!
Wait a minute......I'm not starting in the beginning....am I?  Ok, let me start from there!
First off, most of you know that I'm a night owl.....nocturnal from birth.....I just love nights!!!  My flight was leaving DFW airport at 7-ish Friday morning!!  That means, I had to get UP at 3am, which is the time I usually turn in.....so trying to turn my clock around was sheer torture to my body!!  I thought I had turned it around pretty much, but....couldn't go to sleep Thursday night and only 3 hours sleep on Wednesday night....so after only 4 hrs. rest, I was up again.....but I was excited this time!!  I got to the airport on time, and landed in Vegas at 8:20 I think.  John and Anthea, (my English friends) picked me up at the airport, then we headed to the Golden Nugget to meet Cyndee and Dale.  They were great people from the very beginning!!  Instant connections and lots of chit chat about this, that and the other.....oh and of course Casey!!  I thanked Dale for the ticket that he so graciously handed over to me, so Cyndee and I could be closer to all the action!!  And...I might add, Cyndee's honey is a bit of a comedian!  Anthea and I laughed until we cried at a comment he said to Cyndee....

She had ordered poached eggs and they were under a cover staying warm as we continued to chat away for about another 30 minutes.  Suddenly Dale told Cyndee.... "You better eat those eggs, before they turn into chickens!"  CLOL!!  We laughed so hard we had tears flowing down our face!!  Everybody in the place probably thought we were drunk or something!! lol....

Here we are... L to R.... Cyndee, Anthea, and me


We then walked around and looked at the stage area, and we finally found somebody who told John, Casey would do sound check around 3.  So it was now nap time for me....
I woke up to Cyndee answering the phone, and saying something about Casey being on stage doing sound check!  So I jumped off the bed and started trying to undo the damage, the lack of sleep had done to my face!  I did not succeed, because I did not look good when I flew downstairs to the stage area!  But I didn't care, I just wanted to see Casey at any cost!  I got there and he was already doing the soundcheck and I got videos!  I couldn't believe how decent they turned out with my phone!  You will probably have to turn down the volume.....it's a little distorted if it's up too high. 

"I Need Your Love So Bad




"Let's Don't Call it a Night"



"Part of Done Made Up My Mind"



I just found this other video during his soundcheck that day, much better than mine!!  Thanks to Poluska for this one!





When he was done, he came over and began talking with us!  He talked to Cyndee first, who had a picture for him to sign....not for her, but for a girl named Martha, who had lived in Venezuela, and had sent a box of Venezuelan chocolates to Cyndee to give to him at the Minnesota show she went to during the Idol Tour.  She ended up having to give the gift to a security guard to give to Casey, because he was sick and didn't come out at that show.  The guard later assured her that he had given the gift to Casey.  So Cyndee told him about Martha's situation, living in a country that was quickly becoming communists.  She and her family wanted out, and the only reason they were even allowed to leave the country was because her husband was born in another country, Italy, I think.  She did not want her son being raised in a communist country, so she and her husband were trying desperately to leave when he became ill, which delayed their departure even more.  During this trying and stressful time, she said Casey's music is what literally saved her life every day!  She don't know what she would have done without it! Long story short....Martha and her family did flee Venezuela and are now living comfortably in Costa Rica!!  ok....I'm tearing up here....this was such a moving story!!  

When Cyn. told Casey about the chocolates, he said he did remember that!!  So he signed a special picture Cyn had Jake Felts sent her from Texas!  And here's what Casey said to her:


Whewwww!!!  Ok, drying my eyes now so I can go on with the rest of what happened!

We girls, down at the sound check, got together for a group picture..... from L to R....

Sheryl, Glenda (me), Anthea, Rhonda, Polina, and Cyndee


We all represented very well!!  Casey could see us singing the words to his songs, so I hope he liked it!!

Then it was my turn, and I hugged him big!!   Then I reminded him of who I was, and he told me he was just over at Caseymania, looking around!!!  I said, Are you serious?  He said yea!!  Ok, I sorta 'fan girled out' at that time, lol.....and I'm trying desperately here, to remember what all was said!  lol.....But the highlight was that!!   Then I pulled out our Little Rock pic for him to sign, and as he had his pen in hand, he was looking at it for a second, not doing anything.....then he timidly said......Sorry....what was your name again?  He just looked so pitiful because he couldn't remember.  And I totally understand him not, he meets a lot of people!  So while he was signing it, I said, ok, Casey, I'll help you remember who I am!!  I said, you know the wizard of oz movie....remember Glenda the good witch?  He looked up at me and said...."I'll never forget it again".....with a sweet smile!!  I just wanted to help him remember if possible.  And if he don't remember my name next time....so be it!!!  It won't bother me a bit!!! :)

 Thanks to Cyndee for the cute photo above....waving I think! Or was he about to throw a pick?

 And this is my pic, just before I talked to him.  Unfortunately I didn't have the fan list or my gift to him with me, but I gave them to him later that night, along with a hug, as he was leaving the stage after his performance!!!  They were rushing him along, so it was quick!

So I moved on to let other fans in, and at some point a few of us were passing out the Casey fans that Cyndee had gotten made!  People all around, and there were quite a few, were raising their hands for a fan!!  That was fun to see!!  People really enjoyed his sound check!  And some were saying...."Who is that?"  Well of course, we had to tell them!!  But some were saying, "Isn't that the guy from AI??"  So he WAS being recognized!!

So we moved on and decided to go to the room and get ready for the night's big show!!  I looked, and felt, much better after a shower and fresh makeup!

So we went down about 6:40 I think to get ready for his show, and when we stepped out, I couldn't believe my eyes!!  People were everywhere!!  And I was like....oh no.....where's the rest of our group?  After looking around a bit, I spotted them and we headed to the side where a security guard was standing by a barricade, and said...."My group is right there, we need to get to them!!"  He then opened the gate and let us go right to the front of the other barricade with the others!  It wasn't long, before Casey appeared on stage!  He began his set, and started with "Bulletproof" to get the crowd going!  Then he sang "Til' My Guitar", then "Let's Don't Call it a Night"......then he went all out with "Drive", and "Done made up my Mind"!!  And I have to say.....the crowd was loving it!!!!  He was rocking Fremont Street!!!


Here's just 'some' of Ethan Miller's captures!






 Wooo Hooo!!!  Is that some great shots or what??  And here's some more courtesy of Frazer Harrison....








And of course, these guys are the band.....L to R.... Nir, Casey, Billy, and David!

So CMT.com reviewed all the artists performances and they had this to say about Casey!!
James, a former American Idol contestant, stayed away from boring covers, instead delivering a surprisingly soulful set of fresh material, enhanced by a little growl in his voice.

Here's a phenominal shot!!!  Just breathtaking! 

 Big thanks to AP Photo/ Chris Pizzello  Great shot!!!


Here's one of my videos, it's not great, but it'll do.  Sorry about all the bad quality!


"DRIVE"






Here is all of Polina's videos from Freemont Street that night!  enjoy!!  Thanks for these videos Polina!

Bulletproof


Til' My Guitar


Let's Don't Call It A Night


Drive


Done Made Up My Mind


Ok....by the time Casey's show was over, I was so totally wiped out!!  I think I died a little when I laid down that night!!  
I forgot to mention what a great gal Cyndee is!!  She let me stay in her room with her at the Golden Nugget that night.  We had a great time together!!  
When we got up it was not as much stress on Saturday, because we could do what we wanted, because the ACM Fan Jam wasn't until Sunday.  So we had a day to recooperate!  
It was so good to hang out again with all the Casey Fans there, that I already knew, and the ones I just met as well......everybody is just so nice!!  
I'm really tired right now, so I think I will do part 2 of the recap tomorrow.


Yall take care......see ya then.........

23 comments:

  1. So glad to see your post about the trip, loved the "Drive" video he really did go all out. Can't wait to see the rest, you are really sweet to get this all together and share. Wonderful for you to be able to go and have such a fabulous experience, again thanks for sharing it, don't worry about the quality of the videos, sounds and looks pretty damned good. Love the sound check videos that must have been so much fun!

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  2. Great recap, pictures and media, Glenda. Thanks, I enjoyed reading it. Glad you had such a great time.

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  3. I'm so glad you got to go Glenda, and to have that special time with Casey after sound check is priceless. Thanks for taking the time to give us part 1 of your recap, enjoyed reading it very much and the vid of Drive...wow!! He really did rock Fremont ST!!! LOVE IT!!!!!

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  4. Those are awesome shots. Love the one where he's waving, and the one where he's half turned around. Who was he looking at?

    Sounds like you girls had such a great time. You look pretty good for someone who had just a few hours sleep. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Is that what I ate? Poached eggs? Too excited to care! Maybe I need to go on a Casey James diet ... just see him sing twice a week and VOILA! No more problems. That was so fun to read, Glenda! Almost as much fun as the first time around! Looking forward to part 2.

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  6. Holy Moly!! That boy rocked Fremont St!!! Thank you Glenda for the video of Drive... Amazing!!

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  7. Oh it sounds like you ladies had a blast...Glenda, you need to tell Cyn that she REALLY needs to bring her daughter kate with next time! ;)

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  8. Well, thanks a lot gals!! So glad yall enjoyed it!! I will get the rest of it together tomorrow!
    @MNCyn Cyndee....I'm not exactly sure what you called them, but poached is what it looked like to me!! LOL!!! I think you said they were 'like' poached eggs.....what the hell DID you say!!!?? LOL!!! I think I'm still out of it!! By the way, feel free to jump in any time, cause I may forget something or tell it wrong!! LOL!!

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  9. It was so exciting to read about what went on at Fremont St. Thank you Glenda for sharing all of your experiences, great pictures and wonderful vids. I love it when Casey sings "Drive." It gets your motor running :) I especially love the beautiful picture of all you girls, you all couldn't look happier.

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  10. I loved reading this! You make me laugh, cry, smile... I feel ever one of your emotions! All I can say is... more! more! more! more!

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  11. Reading this made me feel like I was there!!! I cannot wait for Part 2! Thanks so much my dear sweet friend!
    Oh and the story about Martha was amazing! I am so happy to know they are safe and sound in Costa Rica!!!

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  12. carolyn collins@jesssmomApril 6, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    Glenda, catch this greatful hug for doing this awesome recap! hearttouching and funny and just uplifting and happy. loved the videos and pics. sure thankful to God i got to meet Casey once before he gets really swarmed. i am not, have never been one to do crowds or to fight through a line so unless someone pushed me up there i'd probably never have had the chance. so seeing these things makes up for it. and it feels so so good to see so many people enjoying Caseys music and seeing him so very happy playing it. that means more to me than anything. so many folks have been touched by him in positive, upbuilding ways. . will be a fan as long as the lord lets me walk this earth..and then i'll be looking for him in heaven..will know where to find him by the MUSIC:)) LOVE YOU CASEY!

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  13. My name is Mary Jo....I've been a friend of Cyndee's for most of my life....I'm tearing up just reading about all the fun you girls had following Casey James. I occasionally watched Idol...until Cyndee talked so much about this sweet talented totally endearing musician on Am. Idol. So I had to watch and critique the contestants. Wow...it was fun!!! She is the most selfless friend I've ever known...if you know her ..you know too. i so enjoyed reading about how she brought you gals together....made me smile just reading about the adventure and pure simple FUN!!! This may be weird to be writing this...but I just wanted to give added credit to the subtle things Cyndee does for other people...just because ..she can...wow what a world this would be if we had more Cyndee's in it!! Not only as knowing her as a young girl do I know her but when I lost a 21 year old son....she supported me...mainly with continuing to ask me about him ..after he was gone. Then again as I went through treatment for breast cancer..you guessed it...she co-ordinated the trips from northern MN to southern MN to Mayo Clinis for me ...month after month and found me people to stay with or picked me up and took me to her place or gave me a room at Mystic Lake...seriously unreal. So you see why it hit me so to hear of her reaching out again to other people to help make them happy

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  14. Glenda ~ even though I was there, I love reading about it! You have a way with words that so nicely combines heart and soul. My friend Mary Jo is having so much fun reading it ... not so much fun posting a comment though. First comment on a blog ever!

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  15. Ooops ... that was me.

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  16. I wish have better english to explain how happy I feel. Thank you so much for write about me. Cyndee is such a incredible and generous person. This story and finally know that Casey receive my little gift its just amazing! Today its a perfect day!

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  17. I wish have better english to explain how happy I feel. Thank you so much for write about me. Cyndee is such a incredible and generous person. This story and finally know that Casey receive my little gift its just amazing! Today its a perfect day!
    Martha

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  18. carolyn collins@jesssmomApril 8, 2011 at 9:13 AM

    Dear Martha..God bless you and your family. i hope life is good for you!
    sometimes happiness cannot be put into words..no matter what language we speak. so glad you are feeling that happiness!

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  19. @Martha....Thank you for posting that comment! I'm tearing up again as I read it! You are so welcome, I knew when Cyndee told the story, I had to write about it....it touched my heart so much!! I too am so happy you are in a safe place now....and excited to know Casey did get your sweet little gift!!! You are so right, it is a perfect day!!! Much Love and Big Hugs to you and your family from Texas!! :)

    Oh, and by the way, your English is really good, I understood every word!!! :)

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  20. @Mary Jo...you are so right about Cyndee, she is so selfless and a joy to be around!! You can tell she really loves helping make good things happen to people!! I feel so blessed to have gotten to meet and get to know her those 3 days!! She's a great gal!!
    And she has told me about you and the loss of your son, and the cancer, as I'm sure she's told you about the loss of mine. We are both very fortunate to have her in our lives!
    Thank you for posting your first comment on a blog right here at Caseymania!! I feel honored!! :)

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  21. Thank you and your welcome to everybody else who commented!! I appreciate all the feedback, and I'll keep doing what I do!! Yall are awesome!!!

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  22. Now I'm tearing up ... that seems to happen a lot around here. I've been blessed to know two so very wonderful women who've had such sadness in their lives but yet still manage to smile and find .... and share .... the goodness in the world! And now you can know each other. God love you both. And God love Casey for bringing us all together....

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  23. Ok Cyndee you win!! I'm bawling my eyes out!! I too thank Casey so much for the most precious friendships I've made because of him!!! It's amazing the love I feel in my heart for y'all!!! I just thought I was happy before all this... and now I know what real friendship & happiness is!!! Thank you Casey and I thank God for every one of you!!! God Bless!!!

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