100 Monkeys Indiana Fans
 
The Liquid Zoo Tour started for me in my own back yard...finally.  It started with a great show.  It started with some reunions with fans last seen months before.  It started with surprising level of recognition from the band.  It started perfectly in Indy.

It ended perfectly in Kansas City.
The trip to points farther west on I-70 was filled with laughter and introductory conversations with the people who kindly offered me a ride and a bed.  In any fandom there are some who become the wacky characters.  In this fandom there are also some of the most selfless and kind people I have met.  I spent over 8 hours in a van with 5 of them.

My disappointment that the street team meet and greets were dispersed by magical sorting hat instead of the usual all call was dispersed by the fact that, when all was said and done, three of the six of us had been offered the privilege....and were taking the other three with them.

There is no way for me to say what follows without sounding nuts to those who don’t get it.  But I am okay with that.  I just wanted a chance to say goodbye.  Having spent hours at concerts in 5 states within a few weeks time, I would have felt odd not saying goodbye appropriately.  There is never a guarantee of a post-show signing, so my concerns were entirely eased by my travel mate.  (Thanks again!)

We hit the hotel and headed toward to venue to stake out some food.  Might I suggest the Beer Kitchen in KC?  The sweet potato fries are life-altering.  I hear the burgers rock, too.  After eating, we returned to the venue for some friendly line chit chat, walks down memory lane, etc.  This venue won bonus points quickly just based on the fact that they had signs clearly marking where meet and greeters were to line up.  That favor was continued once we entered and affirmed that this time we could, indeed, take drinks onto the dance floor (*looks meaningfully at St. Louis*).

Goodbyes were said.  Hugs were exchanged.  A promise was made.  A picture was taken.  So began the night I couldn’t have scripted better.

The local openers were Not a Planet.  Check them out.  Yes, we have had EXCELLENT local groups throughout this tour.  The drummer’s facial expressions are half the show, but the lead singer is (I believe I said) “less than two years from being as good an eye-f***er as Jackson Rathbone.”  And the music is good.  Don’t forget that part.  I was impressed and had a blast.

I got some hella-hot pictures of Jake Miller this time.  The Kissing Club set seemed a little subdued, though still quality.  This could have something to do with the excessive amount of talking that dominated the crowd all night.  I hit my happy place and kinda zone out while the bands are playing, and even I had to take a minute to think, “REALLY, people???” from time to time.  And then I returned to the zone and danced to “Water in the Pipes.”

If there are fans of the Bleeding Horse Express’s Adam reading this, you also want to take a gander at the pictures.  I got one really good one of Bradley, but it ain’t NOTHIN’ compared to one of my Adam pics.  I actually managed shots of everyone this time, but Tissa was pretty hidden behind the mic stand.  As I told her after STL, they have joined the very small stack of CDs that stay in my car so I always have them on the road.  I would travel to see them kinda like I have traveled to see TTC.  Solid.

Allow me a TV time-out to say that the people beside and to my left and in front of us rocked my world.  They were friendly and talkative at appropriate times (mostly...maybe not so much the one offering a band member use of her uterus.....but whatev).  Again, 100 Monkeys has some pretty outstanding humans in their fan base.  We talked about service projects and promotions and it was just good stuff.

The 100 Monkeys set list could not have been more perfect if I had written it.  I shot to cloud nine as soon as they started.  Back before Indy, I set the goal that I would get to hear “Devil Man” live.  As soon as they finished the acoustic VIP set in STL without playing it, I gave that hope up.  And there I was in KC...and they opened with it...and then magically morphed it into “Kolpix.”  Are you KIDDING?  How AMAZING!  I bounced a lot and giggled a lot and had an absolute blast.  In the zone.  Totally namaste-ing it up at the end as it had been at the start.  Perfection.

Some have spoken of the show as lacking closure because they didn’t play “Thank You.”  I don’t know.  I got all the closure I needed.  We returned to the Beer Kitchen (via a slight 10-minute “tour of the area” that returned us to the same parking spot) for more food and some drinks.  One of my travelmates pointed at the beer cocktail board and we all laughed.  They offer up a concoction called a Black Diamond.  Clearly there needed to be some of those at the table.  It was deliicious!  Guiness...frambois...blackberry puree and a dusting of Mexican cacao over the berry/beer froth.  SO yummy.

My last night in the Zoo ended with one more glance toward Clifford as people were still waiting for the band.  I smiled.

I smiled because summer 2011 was filled head to toe with a band I love.  It started with another month of serious promoting and ended with a celebration that the Zoo deserved.  I love those men to death.  And the me I become in light of their energy.  Divine.

Until October...Namaste.

 


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