I know I promised a Werewolf Appreciation Blog, but that will have to wait (I don't have my banner ready for one thing). Today, I just have to talk about Wednesday. We started out a bit later than we'd planned. See, if you get to a Tori show early (sometimes) she comes out and does a "Meet-&-Greet" with the fans, and we wanted to get there at about 2 just in case she did. Instead we left around 2:15 or so and got there at around 3:30. We got only slightly lost on the Baltimore streets, and pulled into a parking lot which was supposedly closed, but turned out to have one space available. We parked, and began to look around to orient ourselves and figure out where the concert was. Then S'Gypsy looked out the windshield, pointed directly ahead of us, and said, "There." We had parked maybe 15 feet from Tori's tour bus, and maybe 50 or 60 feet from the gate into the pavilion. We found a way to get through the fence and up to the main gate where we saw a crowd of people gathered. We started wondering when Tori might come out and then realized that the redhead at the front of the crowd was not another fan. She had come out just as we walked up. I didn't get too close (only about 8 feet) but S'Gypsy got right up front, got an autograph, and had our friend snap a pic with Tori just as they closed the gates. She was the last person to get any time with Tori. The show was astounding. Both opening bands were great (keep an eye out for "The Like" whose album is coming out 9/13, a 3 girl band with a sound much like "The Sundays") and the venue was unbelievable. The Cavalier Pavilion at Pier 6 in Baltimore's Inner Harbor is right on the water with an incredibly open feel to it. Seeing the benches along the street, I kept thinking how cool it would be to live there and catch free shows whenever you wanted. We took smoke breaks (yes, Ciggies and I are on speaking terms again) out on the bay (just a few steps from our seats) and just had a wonderful time. The show was a whole lot lower energy than her shows usually are. Enough so that we wondered if she was sick or something. However, what was lacking in intensity was more than made up for by sheer brilliance and Tori's usual charm. It was like sitting in her living room hearing her play for just you and a few friends, rather than a stadium full of devoted fans. All-in-all, a day of happy accidents and great vibes. Every day should be like that. Hurdy gur, -Marc