Well, we all gotback in last night from the Beale Street Festival and it was fantastic this year.

 

Laura and her group along with mine met up with Tim from St. Louis and others who came in from (Salt Lake City, California, etc.) , literally all over just for the day to see Jerry, Billy and everyone.

 

We arrived early and got in the front against the gate and stayed there from 1-9:00 that night. 

 

Laura will give you the set lists and notes, but I will offer the following information.

 

Billy looked great for just having the hip surgery and heart surgery.  He was a little peaked, but hey he was in great spririts and had his whole family with him.  He wore his black shirt and black slacks along with his pink sportcoat and I mean he surprised the heck out of all of us.  At the end of his concert, he tried to get his little grandaughter out to sing with him, he assured us she knew all of the words to Red Hot, and she would not come out and sing with him.  But it made you feel good to see him actually swinging those hips he just got fixed and back in fine form.  We couldn't visit with them too much because we had the press in front for a bit, but we were all so close that if we said anything, they could hear us.  We just kept telling him God Bless You!  and he really loved it.  Larry came out afterwards and signed autographs and visited with everyone, too.

 

Kenny and the boys came out earlier and did the sound checks and I spoke to them, especially B.B. because he was at our side of the stage, but they knew we had traveled from Chicago and asked ohow the trip was because of all of the storms and tornadoes on Friday..Simply put, it was long>>>>>>>lolol 

 

They moved the Yamaha grand over to the left of the stage during Billey's performance and I am not sure exactly what happened, but according to BB later that night (via the phone), the revererbrator??/pedal was messed up and not working which Jerry was pissed about.  From what I understand from others who play, for Jerry's music if this isn't working- it is trouble.

 

I have to tell you that there was alot of people tagging along with him this show.  I know that Faye and her grandaughter were supposed to meet up with J.W and visit backstage with Jerry.  I hope she made it, but you couldn't really see who everyone was.  I did see Phoebe and Cecil at the end and he did wave to me.

 

Jerry looked great, thinned down some and you could see he felt better, he was wearing a fine suit and white shirt.  I blew him a kiss and he smiled because he could see us, we were all that close.  One little boy who's family lives very close to Jerry and they pass by his house everyday to school, was in the back and Aunti Karen got him up front by her so he could see his idol.  His name was Eathan, he's 10 and has started his piano lessons.  He just adores Jerry and always hangs out the window in front of the ranch to see if he can ever get a look at the "Killer"... Actually, Eathan's Dad was the one that yelled One Single Rose, which Jerry played.

 

Aretha Franklin was great and she had the Memphis Philharmonic Orchestra along with her whole enterouge...She was great and received the key to the City while on stage there...A couple of funny things I noticed, which I always feel obligated to share was that Ms. Franklin was wearing gymn shoes under her ball gown, and she actually carries her purse on stage and sets it under the piano while performing.  But she was great...First time I had seen her and my sis Karen just loves her and neither of us were dissapointed...

 

Laura and Tim will be posting pictures along with my daughters. Jerry's show was the only one that the security came and said we could take pictures, but no videos.  I know that the security folks were surprised by the request, because they had to come out and try to contain thousands of people with cameras at the last minute.  I am sure it was impossible, because it wasn't posted at any of the stages with 60 bands playing there...

 

The Turkish Band "Dumas" (which means Smoke) is considered the Turkish Nirvana band, and the young people that rushed into see them were telling us that in their homeland they could of NEVER gotten that close to them.  Of oucrse, they were a whole other world of music, but my daughters enjoyed them...lol.

 

Well, gotta scoot, but I know Laura will have the set information and all of her notes taken that day.

 

Hugs,