The entry you are about to read is an account of my experience of seeing Greg Lake's Songs of a Lifetime show on May 18, 2012 at the Orpheum Theatre in LA. It was taken directly from the journal I filled out throughout 2012, when I was 15. Since Greg's passing, I have felt the need to share my experience of him with as many people as possible. You have heard my thoughts on that evening as I look back on that night from 4 years ago, approaching 5. Now, I think you should hear my thoughts on that evening from when I was 15. Some of the words in this entry have been removed, but for the most part, I have typed it out exactly as it was written four years ago. Yes, I know some of the grammar and spelling is a bit off, but cut me some slack. I was only 15. Typing this entry out was very emotional for me, especially the last two lines of it. I hope you enjoy it:
I cannot state the time for this entry because today is the 20th. This was a very bust weekend. School was busy, but I much to look forward to this night. I was going to meet with some good music buddies for dinner at a small Brazilian restaurant with my Dad, and then we would head over to the Orpheum Theatre to see Greg Lake. The restaurant was called "Wood Spoon," but you did not have to guess too hard on that, for there was a large wooden spoon set in place of the restaurant's name outside the building. Had some chicken, Brazilian rice, and fried bananas for dinner, and Coca-Cola imported from Mexico to drink. Mexican coke has a softer texture than American, but still tasted great. The whole meal was great. My good friend Bill arrived late due to heavy traffic coming down from Bishop, so he had no time to eat. With him, was his brother Richard, and a box of caps he had customized to have the logo of his Friday night radio show on the front. Mine fit perfectly, fortunately. Finally, my excitement for the show was too great, so Dad and my buddies paid the bill and we walked to the Orpheum. I had a nice talk with my friend Xhana on the way down there. I told her about my ordeals with adults on John Wetton's guestbook, and the anger I felt from it. Apparently, her high school experience matches perfectly with my current one, since she felt like an outcast due to the music she liked, but in the end, everyone she met after high school accepted her for who she was. Once we arrived, we picked up our tickets and VIP aftershow stickers from the will-call box... Dad and I had seats near the aisle in the sixth row, a wonderful view.
The show started about a half hour late, approximately 8:30 pm, but it was lovely. Greg came out after an intro of the song "Power" by Kanye West, which features a sample of Greg's vocals on a King Crimson track called, "21st Century Schizoid Man." I must say he looked a lot healthier than he did two years ago, and his voice was taken well cared of. His choice of songs was very impressive, for he included not just Emerson, Lake, and Palmer songs, but also King Crimson songs and covers of songs by artists who greatly influenced him, like Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Throughout the show, he told wonderful stories about some of the biggest experiences of his life, from seeing Elvis in concert, to getting his first guitar after gaining interest from playing with a friend's one-string guitar. Sadly, though, after a 20-minute intermission, a man sitting behind me would not let me ask a question at a point during the Q&A session because he "was next." He had also complained to me and this poor woman in front of me that we were using flash photography, which we were not. It wasn't fair. I wanted to ask Greg why the ELP album "Trilogy" is special to him, for I had heard him mention its importance to him in various interviews. The rest of the show went by, and before I knew it, it was time for the aftershow.
I was led into the concession room with Dad, Bill, Xhana, my new buddies Victor (JJ) and Rebecca, and the others attending, where we were told to wait. There were several VIP packages with different features included, so we ended up having to wait for two hours, making it after midnight when we finally came out to meet Greg. During those two hours, I had nice conversations with Tony Ortiz, a longtime friend of ELP, who gladly took a picture with Bill and me. After that, I spoke for a bit with Ron Lyon, the man who took our picture, a d he showed interest in seeing my YouTube videos upon learning that I was a guitar player. I have yet to hear from him on that. He gave me his card so that I could email him for the pictures of me with Bill and Tony. The Meet and Greet was outside for some reason, but well worth it. Everyone with laminants went first, so a little more waiting was needed. Finally, after Bill had a nice talk and picture with Greg, it was my turn. After I set y sweater on the steps (which turned out to be a bad idea since ti was cold), I heard the photographer introduce Dad and I. Greg shook my Dad's hand and then, as he went to shake mine, I held out my arms, and the dream I had had for the past five months had been fulfilled: I hugged Greg Lake. He and I embraced each other, and everything felt alright. He wondered how someone my age could be interested in his music, which I responded with the statement that I have been a fan since I was 12. He blushed and began to mention "this girl with amazing talent called Rachel Flowers." I told him I knew exactly what he was talking about and had seen her perform. We talked about the message I left on his website when I was 13, which he remembered after thinking for a bit, and then he signed my Tarkus CD with: "To Michelle. Love, Greg Lake, XXX." I tried to hide my shivers, but he saw that I was cold and expressed concern, but I assured him that I'd be fine. He then gave me a thin guitar pick, one side having the ELP logo, and the other having his own logo. I thanked him, and after the pictures, gave him a huge hug. He blessed me, and expressed his appreciation for my attendance. I told him it was the least I could do. I smiled the whole way home. That pick is safe with the pick Steven Wilson gave me last year. I hope to see Greg again. He is so special to me.
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