VH at College Station Shadow Canyon 3/24/00: Finding Me Heart In Hand You're A God Japan Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning) Shackled On The Sea Send It Up Wash Away Everything You Want 1st Encore We Are 2nd Encore The Man Who Would Be Santa I made the trek from Dallas to Bryan/College Station for the first time on Friday. The drive was pleasant and I arrived in town around 8:20 p.m. After locating Northgate, I asked some club personnel where VH was playing and they directed me to SHADOW CANYON. I went into the venue and found Ryan (Chopper) Fisher's band KISSINGER playing at the time. They were rocking, but to a small crowd. I was able to get to the stage with no problem. I checked out the venue so I could get my bearings on good positions for shooting pictures of the boys on stage. I decided to grab a bite before heading back to the VH bus. So I hung out with the guys for a few hours, shooting pictures of fans interacting with Keith, Ed, Sean and Matt. Around 10:30 p.m., (still an hour before VH was to go on), I decided to venture into the venue while Mars Electric was performing. I went in through the back upstairs door to find the people were already lined up along the balcony railings three deep. It doesn't help that I am short to begin with, but I was trying to see the stage from that viewpoint and was unable to do so. I was able to ask a few people if they would allow me to move in to shoot a few pictures of the crowd from that position. I moved up to the railing. What took me by surprise was people were packed from the front of the stage to the very back of the venue. How in the world was I going to get to the front if bodies were pressed so close together? I decided to shoot a few crowd shots just to let you see what I am talking about. Well, I made the mistake of leaving out the back door again to try going in the front. When I got there, the police officers were TELLING people to back away from the door...NO ONE can get in at this time...the venue is beyond capacity. How was I going to get in when the officers were giving the impression if anyone gets closer, they will shoot on sight? So, I try the back door again, where are boys will be entering onto the stage. Time comes for them to enter as I follow up the short set of stairs, when security stops us to tell us NO ONE gets in through this door. All Access Pass or not, I was booted out. . . along with another photographer and some of the event volunteers. Needless to say, I was not going to get any pictures of Vertical Horizon tonight through this door. I stood outside listening to the roar of the crowd as they start their set with Finding Me followed by Heart In Hand. I couldn't stand it any longer, not being able to see my boys perform. I took another chance of going through the front door again and found that the police officers were no longer there and were replaced by the event staffers. I walked past those people that were standing in front hoping to get in, flashed my pass and luckily, I was allowed in with my photography equipment. YEA! I'M IN. I walked in just enough to see the guys on stage before taking a few steps down to the main floor. NOW, I couldn't see a dad-gum thing. People are so much taller than me at College Station. (Well, they're taller than me anywere else, for that matter). When I couldn't get any closer than three quarters of the way from the stage, I decided to give it up, enjoy the music and maybe shoot pictures of the fans and their reactions to the songs that VH performed. When did all of these people learn Grey Sky Morning (Best I Ever Had)? Matt had them singing the song as if it was an old favorite. And they sang along loudly. This has always been my favorite song from EYW so it was nice that the crowd loves it just as much. People around me kept asking me if they do Miracle in concert, cuz that's their favorite one from the disc. I told them if they don't do it tonight, then check them out in Austin and Houston next week. Maybe they'll add it to the set list. And with that, the set list was identical to that at Trees, with one exception. They didn't start Santa with Rain. The guys will do an in-store appearance at Tower Records in Austin on Friday, March 31, 2000 and then perform that evening at La Zona Rosa. April 1st, Saturday, they are performing at a music festival in Houston. They will perform around 1:00 p.m., with a 45 minute set, then head to the airport to catch a flight to Los Angeles to do a taping of THE LIST. My information was that Matt will be on the panel, then VH will perform an acoustic version of one of their songs from EYW. More on that through the website. (I don't think this is privy information, but my apologies if I let the cat out of the bag. I was the one that first informed the footprints list that VH was coming to Trees on the 23rd of March, when no one else knew of this leg of the tour, so I'm hoping my info is accurate). Hope you are able to catch the guys on this tour, but get to the venue early, if you want to be up close. I learned my lesson. Raymond Pictures will be posted on my site soon. Thanks for listening. http://wray-productions.com/vh.htm