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