Doubtful-Della

[Doubtful-Della]

I might sit on this a little bit and see if I’m missing any details…. but the whole thing is four pages long in Microsoft Word…. so PMM will probably have to edit it down to post a news article!

The lights went down and the band emerged, Billy in a long black and white coat. In his hand he held a pumpkin bucket. He grabbed the mike and dove into Ava Adore. My heart skipped a beat since this was one of the songs that we named our daughter after. (The first being Lily My One and Only). Billy shook his pumpkin and spread glitter across the front row of fans and all over the stage. Then Billy disrobed to showcase his tour getup; The white spider shirt, black spacesuit skirt, classic black and white leggings, red socks, and Nike sneakers. During the show, the lighting went from deep purples and pinks to cool blues and greens, alternating with patterned stripes, flowers, triangles, and spots.

The crowd went wild when the band tore into 1979. Just a taste to feed the beast of the past. I had almost as much fun watching the fans in the first few rows, as I did watching the band. Almost. In the front rows was a man who video taped the whole show. I’d love to see the video pointing up Billy’s nostrils all night. There was a woman who danced through every song, mouthing the words to most of them. There was the metal head with huge hair throwing his fists up and head banging. There was the man in the hat whose body gyrated for two and a half hours straight. Of course I took photos of all these amazing fans, because without fans like these the Smashing Pumpkins wouldn’t exist.

The first half of the concert was definitely for the fans, with favorites including Soma, Cherub Rock, Zero, and Bodies. I personally was almost in tears when Bodies started. My arms had goose bumps up and down them most of the night. We were also blessed with some new material as well as some amazing classics, a Simon and Garfunkle cover, and I think even a demo (that according to spfc.org had only been played 3 times previously).
My throat was sore from screaming so much. I felt bad because there was a mom with her young son sitting right in front of me. Later on I saw them backstage. What a rockin’ mom! I wish my parents were that cool when I was that age! (I related this to my mom and had to tell her that Dan Fogelberg and Weird Al don’t count)

There were lots of fans who wanted to get a closer look. Two gentlemen in particular had to be escorted out several times by a huge security guard with enormous gauges in his ears, along with other body modifications. Intimidation tactics? The funniest part is when the boys decided that they were going to sit in the special balcony chairs in front of me. The guard came up and laid one rather large hand on each of the boy’s shoulders instantly bringing them to their feet. I threw my arms up in the air and shouted “GO SECURITY! Woo Hoo!”

Although Ginger didn’t look like she was feeling well (she didn’t move very much throughout the night) Billy seemed to still be able to have a good time. He didn’t interact with the crowd at all, like he did during the August tour. He did, though, dance around the stage with tambourines, shred his guitars, and dance around in a top hat. When post processing my 4GB of photos, I had to zoom in on a few photos of Billy with his black guitar. It was sporting some stickers that I hadn’t previously seen. Some hearts, a green cloverleaf that says “It’s Easy Being Green,” and a few label made sentences that said, “I passed the man test,” “It’s cocoon time,” and “Dani of the moon.” (If anybody knows what Dani of the Moon means, please let me know)

Okay, so I realize that I haven’t said much about the other members of the 9 piece band. I adored the horns, especially because I’ve been a fan of Gabriel, from No Doubt, for much longer than Smashing Pumpkins. I remember buying my first tape and it was a No Doubt album. My dad played the trumpet for a few years, so I’ve always had an affinity for trumpets, especially during my SKA phase.

The violinist, Gingger, used an amazing double violin that added a rich deep sound to the music. According to a previous article on SP.com her violin covers the entire range of the orchestra’s double bass, cello, viola and violin. I was completely lulled to hear the sound of a full orchestra in ‘Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness.’ It was a complete lighter waving moment, to which there was no lighter or cell phone waving. DC crowds really aren’t that exciting are they?

After the show my friend and I ran around to the curtain to wait to go backstage. We proudly sported our backstage stickers and waited with schoolgirl glee. I pulled out my portfolio containing the winning watercolor and also the DAR poster that I repainted (the original submission was digital, this is a watercolor version of that). Finally our name was called and we headed backstage. I was shaking as I held my portfolio close to my chest. We first saw Jeff in the hallway. I sheepishly asked him if he would sign my painting, and he graciously obliged. Then we walked into the room and waited. I didn’t want to interrupt any conversations, so we just stood there and stared… and stared. Billy was on the couch in a white robe talking to several men involved in a radio station. They were asking him question after question and I wish my mind was clear enough at that point to have listened. Ginger walked by me with a salad and I again sheepishly asked her to sign my poster. She’s much smaller in person than she appears onstage. Unfortunately Billy asked that nobody take any photos backstage. I completely understand, I mean, he was wearing a bath robe!

A woman walked in and handed Jimmy Chamberlain a golf ball from the White House. I finally caught his eye and was brave enough to get his signature and tell him exactly what my husband asked me to tell him. I’m sure he hears it all the time, but he is the best drummer ever. My husband was so disappointed that he didn’t get to make it to the concert, but he sacrificed this opportunity to finish his orientation with his new job so that he can take care of me and our little girls.

I met so many other people who enjoyed the winning poster. One guy worked for the White House. Remember earlier when I said that we saw the motorcade? We indeed saw Barak Obama driving to the White House! Well his car at least. He also confirmed that Billy accepted the invitation to have lunch at the White House. He was very nice and I wish I would have gotten his business card and given him mine. I had my business cards with me, but didn’t give them to anybody because my phone number has changed since I got them printed.

Finally I worked up the nerve to speak to Billy. All day I had been racking my brains with what I would ask Billy Corgan if I got a chance to. All I could do was look at my shoes as he signed my paintings. My friend asked him how he keeps his voice so strong through such a long concert. Billy chalked it up to genetics. After signing our tickets he didn’t return my Sharpie… so I said, “Uh, can I have my Sharpie back?” Then I started laughing and said, “Okay, so I just have to tell you that I’ve been trying to figure out all day what the one question that I’d ask Billy Corgan if I had the chance to, and I just wasted it on ‘Can I have my Sharpie back?” Billy chuckled and said, “Yeah, you only get one question.” As I walked away and told my friend, “That was such a South Park moment, like when they got to ask god one question and Stan totally wasted it.”

Then I finally turned to Gabriel, he was the first band member to offer a handshake. I was blown away. I didn’t hold my hand out because I was too shy to force somebody to shake my hand. He took a while to look over my poster and seemed thoroughly impressed. I melted. I had told everybody else that this was the winning poster for SPfreaks, and they just smiled and said it was nice. Gabriel examined every inch and even asked me what some of the symbolism was. I even admitted that I drew the bombs backwards and he helped me make excuses as to why they were just fine. He inquired as to my art background, and encouraged me to keep going with it. He is also the only one who addressed his signature to me. Don’t pelt me with rotten tomatoes, but looking back it was so much more exciting to meet Gabriel because he took an interest in who I was and the art that I made for the contest. Not that I expected Billy to be interested in me, he meets so many fans per show. But to have such an amazingly talented musician take an interest in me for even the smallest moment….. yeah…. I was on cloud nine.

Then I pulled a blond moment while looking for Lisa, Gingger, Kristopher and Stephen. I walked out of the room and asked Jeff to sign my poster AGAIN. So instead I got him to sign my DAR poster. I felt like such a moron, but really, I was completely star struck. Seeing them in person is actually a calming feeling where you remember that they are just human beings like you. They have thoughts and feelings, they get tired, have to eat, and have friends and family, just like you and I. At the same time you just can’t believe that you were this close to somebody who’s work has inspired you and millions others for so long. This close…. For all the fan girls, need I repeat the fact that Billy was in a bathrobe? I saw him shirtless as he came out for the encore (he threw on his T-shirt while walking onto the stage) and I saw his thigh when his bathrobe fell open. Go ahead, squeal with glee. I joked with my friends that I want his brains not his babies.

Then security pointed us to the exit before we could find the rest of the band. Thankfully we found Stephen outside and got to talk to him for a little bit. He signed my poster and we thanked him and excused ourselves. We got to walk past all the fans waiting to see the band emerge from backstage. It felt like walking the red carpet. As we walked back to the car I spun and danced gleefully. This will be something I tell stories about for a very long time.

[Doubtful-Della]

When I first found out that I won the SPfreaks.com I was completely shocked and elated. What an amazing feeling of accomplishment. The next step was to figure out which show I was going to attend. Since I live in the state of Florida, I’d have to fly. Several of the shows overlapped dates that I already had planned to be on vacation, so those were out. Several dates were already sold out, so those were obviously out, and several were too far away for my budget. On top of that I had to figure out how to manage my husband’s schedule so that he could attend with me, since Smashing Pumpkins has been his favorite band much longer than mine. Yes, I’m one of the younger generations of fans. Sadly, it didn’t work out for him, so I had a free ticket. You wouldn’t think it would be hard for me to find a friend to go with me, but it was. I chose to go to the Wednesday night concert in Washington DC. Most of my friends had work/school or other responsibilities that prevented them from going.

Finally the day of the concert, one of my friends couldn’t find a replacement for his work and couldn’t go. So I called up my best friend when I was a teenager, who I hadn’t seen in 3 ½ years and told her to get ready because she was going with me. She had a whole 40 minutes to get ready, and pack an overnight bag for an amazing night in Washington DC.

When we arrived in DC we ate at one of my favorite spots, Pizza Paradiso. On our way from dinner to the concert hall, we saw the Motorcade. Very fun to watch. We arrived at the concert an hour and a half before the doors opened. Why? Because when my husband and I went to Hard Rock in August to see “A Night With the Smashing Pumpkins,” we arrived two hours early and the line was so long, I can hardly describe it. But the concert going must not be as hardcore in DC, because there was no line. So we walked around the DAR and I took photos of the tour vans, bus, and other interesting things. I was already screaming, and my heart was racing. Just knowing you are in such a close proximity to your favorite band is breathtaking.

We arrive at Will Call and I receive my envelope with two tickets. My friends said, “Hey shouldn’t you have gotten backstage passes?” I was too shy to ask and said, “I guess not.” Thankfully my friend stood up for me and told the lady at the window that I had one the SPfreaks poster contest. She then asked me in a brass tone, “What do you think you’re ENTITLED to.” In a sheepish little voice I said, “Backstage passes?” She said that she would check, and sure enough she handed me two beautiful backstage passes with my last name written on them. My heart was beating through my chest as I text messaged my husband in complete excitement while somberly wishing that he was with me.

As we entered the concert hall I was amazed that there was no security or bag check. I had snuck in my Canon 30D along with my little Canon digital camera that recorded video. Earlier I had called the operator and she said to me, “Well you can bring it, but you can’t use it.” Watch me woman! The concert hall was beautiful and ornate. They had a huge lounge in the lower level, beautiful seating, and high ceilings with amazing lighting fixtures.

We found our seats and waited patiently. Half an hour before the show, the concert hall wasn’t even half full. But by the time the show started it was packed! My seats were in the balcony on the left when looking at the stage. We were right above the backstage door and got to watch the band enter and exit the stage. The only downfall is that the speakers blocked the horn section.

The lights went down and the band emerged, Billy in a long black and white coat. In his hand he held a pumpkin bucket. He grabbed the mike and dove into Ava Adore. My heart skipped a beat since this was one of the songs that we named our daughter after. (The first being Lily My One and Only).

[Doubtful-Della]

I am in the car writing this because last night I went out with some friends. I’m trying to get it finished for a news article on SP.com! Keep your eye out

[Doubtful-Della]

So I’m very busy and am trying to find the time to write up an entry for you tonight. I’m downloading 4GB of photos and 3GB of videos of the concert. I did indeed fight for backstage passes and got to meet everybody but Lisa, the violinist, and the other keyboard/flute dude.

You will laugh at my one question to Billy Corgan… since I was thinking all day what I would ask him if I could. I did something silly and got him to laugh. More to come on that one

Everybody signed my poster
Gabriel (trumpeter that also toured for No Doubt) was amazing to meet. He was so sweet and kind, and sad to say I’ve been a fan of his longer, so the fact that he was so kind to me was double amazing. Billy and Ginger both seemed tired and under the weather… but all in all it was such an amazing experience.

Details later! Thank you all so much, this has been one of the best experiences ever, and it helped me reconnect with one of my best friends that I haven’t seen in 3 1/2 years!

[Doubtful-Della]

Jesus christ, that sucks.

But, you and your hubby are in good health and you are going to meet BC/JC tonight. All is well. [/quote:1vf20wf1]

We do? This whole time people have been asking me if we did, and I kept saying that I didn’t think so. I’m still not going to get my hopes up too high…. Either way the concert is going to rock and DC is such a wonderful city

[Doubtful-Della]

I like the second one
On the first i don’t like the skulls on the tree … but besides that i like it too[/quote:2wwt7ucc]

I half agree with you. I think the top one would be tolerable if there was nothing hanging from the tree. In my head though, she stole scotopic_lux’s idea for this shirt

[Doubtful-Della]

I have a 360 and used to play Halo on Xbox live, but I got sick of all the 12 year olds screaming into their headsets that you stole their sniper riffle. Plus I hated the $50/year fee

Then I was part of a clan and played Battlefield II almost every night… but got tired of people glitching

Right now I’m only playing Dominion Classic and Dominion LL online. It’s a text based strategy game… pretty much you just build up troops and land and attack other players. It’s all about calculations, but thankfully there is an online calculator to help you with all the percentages

Sometimes I’ll get on a Sims kick, but Sims II gives me a headache

I’m looking forward to Fable II for Xbox

[Doubtful-Della]

a bow drawn to rip apart
plays sad songs across the heart
counting sheep around the bridge
a violin’s dying wish
[/quote:tq2dhc6n]

I like it four lines. Very powerful end statement

[Doubtful-Della]

Tonight Tonight [6]+
Jellybelly [9]
Zero [7]
Here Is No Why [7]
To Forgive [4] –
An Ode To No One [8]
Love [4]
Galapogos [9]
Muzzle [5]
Porcelina Of The Vast Ocean [11]

I might have to fight for love… I’ve rediscovered that I love it

[Doubtful-Della]

I’m not a fan. They look like they were drawn by a child. In fact, I’d rather have something drawn by a child, it would be more innocent and pure. He should have stuck with Ms Strawberry

[Doubtful-Della]

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness [4]
Tonight Tonight [5]
Jellybelly [8]
Zero [7] +
Here Is No Why [7]
To Forgive [6]
An Ode To No One [8]
Love [4]
Cupid De Locke [1] –
Galapogos [7]
Muzzle [4]
Porcelina Of The Vast Ocean [9]

[Doubtful-Della]

Somebody hacked my bank card number and charged up some Western Unions, completely wiping me out. Figures. So not only can I not get my money back for the next 6 weeks while this is being investigated… But once I get my next paycheck, I have no use of my debit card online, since I can only make purchases if my debit card is presented in person.

Life is grand. Just when you think that things couldn’t really get too much worse financially[/quote:21g6pimf]
That… just isn’t funny Della. [/quote:21g6pimf]

I know! You can’t make this stuff up! The thing is… it’s not the first time that it’s happened to me. My dad helped me pay a bill and we were three way calling on our cell phone. And right after he gave them the number to pay it, his number was stolen and his credit card fraudulently charged. Just recently my husband told me the number over the same cell phone. So not only am I paranoid that somebody is stealing our numbers, but they seem to be listening to our phone conversations as well, since it happened twice when giving numbers via THAT phone

[Doubtful-Della]

Somebody hacked my bank card number and charged up some Western Unions, completely wiping me out. Figures. So not only can I not get my money back for the next 6 weeks while this is being investigated… But once I get my next paycheck, I have no use of my debit card online, since I can only make purchases if my debit card is presented in person.

Life is grand. Just when you think that things couldn’t really get too much worse financially

[Doubtful-Della]

BELIEVE.
KEEP DOING.[/quote:2b2ch5bs]

Words to live by!
Thanks

[Doubtful-Della]

Okay, I’m so not hardcore. I have no clue which code half of our CDs are, or even where to find the code….. in fact I stash jewel cases and booklets in boxes and just keep CDs in a cd case. The truth is, none of these are mine. They are all my husband’s and he is not as organized as I once was.

Now a days everything I listen to is on the computer… I just download it all!
So even though it was overwhelming I decided to start my collection. I might have some things wrong, and I know I have things missing. In time, in time.

[Doubtful-Della]

I rendered it to look like Billy’s handwriting.[/quote:1y8xg1tc]

Oooh I would have never thought to do that! Good one. Thanks for the behind the scenes look at your creations!

[Doubtful-Della]

Completely understandable. I just feel bad if anybody has dial up or a slow connection

[Doubtful-Della]

Wow. Boy, oh boy! Our member Doubtful-Della is all over the homepage of SP.com now. Featured main article, featured image of the contest, and featured member. Boy, will she be proud! [/quote:si4wbg0d]

I know! I think all my friends are sick of hearing about it already. I’ve taken so many screen shots and e-mailed them out. Did you see the e-mail update that SP.com sent out? I was even in their screen cap!

K-mar & Rvrsky: If the band really does check their website every few days, I’m sure they know about it and are interested. It just might take a little time before they could actually sit down and look. I’m so proud of you guys for tacking a different art form than everyone else. Completely unique and unexpected. Rock on you two. I loved all the little hidden things in it too

I do have a suggestion… I know it took a long time to code this forum with all the entries, (I heard it took over 4 hours) but it takes forever to load and I even have the fastest cable that my town offers. Maybe a little extra time to code it so that there are smaller images that link to a full size. I don’t know how to do that with brackets, but it’s an easy code with the carot html coding.

[Doubtful-Della]

And being honest – the ones where MSPaint was used in lieu of Photoshop are quite hilarious. .[/quote:p1fap3tq]

I have to agree (Ms paint is sometimes a bad idea) and disagree. Not everybody can afford Photoshop, and not everybody wants or knows how to hack it. But at the same time there are free programs like Gimp out there that are nice, and cheaper versions of Photoshop (Elements) that range around $100.00. But even so, those take a while to learn. You could say that they could have just done it by hand and scanned it in (or taken a photo of it, or just mailed in the entry) But not everybody is comfortable with that or have art supplies just laying around the house.

In any case, they gave it their best shot, and that’s what counts.

In MS Paint’s defense…. have you ever seen this video? Shows you just how powerful that little program can be

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk2sPl_Z7ZU[/youtube]

[Doubtful-Della]

Congratulation Doubtful-Della !
Do you think you’ll produce and sell some copies of your poster ?[/quote:36vhkwq8]

This has been discussed and details are being worked out as we speak. I’d have to get permission from the band to use their name in selling fan art. Keep an eye out on SPfreaks if everything works out

[Doubtful-Della]

i can send you the design if you want…
[/quote:23u0f8cw]

We should find out how to get trade mark permission from Smashing Pumpkins to use their band name/tour dates to sell fan art and then upload them to sell at places like CafePress

[Doubtful-Della]

Sorry I’m not commenting on everybody’s… I know that doesn’t seam fair of me.

Absinth- That design is so sharp. It looks completely professional. I love it.

AlexHlavaty- I love the fact that it looks like colored pencils was your medium. That is such a difficult medium to work with. Your first poster with the Jesus ? cracked me up. I liked the \"out of the box\" style. The face card backstage pass rocked. If I were a rock star, I’d have that as my backstage pass

Douglas- I love the patch on the heart. Great poster!

Jai-Star I like your flier, how it’s the same image but one is monochromatic. The font you used was awesome, is it hand made?

Jenn- I think I had an epileptic seizure while scrolling The colors and the lines really grab my attention

Jerf- When I saw some the samples I thought these would take the cake, both the moon man and the cherub. My favorite part about the moon man is the stars that spell out the years. GREAT idea

Natacha- You already know I love your poster. I think your badges were the most unique out of all the entries

Pipoka- I want that T-shirt!

Tion- Very professional, would make a great album cover. The setlist rocked my socks in the area of design

Zero- When I saw the samples I thought this was the crispest and cleanest of all the entries. It makes me happy. I love the idea of the \"black sunshine\" \"white crosses\" on the back of your T-shirt. Great job, and congrats on second place. Congrats that PMM liked yours best, It really rocked. If I saw this poster at the concert, I’d buy it.

[Doubtful-Della]

my favorite is/was from zero_jme [/quote:3fkqkl9e]
Tion, I love how you submitted your setlist! Very cool. Looks like the back of a CD

[Doubtful-Della]

some people didn’t enter out of fear of losing [/quote:2t2mpl04]

I feel like quoting Yoda "fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering!" Anyway, it stinks for us that we missed out on other people’s feelings and ideas just because they were afraid. I really hope next time an opportunity like this knocks that they will pick up their shoes and run with it

[Doubtful-Della]

Plume [8] –
Hello Kitty Kat [20]
Starla [27]+
Girl Named Sandoz [15]

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