Heepvention 2005

My wife Kim that's where! For going along with this crazy idea to host Heepvention and being by my side thru all the planning and being there to help me out whenever and wherever possible. There's absolutely no way I could've pulled this off without her blessing and support. And of course the best part was her playing Rain while I sang. That was all her idea as she knows what that song means to me. She practiced her fingers off as she's not a performer on the keys, and she did a great job! Words aren't enough to thank you for all you did and continue to do in our lives.

Next has to be my partners in crime Rob, Ron, Mac, and Dave W. As with my wife, there's no way this could've happened without these 4. You were the main core of planning for the music and website and anything else that came along. Thanx so much guys for all the e-mails and phone calls thru all this! You're the best.

To the musicians - Brad, Avery, Keith, Mac, Rob, John, Andre, and Dave W. Thanx for all the hard work and blistered fingers you sacrificed while practicing. You guys soldiered on preparing your parts while doing the rest of your life stuff. Hope it was as meaningful for you as it was for me to get up there and play songs you love. Very special kudos to Avery once again - dude you're a true friend and I know all the musicians and attendees thank you for once again being a pro and doing your very best on songs you learned in a very short time. I'm glad you're my friend.

To the attendees - I know what it's like to carve time out of your busy schedule and spend money you could probably find a better use for and travel to Heepventions just to spend time with your friends and catch some Heep music. Thank you so much for doing that. I hope you all can echo the words of a first timer on Sat nite by saying "it was worth the trip!"

To Ed and Charlie - for being the videographer and paparazzi. Great job from what I've seen so far. Thanx so much for giving your talents and your money to record the event.

And last but certainly not least Donna and Kevin at The Prince - What else can I say about you? You didn't know me from Adam when I first asked you about holding Heepvention at your club. Thought then it would be a great place to have it and you proved me right. I know you got more than you bargained for on Sunday with the music and everything. I so appreciate your willingness to help out and hang in there with us thru all this. Thanx for helping with the promotion and banners an everything else you did behind the scenes. You guys went way outta your way to help make this a success!!

I've had a dream for several years to host Heepvention and that dream is now complete. Part of me is glad so life can get back to semi-normal but a larger part is sad because it came and went so very fast. It was worth every free moment spared in the planning and execution of the event.

I just arrived home about an hour ago from Heepvention 2005 in Knoxville – my 3rd to date. This is part 1 of my
"Heepvention 20005 journal".

With every years that passes, I hear many wondering aloud if there will be any further Heepventions in the future. Based
on this year’s gathering, I would imagine so! Most fan conventions are very impersonal commercial endeavors that simply
try to cash in on the bands they promote. ‘Heepventions’ have become a gathering of friends that only seem to grow a
little closer with each year. It is a heartfelt tribute to the band we love, regardless of the band’s current popularity or the
obstacles we overcame to make the event happen.

I can’t begin to talk about this year’s Heepvention without first thanking Dave & Kim Griffin for all they did to make it
possible. I can’t even imagine the hours they’ve put into planning and organizing all aspects of this convention. Dave & I
have been working together on putting together this year’s jam band, learning songs and making set list decisions for the
past 6 months. In the process, I’ve also gained a great friend and musical collaborator.

It has been a privilege for me to work with such a talented vocalist. Although I felt some initial chemistry when we first
played together in Trenton, last year’s Heepvention in Concord really showed me what a fine team we could be. It’s not
easy to find musicians that can agree on creative decisions, but seem to have that all important dynamic of mutual respect
and being willing to compromise without any pettiness. Playing with Dave feels perfectly natural and refreshingly stress
free. We both seem to have the same sense of discipline about learning the songs and performing to the best of our
abilities. To find all of these qualities in one musician is NOT an easy task, so I’m blessed to have met Dave.

The weekend began for me on Friday afternoon. I worked a half day at my job and was able to begin the 3 hour drive
from Knoxville to Atlanta at 12:30 PM. I arrived at Dave and Kim’s around 3:30 PM.

Charlie Gibb came in from Philadelphia just shortly afterwards and he came over to Dave’s house just shortly thereafter. I
had the pleasure of meeting Charlie in Trenton back in 2002. He also joined us in Concord last year and quite the gifted
photographer. I remember gaping in awe at his shots of Uriah Heep from the mid-70’s when I first saw his portfolio. He
was snapping a lot of pictures of people throughout the weekend. Charlie has an excellent eye for capturing candid
moments in the artful and life affirming way you’d expect from a great photographer.

Just shortly thereafter, the 3 of us packed my guitar equipment into Dave’s minivan and headed out towards the Smokey
Mountains to rehearse with our drummer, Avery. Avery has a nice country home with a very cozy and well equipped
practice room behind his house. As we pulled into his driveway, we could hear him working on David Byron’s “How Do
You Sleep?” (from ON THE ROCKS).

We both broke into wide smiles when we saw one another for the first time in over a year! I had the pleasure of playing
with Avery at last year’s Heepvention in Concord. In fact, we had all rehearsed together in much the same way on the
day before the Concord event. Although Avery wasn’t really a Heepster when we asked him to first participate in last
year’s show, he went above and beyond the call of duty to bail us out of a tough situation last year. I felt like we bonded
almost instantly as musicians, even though we were expecting him to learn material that wasn’t his forte.

This year, he was once again coming to the rescue in a very big way. Originally, he was only going to be playing the
Classic Rock set with us. But after some very frustrating last minute cancellations, Dave asked him if he’d take a listen to
the songs we had for the Heep set. With barely a week’s notice, Avery began learning as many as 20 songs!

He shocked and impressed me when he wanted to begin the rehearsal with “The Magician’s Birthday”, a song I didn’t
think he’d want to tackle. We started from there and continued to go through as much material as we could over the
course of the next six hours with only a few brief breaks! Avery’s work ethic has always amazed me, so I stayed the
course and put callouses upon my callouses!

My good friends Ron Mann and Mac Steagall came in from North Carolina towards the end of the rehearsal. They actually
drove out towards Avery’s house to meet up with us that evening. Ron hadn’t slept in over 24 hours at that point and was
pretty worn out, yet still watched us go through many songs that evening. Mac plugged in and rehearsed with us for an
hour or so on songs like “Day Of The Eagle”, “Mistreated”, “Razamanaz” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.

We finally called it a night around 11 PM, when I broke down my equipment once again and packed up for Dave’s house.
We both turned in early that night, as we knew we had a long weekend ahead.

To all, it is hard to believe that HV05 has come and gone. I really appreciated being able to participate this year. In between the time that I committed to come and the actual event, I had fractured (in late May) my right cheekbone and eyesocket in five places which necessitated major surgery. So it was the first time I got to play out in months...especially since it was Heep songs live that I only get to jam on at home. Other HV notables - It was a major flashback to my "ute" to be out at the Waffle House and IHOP at 3 a.m. in the morning - when was the last time I did that????. Another nod to my youth, was the fact that the Prince stocked Rolling Rock beer of which I consumed too many to count over the course of the weekend. The relevance here is my first exposure to Heep was at age 16 listening to my uncle's 8-track tape of Live '73 while consuming too many bottles of ROLLING ROCK. And the feeling of being "on the road" with my vehicle loaded up with my gear - all 1,400 miles of it (roundtrip) - was a first. Going on the website and re-living it all is a small consolation to having experienced HV again in person, but will give me very pleasant memories. I hope that someone has something worthwhile to post from the acoustic songs Dave G., Rob and I did at Calhoun's and from Sunday night at the Prince. I thought that was some of the best stuff we did :)

I enjoyed this years very much. We arrived on Thursday and met with Kim and Dave for dinner. I still cannot get over how
great Dave looks! He and Kim did a phenomenal job putting this whole thing together as well. Friday, Susan and I went to
the worlds largest yard sale, it covers 3 states. Thankfully, we did not cover that much ourselves!! Ok, I know it sounds
weird you go on vacation and go to a yard sale!! However does that sound any more weird than flying 700 miles to watch
my beloved list friends jamming to Heep music??!! :-) The wife really wasn't crazy about going down there just for a
Heepvention.

Saturday, Susan and I went white water rafting!! Now that was cool. I actually jumped out of the raft at one point and let
the current carry me for about a half a mile, I guess you could say, I "Sail the River".

Saturday night was a lot of fun, about 3/4 of the gang met for dinner at Calhoun's BBQ restaurant, where we feasted on
pig pickings and lots of microbrew ales!! There I got to meet several of the newer heepsters on the list and some from the
forum. I also had the pleasure of finally meeting Dandy Don Ellis. He is a really great guy!! We all partied for hours, taking
pictures, eating, drinking and being Heepy Merry!! At one point during the evening, Dave had us all introduce ourselves,
and I introduced myself as Bob "All Heep is good Heep" Winward. The he said what about Susan, and I said "oh, that is
Susan "No Heep is good Heep" Winward. That got a nice laugh from everyone, as many of us are married to Heep haters
or those who tolerate them on our behalf!

Well, I better get this written down before I forget most of it. If you were there and read this; and find some facts that I got backwards or forgot, I say this: I have three excuses: Beer, lack of sleep, lots of driving - take your pick! So, feel free to correct me and I will take advantage of the excellent edit feature.

Once I realized that the event was going to be different from the set list and included different musicians (I thought it was going to be the same performers for all songs - but that was not so), I had started taking notes on paper napkins, but sometime during the classic rock set my pen disappeared (I blame the beer).

This was my first time attending a Heepvention, and a first time for me driving that far by myself, not to mention my first time in Tennessee.

I started the day off Saturday morning on the wrong foot - I had set my alarm for 6:45 am (or so I thought) but did not get up until 8:20 am. Considering I had planned to leave at 8:00 am ... By 9 am I had woken my daughter (who got ready in record time once she realized what time it was), eaten breakfast, fed the cats, and packed the car.

After a quick stop at the gas station, and loading the CD player (Uriah Heep was first of course) we were on our way.

The drive was beautiful, the weather gorgeous with a lot of sunshine (even though it was humid) and we arrived at the hotel after exactly 8 hours. No sooner did I get into their parking lot, the skies opened up to a torrential downpour. That is when I found out I had forgotten to pack an umbrella ... (Rain makes my hair look like Ken Hensley's after a 2 hour performance - judging by the old tapes) Plus there was no hair dryer in the room. This was the first time ever I had left mine at home, because all the motels I ever stayed in had one. Figures - the first time I really needed one there would be a motel without one.

We had enough time to get settled in and get ready for dinner at 7 pm. About 6:30 pm we stepped out of the room and ran into these people wearing Heepvention shirts. That is how I met Keith (Famous Stranger), Dave "Big Dog" Griffin, and Dave Crookham. We introduced ourselves and talked for a while. Since I had no idea how to get to the restaurant, this worked out great. Once we got going, I just followed their car to the restaurant.

I felt nervous at first, because I had never met any of these people, plus I did not know how they would react to me having to bring my 13 year old daughter along. That feeling did not last long however, we all had Heep in common and I felt very much included after only a short while there.

This was helped by the fact that Dave Griffin did an excellent job hosting, and also had us all introduce ourselves just before we actually started eating.

The food and atmosphere were great. We had a private room reserved with a Buffet - BBQ, corn bread, coleslaw, that kind of stuff. Chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

The first surprise was, that we got a small taste of what was to come the next day. Rob Dwyer, Keith Shaw and Dave Griffin gave an acoustic performance (after they closed the doors and turned off the in-house radio!) of several Heep songs, among them one of my all-time favorites "Circus".

After going back to the hotel and getting my daughter settled there, I met up with some more of the Heepsters at "The Prince", a local sports bar around 10:30 pm. That is when I met our very own Heepdevil (Ron), Mac Steagall (the other TiT web dude), Heepfan, Heep Maniac, Dave White etc. They had a band playing there that night, and while they were very good, the covers they chose to perform were not that great. The best songs I remember were "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf and something by Whitesnake (can't remember what song, the conversations among us Heepsters were too good). At about 12:30 am we had enough and about 6 or 7 of us Heepsters that were left took our conversation outside on the patio.

By closing time (2 am) we still did not have enough of each others company, so we went to the Wafflehouse next door for some much needed coffee and other sustenance.

But I am not getting any younger, so by 3:30 am I called it a night.

The next day I woke up to rain rain rain, which continued for the whole day. So other then a little shopping I did not do much, and returned to the hotel room in time to watch the Nascar race on TV (I had to throw that in).

The race was over just in time (about 6:30 pm) to go back to "The Prince" for the actual concert portion of the Heepvention. The theme was of course David Byron, because of 20 years since his passing.

I did not bring a watch, but I think they started later than 7 pm (the scheduled time). However, It did not take long for the performers to liven up the place with their first number: "Sunrise", I got my first taste of Rob Dwyer on electric guitar (after hearing him play acoustic) and all I can say is - WOW! This was followed by another one of my all-time favorites "Sweet Lorraine" - Brad Todd did that song justice with his excellent vocals I might add!

The 4th song was a very emotional performance of "Rain" by Dave Griffin with his wife Kim on keyboard/piano/organ (whatever the proper term is).

"Keep on Trying", "Time to Live", "Spider Woman" were next - all excellent. I only wish I would have paid more attention who played what, as I said, the performers changed. Keith Shaw did his thing with the guitar for many of the songs featured, I just wish I could give him credit for the right songs also. (Again I blame the beer). Mac Steagall played most of the Bass, and as you all know, I do pay attention to my Bass, and he just got better and better as the night wore on (or was that because of the beer? - nah). The only instrument that had the same performer all night was on Drums - Avery Rogers.

Another highlight of the evening was a special performance by this guy Don who sang vocals to "Blind Eye". Not sure who he was, but he sounded just like the original - and that is saying something.

After their ninth number "Footprints in the snow" the first part closed with "Circus". Dave Griffin did a special introduction, saying a few words about Gary Thain, the main writer of this song. My eternal gratitude goes to Dave for that special tribute. I can't get enough of that song, so what better way to come to close for intermission. Beer or no beer, that part I will not forget.

If memory serves me correctly, the door prizes were next.

Then came the performance of a list of some classic songs by a guest band, I am afraid I can't say much, as that is when I took my daughter back to the hotel, as it was getting late for her. Another reason I missed most of it is because Rob Dwyer lugged in two bags of CDs, VHS tapes, and audio cassette tapes of all kinds of music/bootlegs for us to rifle through and take home. How nice of him!

The highlights of the 3rd set which followed (the second set list for Heep songs performed by the Heepsters) were:

- July Morning (never heard that one done by anyone other than Heep) and I must say it was superb.
- The Magician's birthday - Keith Shaw did a really awesome vocal performance, and Dave White and Rob Dwyer did their little electric guitar dual - you had to be there to understand how great they are.

Circle of Hands ended the musical part, but the night was far from over. Unfortunately, some songs from the 2nd Heep setlist were omitted - like Gypsy, Suicidal Man, and Pilgrim. I had really looked forward to those.

After some more beer (of course) and good conversation, we said our first good-byes at The Prince around 1 or 2 am. However, a bunch of us (including yours truly) were not ready to end this yet, so we took our little party to IHOP (International House of Pancakes), which is a step or two above the Wafflehouse, plus coffee and food were a really good idea by then.

When we could linger there no longer, we went out into the parking lot for those final and difficult good-byes. I believe they took about half an hour, and it was hard.

Well, my intention for Sunday had been to not stay up until 3:30 am like the night before (because of the long drive on Monday), but I am afraid I exceeded that goal in the wrong direction - this time it was 5 am by the time I finally got to bed.

Got up at 9:45 am and still did not beat the cleaning crew - we were supposed to be out by 11 am and they showed up at 10:15 am. So I am hauling my shit out into the car while they impatiently waited to get the room ready.

Uriah Heep went back in the CD player and off we went. It rained pretty much all the way home, still made it in exactly 8 hours.

Got home at around 7:30 pm. Was still up by 9:30 pm - too wound up, so I dragged the DVD player into the bedroom, hooked it up, and started watching the DVD's we brought back. I finally had to end my Heep weekend at around 2:30 am Tuesday morning - the "old" part in me kicking in and demanding some sleep.

Sunday came with a breakfast and then we were at the prince to rehearse. Unloaded the Yamaha electronic Baby Grand we brought with us and set it up for the sound man. As it turned out it's a good thing we brought it with us even though at 88 keys it was a monster. We rehearsed for probably about 4 to 5 hours and things didnt go as bad as I thought they might after a year away. Some of the songs we hit on the first try. Others well, need tweaking..but it was fun none the less just being around all the guys helped me out big time...I think I felt the most comfortable as I have ever been at this function. It was different, at least for me. Everyone seemed relaxed even when things werent going so well with certain songs..We worked out the kinks and everyone put in the hours.

It's 7:20 and Dave G starts off the HV2005 with some letters from Heep members and former member Ken Hensley. Then it's show time. I think that the nerves really get going crazy just before the first song. Oh how the first song can have an impact on the rest of the night. "Sunrise" just like in '73 for Heep, was the starter this year for the Heepsters. Dave White started the Keys and Dave G as always got it going and Keith and I put in the harmonies. I think we did pretty good but how you hear it from the stage can be different on tape. Yes it was being recorded by at least several different machines. I have to admit that in the back of my mind was the song "How do you Sleep" as it was on my mind the entire night. I really could not wait to do that one. We were running behind and time was getting away from us on the last set of the night after the guest band performed between Heep sets. I thought that the Classic sets went well except when I came in to early and Rob nudged me to shutup(in a nice way) until his solo was done(LOL we hadnt rehearsed Mr Crowley at all). Rob is so cool when he does that Maybe it's the Fire in his eyes when you step on a solo....LOL.. Anyway, it's time for last set and Rob comes over to me and says, "would you be offended if we cut "How do You Sleep"? I said , No not that one, pleae cut another, I have learned and rehearsed ithat one for over a month. I didnt know the song 30 days earlier..Just listened a few times over a period of 5 years or so. I am glad we didnt cut it as it went extremely well. Most of the Heep songs went well that night. Oh they could have been better in some spots like the ending of Magician's Birthday, Wow was that a riot. All in all I think it was a grand ole time for all of us getting back together and playing the music we know and love from the band we have known almost forever. Wanna thank Heep Dog Griffen, Mac, Rob, Ron, John White, Keith and Avery and of course Dave White who was really missed last year by all of us at HV2004 and all the Heepsters who travelled lots of miles to be there for that special evening. Amber and I enjoyed every minute of our stay at HV2005.

On Sunday, Susan and I took a brunch cruise on a steamboat on the Tennessee River. Then back to the hotel to rest up for the grand finale!! We made it over to the Prince (the jam venue) around 5 and got to watch some of the final practice sessions. Then there was the Heepster pool tournament!! This is going to be a classic event for future gatherings. I barely beat Amber Todd, only because when she knocked the 8 ball in, the white one followed it into the pocket. Then I endured a long hard fought contest with Don Ellis, which went down to both of us just needing to sink the 8 ball to nail down the victory. I think we both missed 6 times before Don put our contest out of its misery by slamming the 8 ball into the corner pocket, leaving me in the jaws of defeat. At least Susan did get a trophy for 3rd place. She beat Mac to claim 3rd place. I guess you could say he was behind the 8 ball, from hoisting quite a few too many Miller LItes!! :-)

Shortly after the pool tournament the Jam got underway. I can't review the whole thing, but can mention some highlights. First off, Dave (the artist formerly known as Big Dog) can still belt out the tunes. He has such a pure resonant voice, sort of like Goalby but with the power and passion of Byron. The drummer did a great job and worked the entire set list. Another highlight was Don Ellis singing Blindeye, how appropriate. He did a superb job and has a good voice. Susan kept mentioning to me about the awesome guitarist, she was referring to Rob. He doesn't just play it, he wails on it with a great style. Speaking of Rob, we got to see the video of him debating Ozzy on national tv in May!!

The end of the evening was the hardest part, saying goodbye. All good things must end, and this jam and the whole evening was phenomenal!! Some of us went to IHOP after the vention, and got to talk for another hour or so, and then it was over!! I had the time of my life and can barely wait until next year!!

Just A Fantastic Time!! It is always great to get together with friends & enjoy music & fellowship. The fact that this gathering is because of your love of Heep makes it that much more exciting. My wife Pat & I enjoyed the weekend very much & only wished we hadn't still in Piegon Forge, so we wouldn't have had the 1 hour drive back each night.

Sat. night's dinner: meeting with fellow Heepsters great food & good music, our first meeting was with Brad & Amber Todd whom arrived first and we we're right behind them as the rest got there it was great to meet & put face's to the names on the list. Doug & Jackie from Atlanta, Bob (All Heep is Good Heep) & his much much better half Susan (No Heep is good Heep) Winward, Ed, Charlie, Keith, Rob, Ron, Mac, John, & one or two other's I missed & of course Dave (Big Dog) & his much much better half Kim Griffin, whom did a wonderful job setting up the event. Thanks very much for all your hard work. As we all wrapped up feeding our face's, Rob & Keith did a couple acoustic Heep songs to get us in the mood for more. They did a very fine job, Thanks guy's. We then headed to the venue for the event the Prince Deli & Bar, there we listen to the Band for a little while. My wife & I didn't stay long, we had the hour drive back to Piegon Forge. Which in rertospect in would have been nice to be closer for the main reason of being able to socilise more with the Heepsters. But the event started in fine fashion.

Sun. Night's Event: Pat & I got there just in time for the opening set, missed the pool tourament, & the chance to enjoy conversation with some of the Heepsters. As the music got under way I was amased at the talent on stage, for the short time in which these musician's had to practise they did a excellent job, Kudo's all around!! Rob, Keith, Dave, Avery, Brad, and the rest did a wonderful job. And Mr. Griffin you have a great voice just a super job. Personally I thought that the classic rock set was great and well worth it. As Dave said we all have other fav's in music it's just that Uriah Heep is and always will be #1 with us all. And the fact that our love for Uriah Heep Music has brought us together & still dose makes the event that much better!

As the evening went Ed & Charlie were capturing the event on video & photo's, hope to see it soon. Don Ellis did a fine job with Rob & Keith on Blind Eye & Brad & Keith also did a great job singing Magician's Birthday!! Rob did a great job on guitar all evening but shined on Mr. Crowley with Brad at the Mic. We also got to view the TV show Rob was on with his hero Ozzy, what an experience for him! And to hear of the Heepvention in 2002 when Heep themsleves showed up, this had to make all the effort in doing Heepvention's worth it! I know that I am not the only one whom wishes I was there, but just the chance to hear about it and to know that Uriah Heep knows that they still have fan's in the states! All in all a great time!

The Heepvention reminds me of a gathering which some of my old band member's & I have been doing for the past three years, we just call it the Get Together! Here in Michigan we tend to have long winter's and as the days go on we get cabin fever from being cooped up so long, so we decided to have a gathering in March to enjoy fellowship and music. Sounds very much like Heepvention, only that Heep music is what has brought the Heepster's together. Great friend's & Great times with friends makes life worth living.

Please don't skip a year of Heepvention the fact that music has brought us together makes ti that much more important not to let the fire go out. And here's to the torch holders Ron Mann. Mac Steagall, & Mr. Dave White it was great to finally meet you guys, wish I had taken time to talk with all of you more, so much to talk about and so little time. Doug & I talked about Heep some and the fact that this Heepvention was to Honor David Byron, to me he will always be the voice of Uriah Heep, but I could tell that Doug found Bernie to be a better singer. We all have our fav's but the fact that Uriah Heep in one form or another has brought us together is the key. I know there are a few I missed and here's hoping to see you all and more at the next Heepvention in PA. I know Uriah Heep has meant a lot to all of us in different ways and in different forms. But keeping the torch lit is the goal, and here's to a New Heep album to celebrate in 2006! Dave & Kim Thanks again for a wonderful time, may we all meet again next year with a new album and the chance to enjoy our common bond Uriah Heep!

P.S. Ron I will get the picture's I took to you soon, I will send them here to the list!

Both me and Dave White woke up around 9:30 AM feeling overtired and anxious about the day ahead.
We had stayed out late watching this so-so covers band play at the Prince with some of the other Heepsters (Mac, Ron, Keith, Brad, Amber, Dave, Kim, Dave Crookham, Charlie Gibb, & Rita). Afterwards, we extended the evening with a mid-morning visit to the awful Waffle House. With barely 5 hours sleep, we took a drive downtown to try to find some coffee, breakfast, shampoo (which the hotel failed to provide) & some saline solution for my contacts. Little did we realize that this would turn into a scavenger hunt that would find us briefly getting lost!

I finally got my stuff together and arrived to set up my equipment at the Prince around 1 PM. We spent the next 5 hours rehearsing and sound checking for the show. It was a LONG day of playing. Dave and I went back to the hotel for a very short break around 5:45 PM, only to return an hour later to play for the rest of the night. I'd say we probably played for at least 6 to 7 hours that day. I have lots of 'people' memories from Sunday night, but I decided to tackle the set while its fresh on my mind. I think our finest moment was "July Morning", which was almost ethereal (as it ought to be)! From my side of the stage, I couldn't hear any bum notes and everyone was really into it. It was one of those songs were nearly all of the musicians were on the stage at one time.

Other personal favorites include the acoustic set with "Footprints In The Show" & "Circus", "Mistreated", "Time To Live" (which we FINALLY nailed), "Whiter Shade Of Pale" [with Dave White on lead organ], Mr. Crowley [my big solo showcase], "How Do You Sleep?" [very cool to do this one for the first time!] and "The Magician's Birthday". "Magician" was going beautifully until we reached the final 2 minutes of the song when we had the most magnificent train wreck! I think I botched a few chords and then Avery got lost and came to a complete stop. I tried to get the train back on the tracks after that, but it quickly collapsed into laughter. We were a little embarrased by that one, but we were too relaxed to care at that point. It's amazing we even tackled that one without a full band rehearsal!

I thought all of the musicians really rose to the occasion this time around. Andre really shined on the keyboards this year. I really wish we could have done "Return To Fantasy" during the show, since he sounded so good on that one during rehearsal. Keith was a great asset on both guitars and vocals, even bravely tackling lead vocals on several songs I especially enjoyed the acoustic stuff we did together. It's always a pleasure to play with Mr. Dave White, who traded off with me on "Mistreated" and played some great keys on the opener ("Sunrise"), "Whiter Shade Of Pale" and the closer ("Circle Of Hands"). He did his shred solo during the introduction for "Magician's Birthday", while Avery wondered what the heck he was doing?!

Both John and Mac did a solid job on bass, probably covering more material than they either really wanted to tackle in the first place! It was great fun playing with Brad, who picked some of my favorite songs in the set to tackle. What more can I say about Dave Griffin that hasn't already been said? He was really the star of this show in more ways than one. A true professional all the way. I very much enjoyed his rendition of "Won't Get Fooled Again", as well as a beautiful "July Morning". But the one who really saved the day (for a 2nd year in a row) was Avery Rogers who played drums on EVERY SONG! Not an easy feet for someone who isn't a devoted Heepster to begin with! It was great jamming with him for the 2nd year ago. We bonded so quickly as a rhythm section that we pretty much guided each other through the set list. And when things got a bit long in the tooth, we'd try to outdo each other with silly faces. Avery's both a fine drummer and a great human being. I do hope I'll have the privilege of playing with him again.