Doreen Swedik meets John Waite

Doreen & John

It was a weekend of firsts for me, first time in Vegas, first time meeting some *great* online JW fans, first time meeting John and my first time on an airplane! (I don't get out much...) Of course I would have hung from a bungee cord off of one of the wings to make this trip!

My first day/night in Vegas (and Saturday afternoon) I had the pleasure of spending some time with Elizabeth and her wonderful hubby Ray. We hit the strip and bopped from casino to casino. Initially I had some beginner's luck with the gambling, but before all was said and done I became a "seasoned veteran loser" to the tune of $30. Oh well...it was fun though! As was meeting up with some other online pals before the shows (Scott and his lovely wife, Diane, "St. Louis" Cindy, Doug and his entertaining friend Zoe.) This was a *big* highlight for me. The company was first class, thanks guys!

OK, on to the really good stuff... It had been almost ten years since I've seen John perform live. The last time was at the Rib Cook-off in Cleveland when he was with Bad English. At that show I was waaay back in the crowd and the stage for this was on a barge in Lake Erie! So of course the word "intimate" would not be an appropriate adjective for that show. It was for Vegas though!

My favorite parts are always the screw ups. I even wrote to John before about how we could all just sit at home and listen to the records, that the mishaps make things more memorable. These shows were by no means full of flub-ups but it cracked me up to see John waltz over to Shane after almost every number to negotiate the set list. It also surprised me to see John can "When You Were Mine" in the second show but it made for a funny, lighthearted moment.

He also made no secret of having to look at the palm of his hand for the lyrics of what I think was "Isn't It Time." Elizabeth yelled out, "No cheating!" and he smiled sheepishly and showed the audience his hand. LOL! Some lady behind me kept screaming out, "You're so cute!" and he would just smile, shaking his head coyly. 

John also spilled soda on his T-shirt and coat. (You know how he moves around so much!)  He sprayed his mouth with what I thought was breath freshener from a vial throughout the show (and here I thought he was getting ready for the Meet and Greet!<g>) though it was probably some sort of throat soother.

Yep, John did look really good and you could tell he was a bit nervous. In the first show he commented "Are we doing all right? Sometimes I can't tell..." I didn't get a look at the crowd behind me for either show so I don't know about the turnout. I just know it was awkward to sit for almost the entirety of both shows. (Then again the shows I tend to attend these days are in the small clubs where there are no chairs on the floor!) That's the downside of sitting in front, you want to stand but then you don't want the people behind you to kill you.

It was nice to see him loosen up in the second show. He also acknowledged audience members freely, stopping to look at napkins to see what songs people were requesting. His standard answer was, "Later." (Had to be Babys numbers I'm guessing.) He stuck the mic in a few people's faces to sing and kissed a few of the ladies. Elizabeth got a really good kiss! 

The song selection was a good mix. I've been bringing my "Falling Backwards" to work to relive some of these great memories. I can't tell you how awesome it was to hear songs like "Act Of Love," "Encircled," and "Straight To Your Heart" live for the first time. TREMENDOUS!! John and the band sounded great! Shane really sunk his teeth into these last two numbers. He's really something! 

So the second show was rapping up and I'm thinking, "Why am I not nervous?" I was moments (well it ended up being 90 minutes) away from meeting John for the first time. I had a good time watching others meet him and chatting with online pals during the waite. It was funny how people were walking by and asking "Who's in there, who are people lining up to see?" When we said who it was only one guy said he knew who John was. :-/ (Ah, but they were older folks for the most part.)

I wasn't going to bring anything for John to sign at all. I don't consider myself an autograph collector (and John sent me a postcard before that I'm content with). Knowing John would be exhausted after flying in that day, performing two shows and being submitted to a seemingly never ending receiving line, I didn't want to prolong his agony by too much. I initially was just going to say, "Thanks" and that's it. Well Elizabeth knocked some sense into me and suggested I bring my WMMS (radio station) calendar that she scanned on Net Waite. "It would be a good conversation piece" she said, especially since I was in the pic! :-)

So I walked up to John and didn't really look at him at first. I think I shook his hand looking at his arm and immediately flopped up that calendar to show him. I wasn't nervous, but it was just really intense! He was just so sweet and welcoming but I was just too shy to look at him until we started talking a bit. And even when I did look at him I was thinking, "OMG, I'm looking at John Waite!" It was hard to keep looking at him... it reminded me of that pitiful skit from Saturday Night Live about Antonio Banderas. I kept thinking, "NO, NO es too sexy, NO!!!!" <g> I'm pathetic... He got a big kick out of the calendar which featured artists that appeared in Cleveland in the mid-80's. He was "April." (What a coincidence- and he also put an X on the 24th when he signed it! <g>) He said he had no idea that he was featured in that. He also said more than once that he was touched I brought it. And here I thought I was doing him a favor by making it quick, this little item gave him a lift! Not only did he sign this, he wanted to see every single month to see who else was in it.

So we chatted about a few things and about whether he would come back to Cleveland. He said he was in July. We posed for a pic and he gave me a peck on the cheek which surprised me. I didn't know he was coming in for a landing, he works quick! <g>

So all in all it was a really good time! I hope he makes it back to Vegas again, I'll definitely go back! I'm an even bigger fan of John's after this experience. He's very generous with his time and accommodating to all of his fans. I was extremely impressed and pleased with him!

--Doreen Swedik

Do you have a "I met John" picture and/or story that you would like to share with Net Waite?  If so, e-mail me!

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