May 17, 2004
Brides of Destruction
with Amen, Living Things
The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
ROUND TWO! We got there early to try for rail. It was a gamble on which door to The Rave you actually would be let in through. This time, it was the side door that opened directly into the The Rave room. What a madhouse! Everyone rushed to the stage. I made it to the rail on Nikki’s side and turned around to see if Kim was right behind me….NOPE! She got held up because her jacket got caught on the door! DOH! She did eventually make it behind me though.
To say the crowd was packed in like sardines was an understatement. The guy next to me, well, his arm was next to me, his body was behind me, kept trying to weasel his way in. DUDE, THERE IS NO WHERE FOR YOU TO FIT! He kept showing me his Motley Crue related tattoo stating he had to be able to show Nikki. Whatever. haha He eventually calmed down with his pushing. But man, we were still crammed together. It also got hot in there really fast.
The band still sounded GREAT! A funny moment came early on when I saw Nikki throw a pick into the crowd, in my direction, but I didn’t see where it landed. After a few seconds I realized it was….STUCK TO MY CHEEK!!! I told you it was hot in there!
The only credit I can take for these live pics is that it was my camera and film being used. A friend had a photo pass for the show (the venue allowed NO CAMERAS for the public) and I believe it was during the LAG part of the set he came up to me and asked me for my camera. (Oh yeah, I snuck one in because you just never know when it might come in handy! LIKE NOW!)
I didn’t think to load the camera beforehand so I did it then! He asked how many to take, “2, 5, what?” I said, “ALL OF IT!” He asked me, “Who? Nikki, Tracii?” I said, “ALL OF THEM!” It’s funny too because as I was watching the show and watching what he was taking pics of I was saying to myself, “Yes, get that shot!” or “Quick, take it now!” haha So here you have the best of 24. Thanks again, man!
Photos by Flynn Doody
When the show let out, it was raining, but that didn’t stop the band from meeting with fans at their bus parked in front of the venue. Kim had her trusty umbrella keeping us dry until it was our turn. I had Nikki and Tracii sign my Here Comes The Brides CD sleeve and I took a photo with them. (I had it signed by London and Scot when I saw BOD again in 2005.)
Could my smile be ANY bigger? Not only was I meeting Nikki again, Tracii had just told Nikki, “This is an old friend of mine.” I could have died, in a good way though. (Side note: At the time, I had known Tracii since 1998 and saw like 15 L.A. Guns shows through 2002, not to mention, worked their Street Team for two album cycles.) Good times.
