Albuquerque, NM
To everyone's disappointment, the outdoor show at Albuquerque's Sandia Casino Amphitheater was postponed because of lightning, wind, and rain. All day long the weather had been beautiful and hot, but at around 5:30 pm the skies darkened and lightening started to appear in the distance. It was downhill from there. All the local people kept telling us that in Albuquerque storms never last longer than ten or fifteen minutes. But when it hit, the rain and the lightning hung around and hung around. Then the winds kicked in and we watched our lighting trusses swing from side to side. It didn't look good. We kept waiting for it to pass. We kept hoping it would blow over. But by 9:30 it hadn't, and a decision had to be made. Michael was thinking of all the people who had taken shelter inside the casino, and he wanted to go up there and personally let them know we couldn't do the show.
Michael's speech in the casino was a sight to behold. I was there with him and it was scene out of a movie. We had to get from the backstage of the amphitheater into the casino where thousands of fans were waiting. We donned our ponchos and ran out into the rain (with the long threads of lighting still trailing all around). It was a long walk that was practically a run because we had to get there fast so that the crowd wouldn't build and he wouldn't make it inside.
We got through the front doors security did their best to clear a path through the sea of people and they got Michael into a little kiosk right inside the entrance. For some reason there was a long delay, and the longer the delay the more worried I was about the crowd building and our ability to get him out of there. Michael finally jumped up onto the desk and tried to use the mic which didn't seem to be working. So he spoke without the mic and made the announcement. People went crazy and couldn't even believe it was him, but everyone was relieved to hear he'd do his best to make it up and come back.
We were so looking forward to the show that night as we were sure that beautiful desert venue would make an incredible setting. We will have that chance on October 5th, so see you soon ABQ!
Posted by Victoria
Albuquerque, NM
To everyone's disappointment, the outdoor show at Albuquerque's Sandia Casino Amphitheater was postponed because of lightning, wind, and rain. All day long the weather had been beautiful and hot, but at around 5:30 pm the skies darkened and lightening started to appear in the distance. It was downhill from there. All the local people kept telling us that in Albuquerque storms never last longer than ten or fifteen minutes. But when it hit, the rain and the lightning hung around and hung around. Then the winds kicked in and we watched our lighting trusses swing from side to side. It didn't look good. We kept waiting for it to pass. We kept hoping it would blow over. But by 9:30 it hadn't, and a decision had to be made. Michael was thinking of all the people who had taken shelter inside the casino, and he wanted to go up there and personally let them know we couldn't do the show.
Michael's speech in the casino was a sight to behold. I was there with him and it was scene out of a movie. We had to get from the backstage of the amphitheater into the casino where thousands of fans were waiting. We donned our ponchos and ran out into the rain (with the long threads of lighting still trailing all around). It was a long walk that was practically a run because we had to get there fast so that the crowd wouldn't build and he wouldn't make it inside.
We got through the front doors security did their best to clear a path through the sea of people and they got Michael into a little kiosk right inside the entrance. For some reason there was a long delay, and the longer the delay the more worried I was about the crowd building and our ability to get him out of there. Michael finally jumped up onto the desk and tried to use the mic which didn't seem to be working. So he spoke without the mic and made the announcement. People went crazy and couldn't even believe it was him, but everyone was relieved to hear he'd do his best to make it up and come back.
We were so looking forward to the show that night as we were sure that beautiful desert venue would make an incredible setting. We will have that chance on October 5th, so see you soon ABQ!
Posted by Victoria