I woke up on Oct. 2 around 9am, which is VERY early for me on weekends. I could not sleep or sit still or stop from freaking out. OLP WAS TONIGHT!!! I hadn't seen them since July 17, 1998 and I was depirately in need of OLP.

After what seemed like years, my friends Joanna, Mark, and Alissa finally came to pick me up around 2:45PM. We put on "Happiness..." and started the 45 minute long drive to Lowell, MA. The whole way there I was flipping out and scaring my friends. They're OLP fans, but don't even come as close to obsessed as me. When we finally arrived at the arena, the parking garage wasn't even open yet!!! So just as Mark is about to turn the car around and search for a space somewhere, I say "Drop me off here... meet me over at the line." and hop out of the car with my painting, OLP Clumsy Congress banner, 2 cameras, tickets, and a picture of a fish which has a striking resemblance to the one on "Happiness...". I run over to where the buses are parkeed and quickly ge5t thrown out by security. So I go over to the line (which was actually pretty long already!) and find my friends Krista and Alison very quickly, and then a bunch of Clumsy Congressors. I then drop my stuff off, and run back to the gate with my painting. The security guard there was actually pretty nice and told me to go around the fence to get a better view of who's back there. So I do as she said, and sure enough, Jamie walks by. I scream for him but he just kind of waves. Then the loveable OLP roadie whom I've met a few times before, Roger walks by. I sceam for him and he comes over. Sure enough, he remembered me. I showed him my painting and he's like "Wait right here." A few minutes later he comes back with Jeremy and Duncan and I give them the painting (through the fence, mind you). They loved it, but had to go. So I ran back over to the line and we waited for another 2.5 hours.

At 6:30 they finally let us in, and me and my friends get front row, of course. After alot more waiting, Oleander comes on at 7:30. They were very good... I have the cd and I expected them to rock. They played for about 30-40 minutes.

8:30. The moment I've been waiting for since last time I saw OLP. They come on and open with "Automatic Flowers". INCREDIBLE, I think it was the best version of AF I have ever heard!!! I really don't remember the exact set, but I know they played the following: "Is Anybody Home?", "Lying Awake", "One Man Army", "Blister", "Waited", "Superman's Dead", "Clumsy", "One Man Army", "Stealing Babies", and they closed with "Starseed". The whole set was just amazing. There were definitely alot of violent Creed fans, but OLP was represented well. There were quite a few people there strictly for OLP (mainly Congressors). Krista, Alison and I all had our Clumsy Congress banners which Mike and Raine both acknowledged. Mike and I communicated alot during the show, it was great.

After OLP left the stage, I had a security guard pull me out, along with my friends I'd come with, and pretty much the rest of the CCers that were there. We went and bought shirts and keychains (there are cool OLP keychains now, weeeee). After that Joanna, Alissa, Mark, a few Congressors, and I all ran out to where I'd met Duncan and Jeremy before the show, and after waiting forever and meeting the guys from Oleander, Mike came out and talked to us. It was like a big CC meetup, it was great... he called us his "people", lol. Mike chatted for about an hour and a half and then went back to the bus. I am so greatful of him spending so much time with us!!! Mike rocks. He even remembered my name from the other times I've met him!! I was so surprised. Once Mike took off we waited a bit more and then left.

Closing thought: OLP never ceases to totally amaze me. They are truely the best band in the world. OLP RULES.