From:	GravTwell@aol.com
Sent:	Thursday, April 15, 1999 10:25 AM

The Indescribable Moments of Your Life...

	Even now that I’ve had a few days to reflect, I am still absolutely 
in awe from my
experiences on Saturday, April 10th, 1999.  The entire day was an 
electric-charged blur from start to finish.  I got to St. Andrew’s Hall at 
8am, and was second in line, behind some guys who had been there since 4am.  
Along with most everyone else I met in line that day, they were intelligent 
and extremely knowledgeable about the band.  Overall, there seemed to be very 
few “casual” fans at this show;  some people were seeing the band for their 
twelfth or fifteenth time.  This was to be my ninth Pumpkins show.  We 
watched the roadies wheeling in road case after road case for about an hour, 
wondering how this massive amount of gear was going to fit into a place as 
small as St. Andrew’s.  I still was having a hard time believing that a band 
with the stature of the Pumpkins was actually playing here.  It started to 
sink in when I saw a large case carted in that had “D’arcy” stenciled on the 
side.  The excitement was already starting to grow.
	The brisk, cool morning was instantly warmed when the sun appeared 
over the
Renaissance Center.  Noon rolled around, and one of my friends showed up to 
wait with me in line.  I left to go find the closest restroom, which happened 
to be at the hotel where the band was staying, one block directly behind the 
venue.  It was no secret that the Pumpkins were there, as their two massive 
tour buses were parked out front, in plain view of anyone standing in line.
	I walked into the hotel lobby and the first thing I saw was one of my 
friends sitting there on one of the couches.  The second thing I saw was 
Billy (wearing a hat), slowly strolling through the lobby with Yelena.  I 
couldn’t believe my timing;  here was Billy, just him and his girlfriend, 
relaxing.  I sat down next to my friend, and Billy and Yelena took a seat 
about twenty feet away from us at a different couch in the lobby.  So here we 
are, sitting across from them, looking at them, debating whether we should 
approach them (since we didn’t want to butt into the midst of a quiet 
moment), when we saw two teenaged girls walking into the hotel.  Immediately, 
my friend and I looked at each other and thought, “Uh oh”, cause we thought 
for sure that the girls were about to make a huge scene.  When they noticed 
Billy, they (thankfully) remained calm, although they immediately went over 
and started talking to him.  They only talked for a minute or two before each 
asking for a hug (which Billy obliged them), and then leaving.
	At this point, me and my friend figured that since their peace had 
already been
broken, that this was our chance to approach them.  We walked over, and Billy 
smiled at us and asked us how we were doing.  We said hi, and my friend asked 
for an autograph of his Airplane Flies High box-set.  Billy smiled and 
jokingly said, “I don’t know-- are you a real fan?”, which my friend assured 
him we were.  So while he was signing the autograph, we sat down right next 
to him on the couch (on the other side from Yelena, who was talking to a 
friend at this point).  I asked him about Jimmy’s return, and you just *hear* 
the enthusiasm in Billy’s voice when he said that “Jimmy’s just playing 
awesome right now.”  I also asked if this would be like a Double Door-type 
show, with new material, and he said that yes, it was going to be mostly new 
stuff with maybe 7 or 8 old songs.  We talked about Detroit, and St. 
Andrew’s, and how the last time they were at St. Andrew’s, Billy’s guitar was 
stolen, and how happy we were that they were back in such a small place.  And 
that
was about it; we talked for maybe five minutes.  I didn’t get anything 
signed, and I didn’t care.  It was about a billion times better than getting 
an autograph after a show, where you’re with a hundred other fans, and you 
get to say maybe two or three words to the band;  to get an opportunity to 
sit down with Billy, just the three of us, and talk, was incredible.  He was 
soft-spoken, extremely polite and gracious;  he seemed *happy* to be talking 
with us.  We thanked him for his time and shook hands, and he told us that he 
hoped we had fun at the show.
	After this, we went over to Greektown and ate lunch and returned to 
the line.  I
was still in disbelief by what had just happened.  At about this time (3pm), 
we noticed a familiar person walk up to the security guard at the door and 
ask him about tickets:  it was Chris Chelios, the Red Wings’ new acquisition. 
 We didn’t make the connection until later that Chelios had been traded to 
Detroit from Chicago, which is where the Pumpkins are from.  However, not 
even his celebrity as a local sports star could get him into the show; he 
walked away empty-handed.
	About an hour later, it was back to the hotel once more, and once 
more my timing was impeccable;  Jimmy was standing on the sidewalk, talking 
to a couple of the roadies.  No one even recognized him, as he had short dyed 
blond hair and sunglasses.  So we went and talked with him for a few minutes. 
 Being a drummer myself, I did end up getting an autograph from Jimmy, which 
he signed “All my love -- JC”.  I was actually more at a loss for things to 
say with Jimmy than I was with Billy, seeing as he’s a drumming idol of mine. 
 I said (rather lamely), “I still don’t know how you play that fill in 
‘Tristessa’”, but he was very cool;  he laughed and said, “*I* don’t even 
know how.  I was listening to that the other day and wondering how I did 
that.”  He, too, was very nice and seemed extremely happy.
	D’arcy came out a few minutes later, wearing her cowboy hat.  She was 
extremely quiet, but smiled and signed autographs for the handful of people 
who were standing outside.  I didn’t get to talk with her, only to say hello. 
 James was already on the bus when I came by, and he was the only Pumpkin I 
didn’t get to meet that day.
	So we went back in line for the last few hours, getting more and more 
excited with each passing minute.  I was absolutely ecstatic from meeting the 
band, and we hadn’t even been allowed into the building yet!  Some guy in 
line had a guitar, and he was playing and singing Pumpkin songs (quite 
poorly, I might add).  But regardless, you could feel the energy in the air.
	Finally at about 8:30pm, the doors were opened.  Security was spotty; 
 I was patted down pretty thoroughly, whereas some of my friends were barely 
frisked at all.  Being second in line, we took a spot at what I feel is the 
best spot in the house at St. Andrew’s:  right up next to the stage on the 
balcony.  There, you have a 100% unobstructed view, and you don’t have to 
worry about getting crushed to death;  you can relax and totally immerse
yourself in the music.  Security was excellent and swift in enforcing the “No 
Crowd
Surfing” rule, which I thought was a wonderful idea.  I’ve been to shows 
before where I
was crushed against the barricade, getting kicked in the head by every 
crowd-surfer that passes over, and it’s not fun.  So we took our spots to the 
left of the stage, about ten feet away from D’arcy, with a perfect view of 
Jimmy in back.
	Queens of the Stone Age were decent, although they seemed a little 
sloppy.  They were already on-stage before half of the 1000 people outside 
had been let in.  They played a short, energetic set that was very 
well-received by the audience.  I can’t say too much more about them, because 
quite frankly, the opening act was a moot point for what was to follow.
	Words cannot fully express how incredible, how emotional, how joyous 
this show
was.  Opening with “I Am One” was spectacular, and a perfect number to 
reintroduce
Jimmy to the world.  The band was on the darkened stage for quite some time, 
the crowd going nuts with anticipation, before Jimmy delivered the intro.  
Immediately, the place exploded.  I have never seen a crowd behave like this; 
 it was like any bootleg video you see from European shows, where the crowd 
jumps up and down simultaneously, like a wave.  People weren’t moshing, there 
was no crowd surfing, it was just everyone bouncing up and down like one 
entity.  It was such a perfect moment.  “Zero” followed, which was a nice 
choice from MCIS.  The crowd was so loud singing along with Billy.  “Pug” was 
next, which was a nice surprise;  we didn’t think there’d be anything from 
“Adore” in the set with Jimmy back in the band.  He added a lot to the song, 
playing a bunch of over-the-bar-line fills to the tune.  It was nothing like 
the “Pug” I heard last summer at the State Theatre.  And “La Dolly 
Vita”....what else can you say?  I’ve heard one bootleg version of this song 
ever, and never thought I’d hear it live.  It took me a moment to even place 
what it was, I was so shocked to be hearing it.  Jimmy was an absolute 
lunatic at the end of the song, playing wild fills all over the place and 
making it look easy.
	With the broadcast songs finished, Billy thanked the crowd, and said 
how the band would now like to take the opportunity to play some songs off 
their forth-coming album, due out in September.  The crowd was eager to 
absorb any new Pumpkin material, and it was extremely well-received.  It was 
so good to see Jimmy back in the band, making his unmistakable presence felt 
in the new material.  He looked like a kid playing his first show ever in 
front of a crowd;  he had a huge grin on his face for most of the show, and 
many private jokes were traded back and forth between Billy and Jimmy.  The 
entire band was in high spirits, which was reflected by the audience;  St. 
Andrew’s had such a contagious feel-good vibe in the air, you couldn’t help 
but smile the entire night.
	It was nice to see the majority of the audience singing along with 
“Cash Car Star”, a song custom-made for Jimmy’s drumming.  And then suddenly 
the Pumpkins were back on familiar turf, tearing into an aggressive version 
of “Ava Adore”.  Billy stretched out the lines a bit in the section before 
the guitar solo (“In you I see dirty...”).  D’arcy, who was teased by Billy 
earlier in the night for playing an extra bass note at the end of one of the 
songs, ended this song right on cue, which resulted in her going over to talk 
some trash back to Billy.  Billy just smiled and patted her on the back.  It 
was quite comical, although I don’t know how many other people noticed;  as I 
mentioned, there were quite a few off-mic moments exchanged between the band.
	“Today” followed, which was considerably reworked;  the guitar intro 
was
completely scrapped, beginning instead with the chords (as in the acoustic 
version), and the chord progression was altered a bit.  The ending stretched 
past the normal finish for a few extra bars.  It was good to hear the band 
trying something different with this otherwise-overplayed song.
	They left the stage for a brief period before being summoned back by 
the huge
uproarious applause filling the hall.  What followed next was the greatest 
encore I’ve ever heard.  James told the crowd that they were about to play an 
old song, and “Muzzle” started.  I was so happy to hear this, which I view as 
one of Billy’s most shining lyrical moments.  The energy of the crowd was 
unbelievable during this song.  Jimmy’s trademark fills were 
spot-on.....until he messed up near the end;  he started the snare/tom 
buildup during the line, “And I knew the solitude of heart” instead of the 
next line (“murmurs of the soul”).  Billy immediately turned around to look 
at Jimmy, who immediately corrected what he was doing.  They were both 
laughing their asses off as they finished the rest of the song.  The song 
ended, and I was breathless.  I wasn’t quite prepared for the opening notes 
of “Soma” that followed.  I basically lost my mind at this point;  I hadn’t 
heard this song since my very first Pumpkins show, at Lollapalooza ‘94, and 
here they were, five years later, playing this incredible song.  I could NOT 
believe it.  The crowd was almost silent during the first few quiet minutes, 
before the distortion kicked in and carried everybody away.  Billy’s soloing 
ability has lost nothing in the past few years;  he can still let it rip as 
exemplified during “Soma”.  The band left the stage once more, and once more 
the crowd
kept cheering loudly.
	They returned to play a few more new songs, including an extremely 
hushed,
touching, acoustic song (“If There is a God”) that the crowd respectfully 
listened to quietly.  The rest of the band joined in for one more song, and 
then they left for a third time.
	I didn’t think they’d return for a third encore, but the crowd was 
not going
anywhere, and would not let the band leave.  So out they came once more;  
D’arcy told the audience how they were happy to have Jimmy back, and then she 
handed him the mic.  Jimmy told the crowd how he was glad to be back before 
taking his place behind the kit.  D’arcy mentioned how this was a song they 
couldn’t do with any drummer but Jimmy, and most everyone knew what was next: 
 “Geek U.S.A.”  Another song I hadn’t heard since 1994.  Another incredible 
Jimmy performance, as if he hadn’t missed a beat in the past three years.  
Another amazing Billy guitar solo.  The perfect closing song.  The band waved 
and smiled to the crowd before leaving.  Billy stayed though, standing at the 
front of the stage, showing the most genuine respect and thanks to the crowd. 
 It seemed like he made eye contact with every single person in the venue, 
saying thank you, and smiling, before he finally threw out his water bottle 
and left the stage.  And that was it.  I didn’t know whether I should laugh 
or cry or yell or what.  I only knew that I had just seen the best concert I 
have ever been to, and probably ever will see in my lifetime.
	Feel free to drop me a line to talk about the show or anything 
Pumpkin-related.  

	Regards,
	Steve Bekkala
	sbekkala@umich.edu