Wow so totally excited.  My first JM show since he double billed with Bob Dylan in 2010. Purchased tickets to two shows here in the Northwest, Seattle and Portland.  Received front and center for Seattle and some nice PIT tickets for Portland (all of pit seats are center). I went into Portland sales right at 10:00 PDT, and Seattle about 30 minutes later.  My first try for Seattle was a dud but I kept trying and about 10 minutes later, just when I was about to give up, the two front row seats popped up.  I have found that sometimes somebody else will have the seats tied up, and sometimes they either remove them or don't complete the purchase process, so if you keep trying a bit later they release and often you can snag a good seat.  Fun time for next summer! 

Tony so excited to see John again here in Portland.  The last time he was out West, 2011, we had tickets to the Seattle, WA show.  We had been remodeling our home constantly for the 5 months prior, and were really looking forward to going to Seattle and relaxing for just a few days.  It was going to be our weekend.  We had even sprung and purchased those premium seats and got lucky enough to get a pair front row center seats!  It wasn't going to get any better.  Unfortunately the morning of the show just as we were getting ready to leave our home in Portland, we received a phone call that a death in the family was pending.  So instead of traveling North we went South.  So now what to do with the tickets?  With the help of another Mellenhead friend, we coordinated with the venue to gift them.  What I asked the person from the box office to do was to go to the absolutely worst seats in the house.  Seats so far up one needed oxygen to take a breath.  Find two people who looked worthy and to bring them up front into our seats.  The lady who helped us called back later and stated that she had done did just that.  As you recall, during that tour John showed a short film before the show.  She said when she went way up there, these people were intently watching the film, and that nobody else around them really was, that they were just talking and laughing.  She asked them if they would like an opportunity to move forward just a little, and they said yes.  She then described how excited that they became when they discovered that they were actually going to have FRONT ROW SEATS!  :-)  Jumping up and down and hugging each other. She said that the lady started crying at their good fortune.  She said that she checked back several times and that they were up having a great time; laughing, smiling, dancing.  It warmed my heart to know that despite the awful events of our day, that my husband and I had created some positive wonderful memories for somebody else.  I wonder how many people they have shared their story with, and I hope with it that they have shared the wonderful love that Mellenheads have for each other.  So now 4 years later, my opportunity to see a show finally here in Portland, OR!  I'm so excited to see John perform again.  I'm not so sure I can wait until next summer.  Thanks for coming to our little small town.....Kris Sell

SQ glad you are having a great day after having had "Taken a Little MORE time to dream!" 

For a retirement gift my coworkers made me a really neat hard bound book.  In it they made a page for each National Forest in our Region located in Oregon and Washington and included pictures of themselves, pictures of scenic areas on their forests, and their names and home addresses, emails, and telephone numbers.  Also they placed pictures of me that they had taken throughout my 20 year career as their leader.  Oh NO!  I didn't age one bit!  Pictures of my hubby and I, and our daughter.  They did all this unknown to me, and my DH shared pictures of me and John when we met him backstage in Auburn, WA.  They also included the lyrics for Longest Days.  The picture of John standing, head tilted, in white T shirt and another picture of me holding an autographed photo that he'd sent in the mail once.  Below the picture of John and I at Auburn is the title KRIS MELLENHEAD.  What a beautiful mellenmoment opening that book, and one that will repeat itself each and every time Kris Mellenhead opens that book!  Life truely is short even in its longest days.  But I got the last word...Posted above my empty desk I left my.... NO Parking - MELLENHEADS ONLY! sign.