Hi Friends, I seldom post to the list but thought I would share a little with you today. I started listening to the Doobies way back about 1972, when the Earth first cooled. I was listening to many other groups, Santana, Black Sabbath, Chicago, etc., but I immediately fell in love with the Doobies. I saved every nickel I could earn just to buy the next album or 8-track they came out with. I went off to college and remember how heartbroken I was to hear that Tom Johnston had left the group and was replaced by this guy named Michael McDonald, who I thought made the Doobies sound like an orchestra. (Before I get flamed I must admit that I now appreciate Michael's talent far more now than I did then!) I finally had an opportunity to see the Doobies in Knoxville, Tennessee about 1975. I bought tickets, then could not get a date to go to the concert. Like a fool I sold the tickets to a friend, who told me it was the greatest concert he had ever seen. Fast forward to 1999. I still loved the Doobies and was glad to see that after at least two breakups, they were back on the road, and had been releasing new material. While cruising the web I inadvertantly found the Doobie website, and signed up for information. What happened next I would have never in my wildest dreams thought possible. In the early Spring of 1999, I received some e-mails from this fellow named Laurin Willis, telling me about the upcoming fan festival in California. I politely wrote back and told him that I would love to go, but due to financial constraints, I just could not swing it. Laurin and I struck up a conversation and friendship when we learned that we were practically neighbors in Virginia. He asked me for help in getting signatures for a Hall of Fame petition which I was more than willing to do. I even enlisted a friend, Mike who was too young to know what a Doobie was, but I enlightened him about quality music. Then I find out that the Doobies are coming within striking distance of me, Charlotte, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Virginia Beach. I picked the Charlotte show and was waiting with finger posed on Ticketmaster at the exact hour and day tickets went on sale. I got seats 4 rows from the stage. When I told Laurin, he said that he had a surprise for me. He was going to take me and Mike backstage to meet the band. I almost had heart failure!!! We drove to Charlotte with Doobie posters stuck all over my SUV, and got questioned by everyone at rest areas and in Charlotte about the Doobies. Mike and I got there 3 hours early (no way in hell was I going to miss this!!!), met Laurin, watched with gaping mouths the finest show I had ever seen, and went backstage. Words cannot express what an experience it was to hug Pat Simmons, and shake hands with big Mike, Keith, John, and my buddy Skylark. Tom was bashful and only stuck his head out for a second. On my rec room wall hangs a collage of photos of me with all the Doobies. Sometimes dreams do come true, thanks to friends like Laurin, and the Doobies. Now I ask, what's next? Long live the Doobies!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Slow Burnin' Steve Steve Wice [EMAIL PROTECTED]
