Type O Negative
Anaheim, CA
August 23rd 2003
By: Carrie “Jerry” Lewis
Wow how can I try to remember everything that happened on Saturday the 23rd? First off let me begin by saying I had it semi-planned for a month and a half in advance! I told a lot of my friends about it, in hopes that a HUGE group of us would go up to Anaheim and maybe Hollywood to see the boys of Type O Negative. It didn’t turn out that way at all. I ended up going with Athena and John in my car. We packed our bags and drove about an hour and a half up to Anaheim from San Diego. The trip went well with few stops and not too many people I had to flip off.
We got to Anaheim and I found a hotel, the Carriage Inn (I work at a place called the Carriage House so I thought what the hell.). Went shopping for a shirt and then we headed on down to the House of Blues in the middle of Downtown Disney. Let me remind you all that none of us had bought tickets, and when we got up to the ticket counter it had a sign saying it was sold out. There were some fans out there that had come farther then we had, and couldn’t get it. So I didn’t know if John would be able to go to the show!!
We ended up going to dinner
at the House of Blues, and as we were sitting there waiting for the food, in
walk's Peter Steele with a red haired woman wearing a dress. OMG! I think I
started choking on my chicken salad a little. Yeah so I am a little star struck
still, even though I have met them before. It still takes me by surprise. So
Pete and his friend get seated fairly close to where Athena, John and me are
seated. I can’t help but look over at them occasionally as some fans stroll up
and ask for autographs and what not.
I really wanted to go up to him and say something, maybe send a message to
Johnny that I was there and stuff. Since I had e-mailed him a week or so ago
telling him I would be there and all that. But alas I was stuck to my seat.
John, the wonderful man that he is got up and went over to Pete and started
talking to him about me. I just couldn’t look up, I continued trying to eat
even though my stomach was turning. John returned to the table to ask for my
cell phone. Apparently Pete needed to use it cause his phone wasn’t working
inside the club. I knew mine had no service there either, but he gave it to
Pete and he tried to call Johnny. (Which was REALLY cool of him.) I was a bit
nervous by this time, and then Athena tells me to go over there, Pete had my
phone!! So I grew some balls and walked over to the table. Smiling at them and
saying things like “I don’t mean to bother you…” and yadda yadda.
I talked to Pete for a minute and got my cell phone back. As we were talking he had me write down my name, saying, “Last name first, First name last! Like on your ID.” I laughed and took the paper and said. “Hey don’t confuse me, I am originally blond ya know.” And wrote it down for him. (Damn I forgot to put my cell number on there, but he had a girl with him…and well that would be a little strange, but Damnit I should have done it anyway!!) When he looked at the paper in his hand he looked back up at me and said. “Jerry Lewis?” I laughed and shook my head. What the hell…Pete was making fun of me, what was next a joke about my non-ass? I just replied…”No Carrie…” while laughing and then we talked a bit more and then he shook John’s hand, then mine.
When I got back to the table I was literally floating on a green cloud. Well okay not really, but getting to talk to Pete and him being in such a good mood was really cool. Turns out he wasn’t even eating dinner there. Just sitting there drinking and talking to the woman he was with. (Some tall lady with light red hair, she seemed nice though didn’t talk at all to me.) Athena was smiling at me and as I sat there I kept grabbing glances of Pete, as he occasionally would make eye contact with me. It was really cool and I started to feel a little more relaxed. I couldn’t finish my food though it was a very good chicken salad with greens in light vinaigrette and pecans. I was afraid to use the Blue Cheese I had ordered in case I dripped some on myself or something dumb like that. I am known to wear my food! And it is never pretty.
So after awhile we pay the bill and leave the place. Outside
I run into Matt (from the CasketCrew.com Forums) and some friends call me on my
phone. Mike G and his woman Vanessa were on the way. Funny story…they had made
it to Disneyland and then noticed they didn’t have their tickets so they had to
drive all the way back to Escondido (I think) to pick up the tickets. (Poor
kids…) But they ended up making it. As I was on the phone with Beef out walks
Johnny and Kenny…John and Athena grab their attention and John tells me
everything is cool and we say hello and I tell him thank you. We hang out for a
bit and talk and stuff. Johnny is a great guy! I love it when I get to hang
with him even if it’s only for a few minutes! So I told him about the Iron
Maiden show I was going to go see the next day instead of going to their show.
(I HATE LA, Hollyweird is even worse….). He had some words to say about Iron
Maiden, about how the last time he saw them…they sucked. It was a funny
conversation. Of course he mentioned Black Crowe’s in the conversation, which
made me laugh a little. He talks about them like I talk about him and Type O
Negative. Which was cool.
He ended up leaving and then like 20 minutes later returned with two coffees in his hands. We talked again for a few and he told me he would see me after the show. And you know like a dumb ass I forgot to give him a hug and make him take a picture with my friends and me. UGH! I could’ve kicked myself for that! At least I got to talk to him and stuff. So later on I ended up getting my tickets, but the sad part about this whole story is that John never got to go to the show. We tried to talk to the security peps and some others, but nothing was working. I was mad at myself for that. I should’ve bought some tickets before I got up there to make sure that everyone would be able to get in and all that stuff. Next time I promised that no one would be left out of the show! So poor John had to walk all the way back to the hotel by him self, and I didn’t even offer him my car keys. I felt like a complete asshole in every way. (Hey John forgive my dumb ass…I’ll get you back homey!) Athena was sad too, she cried a bit and I was so pissed at myself for not thinking this all out and planning better!
So Athena and me make it inside the club. (Somehow we had gotten past the guards with our disposable cameras and stuff! WOOHOO!) We hung around and ran into Mike G and his girl Vanessa and stuff. Said hi to them and then went downstairs into the “pit” to wait for the opening band. It was Spineshank, which I had no idea would be there. Their set was good, though I didn’t know any of the songs except for one. It was pretty cool anyway and had a lot of the guys in the pit going. Then Adema came on and Powerman 5000, both bands were okay. Powerman’s lead singer is Rob Zombies brother and he reminded me of Billy Idol. At the end of each opening act the bands thanked Type O for inviting them to play and then we waited…and waited and waited for the boys of Type O Negative to get on stage. The in-between music was pretty cool until it was Type O’s turn to get on stage. It was some whacked out circus music or something. The crowd was cringing and I think that is what the band wanted. It was rather funny to watch the fans. And I kept shouting shit out like “God Damnit…” and things like that.
Finally the lights went down and the crowd roared a welcome to the band. I got so happy I got goose bumps up and down my arms. I don’t remember the set list, but thanks to the great and wonderful Lally~ here it is:
- Unsuccessfully Coping ...
- Wolf Moon
- Everyone I Love is Dead
- Christian Woman
- Anesthesia
- Love You to Death
- World Coming Down
- Kill All the White People
- Pain/Prelude to Agony
- My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
Encore:
- I Don't Wanna Be Me
- Black No. 1
The show was great! As another friend of mine Lesa said…”Brilliant.” I was too busy to really watch the stage from the upstairs. I was sitting around the top area on a stool right above Loge seating. (or however you spell it.) (Ran into another dude I know named Jason…he had pierced Athena’s tongue a long time ago) I was hammering on the wooden bar thingy in front of me as Johnny was pounding on the skins on stage. I just let myself get into the show, let the music flow in and out of me. Of course I shouted a lot from my seat. And sang along. And what was cool was you could hear the crowd singing along to almost every song they played! Of course Peter had his usual jokes he told and the whole thing about Wolf Moon…”It’s a song about a man who turns into a Wolf when he goes down on his woman.” (or something like it.) They played my favorite song “I Know Your Fucking Someone Else” and I about died! It was GREAT! Athena was having a hard time getting into the show, cause she was still sick and stuff. (Poor girl!)
When they left the stage , like normal there was thunderous clapping. After a few minutes though you could hear in waves a few fans sprinkled in the crowd start chanting “YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK!” And we all started picking up the torch and shouting it at the stage. Like a mantra that would bring them back to us. A minute or so Pete walked out and said something like…”You say we suck, well most of you didn’t pay for your tickets…” (or something close to that) I almost fell out of my seat laughing. He said some other things and then they did the last two songs….
I was so damn happy about the show when we left. We met up again with Mike G and Vanessa. All four of us hung out in front of the House of Blues hoping we would see one of the band members come out and stuff. I wanted to tell the boys thank you for such a wonderful show! And hopefully get a few pictures with the guys. (I didn’t dare use my camera inside the club….yeah I know I am a chicken…*BOK*) They never came out and we were forced to leave. I think we got back to the hotel around almost 3 a.m. I said sorry to John and we all fell asleep….
I am still a little excited that I got to see my boys up at Anaheim and stuff. I so want to see them again, maybe someday soon again. I am hoping -crosses fingers- at least. Next time I will have it all planned out better and I am going to have a crew with me. And CHRIS you better make it to the next show with me you booger head!! And Wednesday, Suey and Beef too! Maybe some others also, and you know what I didn’t get to meet Lesa. (Damnit next time we will say hi!)
No I didn’t end up going to the Iron Maiden show, we were all either tired, sick or just too hot to really enjoy ourselves so we ended up heading for home instead. Even though we were waiting in line to get in. We just weren’t feeling it. So we gave our tickets away (Thanks Joycey for the tickets anyway….Damnit….I wanted to go too. –bah-) I even missed the San Diego date (was working). So that is the end of my story….
Type O kicks ass live, and if you never got to see them I suggest you try everything in your powers to go see them!! And buy all their albums too!! Or your missing out…like Biker Lisa said…”If it ain’t Type O then it ain’t worth listening to!” –grins- and that is the truth!!
- Carrie “Jerry” Lewis
Cell: 619 - 277 - 9465 (hehehe Hey Pete if you ever read this here you go. *giggles*)