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It's 3:30 in the afternoon the Monday after Heepvention ....
Dale, his lovely wife Helen, and Rodrigo just left to go to the airport. Scott was here, but now
too, he has left, and so things are "back to normal".
I have so many people to talk about, and so many memories, to convey, and so many people to thank for thier part in all of this...a great gathering for sure, but more than that, a wonderful meeting of friends again !
Thanks to my wife, Carol for her part in all of this, and for sticking by me. Carol formed the "Wifesters on the Web" Saturday night ! ...
Thanks to Dale and Helen for coordinating the activies related to Landerhaven. Thanks to Paul Kubler for his relentless contributions of the financial end of it all. Without these 3 people, it wouldn't have happened.
Thanks to the staff Landerhaven for thier great support and accomodations ! Thanks to Dick Sodja of Sodja Music for the drum kit, and the Roland Keyboard rental. Thanks to Sharon, Stem's wife for the use of HER Roland Keyboard as well. Thanks for Tim for handling the P.A. guys, and they did a GREAT job !
Thanks to my kids for being supportive of my practicing the last week before the jam.
Thanks to Mick for his e-mail:
"Hello Dave,
In one hours time I will be catching the plane to fly back to be with my wife in Australia so I will
have to keep this short. I hope that you have a great 3 days together and it sounds like you will be
full on so have a blast, jam on and I will be thinking of you.........!!!!
Have a great time this weekend and I cannot wait to hear all the news. Keep me posted
As always Keep on Heepin' On.
'Appy Days,
Mick Box."
Thanks to Scott Sanders for his help in the planning of the weekend, and his excursions to the airport.
Thanks to Rod for the "Equator" CD !
Thanks to the weatherman...we had perfect weather !
Thanks to everyone I just forgot to thank !
The difference between this Heepention and the last one is that this one was a meeting of old friends, as the one in St. Louis was us meeting for the 1st time, and this was very very nice..... Paul, Dale, and Helen arrived earlier in the week. Rich and Rodrigo arrived in Cleveland Thursday night, the balance of the attendees arrived on Friday, except for Randy Grossman who arrived Saturday.
Friday afternoon, the Grifins and Helen, Rod and Rich and I went around running some errands, dropped off 10 rolls of film that Rod has accumulated during his world wide Heeptrip. We hit a fast food joint, picked up a bass guitar for Rich, and Rich went to a few stores picking up gifts for his kids !
Friday night we congragated in the Holiday Inn bar for bews and talk...lots of friends seeing each other for the 2nd time, a few for the 1st. There were smiles EVERYWHERE !
Some antics by
some of us alerted the national guard, but I had warned them ahead of time, so it was OK
!
Merrick the madman was a real trip...hell of a great guy...REALLY funny, and bouncy as
could be ! Deeply rooted in the spirit of Heep, he is a welcome guest in my house anytime !
Bob Winward acted as our MC, and put on a great show....Robert Warren was there with him, well, actually there IN PLACE of him, and I couldn't have asked for a better surprise MC !
Mac and Tim and Dave Griffin worked on a song in Mac's hotel room, while we partied and
joined us later.
Firday night, Alex and I worked out some tunes in the basement, and planned
for the next day's song structures.
Friday is kind of a blur for me, but I remember it being a blast, and a perfect prelude to Saturday's
Heepvention
Saturday morning we all met up at my place and practiced for the jam for an hour or three... I think we were pleased with the results...
Later, we went out and picked up the Drums and Roland (VERY HAMMOND SOUNDING) keyboard for Alex
We hung around for a bit, and Stem took off to Landerhaven to meet up with the sound system guys, and I followed a few minutes later ....
The Landerhaven was a cool place...very different from The Cheshire in St. Louis, but cool in it's own way. They had the room setup for us when we got there..Helen put up the banners she had made, and it all started to take shape.
Dale and Helen set up the "Sales" stand..VERY COOL t-shirts they made !! I love it !!
I hooked up the laptop, and logged onto ICQ, and Powwow, and left the PC alone after that. Rod did the honors up uploading pics that Bobbi took . Great job, and GREAT thanks to both of you !
It took about an hour and a half to get the equipment set up, and the "stage was set" for the jam later.
Stem and I were on left if you looked AT the band. Joe was in the middle, and the mics for the singers in front of him. Alex was on the right.
A few memories just popped in...I saw Alex in the morning sleeping on the couch...one pillow under him, and 3 stacked up on top of his head ! Ha !
Rich was in my car while I went to pick up something or someone...not realizing Muzzy was following behind me in his truck. All of a sudden, I realized that Rich was sitting there calm as could be drinking a beer !!!! CAN'T DO THAT !!!!!
So I yell "Rich!! What are you doing???" He goes" What? What's the problem ?" I turned immediately into a parking lot to get off the main road, and see this pickup behind me a carrening around trying to follow me ! It was Muzzy !
I explained to Rich that you can't have an open bottle of booze in the car...He told me that in Germany you can.....Oh well...no harm done...was pretty funny tho !
Rich brought me a tape of the Nuremberg show I attended last December...Tapio had provided it to him for Me ! Here's the whole story right from Tapio Minkkinen !
"If you remember, I mentioned in my mail a week ago that Rod would have some special stuff with him - that was it ! I got the bootleg cd from Bern Pleis, copied it to tape and gave to Rod so that he would give it to you. It was a gift from me to all the Heepsters there, but especially to you, because you were at the gig yourself..."
THANK YOU TAPIO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It sounds really great! Richard pops it into the cassette player in the car and says..."Listen to the beginning of this tape...do you know what it is??" To me ...it was just an announcer speaking German ! Rich goes "Do you get it?? DO YOU GET IT???" I'm going ... "um...well..." What is it? " He says. "It's the SHOW you were at !!!!!" I couldn't believe that ! "GREAT CURE FOR JET LAG ISN'T IT DAVE????? " Bernie talking to me on the tape !
My daughter Kelly , and her boyfriend Josh who were watching Steve for the night all showed up...Steve was rocking out too ! Thanks Kel for showing up and bringing him !
Back to the party...Bob did the intros, and I read the HV e-mail from Mick...Bob had each of us come up to speak, like last year, and did a bunch of awards, and there were door prizes, and tons of laughs. The dinner was good, and the basis for the rest of the evening.
The Jam: What can I tell you....they were great...Stem preformed to a "T"...Great Job Tim ! Joe, was really into it...body slamming those skins...very powerful
...Dave Griffin, as silky smooth as ever !
Dale sang 4 tunes and provided backing vocals for others as well.
Alex...MR Hammond....dealing with a keyboard that kept cutting out, I don't think he missed a note...I remember thinking, that it sounded so much like a B3
....Randy Grossman was up there too...nice harmonies RANDY !
Muzzy , Mac and Rich pounded out the bass lines...perfect backing for the rest of the band. Nice solo, Muzzy !
And the Madman hit the drum kit for the entire 3rd set, I think it was....very impressive drummer ! Joe got a rest, and Merrick kicked ASS!
I had some tuning problems, and some equipment problems for about 1/2 the 1st set, but after that, it jelled for me too, and I enjoyed rockin' with them all...
Highlites of the evening for me ??? Rain of course sung by Dave Griffin, Alex adding Piano and Keys, me on guitar, and Muzzy and Merrick.
The last July Morning....DAMN THAT WAS LOUD !
Come Away Melinda sung by Dale, with me on guitar, Alex on the keys, Muzzy on the bass, and Merrick on the drums. Dale...there "wasn't a dry eye in the house" Carol says !
After the Wizard, we started a little solo thing...I launched into a guitar solo, and Joe joined me...after a bit, I left, and Joe did a FANTASTIC solo !!! After his solo, we started Gypsy, and during it, we let Alex do his thing ! Great job Mr. Gitlin ! Alex really took off on this one....after Alex, I think we did one more verse of Gypsy, and it ended about 10-12 minutes of solos!
It really was a fun night, and I hope all of the people there had as much fun as I.
We exited the club about 2 in the morning, and the next day, we cam over my house, cna my Wife and Helen prepared the cookout out stuff...we listed to Heep, watch videos, played with Murphy, and kind of put the topper on the previous 2 days.
Today, was breakfast for the final "survivors", and a few last goodbyes.
If there was ever a time when I felt like the best part of what could happen did, it was this weekend...
Again, thanks to all the people who attended, and helped, and took the pics and videos (Lannis and Sharon.
It was great to be a "stop" off on Rods Heeptrip, and to have Rich at MY house this time.
The plans are already taking shape for next years 'vention...maybe in Myrtle Beach, maybe in New York...but WHERE EVER we have it...COULD WE PLEASE HAVE SOME ROADIES THIS TIME - MY BACK IS KILLIN' ME ????
As Rod would say...
All the best !
Dave
P.S. As I just uploaded this, I heard Steve say to his friend that is over..."..and my dad had all the Heepsters over for 3 days here..."
..hope he gets to do that someday too !