To start things off, driving to this venue you would’ve sworn you were in the middle of nowhere deep in the desert. Well, you were. We were able to snag a terrace camping spot which was a fifteen minute walk to the venue. The Gorge Amphitheater backdrop is the Columbia River and is famous for its lawn seat view as it overlooks a cliff.
We were gladly joined by Corey Messineo who was doing the entire tour. The temperature dipped down into the 40’s overnight making it unpleasant for waiting in line. One of the perks of waiting for the show, though, was there were a ton of bulls and cows literally a hundred feet from us on a farmland which was owned by a fella who owns the campground. Other than that, the occasional mosquito.
When Lorenzo tweeted the LPU early entry line, we snagged the first spot in line as we waited with Mars’ fan club, making it interesting as they also have an early entry, as well. We got very lucky because Mars was late getting to the venue which meant the LPU line got a fifteen to twenty minute head start and we were able to walk to the pit reducing the pre-show stress we all have become very familiar with. Corey, Rita and I were lucky enough to get the front of the catwalk and we were very close to the stage. By this time I was extremely sun-burned and the last hour of sun was a killer.
Photos by Jon Buttermore – Thanks for the contribution!
As Linkin Park’s crew was setting up with fifteen minutes left until the performance, all three of us were still recovering from the excited Jared Leto fans he had brought up which seemed like twenty fans on stage during their last song. But of course he picks most of them from behind us in which they had to crawl over us making that fun. Earlier in the show, I took a beating on my left shoulder because the kid that was brought on stage earlier in the set decided to sprint and dive back into the crowd after he was done with Jared, and of course, I was the one who got the impact from it. [LPFC Note: Please be considerate and take care of each other!] During the stage prep, there was a drone flying over us and we had no idea what it was or who was controlling it. An hour later after the show ended, Mike posted on Instagram a video from the drone’s camera. It was Mike flying it. You might remember the drone video during rehearsal he put up on Instagram, as well. Same drone!
Linkin Park had begun their set and they were killing it. It only took two to three songs until Chester came over to us so he could acknowledge Corey, Rita and I. He remembered us from the backstage tour in Houston which was great, and Rita was wearing her Seahawks jersey which was easily remembered. During “In The End” I’m always Mike’s grasp for balance when he comes into the crowd which is fun. It’s easy considering I’m 6’4” and dead center on barricade. I was it for Houston and here. During the encore, Chester did his salute to the IAVA which was really nice and did a shout out that we were the best fans on the whole tour (but I’m guessing he says that every show). As the show ended and the bandmates did their salutes, Phoenix came over and personally talked with Corey about the previous shows which was really sweet and as they all walked off stage, that ended our epic journey for the show at Quincy, Washington.
