����I can't go through an Aerosmith page without mentioning Julie, my best AeroBud. Together we gab, dish, tawk, gossip (whatever) about Aerosmith, and spend large amounts of money on Aerosmith stuff.
����Julie and I met through Julie's husband Al, who works with my sister, Marilynn. I had an extra ticket to an Aerosmith show, but no ride. So Mel tells Al about this, and Al says that his wife is a HUGE Aerosmith fan. So it's all settled. Al and their daughter will get the crappy lawn tickets, and us two screaming Aerosmith fans will sit in the front.
����So we get to the show, and I try to sneak my camera in by wearing it under my trench coat and wearing the strap around my neck like a necklace. It worked at OzzFest at the very same arena, so why not try again? I got searched and they found it. "SHIT!!", my mind cried out. THey told me I had to trash it or take it back to the car. So we turned around when Julie said "Hey, why don't you put your camera in my purse, since it's already been searched, ane when we get to our seats, I'll give it to you" (I love the way your foul mind works, Jules). All's well that end's well: Some of my photos were in the 1999 AeroForce One Calendar (But my name is NOT Renee Hendric! No one ever gets it right)!
����So fast forward to May 7th, 1999. Me and by best Aero-friend Julie are psyched for the Hollywood Bowl show. We left right after I got out of school. We stopped at a little flower shop and bought a half-dozen pink roses for Steven and wrapped them up in a little scarf with blue, pink and yellow stars that I got on Carnaby Street in London. We wrote "For Steven" on the pink ribbon. We carried it on the bus and the seasoned professionals were looking at us like we were just bragging and were just so petty.
����Before the show, we made a little card out of a mini-poster that was a pitch to join Aero-Force One. It said "To Steven: We'll be your flamingo anytime! We wish you and Teresa as much happiness on your anniversary as you've given us over the years. Renee and Julie." and then we gave it two kisses and I brushed it over with nail polish that I had in my purse with glitter and stars. We put stars on his cheeks.
����I get tickets from a place called Front Row Center tickets. And they were front row center. Except we had a box, and there were some people from the Moster Bus Tour in front of us. I was really disappointed. And then, right before Jonny Lang, we saw someone who looked really familiar. In fact, she looked a lot like Teresa. In fact, it WAS Teresa! It was Teresa and her sister and some guy in bright purple with purple painted toenails peeking out of his Birkenstocks (Later, upon looking at photos I discovered it was Mark Hudson). He looked just a bit bizarre. I couldn't stop staring! So, we put our little flowers in the seat behind us. And I could see Teresa point to the flowers and she told her sister "Those are for Steven". And then, all the other band members' wives and kids came in, like, this huge parade almost. The kids all held hands, and you could tell whose were whose. Tom's kids are very cute. And I was amazed how much Chelsea and Taj look like Steven! But I guess if you look at Liv and Mia, they look a lot like their dad too.
����So after Jonny Lang went on, they started checking Aerosmith's gear and the wives left, I guess to watch from the sides of the stage. But if the wives weren't an eyeful, more celebrities came into the place! In the cavalcade of stars was Leann Rimes and Andrew Keegan, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston, Scott Wolf from "Party of Five" and the guy who played Cameron in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." (Steve's favorite movie!) And we were in front of all of them! Suddenly those seats didn't seem so bad.
����So as the show went on, I tried to jump the little barrier between me and the place where the Bus Tour and other important people were siting. I wanted to get my roses passed to Steven. The seurity guard grabbed me back and said "You try that again and you're out" in sign. I didn't need to be told twice.
����Later, I tried again. I called the security guard over and leveled with him. Let me go up and ask someone to pass these to Steven. Then I'll come right back and I'll be good. He said okay. I tried to ask some people, but they said no. The security guard pulled my jacket. I tried to explain that I'm trying to get them passed up, I really am! Then he tapped his ear and beckoned me closer and said in my ear "The band's manager is sitting right there! He says that he'll give them to Steven." I was so happy! I talked to the manager a bit and he showed me some behind-the-scenes photos of his son and him and Steven in Spain. It was cool. I asked him if he could get them to him now. His girlfriend tried, but he couldn't get them. He did stop to smell them, tho.
����So I came up to him right after they had finished the encore and the crew was packing up. Julie and I introduced ourselves proper-like. He gave me his business card and said that he would give them to Steven as soon as he saw him, and said that he would get us autographed pictures for being so nice. I stuck the card in my bra as not to lose it. Well, Julie and I were all the shakes after. Steven got our flowers! So while looking for his card again in the parking lot, I found it wasn't there. I looked everywhere. I couldn't find it. I thought I was gonna cry. Julie kept a cool head. She didn't remember his name, but I did. Julie remembered the word "Newport". It was not much of a lead, but hey. So I lamented my situation for about nineteen days when I finally called Julie and said, "Okay, let's try calling 411." There was a listing for his name and "Newport". We called him. I didn't recognize his voice. He said "Hello?" a few times before I answered. I asked if this was (his name). He said "Who's asking?" I said "Long story" and hung up. Luckily, Julie had better phone skills and left a message on his machine. But he *69ed and and asked if I was the girl from The Hollywood Bowl. I was so relieved. After I said "Yes" and apologized for my horrible people skills, he told me that Steven had indeed gotten the flowers and he was very grateful to have them, and that it meant a lot to him to have them. He smelled them and gave him to his assistant, who put them in the dressing room.
����He took my address and phone number and Julie's, too and said he would send us some stuff. He called Julie sometime last month to say thank you to us for being so patient about everyting, and that he was waiting for some photos of some sort to come back. He's sort of driven the anticipation to a fever pitch. I REALLY want to know what he's giving us, and I can't wait to find out! I'll let you all know as soon as I get it!
