Early on, Joe (rotcav) announced that the Thank You cards for Laurie and staff would be at the bar for people to sign, so I went to put them there... I'd designed and printed them, but since they were opened on the counter, I don't know if many people looked at the fronts, hehe. I included a small icon of a drawing Molly (BigEyesBlueSkin) had done as a joke a while ago--Brycezilla (because Cyn used to be scared of Bryce and his ovals). The main images, however, I created by nerdily painting some of my Fisher Price little people and setting them up for a little photo shoot. The images looked really silly, hee hee. I'm a huge dork. Below, Laurie's image is on the left, and the one for the Staff in general is on the right. And Brycezilla's in the middle, haha.

Backstage
I don't even remember who was on our tour except Cyn and I think Karen, haha... But ours was led by John, and he started out with an amusing, "Hi everyone, my name is Blank and I do Blank for Blue Man Group." He led us around through the Green Room and its adjacent rooms (Tube Talking room, Blue Man dressing room, Band dressing room, Soundroom, ...stuff...), up and behind the performing stage, and props stations (kitchen, laundry room, touch-up stations). It was pretty large and impressive, with economy-sized stacks of EVERYTHING and crazy Polaroids and grafitti EVERYWHERE. The BMG folks are nothing if they are wacky--I mean, creative.
Green Room area: In one of the offices there was a "high-five monkey," which hung from the ceiling from one paw... On the door to that office was a huge collection of Polaroids of all the Briar's dogs (who apparently visit the theatre on a regular basis). One bulletin board hosted polaroids of everyone in the company (separated by job)--only Bryce's picture was covered up with a picture of a little kid in a dunce cap--awwww. And Tom (Boomer) had a Potty Training Award on his. I can't even begin to describe how many wacky photos were tacked up all over that place, LOL. There was one of Bryce in the Blue Man dressing room that was two pictures of his face pasted together, so he looked all distorted. Scary. My favorite thing about the Green Room area, though, had to be the magnetic poetry on the fridge... the phrase "green season moon surrounding her heart" especially caught my eye--very pretty.
Stage Area: In the kitchen/consumables area, John showed us the fridges that held the paintballs and jello molds... The paintballs looked bouncy, hee hee. It was here that John told us a funny story about a shipment not coming in, so someone had to go out and get all the non-lubricated condoms (for the paintballs) the store had, and lots and lots of polaroid film. Hhahaha--apparently the person got a strange look (I wonder why), and replied "I'm having a big party this weekend." Haaaaaa. Anywho, it was funny to be backstage and imagine the Blue Men and crew running around there during a show... random cakes of Mehron were on the walls for touchups... There is nothing better than the smell of Mehron and bananas. Or something. Speaking of bananas, in the laundry room there was this insane mural on the wall made entirely of banana stickers of all different colors. Part of it was an ocean scene--it was just sooooo cool-looking. The entire backstage/theatre looked like such a unique and cool place to work... I wish I could draw on the walls at my workplace. Uh.

Back in the house
After the tour, our group hung out in the House some more and chatted with Laurie... A lot of the conversation was cenetered around Lilo, I believe, hee hee.

A few of us ended up sitting on the stage, just waiting around and chatting. We noticed Noah (on the Blue Man drum loft) talking with a few of the fans who'd wandered onstage. It was all technical drumspeak and I didn't understand any of it, but it was neat to listen in anyways. Eventually I asked Noah if Cyn and I could get a picture with him, and he seemed baffled but agreeable (I also asked permission to post it, hehe). He ended up bringing a bunch of us (maybe 10?) behind the screen area, to show us the Wireman technology. It was a board with a complicated series of wires, which would animate his entrance. He said something like, "this is what it looks like before it goes on the suit [that a band member wears]," and not comprehending, I gaped at it and said, "THAT goes on the su--" and as he corrected me ("no no no this is before...") By then I'd realized what it was, and felt silly. It'd just looked like a complicated batch of clipped-on wires to take off and on all the time! LOL, duh. There was a really big mirror, too. Ooooo mirrors.

After the last tour was finished, Laurie had us all gather in a section of seats, so that we could all hear when the Blue Men came out to talk. Cyn and I ended up in the back (maybe even the back row, I'm not sure)... I glanced over to the staircase and saw the three Blue Men jet down it really fast, and I had to giggle. Reason one: What were they running for? It was like they were trying to sneak down without us knowing, haha. Reason two: Bryce was wearing really big plastic black-rimmed glasses--an awful lot like the ones BMG used to use during Artfish, haha. What a nerd. He rules. Anyone who can pull off glasses like that absolutely rules in my book.

Cue H arr... I mean, Q and A.
When the Blue Men came out, they lined up a couple rows in front of the first row of fans and sat on the backs of some chairs (which probably wasn't too comfortable, hehe). They started out by introducing themselves--Andrew Burlinson, "Bryce Somerville--oh sorry, FLINT Somerville," and Martin Marion. (Haha, in the second picture following, they look like superheroes. Andrew: *What? a Crisis?!* Bryce: *wheeerrre is my phone booth when I need it?* Martin: *Don't worry, gentle citizens, WE'LL protect you!*)

I was a little afraid that the Q and A would go a little slowly... because I for one was way too shy/dumbfounded to ask any intelligent questions, and just wanted to observe. But fortunately, a good number in our group did have great questions, and the whole thing flowed very smoothly, just like one big conversation between fans and performers. It was really surreal and very, very cool. =) So I'm going to set this up in show-highlights form, even though many of the questions overlapped and ran together:
--Q: "Do you find that the Blue Man character has changed your personalities?" A: The guys didn't seem to think so (although we fans know there is definitely a "he's a Blue Man" vibe to those performers, haha)... but Andrew offered a story about how he was in a wedding party once... All the other men in the party were standing with their hands clasped and feet close together, but he found himself standing with his arms down, feet farther apart, in the "neutral" stance of a Blue Man. [He demonstrated each stance, didn't describe them, hehe.] They all mentioned how uncomfortable that way of standing can be for the average person, because it's... open, in a way. Also noted was how hard it was to stand on stage and "do nothing," like when the Blue Men are just peering into the audience. One of them also said that being a Blue Man involves reading people, which may find its way into their real lives. Andrew described how seeing different feast guest reactions was a great example, because of the huge range of ways people show fear/nervousness--laughing, screaming, crying, joking, mimicking, etc. In short... those who embody the Blue Man character may not experience a change in personality, but they tend to see the world and other people in a different way than they did before.
--Q: "What was your most memorable feast guest?" A: Andrew told a story about how at his very first show, he brought up a woman who turned out to have big hearing aid type things in her ears... and he was worried he'd put her in an uncomfortable spot by bringing her onstage, but she was a great guest and was very open. He later found out she was a performer as well--a mime--and he thought it was so neat that even though she was an actress, she could get up on stage with them and let all of that go.
--Q: (something about how they got into Blue Man in the first place...) A: Martin explained how he went to a certain school where one guy from each of the 2 or 3 classes ahead of him had become Blue Man, so it was almost like "who's next?" Somewhere in his story, I realized/remembered he was foreign (he's from Slovenia), and thought, "so he DOES have an accent!" His accent is very gentle, so that it almost doesn't sound like an accent at all... Anyways. Somehow the conversation flipped to the fact that Martin is pretty short for a Blue Man (one of the shortest in the company), and how he once had to play/audition with a couple of the Vegas guys (who are very tall LOL)... He mimicked drumming in between them, looking up all shyly--awww. Bryce or Andrew made sure to tell us to look at Martin's shoes the next time we saw him in costume, because he uses lifts. Awww Martin. Anywho, Bryce's story about getting into Blue Man involved the fact that 2 other guys from his school (same class), whom he was good friends with, also tried out for Blue Man. [The two he mentioned are Wes and Colin, who now perform in NYC--I'm not sure if Bryce said it, but I'd heard this before.]
--Q: "What's the most marshmallows you've caught at once?" A: None of them knew--they all said that they didn't count, and that most times they are probably more concerned with the whole breathing thing. (Hee hee) I think one of the fans said, "You caught 32 last night!" (I guess that was directed to Bryce... if someone even actually said that.)
--Q: "What about when you have a cold, how do you deal?" A: "It's HORRIBLE." Awww poor Blue Men. They talked about train-tracks from their noses and how if a Blue Man won't give a kiss (especially in the months of Nov-Feb), there's probably a really good reason for that. Ew.
--Q: (something about paintballs/spinarts...) A: There was a hilarious discussion of how absolutely nasty the paintballs taste, especially if swallowed. Andrew said you can always tell if a Blue Man's accidentally swallowed paint (like if the ball breaks in his mouth as he catches it) because his body will jar a bit, LOL. Andrew demonstrated... complete with intial cringe and following "ewwwwwwwnasty" look of discouragement (as he turns to the canvas). They also talked about the placement of the paint on the canvases... and how much of it is for dramatic effect--like how the spitting up is more about the mist in the air than the line on the canvas. Martin mentioned that no matter how many times one practices the spiral, it's never clear what it will come out like. "It's like a golf swing! Sometimes you line it up all perfectly and you swing *mimics this*... and then you look at the ground and hey, the ball's still there." Haha!
--Q: (to Bryce) "Now, do you wear contacts during the show?" A: "Well, sometimes... but sometimes they'll fall out and stick in your paint... and the paintballs are pretty bright anyways, so you can kind of see that pink blob coming at you..." Andrew added (on the topic of eyes) that during opening paint drumming, sometimes the guy that gets splashed in the face with the paint will have crazy things going on with his eyes (and the other two Blue Men are, of course, supposed to look at him straight-faced--ha ha!). I can imagine contact-wearing would be difficult in that show--especially with the way some of them (*ahem*) lean over their paint drums and douse themselves. (Just one more reason I am the anti-Blue Man--if I tried to do anything without visual correction I would run into a wall or fall off the stage or something. Actually, I'd never thought that Blue Men would skip the contacts--the show looks difficult enough to perform WITH 20/20 vision, haha.)
--Q: "Do you play any other instruments?" A: I think Andrew said he plays bass or guitar, and is starting (or playing with) some sort of band... Bryce gave a big "HMMmmmmm..." and seemed to be pondering, so Martin went next and said he played classical guitar for a long time. So then Andrew and Martin looked at Bryce, who offered, "uhmm... I play... the electric spoons..." Hehehe. I don't know if this goes with this question, but Bryce mentioned how hard it was for him to shift into the Chris part (which has/had the most intricate drumming), because he was not originally a musician or drummer... You'd never know it now, however--he's one of the most dynamic percussionists I've seen in any BMG show.
--Q: "What part do you prefer?" A: All three said it changes from week to week, or month to month, depending on how they're feeling. And it depends on individual skits/pieces in the show, as well. They each listed a few of their favorite parts in the show (like Phil on Drumbone, Center on PVC, etc.), but it went by too fast for me to remember. Andrew remarked that all of the Blue Men in Chicago play all three parts (save Jason, who doesn't play Center), so they are allowed a lot of flexibility and movement in their roles. It might have been here that Bryce expressed how unique of a job Blue Man is for an actor, since it's long-term but has elements to keep it fresh. Martin described how he'd been in a play recently, and loved it, but that the role he'd perfected started to get old, because he'd learned it inside and out.
--Q: "How do you deal with things like broken props?" A: The guys seemed to think this was an easy one... Because the character is so versatile, he can deal with anything that comes his way. Martin: "So if something's not working, you just kind of look at it like, 'oh, it's not working' *shrug*" Bryce mentioned how cool it is if something goes "wrong" and it turns into something entirely different than what was planned. One example was how one night one of his Wands wasn't working, and there ended up being a trade-off series with one of the staff members.
--Q: "Do you miss Tubes?" A: *three Idaresay solemn faces* I think Bryce even pouted... the question was quickly followed with "do you miss House (which is a song that was cut from the venue shows)?" They did seem to miss it, but shook their heads when someone suggest they play it. Bryce offered, "I'll tell you what I DON'T miss--Artfish. Having to stand there doing nothing for so long...." LOL.
--Going further with the "Tubes" question, Bryce and Martin talked about how the Complex and commercials, and how people tend to know about Blue Man Group now. Only, most people who only casually know Blue Man know his comical, oddball, musical side--not so much his theatric, deeper side... Bryce told how one time, there was a group of younger kids at a (Briar) show, all screaming and yelling and having a great time. So he went up to them and stared, as if to ask, "what? what do you want? You're obviously trying to get my attention, so, what?" He mimicked how the kids calmed down into a quiet, maybe unsettled, state... and remarked that in the venue show, he likes to bring an element of darkness to the character (which might not be so evident in TV spots and such). It was neat to hear him say that, because that was obvious the night before, with various moments in his performance, including the way he looked at people in the audience. Martin decided it was time to use his golf-swing metaphor again, and likened it to the Blue Man character... and the show... Hee hee. After bringing that up again he kinda slouched suspiciously and shifted his eyes left to right--he was TOTALLY like that little lurkface smiley on the BMG boards, haha. It was really cute, hee.
All three of the guys up there were so dynamic... When they had stories, they acted everything out, which made them so enjoyable to watch and listen to--maybe it's because they're actors? ;) Anywho, the Q and A was really fun and also enlightening... It is so beautiful to see how these guys see their role as a Blue Man, because it's often very deep, and each one of them has a different take on it...

Check Presentation
Laurie had to cut off the Q and A, because it probably could have gone on for a lot longer (judging by how smoothly it was running), so that Joe (rotcav) could present his Check and such before everyone had to go. There's a video of this on the BML, so I won't go on and on too much... Cyn followed Joe up to the front, while I stayed seated--but was promptly called up (with Pepsi), since I'm technically on the BML team, haha. After Joe was done with his southern-accent-saturated speech (hee hee) and handed over the check, Bryce exclaimed an enthusiastic "AWEsome" (ahhah he cracks me up). Andrew made a point to lean behind Joe to shake hands with Cyn and I, thanking us... That was a really sweet gesture. =) Martin brought up the fact that Joe doesn't get paid or anything for maintaining the site... Joe: "I don't git nuthin, and I don't ask fer nuthin." Bryce: "that's AWEsome, man." I think it was also Bryce that said, "and thanks to the Blue Man Library, you all are more informed than I am." Laurie mentioned how the marketing team tends to use the BML as a reference, which I'm sure made Joe proud. =)

After the presentation was over, the people who were sitting in the front of the group ended up chatting with the Blue Men... in the meantime, Cyn and I stayed where we were, in the aisle by "the" row. I was hoping to catch Bryce on his way out, and if he wouldn't be there tomorrow (Sunday), I wanted to say goodbye and such. Nicole was asking him about his local acting, since he'd done "Hfob 'n' Tales" (I think that's the name) in Chicago, and a few local fans saw him in it. [Quick backstory: In this play he was apparently some twisted creepy man (for part of it?) and at one point donned a mask and Girl Scout uniform and sung the Girl Scout Smile Song (complete with motions and, uh, creepymanvoice). Haha!] Joe wanted to get a picture with the Blue Men and the check, so he approached them in the seats... But once Bryce realized what the deal was, he insisted on going up on stage for the picture. So Joe and the three tall guys (haha) stood behind the PVC for a very press-conference-like assault of flashes.

House!
After the photos were done, Martin grabbed a couple PVC paddles and played the first measure or two of "House" (Center's part). That song is a fan favorite, so I bet all attention snapped to him in that moment. It wasn't long before Martin said something like, "do you guys want to hear House?" What a silly, silly question--he was met with an enthusiastic "yesyesohpleaseyesplayitYAAAAAY!!" from the group. As Andrew and Bryce joined Martin at the PVC, Cyn and I slipped into front row seats. (We didn't end up next to each other but neither of us realized this until looking at pictures from the event, LOL--too dazed to notice I guess.) I was directly under Martin, which turned out to be the best seat I could've had... Anywho, as Martin started in on the song, Andrew (Philpart) looked increasingly lost; he and Bryce exchanged confused looks and then figured to switch parts. Bryce ran behind Martin to come in on Philpart just in time, while Andrew ran around the front of the instrument--hahah Blue Man fire drill! But once they got going... wow... Martin kicked so. much. ass. the whole time, and since I was right in front of him I got to see his foot-tapping and head-swinging... He just seemed to be having the time of his life up there. He nailed every note with flair and passion--you would never know he hadn't always been a drummer... He only hit ONE wrong note the whole time (a very obvious one, at which he made a hilarious "Ooooops!heehee" face). The other two were a bit different: Andrew looked entirely focused and somewhat serious, only cracking a smile at the funny moments (or looking lost on his part a couple times, hehe). And then there was Bryce, who spent much of the song looking all scared because he hadn't played this in months... Throughout the song he'd be like, "uhoh! uh oh!" But the funniest part was one transition, which he went into with an uncertain "UhhhhHH?!" (like, "shootwhatsnext?!") and a few beats after the transition, I guess he'd messed up (even though I didn't hear it) because he followed with a loud "AAWWWWF--" ("awwwwIBLEWit") which got a big laugh. The whole performance was amazing and hilarious and unique and just so awesome. I remember how I used to love watching Philpart and Chrispart run with their harmonies together, and it was so good to see that pairing again--there isn't the same musical comraderie in the other PVC numbers... There was a special feel to this performance (even without the lights, the paint, the backing band); it was raw acoustic passion lined with hilarity and fan/performer vibes. The cheer the three guys got when they were done was REALLY loud--it's clear the fans miss House... Man, that was definitely one of the extreme highlights of the weekend... what a trip.

Yaaaaaaaaay Bryce again!
(Note: chronology of following section is entirely jumbled in my memory, haha. My brain is like, "it was Bryce! I talked to Bryce! He's so cool." And I go, "I know that, dummy, now put the conversation in some sort of logical order." And my brain goes, "it was Bryce! I talked to Bryce! He's awesome." Grrrrrr. Anyways... yay for content, boo for chronology. Or something.)
After House, Bryce wandered down the stage right staircase, where a few fans intercepted him before he could leave (LOL, it was like the BML chats--"YOU CAN'T LEAVE!! *madface*"). I think I lingered a bit, listening to whatever conversation he was already in... He might have been signing something for someone, and Cyn stealthily brought up Bryce's play where he'd sung the Girl Scout Smile Song, and told him he should sing it now (LOL). He laughed and said, "no, no, I can't do it without the mask... besides, I don't remember the words." Cyn decided to help him out and said "There's something in my pocket..." and Bryce continued with "oh yeah! it belongs across my face..." He still wouldn't sing it though, which is probably a good thing because I would have died laughing--ouch.
Anyways, I finally was able to ask Bryce for a picture of him with Cyn and I (Actually, I have no idea when/where this picture was, because I'm really confused how you can see Martin behind and above us in the photo... Geez. In Karen's words: "It's the BryceBlur!"--ahem. I mean amen. *slams head*):

It might have been after the picture when I asked if he'd be around tomorrow (Sunday), but he shook his head and said he was leaving for a trip (damn! hehe). I probably gave an "awwwshucks" face, knowing I'd have to say goodbye soon. Actually, however, he ended up sticking around for a while, since maybe 6ish fans had gathered around him... I don't remember who, besides Cyn and Sonia... Now that I think of it, I don't even know what happened to Martin and Andrew, either--too much of a space cadet about Bryce I guess, har har. Sonia stepped in to offer him a Fanmeet button, to which he exclaimed, "did you make this? Button makers are fun!" (geek ;) hee hee) She explained that she made them, but BEBS (BigEyesBlueSkin) from the message board did the art on them. I added that she (BEBS) also made the Brycezilla on the thank you cards, but if Bryce heard me he was probably like "the who on the what?" Hopefully he'll see the cards eventually and notice that that little monster Blue Man has left big blue ovals everywhere, just like Bryce does [Bryce often subsitutes large ovals for kisses in meet and greets]. Hahah.
He probably had a reason to say this, but I'm remembering it randomly: he mentioned that he was looking for my eyes last night--as in my crazy blue/white diamond contacts I wore more than 3 years ago in Boston. Haha, after all this time he's still all about the contacts. (Actually, I had them with me right there, but wasn't wearing them because I didn't want to be the FreakFan--yet.) I laughed at his remembering them, and told him that many times when I asked people to say hi to him for me, they'd report back telling me that he would go on and on about my contacts--which I always found amusing. He kind of chuckled at this, hee hee. It might have been after the contact conversation that he turned to me and asked how I was doing--what I was up to and such. I think he did it kind of abruptly because I remember being like, *whoahe'stalkingtomewhatwasthequestion?* I hope that was just a mental stutter, but I remember seeing his face (suddenly looking at me) and hoping I'd say something halfway intelligent. I answered, "well, I'm in college now... which is kinda funny, since the last time you saw me I was a 15 year old fangirl... Well I'm still a fangirl... um..." (Dammit brain.) He asked which college, and I told him "Skidmore, in New York"--he either asked or I offered what my major was--music. He nodded and said that was very cool (or something to that effect.)
I cannot for the life of me remember when or why, but somewhere in this conversation, Bryce leaned over and gave me a big hug... It might have been one of the times I told him it was great to see him again (out of probably 10 times that weekend--I might have said that as much as he said "AWEsome")... Along with the hug, he said, "Aw, well thanks for being my number one!" Awwwwwwwwww, that was so sweet of him. =) I don't go around saying, "I'm Bryce's #1 Fan!" but in reality, it's *cough*very likely--as far as BMG goes anyways. He's just so "AWEsome," you know? It was so cool to see him again, and have him be exactly as I remembered (onstage and off)--and he'll always be my favorite Blue Man, hee hee.

Laurie (probably somewhat exasperated by now) reminded everyone again that we had to wrap it up, but Bryce was a rebel and stuck around talking with us--I think he was around longer than the other two Blue Men were (not that I had any idea where anyone other than Bryce and maybe Cyn were at this point)... He ended up sitting on the stage right stairs and completely ignoring any calls to go--LOL. Hey, as long as he stayed, I was staying. When there was a lull in the conversation, I made a point to tell him the show last night (Friday) was awesome, and that I was glad to see him in Center (Me: "I was like, 'yes! he's playing Center!' *sweet!reversefistpump*"--man I'm a dork). Bryce remarked "oh yeah, and I was scheduled for Right[?], but we switched it up, per your request." Awwwyay! I wasn't even sure he'd heard my "request," haha. I had to mention how funny the vacuum moment was... At this his eyes got all wide and he leaned forward saying, "did you hear the NOISE it made? It was like WOOOWWWAAAOOWWW" and he moved his hands around as if to demonstrate the sound waves--I laughed so hard, because the look on his face during the show was definitely an impish amusement... and this was like seeing him act out with his whole body that one little smirk he'd had last night. I guess this devilish glee reminded Sonia of her Briar show the week before, where Bryce had thrown paint at her and her mom, so she pointedly showed him her watch, and how his "gift" (of orange specks of paint) was still there. He giggled and demonstrated his thought-process then too--"Haha, I was like, WHEEE!" *throws hands forward together* He is so silly. Sonia also brought up how the streamers he shot into a tree in Chicago (after a TV appearance on-site) were there for months, and he remembered, saying he knew she would get a picture of them for him (or something).
Eventually though, he had to go, and so he got up and headed backstage with a few goodbyes/waves/smiles. Hee hee, Bryce is so much fun, because he's such a rascal...

Time to wrap it up... Hello?
Poor Laurie though, it took like 20 minutes for everyone (including the Blue Men) to finally listen to her "OK it's time to wrap it up guys... we have to start getting ready for the show..." announcements. AND the Blue Men broke the rules because they played the carefully-tuned-for-three-shows PVC (and apparently Martin brought Mere and Kevin up there, too--LOL). Laurie probably felt like a mother with 50 rowdy kids who weren't listening to her, or something. Good thing she got her very own Thank You card, hee hee. A bunch of us spent a little more time in the lobby talking... but finally we all headed out (*Laurie thinks to herself*: "thankGOD!!!!!"--she was a real sweetheart for putting up with us crazies, hehehehe).

Afternoon
A bunch of us headed over to Eat-a-Pita, which is only a block or two away from the Briar. It was kind of amusing, because we saw Andrew outside of the Briar (where he informed us he'd be at the Sunday 7 show a bunch of us were seeing), then saw Martin walking by as we went into the restaurant, and then Howie (the drummer) came in while we were eating... I think we saw John too... BMG people everywhere! ha-ha-ha. Anywho... I ordered a "Cheesy Steak" because I've had an obsession with Philly Cheesesteaks lately... But this one in particular was DROWNING in cheese wiz--it drooled all over my hand and the cheese:steak ratio was ridiculous, so I mostly just ate my fries (with cheese drippings), haha. Anyways, I kind of expected it to be a Pita, but I guess I wasn't on the Pita part of the menu--I'll do better next time, hahaha. (...I'm sure you cared.)
After lunch, it was time to head out to the Drum Circle. Sonia brought Royal and Greg (27) with her to help set up, and the rest of us would meet her there. A bunch of us (maybe 8 or so?) ended up all walking together... but we took a "wrong" turn--apparently Nicole and others were going to get her car to drive to the Circle, but there wasn't room for all of us, so Karen, Cyn, and I walked instead. We got back on the right road and arrived at Belmont Harbor in good time--only, no Drum Circle in sight. We looked at our options (left and right, haha), and decided the left looked more "park-y," so we headed that way. We walked quite a while without seeing anyone, and by the time we got to the end of the waterway, we decided we were prrrrrrrobably in the wrong place. We called Mere, but unfortunately the car-people were stuck in traffic and weren't there yet either. After more wandering around our little trio ended up at the intersection again... Since we couldn't get ahold of Sonia, and since we'd been walking for a long time (it was 3:15ish, an hour and 15 after the drum circle was supposed to start), we decided to give up and head back to the hotel. =( Maybe next time...

Giordano's
After bumming out in the hotel for a while, it was dinnertiiiiiiime, yay pizza! Giordano's wasn't too far from the Briar, but turned out to be quite the hike from our hotel, hehe. A big group of us was walking together, so it wasn't too bad. We ended up being the first people to the place, and Cyn and I snagged a couple of corner-seats. Our fanmeet section got pretty full--it seemed like most people from the morning showed up, give or take a few. Cyn and I ended up sitting with Clint (stingman777), and he was absolutely hilarious--mostly because he was very astute at pointing out how insane Cyn and I really are. Justin (BlueBum) was nearby as well, so we had a good time with him too...

Anywho, dinner was hilarious because it was like one of those late night BML chats where Cyn and I are giggling nonstop at nothing, and the other people are like "..........." I have never seen so many different looks of "WTF?!" from one person (Clint). Cyn deserved every single one of those looks, haha! Random quotes of our inside jokes don't help--especially when I don't immediately catch on. For example, Cyn started telling Clint how she has problems with her feet at every fanmeet (yay for Random Feet Stories!)... And once she noticed the "JESUS FREAK" logo on the back of Clint's shirt, she frantically showed me and then asked him (all insanely), "DO YOU HAVE A FISH ON YOUR TRUCK?!" Which seemed really, really random, but actually had some sort of reference in the movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Towards the end of dinner, Cyn suddenly blurted out, "IS THIS MY SODA?!" (it was definitely hers, since she got Coke and I had Orange, and it was obviously on her side of the table) For some reason this outburst was absolutely hilarious to Cyn and I, and if I'd been at home on my computer I would have been all about the "eeeeeeeeeth" and the LOL typos. So in short, dinner was quite amusing, haha.
Sometime during the dinner, Joe conducted a short BML giveaway (like those in the chats), and gave away a few pens and a BML shirt (won by Richie (RichieG))... Oh and at the end of dinner, Chris (EmmyLu) and her daughter (Emily) came and sat with us, and they were sweethearts. =)

Saturday 7 PM Meet and Greet
Then it was back to the Briar--again. Ahhhh our home-of-the-weekend. Ta-da!

Lobby=Fun!
OoooooOOOOoooo Briar Lobby. It's just so cool in there. Somewhat eerie with the churning water and weird lights and creepy music (both the ambiant stuff all over, and the random tunes piping out of certain tubes)... Cyn mentioned that it looked like a bunch of Bryce's mad scientist experiments--hee hee. I tried talking with one of the tubes, but I couldn't hear a word the dude was saying so I passed him off to Clint. Clint was really fun and witty with the Tube Talker... and ended up saying, "tell me a story!" I snuck over to another tube and found I could hear Clint's conversation, so I eavesdropped. Not well enough to know what was going on though, haha. Eventually the Tube Talker was done with his story and turned to me and said hello. I told him I was just eavesdropping, har har. He ended up asking me where I was from and such, and in a roundabout way figured out I was with the fan group. So he goes, "oh! you must be... katchoo!" Me: "Wrong!" Him: "...bluegem?" Me: "Wrong!" Him: "...rotcav?" LOL... "Rotcav's a man, dude." I had to give him a hint ("it starts with an 'e'"), and he still didn't get it right away. Pshaw. ;) Eventually I left the Tube Talker alone... Cyn didn't know what to say to him, but then she found the perfect phrase: "Have you ever heard of Uberschall?!?!!??!" And all the while, chaddie would jump in and demand that someone turn on the "Bathroom Song" (which apparently wasn't playing)...
I decided to skitter away and snag some photos of the lobby all lit-up and such... By now it was pretty crowded with the regular audience as well as fans, so I had to work around all the people... But I got a few cool shots in.

I ended up by the bar, and met Marge (TruBluFan) and her two boys (who apparently had come with Marge with the agreement that she would go to a concert with them, hehe). They were really nice people. =) And I found (BMG Founder) Phil's prom picture! And the "Boat Mime" tube! Hahahahaha... Oh oh! And then I found the most ironic tube/sign... It was labeled "Harp and Bassoon," and the tube played music of the duo playing some random pop song. I stood there staring at it, because I play harp, and played bassoon for like 7 years... and both are pretty rare instruments, so the combo of the two at this one station cracked me up. It was like it was my own personal listening station. Haha.

While I was gazing at this miraculous discovery, Clint came over and informed me that my other half (ie Cyn) was looking for me, and I'd better get over there fast. So I did. Then the doors opened. I consulted the Tube Talker to see if he'd seen Mere (bluechick), but he was no help. He didn't know where Mere was, but he wanted to know if chadwina was around. Apparently she and "stingman sevensevenseven" were going to start a riot over the bathroom song, haha! Then he did some crazy imitation of chaddie in a Southern accent, and I said blankly, "I don't understand Southern accents," to which he replied, "me neither!" LOL... that guy was cool (I wonder if it was John?). Anyways, we found Mere and then headed into the theatre...

Pre-show
My roommates and I were seated in Center Section Row K, which was the farthest back of all the fans--it was kinda cool though, because our entire row was made of Fanmeet people, so it was like we were a buffer or something. Cyn was on the aisle, and I was between her and Karen. (Richie (RichieG) and Bryan (blue_drummer04) ended up in front of Cyn and I (respectively)... Cyn got silly and instead of decorating herself in paper, she tied the ends of her strip to the ends hanging off Richie's headband, so it was like he had reins. It was really ridiculous-looking--too bad we couldn't take a picture. Poor Richie was a good sport about it, though, hee hee.
When the LED's instructed someone in the 3rd row to lead the National Anthem, the spotlight shone on Marge (TruBluFan)! Haha--she was funny about it by standing up and turning around, looking all proud. Too bad for the "just kidding," eh? But no one was prepared for the next thing... After all the regular LED's were through, Brian and Gillian were instructed to stand up, and then the words "BRIAN HAS A IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK GILLIAN" scrolled by, and the whole theatre went nuts. I remember sitting there with my mouth just GAPING open in shock... and as Brian got down on one knee and Gillian's face crumpled, I let out some crazy banshee scream--no doubt the hardest I cheered all weekend. Everyone in the fan group was standing up and yelling and carrying on, and it was such a beautiful moment... Because our group was spread out through the front half of the theatre, when we were all standing, we sort of surrounded the happy couple (who at this point were hugging and kissing). I found myself tearing up, and soon found that Cyn, Karen, and Mere were also crying, hee hee! That had to be one of the absolute best moments all weekend--it was so wonderful to be able to share in the joy of it all... Cyn and I snuffled our way through opening paint drumming, giggling a little at our being all emotional--but seriously! That was just beautiful.

Saturday 10 PM show highlights
--This time, it was Eric (Philpart), Matt (Chrispart), and Jason (Mattpart). I'd seen Matt and Jason perform the night before, but in different parts... and of course I was a bit distracted by Bryce then (haha), so it was a treat to see them both again. =)
--While the Blue Men were performing opening Paint Drumming, my ears twitched and I thought "Hey, is he playing House?!?!" I never realized it before, but the exact rhythm at the beginning of House has a home in paint drumming for a few measures--yay! I thought I was imagining things for a second there, haha.
--During Audience Exploration, Eric found his way a few rows in front of us, and when Cyn realized this, she went "eep!" which made me giggle. While Matt was handling Toblerone, Eric watched from next to our row, and Cyn leaned away from him--hahah, scary blue mans!
--When Matt gave the Toblerone to the audience thrower, the guy ate it! Haha. Matt had to go back up and pour out some more, this time closing the guy's hand around the pieces pointedly before running down to his spot. When the guy threw the candy, it fell short, so Matt watched it drop to the floor, and then moved up a step. He (Matt) had to repeat it for the 2nd and 3rd throws... only on the 3rd, he walked to the fallen piece, picked it off the floor, and popped it in his mouth. But here's the gross part--when Matt dropped that piece in the thrower's hand (complete with lines of drool--EW), the guy ate it! That's SO nasty! Hahahhaha, I laughed so hard, and saw Nicole give the dude a standing ovation. Gross.
--I don't think anyone will forget this particular Twinkie Girl. From where we were sitting, Cyn and I could see how sensitive and dramatic she looked to be as she was getting picked... The first half of Feast went fine--she ate the twinkie and took her flowers back when one of the Blue Men tried to move them. But then the goo came. I was watching Matt joyfully slurp the stuff up and laughing at him, but suddenly I (along with Matt) realized the Twinkie Girl was totally gagging. Really badly, too--she turned to the side and really looked like she was going to lose it. Once Matt saw what was going on, he pulled out the (empty) takeout box and pushed it in the girl's direction (barf box, anyone?)--LOL. But Jason quickly pushed it back, and within a couple seconds, all three Blue Men stood up and saluted, indicating the end of the skit. Haha, Jason was like "nooooononono, we're done here!" Poor Blue Men, they looked so baffled and scared, hee hee. I was trying really hard not to laugh too hard, but the reactions of the Blue Men was just too much--"uhoh...whatdowedo?!" Poor Twinkie girl... but she was a good sport, and didn't hide when she was saluted at the end of the show.
--The craziness of the TWinkie Feast carried into PVC IV... The Blue Men, especially Matt, were leaning over the PVC's oddly, trying to contain their giggles. At the time, I thought I'd missed something, because all of the fans over by stage left were cracking up--every so often a Blue Man would venture to look up, but the fans would giggle at his smirk, and he'd go right back to hiding his face in the tubes, haha.
--Eric. Looks. Hysterical. In. The. Veil. HAHAHAH.
--When Matt instructed everyone to stand, he had no problem getting everyone on our feet... but Eric noticed that stage-right balcony was slacking, so he stole the wands and gave them a stern "you too!" motion (which they obeyed). Hahah.
--Eric is such an amazing drummer! He totally rocked out, especially during Klein... wow.
--At the beginning of KLF, all three Blue Men found a chair to climb on, which was really crazy to see from farther back. Three Blue Men flailing in random spots in the audience, haha--it made me wonder if all three always do that in Chicago, because I don't think I've ever seen ALL of them do that in Boston. Anywho... at one point during the paper flow, Matt found his way to our row... Cyn decided she didn't want him any closer, so she frantically passed paper forward, making a sort of barrier. Matt was peering through the paper like, "helloooooo?" but eventually moved on, haha.
--The band was absolutely amazing that night. I think it may be partly the Briar acoustics, but every note was clear and tight. John was up there saluting between songs (once when they were first lit, and he got a big cheer from the fan group when he did it). He also kept his promise during the Animation video, by creating a crazy disco-sounding "wwwAAH wah!" thing--very cool. The Stick player twitched his Talking Drum mallet to the beat during Marshmallows (haha), which amused Karen and I. I was REALLY impressed with the drummer... usually if I notice a drummer doing something different or cool, it means they totally rock, because my ears aren't keen to percussion stylings and such--but this guy (Dan) was amazing. Throughout the whole show, I found my eyes wandering up to the band (when they were lit)--maybe they are easier to see without having such a cramped Loft, or something, I don't know, but they definitely held my attention. Oh oh! And during KLF, the band got up and danced their way out of the loft... Karen and I waved to them, but then they came back! YAY! (We cheered.) Yay Band!
--When the show was over, everyone from the fan group was on their feet, and the rest of the audience followed (hell yeah!). Standing ovations at Blue Man are so crazy because everyone's cheering and jumping around as the Blue Men onstage are bouncing and saluting and riling everyone up. Yeeeeeehaw! I always feel so alive after a Blue Man show--they put so much into every show and I end up shaking my head in pure awe at just how much the performers rule.

Meet and Greet!
Cyn and I cleverly exchanged cameras so we could run around together and snap photos efficiently... Of course, I kept forgetting to turn hers ON before taking pictures, so every time she was posing with someone I'd have to be like, "oooooops, hold on! Stay right there!" Duh. Anywho, we headed to the band first. I'm pretty sure I made a point to tell John we heard his cool disco beat, and Dan that he was AWEsome! The Stick player wasn't around, though, and I didn't happen to see him later, so I'm not sure who it was...

Aftermath
After the Blue Men were gone, all the fans that were still hanging around get together for a big group photo--I believe most of us were still there... I think Joy and another Briar staffer were the ones taking pictures (plus Royal?), and were getting passed cameras left and right. One person said, "everybody say Twinkie Girl!" and a bunch of people started making retching noises, LOL... poor Twinkie Girl. (Holy goodness, look at the caption on this photo!)

Eventually the group thinned to just those heading back to the Hawthorne, so we all walked back together... and ended up piling in, that's right, Room 306. I think there were maybe 7 of us there? Jim (JimGrim) made some witty comment about the pretzels Justin had brought (which were "Rods"): "Now, do we have any Pretzel cones?" Haaaaha. I love hanging out with Blue Man people because they get silly little jokes like that. We all hung around talking for a long time, but finally parted ways to get some shut-eye (as Jenny was already napping sitting up, hee hee). Ahhh... goodnight, Saturday.