Sunday, August 12, 2007:

  The Texas Tornado Strikes Hinkley

 The day started like any other.  Got up, went for a walk, got a couple chores done.  Patty and I agreed we should leave at 12:30.  That gives us time for dinner etc….  We didn’t even get out of Duluth and we were lured off our path to an estate sale…..We just can’t say no.  We got that out of our system and hit the highway.  Halfway down, we heard a big clunk and the van started vibrating crazy.  We pulled over.  All the tires were good.  Engine wasn’t steaming.  We turned off the air-conditioning and tried again.  All the while I was thinking, how do I get there if the van breaks down.  Luckily, not an issue.  We got to Hinkley with no further problems.  We had a great dinner and at about 4:00 headed to the Event Center at Grand Casino.

We said Hi to Jim and Virginia who were busy busy busy.  I bought a denim shirt.  Virginia asked if I was the Bob from the Unofficial Tanya Tucker site.  I laughed and said yes, why…She said I thought that was you.  I said I’ve been good.  She said I know and chuckled.  They had not even been to bed from the last show.    

We met our friend Doran in the lobby.  Doran already confirmed that there was going to be a Meet’n’Greet and that Tanya already said yes to Fan Club members…SCORE!!!!!!  Then Virginia joined us and said that Tanya’s Mom had broken her hip.  Presley just flew off to help LaCosta care for her.  Virginia also mentioned that the film crews were out at Sturgis filming Tanya’s performance and that she heard the show is going to be on CMT instead of TLC.  SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went in to take our seats.  Tanya was on Tuckertime….nothing new there.  Her band came out and did some original tunes written by the blonde guitarist.  Marcia, Jerry or Chrisalyn (sp) were not there.  There was a new fiddler.  A very talented young lady who was on stage barefoot.  I’ll tell you what, when Tanya did San Antonio Stroll, it was great to hear the fiddle!  After the band did the Warm-up, they broke into Some Kind of Trouble….Out came Tanya looking hotter than ever!  She has that long permed hair from the Tear Me Apart Days that I love oh so much.  There were a couple of fans on stage that blew that hair and made her look awesome!  Here is the set List:

Some Kind of Trouble

I’ll Come Back as Another Woman

Oh What It Did To Me

Strong Enough to Bend

San Antonio Stroll

Hangin’ In

Lizzie and the Rainman:  She looked awesome with the fans blowing her hair doing this tune!

Window up Above:  Love her version.  She said that she and George Jones were going into the studio to record a duet for an upcoming George album.  Then she did a very funny impression of George.  It was totally hilarious and spot-on.

Brown Eyed Handsome Man:  She made mention how she misses Waylon and that they both recorded this tune….It was smoking’

In the Ghetto:  Chilling:   She did a fantastic job

Angel from Montgomery:  Too cool to hear this tune live.  She made mention that Bonnie Raitt was supposed to sing back-up when she was recording this, but couldn’t because of schedule conflicts. 

The Acoustic Set:  Jamestown Ferry, What’s your Mama’s Name, Blood Red and Goin’ Down, Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone):  Always a good time to hear these great classics

Love Me Like you Used To

Down to my Last Teardrop

Two Sparrows in a Hurricane

It’s a Little Too Late:  Tanya got a standing ovation from the crowd after this tune.  It was very cool.  You could tell she was happy with the performance and the crowd!  She mentioned to the crowd that was going into the studio to record a new album.

Amazing Grace/Delta Dawn:  I still love the Amazing Grace intro!  It gives me goosebumps.

What a great show.  Tanya really Tore It Apart!  I ran up to the stage to have her sign my album at the end when she was shaking hands.

We got in line for the Meet’n’Greet.  It happened about 20 minutes after the show.  The Casino group went first.  Then they came back for the fan club members.  There were 6 of us.  Patty and I went first.  I walked in and said Hi and asked her if she would do me a favor.  I put my leg up on the table next to her and said I knew she had met my friend AL Dee and was wondering if she would sign my Tattoo.  Tanya laughed and looked at her logo.  She said she was very impressed with the work.  I gave Tanya my Sharpie and she signed it.  She was very concerned where to sign so it would be less painful.  I told her not to worry about that and my wife told her not to worry about it too…  Tanya signed it and put the 07 on at the end.  She asked me where I had it done.  I told her at Lenny’s in Eveleth, MN.  She asked how did they do it and was very interested.  She thought she might like a smaller one of her logo without her name but didn’t think she could deal with the pain.  I laughed and said I saw the dentist episode on Tuckerville.  She said about all the pain she can handle is from her Botox treatments.  She laughed very loud after.  Then she asked Jack to give me his e-mail address so she could have pictures of it for her web-site.  I was beside myself.  After that she said she wanted her own picture of us with the tattoo and had a picture taken of her and me.  She posed really cute and said “All my men have a Tanya Tucker Tattoo.”  Patty and I did not get that picture, but I am hopeful my pal Doran got that shot.  She then took her picture with Patty and I.  We use that for our Christmas cards.  Tanya was very gracious, appreciative and just as friendy as ever.  It was one of my best Meet’n’Greets.I Thanked her and shook her hand and said goodbye.  What a great show!  

The next morning I went up to Lenny’s to have the Tattoo done.  Cody, the artist who did the logo, seemed a bit surprised to see me and asked if I got it.  I showed him and he was pretty impressed.  I told him that Tanya said that he had done a real good job.  Lenny, himself, tattooed the signature.  He put on some tunes and asked me if I recognized what was playing.  I knew it was country, but couldn’t place the singer.  He said it was David Allen Coe.   I just laughed and mentioned to him that he wrote Tanya’s Would You Lay With Me tune and was the god mother to his daughter Tanya Montana.  Lenny said he was a big fan of David’s and saw him live one night, and after the concert  he did a tattoo on David himself.  I told Lenny that was so cool and that I wished I had known that cause I would’ve told Tanya.  Lenny asked if I had considered having a portrait of Tanya done as a tattoo.  I said I would have to really think about that.  Not sure how Patty would react to that idea.  Lenny finished the tattoo and asked if I would come back for a picture after it was healed.  I said of course and asked him if he wanted the pics of Tanya signing, and he said yes.  How cool is that.  I can hardly wait for the next concert.