Okay here I go.... I had purchased tickets to see Elliott in Sayreville for my husband and I. We live across the bridge in Staten Island. We decided to go get something to eat first. My parents came to watch my 3 kids. I warned them a whole month before that i was planning on leaving early....I mean very early. I convinced my husband to go to eat somewhere local by our house. I was not taking any chances of trying to find somewhere to eat in Nj and then getting lost. It sounds funny but, I was having nightmares that we wouldn't be able to find the Starland Ballroom or that we would be late and miss half the show!! It was like one of those dreams that you just can't seem to get where you need to go...and that someplace you need to go is extremely important!!! We were able to leave my house around 4 pm, not as early as I wanted to leave. I was just so excited to have a night out with my hubby without chicken nuggets and crying.!

We arrived at the Starland Ballroom after we ate at about 5:45pm. It was very easy to get to and only took us 20 minutes. When we got there we almost drove right past the place because it is in the middle of nowhere with a very small sign. I guess I was expecting Elliott's name to be in large glowing letters.
We drove into the parking lot where there was about 3 or 4 cars parked. I saw a parking attendant (I don't think he was a security gaurd) standing by a group of people. I looked past the people and realized that what I was seeing was a bus! I was thinking to myself...no it can't be. Well it was!!! And there was Elliott, just hanging out. My husband drove over to the attendant to find out where to park because we had special parking passes that let you park right by the door. These tickets also place you on a seperate line that gets you into the place before the general admission tickets. As my husband starts to pull away to park, I am yelling at him to stop the car so I could get out !! I almost did a DUKES OF HAZZARD move and tried to climb out the window, because my brain shut down and I couldn't work my car door locks!! I was afaid that Elliott would have to go before I got there. As soon as we parked I practically ran over to the area where he was. Usually I am a very reserved person and I am never pushy when it comes to something I want. I don't know what it is but something came over me ....I gradually and politely made my way over to him. When it was my turn to meet him...all I could manage to say was "I THINK YOU"RE GREAT".....I must have sounded like Tony the Tiger!! He responded by saying "thank you very much". He was so relaxed and comfortable among his fans. He signed my cd jacket which I made my husband immediately place into the car because it was drizzling on and off. Then we are posing for a picture together and you are not even going to believe what happened!! Yes, the batteries in my camera decided to die at that exact moment!! Elliott said something like..."aww that's too bad". A very nice lady was there, who I found out lives in my neighboorhood, offered to take my picture and email it to me. She eventually gave me a new set of batteries. I was then able to go back up to E and get my picture with him with my own camera. He was more than happy to do it...and actually seemed happy for me that things worked out. Don't tell my husband this but when I took the second picture...I couldn't help but notice how good Elliott smelled. That along with those blue eyes......THUD THUD THUD THUD!!!!!! Once we walked away I noticed some Etrainers from their pictures here. I think I saw Chloe and Yellin? I didn't think to say hello, because I was embarrassed ( I had just joined the Etrain). From now on, I will say hello and proudly shout...I'm an ETRAINER!!
My husband and I found our way to our line and stood in the rain. What I found odd was that we paid more money for our tickets and we ended up standing by a back door with no shelter. People with general admission were comfortabely sheltered from the rain!! Well it was worth it because...We were the second two people let into the building. We were able to get center stage right in front of E's mic!!! The opening act was okay I guess...I really wasn't listening to be honest with you. Then Josh came out. He was really great. I was familiar with his music because I had visited his myspace before the concert. He is a very funny guy. He made the time that we had to wait for Elliott pass quickly. Then Elliott came out!!! OMG...OMG...OMG. Nothing prepares you for that!!! The crowd was wild. Even my husband who is not a big fan of E was very impressed with how well he sounds and performs live. He did the same set as all the other concerts. My favorites were I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU FOREVER", ONE WORD AND A SONG FOR YOU. Like I said before I am usually a very timid person, but not that night. I was screaming with the best of them!!! I am not going to tell my hubby I told you this but so was he!! I was so focused on his singing and performing that I didn't notice that Elliott had to adjust his insulin pump. My husband pointed it out to me when we were driving home (you can see it in my videos). It was so cute that Elliott still looks shocked and amazed that people are crazy for him and really enjoy his singing. He had a big smile on his face after every song and after every I LOVE YOU that was shouted to him. Which by the way he responded to every shout out!! :awe: After the show, we went to the merchandise table and I bought a tshirt and Josh's cd(which he signed for me). I tried to get a picture with him but the security staff was very pushy and made us leave quickly. We decided to head outside to the car. I didn't even think that maybe we could meet him again. I was still floating from the whole night and just got in the car like a zombie. When I read that he came back out to meet people I wanted to kick myself that we didn't stay. Anyway, I can die happy knowing that I at least got to meet him once. Once he starts playing bigger venues, this will probably be almost impossible. Till this day I still rave to people about my E encounter. I am so happy I decided to follow E's career.....HE IS A STAR NOT ONLY BECAUSE HE IS FAMOUS, BUT HE IS ALSO A KIND AND HUMBLE AND GIVING HUMAN BEING. THOSE KIND OF STARS SHINE BRIGHTER THAN ANY OTHERS. OKAY MY RAMBLING IS FINALLY FINISHED. YOU KNOW I HAD TO ADD SOME CHEESY SAYING AT THE END. :cloud9: :awe:

What a great recap - what took you so long??? Just kidding. I know Rick will be proud of you when he reads it. Glad you had such a wonderful time. By the way, when my friend here in Richmond got to meet him (I didn't, but he did shake my hand while singing Wait for You), she also commented about how good he smelled and reminds me of it every time I see her!!

Congratulations on such a magical night! Can't wait for my E-ncounter... Sometimes I am afraid to meet the person I admire most because I would be so devasated if they weren't what I thought- but Elliott never disappoints! He is was he is..... genuine.

Christina! You did a great job! It's easy to write about how fantastic Elliott is, huh? What would be impossible is to write something NOT fantastic about him! (BTW, I know exactly what you mean about the nuggets and crying.)

O christina, great recap. Yes that was me and yellin you saw, along with a bunch of other e trainers! I wish you had come over to us. we don't bite( well sometimes Yellin does, but she wasn't that day!)
we mustve been right near you inside, right at the railing more to the right, in front of russell. Wasnt it great????? who WAS that girl that opened the show?
I wasn't really listening to her either!
I am sure we'll meet at the next metro area concert!

Christina...yeah you were right...pretty dull recap!!

:rotfl:

Christina, I'm so glad you finally put your recap up! Sounds like you had a great experience and we love to hear about all the details!!!

I TOLD YOU RICK!!!! :blah:

Great recap. Love reading everyone else's impressions and comments.

Hey, hey now....I NEVER bite...well, unless asked...

;)

Yep, I flew in from NH, and it was the best show EVER!!! Never be afraid if you see me to come over and say hi, because I think that is what makes the etrain so wonderful!! I just love meeting fellow etrainers and Elliott fans in general;) The company he keeps, by way of fans, is a perfect reflection of him, and your recap is WONDERFUL!! (Tell Rick to go fly a kite!!) heheeeeee!!

:rocker: :fangirly: :grouphug: :etrain:

Is that all you have to say, Rick? Usually you have a nack for going off on a tangent about explaining things, to the point that I usually forget what the question was!! I am just kidding...(two can play at this game) ;) :evilgrin: :evillaugh: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Wow Christina; what a fantastic recap.

I can hardly wait to see Elliott live. Thanks for sharing and posting.

Thanks Yellin!! I remember when I saw you and Chloe. ...you were both very gracious in making sure the fans around you had their chance to meet Elliott. I notice that E's fans don't hog up all of his time and they leave room for others to meet him. I don't think that happens with other fanbases. What can I say, we're just great people!!! :etrain: :yellin: Don't worry I took care of Rick!! :rotfl:

Christina, I loved your recap. I laughed out loud about your comment about wanting to climb out the window. I could almost feel your frustration about not being able to get the door opened fast enough. :rotfl:

And I love, love, love your avatar!

awwwwwwwww, it is so true!! (although I am not too sure about Chloe though, you gotta watch that one...)

lollllll;) No, I definetely know what it means to meet him and if I can give up a spot, or move out of the way, or anything to give someone else that chance, it is gladly done;) So glad you got a chance to meet him, and to see how awesome he was in Jersey to just "hang out" with us all at the gate!! ;)

Thanks cfans! You have to thank MOMSTER for my avatar. She made it after a comment I made.......that E's eyes were so blue in person that everything else seemed to be black and white to me. I couldn't believe it when I saw it!!

ps: Thanks again MOMSTER!!

I would love to play at that game...but something is wrong with my computer and I can't keep my screen up long enough to type. This took me 1/2 hour to type and send...somebody help me...I am having Etrain withdrawal

Tangents...huh?

I'll show you tangents...

If I could only get this dumb machine to work

Thank you, thankyou, Christina...for that recap. You did a great job, I was right there,..feeling your emotions and visualizing the entire thing. Oh, I loved it. Thanks so much.

Well I know you're kidding. Even this late, I could feel the excitement in her typing lol. Thanks so much for your recap. Always better late than never. Maybe you'll inspire those others in hiding to come out and share :).

Rick you didn't happen to just install one of the google tools did ya? It really screwed with my browsers and I had to uninstall it.

sounded familiar and always have to offer geek help

hope you figured it out.

How's your computer, Rick? :smash:

Christina..great recap, thankyou for sharing. You made me laugh describing your anxiety to get out of the car...I understand though because I think you are right, it won't be too long before these opportunities are far & few between ( though something tells me no matter how HUGE Elliott Yamin becomes, he will ALWAYS make time for his fans).
I STILL haven't had the chance to see him perform live..I had AI tickets last yearbut got sick & couldn't go & Elliott's tour hasn't come close enough to where I live for me to get away SO these recaps are GOLD for me. THANKYOU

I have spent the whole day trying to figure it out with tech support and I finally am back up and running.

I have no idea what happened...maybe Constantine had something to do with it since I was so mean to him last week in my posts!!



:elliottcap:

Finally...I'm back! So what did I miss???

Oh...and the emoticon of the computer...not funny!!

You try not being able to log on to Etrain station for the day and see how you like it!!

The scariest part...was I had to back up my Elliott pictures on a cd before I had to reinstall everything...I was gonna leave it broken and get a new laptop if I wasn't able to save all my pictures!!

Luckily everything is is ok!

NOW..where were we??? :)

PS...I missed you guys!!!

:rotfl: :rotfl: RICK,
LAST WINTER MY COMPUTER WAS BROKEN FOR A WHOLE WEEKEND, AND I GOT MY TAIL DOWN TO THE TOWN LIBRARY! I THOUGHT I WOULD GO STARK RAVING MAD!

Funny thing is I have never been much of a computer person until this Elliott guy came along!!

I did that three times when I moved in May....I couldn't go a whole week without the etrain, and Elliott news :scared:

We missed you, too Rick...I was wondering where you were all day. Glad you were able to save your collection of Elliott pics...maybe that's what happened to your computer...you had one too many

I thought that might be it too...so I asked the HP tech guy and he said no...you can never have to many Elliott Yamin pictures!!

:elliottcap:

Okay.....I guess I missed you too Rick! I thought that emoticon was perfect. I now how you feel. If I can't get to the computer at least 3 times a day.....I freak out!! I didn't use the computer this much either, before the E man. I'll admit it I'm glad your back. I could always use a good laugh!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Thanks...oh and just in case there is ANY doubt...I was absolutely kidding...your post was actually one of the better ones I've read...when your battery ran out...I felt the tension!! Also...I was at the same show...so you described the feeling and the mood perfectly...right down to the drizzle!! You also mentioned when he adjusted his insulin pump which I did see...I remember thinking that made me nervous because all through the show...I kept saying to myself "damn with the energy and passion he's putting out, he's gonna make himself sick!!" But the boy seems to know what he's doing, huh??

I too had seen Yellin in the crowd and actually walked out after the show behind her but was too embarrased to say anything...and who knows maybe we passed each other too!! Next time though, I won't let that happen. I will be the big geek down in front with the "I'm Rick1965 From The Etrain...Please Be My Friend" T-shirt. Just look for me!!

Thanks again for the great post.

I know you were only kidding!! I just didn't think anybody would be interested in hearing my version. Everybody had such unbelievable things happen to them when they met Elliott. I am glad you're computer is back up, because I actually find myself looking for your posts, because you are a very funny guy and you're one of the many great people that make this a awesome place to b"E" !! :friends: :etrain:

Ps....I know....leave the jokes to you!!!

That is so sweet! Thanks...I really love this place. I have friends and family that I love and care about (well most of the time anyway...) but I have been so busy working and taking care of others that I have kind of lost track of myself over the last few years. It means so much to me to come here and read everyones thoughts and opinions. Here no one expects anything from me except that I spell Elliott with two T's and maybe to share a joke every once in a while. This place gives me a sense of belonging that I haven't felt in a long time.

For me, what made your post better than most of the others was that it was more like most of our experiences. I know others met him and made him briskets, gave him t-shirts and touched his sweaty hair...and those were great stories...but yours was just like mine...you ran across the parking lot like some crazed lunatic heading for the last lifeboat on the Titanic to get to where he was and then instead of saying something deep and profound...you said "Hello Mr. Yamin, I very much like you...duh, uh...um could you write your name on my cd insert in ink with this pen... please and thank you very much!!" (ok...ok... maybe I actually said that, but that's neither here nor there!!!!)

The point is your post... was my post. It was the post of anyone who got all tongue tied and nervous...who had a million things to say, but said none. It was the post of anyone who shook like a wet chihuahua when they got near him...it was the post of anyone who threw up in the parking lot after...(some of you did do that, right???)

Thanks for putting it into words for us!

AAAWWW!! I ALWAYS NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE TISSUES BY MY COMPUTER!! I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN. I KNOW THAT NO MATTER HOW CRAPPY MY DAY WAS....I KNOW THAT IT WILL END GREAT, BECAUSE I CAN LOOK FORWARD TO VISITING WITH MY OTHER "FAMILY". THANKS AGAIN FOR THE GREAT POST...TALK TO YOU SOON!!

PS: DID YOU REALLY DO THAT?? THE ONLY THING THAT KEPT ME FROM DOING THAT WAS THAT I COULDN'T STOP GIGGLING!!! WHEN EVER I DID TALK IT SOUNDED LIKE I DEVELOPED A STUTTER!! :etrain: :awe: :awwwman:

I'm not telling!! :evilgrin:

OH COME ON!! I WON'T TELL ANYONE........I PROMISE....HEHEHEHE