1/21 Atlanta GA

[Same Cage]

No. The sound mix was perfect. I found out later that the problem at the HOB was that Jason did not have a chance to do a sound check due to his flight delays that day. He had to go straight to the radio station's meet & greet.

[grammahcac]

Jan 22, 2010 16:02:28 GMT -4 Same Cage said:

No. The sound mix was perfect. I found out later that the problem at the HOB was that Jason did not have a chance to do a sound check due to his flight delays that day. He had to go straight to the radio station's meet & greet.

Well, that explains a lot! Thanks for the info.

[parisgirl]

Last night was the first time my husband got to hear Jason perform live. We got there really early thinking we would just pick up the tickets and go to the mall but the traffic was horrible, the weather bad and we had to pay for parking so we decided to stay. We were hanging by the door and these guys were lugging equipment in and I asked if they needed help. They said "sure" so my husband went out to help them. Then one of them came down the stairs and I said "Are you with the Matt Hires tour?" and he said "I am Matt Hires. What's your name?" I was terribly embarrassed especially since he was standing next to his poster. Lol! He was extremely sweet and appreciative of our help and chatted with us a long time. He's even cuter in person. (and slimmer than Jason!! )

Since we were there so early, we got first pick of the tables. We were right in front of the stage, just a couple of feet from Jason. Most of the crowd seemed to be there for Jason. After he finished his set, most of the audience went out to get autographs and didn't get back before Matt started.

During his set, Jason said he thought he had the stomach flu but was feeling ok and would sign after the show. After his set, I asked him if he would be signing after the show too and he said he was beginning to really feel sick and thought he'd better leave. Cole told me that they only had about an hour sleep and Jason was feeling awful. I reminded Jason that we were the couple he met in the parking lot when he was on the radio tour and he said "Yeah, I thought I recognized you guys!"

Jason put on a great show and you wouldn't know he was sick if he hadn't told us. My husband was really impressed and wants to try to catch another show. Birmingham!!

[bennie2]

What a night!! We got to the venue soon after the doors opened at 6:00pm. When I checked in to pick up my tickets, the guy was writing names down. We went into the lobby to check out the merchandise table, and I met Cole Keeton. I thanked him for tweeting pictures, cause we all love anything Jason! He was cute. I bought a couple of EP's for my sister and niece. We then went to Matt's table and bought his CD. Matt himself was standing there, so we introduced ourselves and got his autograph, too. He's really nice.
At 6:30 they opened the doors to the listening room, but instead of allowing people to stampede in, they called out names in the order of arrival! What a sensible and fair thing to do. We were #8, so we got a pretty good table in the second row.
As Jean said, manager announced the "rules of the house" about no cell phones, no talking during the performance, etc. That got a loud cheer.
Caitlin opened with Flawz, and explained why she wrote the song and made the video. She invited the audience to stop by after the show and share their flaws statement and picture, and maybe appear in an updated version of the video. I really liked her - she is very personable and interactive with the audience. At one time she stopped to take off a big ring she had on, cause she said it was catching on her guitar string and playing chords she didn't intend. haha She also told the story of the breakup with the unnamed boyfriend and that she started not to include one of the songs, but she figured why not. My daughter Julie was really impressed with her, and liked the messages in her songs.
I don't remember if Jason's tweet about being sick came during Caitlin's set, or just after she left the stage, but my heart dropped! What if he didn't feel well enough to perform??? Oh, no! The room was buzzing as Jason fans spread the word. But, being the consumate professional, Jason came on stage with his guitar in one hand and a glass of Buuurp juice in the other. Buuurp juice?? Thought the boy had an upset stomach? haha And, of course, the bottle of water was with him. As Jean said, he mentioned being sick but thought he'd feel better as the set went on. And he did a great job. A couple of times he appeared a bit winded, and stumbled with the lyrics of LU early on. But only those of us who cling to everything we can find of him would have known! He did mention being warm, and I, too, worried that he had a fever.
Jason did go to his merch table after his set to sign autographs and take pictures and chat with fans. When I went out the line was pretty long, and I didn't want to miss Matt. So I turned to leave and spotted Mandy sitting in the lobby with Stephen and a couple of Caitlin's crew. I spoke to her briefly and told her we appreciated Jason performing even though he was not well. She told me how much Jason and all of them appreciate all his fans have done for him by playing his music and getting the word out and supporting him. She's a sweetheart.
I went back inside for Matt's set. He had a lot of fans there, too. I think a lot of people stayed for his set, but I did see some empty tables. Some people came back in during his set, after their M&G with Jason.
About halfway through Matt's set I went back out to see if Jason was still there. He was sitting up on the bannister of the stairs talking to some guy who seems to be in the music business. I didn't try to eavesdrop, but they did exchange contact information. Then it was my turn. I got the autograph for my niece's EP and told Jason how much we appreciated him performing even though he was sick. I wished him well and started to leave. Julie asked him if he would take a picture with me. I told him I have taken a picture with him twice before, and in both of them he looks gorgeous and I look like crap! He laughed and said let's get a good one, then. And we did!!
I didn't get a hug this time, gramma!
As we were heading back to the listening room I noticed Caitlin at the merch table (she's sharing with Jason and Cole is handling both their merch.) So Julie and I introduced ourselves to her and chatted a bit. Julie told her how much she enjoyed her set and that her songs have a great message. They really had a good chat about image and flaws and boys and life! haha Caitlin gave Julie a big hug and said "I just love you!" Julie said the same back to her. We got her CD, too, and her autograph.
We went back for the rest of Matt's set and enjoyed him. As I said, there were still a lot of people in the room and Matt got a great audience response. My daughter and her boyfriend both liked him, too.
I forgot to mention the saga of the boyfriend. He is on the baseball team at school, and had practice yesterday. So he was going to be late getting there. We were expecting him to just make it for Jason's set. But the boy got lost. Now I gave him good directions, but he got lost anyway. He got there after Jason's set was over. I was disappointed, but what ya gonna do?
Anyway, we had a really good time and enjoyed all three performances. Here are some pictures I took - tweeted some so some of you have seen them. I decided against trying to video, and am glad I did. I learned when Julie was skating that you miss the performance if you're jockeying with a camera!

Caitlin:


Jason:


Got a few more pictures but for some reason photobucket isn't cooperating, and I DO NOT want to lose this post! I'll get the rest of the pictures soon.

[bennie2]

Here are a few more pictures:

Jason, Caitlin and Stephen:


Jason and Stephen:


Matt Hires:


and because it's so purdy, Jason and me again:

[grammahcac]

Good job, bennie!! It's sounds like you had a wonderful time. I'm happy that you got to be closer this time. And lots of conversation, too!!

[bundleofjoy]

Loving the recaps ya'll! What a fun night...absolutely perfect...except for Jason's tummy. Thanks for posting the pics bennie...awesome, and the one of you and Jason is excellent!

[Floridamom]

Wow! thanks for the recaps and pictures. It sounds like it was awesome!

[overstrung]

Bennie!! Your pic is awesome!!! Isn't Jason just the best?

[HannaB]

Thanks for the great stories and pics!!

[gailinroch]

That was a great recap, Bennie, and what a lovely picture of you and Jason!

[Flying]

And.....because it is so purdy...........here it is AGAIN!!!

Way to go Bennie. Great recap. Thank you to all for your stories. Loved reading them. Never get tired! We're groupies...that's what we are! haha, who would have thought!

[rosequeen]

loving the reviews! I still think we are the luckiest of all fanbases IMO, no 1 I ever saw before loves their fans the way Jason loves us. squeeeeee!

[roy33]

I got home from Atlanta today. As I posted earlier, the show was great. I really enjoyed Caitlin and Matt too. I have a not so fancy camera and since we couldn't use flash, I didn't take many pictures and only two turned out. From reading about the Fri show and Jason's tweets, it sounds like he has recovered - glad to hear that.

Stephen, Caitlin, Jason


Matt

[Halo]

Thank you for the recaps! Very Up Close and Personal!


Bennie - also thank you for solving the mystery regarding the Flaw video with Jason presence...


Oh - and it is a very good picture!

[grfgrl4ever]

great recaps! Nice pic, Bennie. And.....I agree with Rosequeen, Jason Loves us more than anyone else loves their fans! :-) Can't wait for Lawrence.