CollectormaniaMay07

Collectormania

Milton Keynes

5 & 6 May 2007

This one Robert & I attended on our own. The primary reason for going was to see Beecake at the Collectormania party later in the evening on Saturday. Not knowing what to expect and not sure the boys would be able to handle the late hours...we decided it would be better to make this a weekend getaway for us. : ) It was wonderful to have the time as a couple.

I will put in some captions here...but for a more detailed report of the Beecake adventure from our perspective, please see Shirley's myspace page for the blog or click here.

Alien on a leash

We thought the boys would love this shot!

Star Wars troopers always make Josh happy : )

Mio, Roby, and Hiroko find us in a clothing store...my first meeting of other Beecake Honey Bees!

(stop laughing...we had to call ourselves something...LOL)

: )

It was an absolute joy to meet them. We even had the opportunity to share some Krispy Kreme donuts with them (although only Hiro tried one with me...I think everyone else was too nervous about seeing Beecake play live...LOL). Robert had to finish the rest. Such a sacrifice! *wink*

Robert thought this was cool. You can click on the pic to make it bigger to see what the predator is holding....

give up?

He's got Batman's head and spinal cord! Icky!

Flowers that were growing in The Centre Milton Keynes (the shopping center where the Collectormania was going on)

LILACS!

When we got to the Stadium where Beecake would be performing, we found a lilac bush in the parking lot.

Oh yes...you know me...I had to take a picture...and smell the wonderful fragrance!

Mmmmmm...lovely!

My "honey" in front of the National Hockey Stadium. At this point we were still a bit weary from all the walking we'd done that afternoon...but it was time for the party to begin. I was getting excited and nervous about meeting new friends that I'd never met outside of myspace before.

This statue is in front of the Stadium.

Notice the lilac bush just to the right of the man's shoulder...that's the one I was enjoying.

Waiting...waiting...waiting

We waited a long time for the band to come out.

Our boys would never have stood in one spot that long! LOL!

I love this flag...it makes me happy every time I see it, reminding me of all the beautiful experiences we've had in Scotland...so when I saw it at the gig...I had to take a picture. : )

Kirsty brought it to encourage the guys...and used the bee badges I'd brought for everyone to pin it onto the rope that was between the audience and the stage.

The wait was long (2+ hours altogether for us)...and legs got very tired.

I wish the pics I took of everyone waiting hadn't turned out so blurry...but my camera doesn't do so well when there's not enough light (I'm not advanced enough to figure out how to adjust the settings properly).

Here's Roby waiting in disbelief at her good fortune to be positioned directly in front of "her" Billy. ; )

Hey! I recognize that face!

It's "Hyper Trace!"

LOL!

: )

more waiting...

Jonathan & Elaine

(foreground)

YAY!

Beecake makes their appearance and starts the set right away with

"Kick the Door"

They were received warmly...pun intended! LOL! By the time they came out, the temperature in the room was roasting!

The crowd burst into applause and cheers!

This is my only shot of the four of them together.

Billy Boyd, Billy Johnston, John Crawford, Rick Martin

BEECAKE!

singing from the heart

Go Billy & Rick!

Smilin' John

the song called "Drunk" ?

Go BJ!

feelin' the music

I loved the talking between songs as much as the songs themselves! : )

It's that Scottish thing...LOL

Soul Swimming...

fun times...fun times!

Kirsty faithfully videoing

Billy's gettin' tired

Sandi

quenching the thirst

"Thanks for comin' out!" : )

The concert was amazing! Good tunes...new friends...recognition in the eyes...special surprises...mission accomplished. : )

After the set was over, we broke loose from the crowd...WHEW...it was hot and very crowded...we were glad to be free again. Then we went around the room to find the friends we'd met so we could get pics with them.

When we first got to the Stadium, there was a line where we could choose to stand or we could go inside to get out of the cold and get something to drink. We chose to stand in the line so that we could be near the front of the stage (I had a gift bag for the guys and wanted to be able to hand it to them at some point). I thought I recognized the lady who was manning the door, checking tickets and explaining how the queue (line) worked...as soon as eye contact was made I knew who it was...and she knew me! It was Lisa from myspace! She exclaimed, "It's You!" then we shared a hug, laughed at ourselves and spoke a wee bit before more people came and she had to get back to work. That was fun! Another good start to the evening. : ) Roby found us and told us where she and the others were standing so we could see them through the window. We were all so excited! ; )

another funny memory...

when we were standing in the line outside, Robert says to me, "This is payback for that time I made you wait in line with me for Star Trek IV, isn't it." I laughed..."YEP!" : )

I played with my camera while we were waiting and figured out another function. I got the custom settings all ready to go for the lighting that was in the room...but forgot to take into account the effects of the other camera flashes...so this is what I got. OOPS! I thought the effect was interesting...so I kept a couple of shots. : )

with Roby (from Milan)

I really enjoyed the time with Roby and am so glad we got to share this experience.

Mio & Hiroko (Japan), Roby (Milan), me : )

aww...someone blinked! LOL!

Robert & I with Rick (who came out to give us a cd that we needed)

The guys scored major cool points with William...and got us out of the doghouse for not only leaving him at home but also borrowing his Beecake shirt! LOL!

wish I could remember what that look was about...my memory is fuzzy about our time with the guys...I was concentrating so hard on just standing still...shock & awe of a different kind...ROFL!!

Mio & Hiroko were so cute! I'm glad they had such a good time...they had a LONG journey!

a better shot of Roby...and I'm glad we captured Rick laughing. : )

meeting Lisa was extra special! She's a great encourager and very bubbly. : )

John came out to see the fans as well...and offered to take the cd back to Beecake to have everyone sign it (so COOL!) for us. I can't imagine a sweeter bunch of guys for success to find! The drawing Mio is holding is one that John did and signed to her as a gift. Go Mio! : ) Thanks John...you and Rick made this night extra special for all of us.

HAPPY faces!

Trace (from England) & John

Roby & John

Trace & I

(not sure what was so funny...or if I was just so tired and happy that I was incoherently giggly. LOL!

John took Kirsty's flag and had the guys sign it for her. SWEET! : )

Jonathan, Kirsty, Sandi, Elaine & ME

: )

I didn't get much time to visit with this group...but they were so lovely to meet.

clockwise from the left...

Me, Mio, Roby, Jonathan, Kirsty, Sandi, Elaine, Hiroko

After one last picture with the myspace group (we should've had Lisa in there!), Robert & I had to go...we were exhausted and needed something to drink, time alone and a good night's rest. : )

On the way out of the room, I couldn't help but jump up & down a couple times and skip a wee bit too...I floated around for two more days before finally coming back down to earth. LOL!

What an experience! Can't wait to do it AGAIN!