Many thanks go to Cameron Mayer for this really great, true story.

I’d like to start this note with a couple of things…

1st, I realize that there will be many folks who don’t believe a word of what is below…fine with me, but I have absolutely no reason to bull$hit anyone. I know that there will be skeptics though……

Sunday, August 22nd, 1999, 7:30 pm or soooo…

Well, I guess there were some great things in store for me this evening and as fate has it, it turned out to be one of the most memorable nights of my 38 years!!

Myself, Keith, (my old roomy) Nola, (ex-girlfriend) and Caroline, (current girlfriend) made or way to our seats at the Lakewood Amphitheater, literally freaking at how close we were to the stage!! (10th row, left side as you looked at the stage) A lot of people bitch about Lakewood, but this was my 4th show there and I’ve yet to have 1 complaint!! We’re sitting there just kinda staring around, checking the place and people out, when a man and woman come walking past in the row in front of us. I took a brief glimpse and then a close look, and just about had an internal fit!! If this wasn’t Rick Wright, then he had an exact look-a-like!!

I whispered in Nola and Caroline’s ear “That guy in front of us is Richard Wright, the keyboard player from Pink Floyd, ” and of course, no one believed me. I’m not one to have to prove things, so I just told ’emfine, don’t believe me, but it _is_ him!!

The show got under way 10 minutes later and man, was I impressed. I’ll be the first to tell you, I’m not a big Roger solo fan, but this man and this band had it goin’ on!! I’m equally, if not more so impressed with this show, than the 4 Floyd shows I’ve seen. (2 AMLoR shows, 2 DB shows) Roger’s playing was incredible, and if there’s anyone out there who doubts his bass playing ability at this time, well, this guy knows what the hell he’s doing!!

Anyhoo, after the 1st set ended, we’re just kinda sittin’ there and Keith reaches over to strike up a conversation with Rick, who at this time confirms my thoughts!! Keith introduced me to him as the “Largest Pink Floyd fan on the planet” to which Rick responded with a HUGE grin!! His wife got up at this time to go out for a beer and the conversation went something like this:

CM: Very nice to meet you, I’d like to thank you for 25+ years of great music!!

RW: Oh, you’re very welcome…mind if I ask where you guys are from? (I don’t know where that came from!!)

CM and Keith: We’re from Jacksonville, FL…

RW: Pretty good show tonight, don’t you think?

CM, stupefied that I’m having a conversation with an IDOL!!: Sounds great so far…what do you think?

RW: They sound pretty good. Roger’s vocals are a bit off key, but he was notoriously off key even in the old days. Jon’s doing a great job with my parts, but I’m not too impressed with the guitar work. No one can touch what David is capable of on guitar.

CM: Didn’t Snowy tour with you guys during the Animals tour?

RW: Yes, yes he did. But no one can touch David…

CM: Any thoughts of going up and playing? (can’t believe I had the audacity to say that!!)

RW: Well, if I played, Dave and Nick would have something to say about that, wouldn’t they!!

CM: I guess they probably would!! Has it been a while since you’ve seen Roger?

RW: Oh yes!! David had his blowout with Roger in ’84 and I had mine with him 3 years before that…it’s been 15 years since I’ve seen or spoken with Roger. My wife is in the process of remodeling a house here in Atlanta.They’d been playing a lot of Floyd and Roger stuff on the radio here and that’s how I found out about the show. I thought that it would be good to come see how things were going, how things sounded…I had a lot of mixed feelings about coming tonight. I’m going to be living here part time and plan on seeing some more shows here, but hopefully not from these seats…people can’t seem to sit down, you know…it’s terribly hot too, don’t you think?

CM: It is pretty warm in here tonight. No breeze at all. We’re pretty used to it though, being from the south.

At this time his wife comes back with an ice cold brewsky!! Rick is not drinking anything, nor does he for the entire night!! Water, beer,nothing!!

He lights a cigarette and introduces his wife to Keith and I, but her name escapes me, and is not written down in my notes!! Needless to say, I’m about to wet my friggin’ pants at this point…

Wife, who’s now wearing a backstage pass, to Rick: I think Jon’s coming down to say hello.

RW, seemingly quite nervous: Really? Did you speak with him?

Wife: No, but such and such, blah, blah, I didn’t catch the rest of her comment.

RW, turns around to continue conversation: Well, I guess Jon is coming down. He toured with us the last 2 rounds you know…

CM: Oh yeah!! I was able to see 2 shows from the last 2 tours…you guys are just incredible…any chance of…

At this time, the guy who is sitting about 4 seats down figures out who Rick is and yells, pretty much at the top of his lungs, while tapping Rick on his left shoulder…Are you?…

Keith looks over at the guy and puts his finger to his mouth in a shhhh gesture..the guy shuts up, realizing, I guess, what he was about to do. Then, walking down the aisle comes Jon Carin, with a couple of women and 2 guys who look like they might be roadies…he comes and sits down with Rick and his wife, and at this point, I can’t really hear what they’re saying. Also, a few people have started to walk over and ask for autographs…Rick signs away, a bit baffled, but still seeming very suprised that Jon came down. I didn’t hear (unfortunately) one word that was said between the two. Jon and crew got up about 5 minutes later, and at this time, there are a bunch of folks hounding Rick for autographs, giving thanks, etc. He seemed a bit “antsy” at this point, so we just kicked back and took it all in. I got up to go and get a tour program to be signed, and also to get a beer.While standing in the beer line, the 2nd set started…I missed about 2 minutes of the first song, but no biggie…I had my program and was going to get an autograph at the end of the show!!

Fantastic 2nd set, which provided a nice group of Rog’s solo stuff…immediately after the final notes of Eclipse, 2 guys walked down and motioned to Rick and his wife…the lights went dark, and I tried to stick my tour book out in front of him for an autograph, but he looked at me and rushed on by…I’m still kickin’ myself in the ass for not asking earlier, but was pretty much caught in the thrill of the moment.

There you have it. Not really all that much to some, I’m sure. But it was sure as hell a very cool happening for Keith and I, not one that will ever happen again…I’m not usually one to try and keep things to myself, but it sure was a drag once people started realizing who he was and all…we wish we could of kept him all to our stingy selves!! Go ahead, tell me I’m full of it, or say that there’s no way he said this or that. I thought he was off a bit about the time frames in which his and Dave’s blowouts took place, but I took notes and this was pretty much word for word what he said. I still can’t believe I didn’t get an autograph. It seemed too bizarre that it was all happening…

The above pretty much covers the entire conversation, though. Rick looked to be in great shape and health, and was more than friendly when speaking with us. He seemed to be a bit rattled about Jon coming down, and I’m wondering if the guys who came down at show’s end and whisked them away took them back stage…