From: Shantel

Frank Erwin Center
November 12, 1999
Austin, TX

OK last night (11-12-99) I went to the goo goo dolls concert in Austin. It was great I was front row! I took 75 pictures! Anyway before the concert we found out that they were in a room greeting these people and I walk right in and there they were and I was like 7 feet from them. Of course they were surrounded by girls! *Go figure* lol Anyway, I brought my guitar so that maybe they could sign it. I was yelling, "John, John, will you sign my guitar!" The security told me to get out and for some reason I couldn't scream at all I tried so hard but I just couldn't scream. I pretended I was hyperventilating so that maybe the goo's would see me. I freaked out completely and almost got arrested. But I walked out all crying and everything, because I was thinking to myself there goes my chance to get my guitar signed.

Well, my dad tried to go back in there and he came back out and said "there gone." Then this lady walks out and say's "sorry there already gone." Then that same lady was like "is she crying?" My Mom overheard and said like yea it's her 16th birthday (almost) and she wanted to get her guitar signed. She felt really sorry for me and she said,"OK look I'm not gonna make any promises, but, if you give me the guitar I'll take it back stage to see if I can get it signed". So like 10-15 minutes later she comes back holding the guitar and it says happy birthday with john, Mike, and Robby's signature on it. She told me that John apologized because he messed up on the "H" of happy birthday, and that he almost wrote "Harry Birthday." She showed me how he signed it n- stuff like that. I could see his fingerprints all over it. It ends up she is Melissa Hatcher the promotion marketing manager from Warner brothers records. I was so happy!

Anyway, before the concert started I met this lady that was really nice and she asked me that if I could send her the negatives from the picture I was taking and I said sure. She told me that she would make a copy of this tape that she has of the goo's. It's like really old footage from like '87 when they were still all punk and John's hair is like running from his face and Robby is like taking off his shirt and crowd surfing. It ends up that her birthday is on 1-6-54 and mine is 1-6-84 and here name is Mary Lou and my mom's name is Mary Lou so that was pretty weird, but cool.

I was sitting in my 3rd row seat and when the goo's came out I caught john's attention by holding up my guitar and he pointed and smiled at me. Then I made my way to the front row and I pulled out a pick from my pocket and I waved john down and he came over reached over the security guards as far as he could and took it! I felt his hand, and got a picture at the same time! Then later on I tried to give him one of my rings, and he saw me holding it up and he goes "wait a minute (during the song almost stopping it) I'm already married to that girl. (Some other girl who had given him a ring)." It was awesome! I got really good pics of them from front row! John is just so gorgeous! I would get Robby's attention and he would make funny faces at me like the entire time.

John told the Ricky Martin Joke but instead of saying there was a man and a women he said " me and my girlfriend were about to make love and my girlfriend said make love to me like Ricky Martin and then I said ok where is your brother?" Then he says "Yea and Ricky Martin is somewhere doing the "la Vida loca" with his girlfriend and his girlfriend says make love to me like Johnny Rzeznik (at the same time he is like holding his crotch) and then Ricky Martin says ok where's you dog." Everyone laughs and then he says. " I'm just kidding." He also says this joke; One day this wife runs into her house screaming at her husband "I won the lottery! I won the lottery, pack your bags! The husband says, "where are we going?" The wife says, " no where, get the fuck out." But anyway it was the best goo concert ever!