Wes & Erica see Iron Maiden in concert

Iron Maiden - Legacy of the Beast tour - Saturday September 21, 2019

I officially have my second metal concert in the books! Wes & I drove to Dallas over this past weekend to see Iron Maiden on their Legacy of the Beast tour. I know nothing about Iron Maiden so during the drive, Wes curated a selection of their greatest hits for me to familiarize myself with. I can't really say with certainty that I like their music. But, Wes is a fan and he said that their concert was top notch (actually, he said it was "really good" because he would never say "top notch" LOL). He also said his three favorite songs from the concert were Fear of the Dark, Trooper (one of my favorite performances of the night as well because that was when Eddie, the mascot, came out and had a choreographed sword fight with Bruce, the lead singer), and Number of the Beast (even though it annoyed him that everyone was singing along and drowning out the band).

 The opening band was The Raven Age. They are a metal band from somewhere in England (aka not famous here). Wes said their ability to play music was good but their song writing was crap. I thought they were pretty terrible over all. They really wanted to involve the crowd and promote their new album, Conspiracy, but I don't think very many people knew of the single they just released so their attempts at getting everyone to clap to the beat and sing along didn't work out very well. But they said the word "conspiracy" so many times that I actually remembered that was the name of their new album. Good advertising technique, guys!

All metal bands practically sound the same to me (clearly, this is not the type of music that I listen to regularly) so all I have to go on is the look and feel of the concert. And the concert felt really good. It was outdoors in awful heat and humidity but everyone was friendly, excited, and in a genuinely happy mood. The crowd was pretty diverse but all of the random concert goers were chatting with each other without judgement. Wes got several compliments on the band t-shirt he was wearing. I sat next to a young man (who asked my permission to vape but still was polite enough to step away to do it even after I assured him it was okay) and his father. They both were very eager to tell Wes and me about Iron Maiden, their song catalog and this concert's set list. At one point during the show, Bruce came on stage with a sword. I turned to Wes and screamed, "OMG he has a sword!!" The father heard me and tapped me on the shoulder, gave me the rock & roll sign of the horns and a face that read "of course he has a sword now head bang with us!" and I couldn't stop myself from screaming as loud as I could and bobbing along with the rest of the crowd. Why can't strangers be this nice all of the time?

The set design was really cool. We weren't very close to the stage so I couldn't get good pictures but they had large screens hung up all over so we still got a decent view of the show. The stage was multi-storied so the lead singer could run around and climb up onto the various tiers. Bruce has a lot of energy!! You would never believe the band was in their sixties from the way they played and interacted with us. The show started with Winston Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches" speech and a life sized replica of a Spitfire plane flew onto the stage. I knew at that point that my like or dislike of their music didn't matter; this was going to be an entertaining concert. There were lots of lasers and pyrotechnics (including a HUGE Icarus model that burned down at the end of Flight of Icarus), a costumed Eddie in stilts, and a new backdrop was revealed at the beginning each song (the best one being an incredibly detailed inflatable demon's head). Bruce did a handful of costume changes, coming out in various hats, masks, a cape and props. Costume changes are the best! Anyway, it was a fun experience and I am really glad we got to go because Iron Maiden was on Wes's bucket list of bands to see live. 

Lacey & Erica make office memo holders

... one of mine is going to the office, the others will become part of my craft show display.

Its almost been twenty years since our college emo phase; 2019 is a good time to recreate that look. I wish I had an old college picture for comparison but I didn't have digital camera back then. 

Lacey & I have known each other since middle school but I think we really became friends when we were roommates freshman year of college. We were both weird, unpopular and invisible, which sounds pretty unpleasant but it actually was perfect timing because she introduced me to emo music, where all of our heroes sung about being weird, unpopular and invisible.  We had the best times singing along to My Chemical Romance, The Used, AFI and Good Charlotte. I haven't kept up with those bands' music but I was feeling nostalgic one day at work and clicked on one of my older Pandora stations (appropriately named Emo Songs). A new Good Charlotte song came on and then this conversation happened.

So here we are... in 2019, wearing heavy black eye liner and glitter, listening to a CD, drinking vodsprittles and DIY'ing stuff. Just like back in the good old days.  BTW, vodsprittles are a cocktail made with vodka, Sprite and Skittles. 

DIY office memo holders-

Supplies needed: plastic animal figures, electric drill (not pictured because I don't own one; we borrowed Lacey's roommate's), dowel rods, alligator clips, craft glue, spray paint

1. Drill a hole into the back of each plastic animal that is the size of the dowel rod

2. Glue an alligator clip to the top of each dowel rod. Let dry.
**It probably isn't necessary, but Lacey brought a handheld pencil sharpener and we sharpened both ends of the dowel rods so they'd fit easier into the alligator clips and animals.

3. Glue the dowel rod (with alligator clip attached) into each animal's back. Let dry.

4. Spray paint after the glue has dried. 

Not the best pictures because we spray painted out on the patio at like 9pm with only a flashlight for light.

And that's it. Super simple. Super cute. No one wants to do a complicated craft while having cocktails on a weeknight. LOL 😜

RagsReborn's Fall Craft Show Schedule

Summer break was absolutely delightful (I got so much done around the house, traveled a bit, sewed some garments for myself, and started a garden) but I am READY to get back into regular craft shows. And boy have I booked a crazy busy Fall Craft Show Schedule!! For the first time ever, I am breaking my travel distance rule--which was no craft shows that are more than an hour's drive away from home. Time to break out of my regular shows and try some new ones! Here's the full schedule-

Piedmont Founder's Day
Saturday, September 7, 2019
10am - 4pm
First Baptist Church Piedmont: 15 Jackson Ave NW, Piedmont, OK 73078
https://piedmontokfoundersday.org/

Prairie Moon Market Day
Saturday, September 28, 2019
9am - 4pm
Prairie Moon Primitives: 13256 Lake Road Ave., Wayne, OK 73095
https://www.prairiemoonretreats.com/
       My friends, Brenda & Karen, from my sewing club told me about this show. They will be there, along with some other women in their quilting circle, selling quilted items and quilt-related items (they mentioned sewing themed jewelry, which I'm pretty excited for!)

Rock Island Arts Festival
Friday, October 4, 2019, 10am - 9pm
Saturday, October 5, 2019, 10am - 9pm
Sunday, October 6, 2019, Noon - 4pm
Historic Depot area of downtown Chickasha: 100 East Chickasha Ave., Chickasha, OK 73018
https://www.rockislandartsfestival.org/page/page/8907560.htm
       This is my first ever three-day show and it's going to be outdoors. Please pray for me. 😅 Just kidding. I'm actually really excited for this show. My friends, Paul (Pens and Things) & Melida (Mama Dragon Studios), participate in this show annually and it has become one of their favorites. Every time I vend at a craft show with Paul, he is always telling me how awesome the Rock Island Arts Festival is and how I need to participate in it. So this year, I decided to do it. I'll be in a tent near theirs (and they have the coolest stuff) so come say hello to us!

Saint Ann's Craft Fair & Open House
(open to the public, not just for community residents)
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
10am - 2pm
Saint Ann Retirement Center: 7501 W. Britton Rd., Oklahoma City, OK 73132

OUHSC Staff Senate Fall Craft Fair
(open to the public, not just for OUHSC employees)
Friday, October 25, 2019
10am - 2pm
Robert M Bird Library Lobby: 1105 Stonewall Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73117

These are just the beginning... I have so much more planned for the months of November and December. Please come out to any (or all 😉) of these shows to support local Oklahoma artists, crafters and small business owners. I appreciate you guys!!