Doggone it...it's Pet-a-Palooza!

I made the 2-hour drive from St. George, UT back the way I had come yesterday...Las Vegas. I was returning specifically to attend Mix 94.1's Pet-a-Palooza, an event to raise money for local animal organizations. I had with me a couple of cans of pet food, which would give me $2 off the admission price. Orianthi was the first musical act to perform, at 11:30. Since I had some time to kill, I checked out the informational booths and grabbed some lunch. I didn't see the Five For Fighting bus parked anywhere nearby, so I assumed they hadn't arrived yet.

From the start, it was obvious Pet-a-Palooza wasn't really about all pets...it was primarily a dog event. And, there were a LOT of dogs there! People proudly parading their prize pooches, purebreds and mixed breeds galore. There were a few other types of animals in the mix. Minatures ponies, wild horses, a donkey...I even saw a couple of people with snakes! But, no cats, which was probably a good thing. When Orianthi hit the stage, I almost immediately lost interest...not my thing. I WAS curious about Kris Allen, though! I had watched him win American Idol last year, and since then, his career is going fine. And, I also think he's kinda cute!

As I was waiting for Kris, I was hanging around the stage when I saw a familiar face...Five For Fighting bass player Joe Karns! I greeted him and he gave me a hug! We talked a bit...Joe wasn't performing today because it was primarily an acoustic show. I assumed that would mean John Ondrasik and guitarist Greg Suran, but Joe told me that drummer Randy Cooke was doing a little percussion today. After Joe left, I went over to the fence where I saw the bus was now parked. I saw Greg and said hello. When I walked back to the stage area, and noticed Kris Allen was being interviewed by a radio station guy. I snapped several pictures of him, and before he left to go backstage, he signed some autographs for people. Rats! I suddenly realized that I forgot his CD in my car! If I had it with me, I probably would have gotten it signed then and there! Oh, well. Soon after, Kris appeared on stage for his performance. It was nice seeing him play live, but I still found myself not that enthused about him either. I guess I was just eager to see John again.

Like Kris, John did a short radio station interview before his performance...I got some photos to capture the moment. By the time John started into his first song, I was roasting in the sun. It got steadily hotter as the day progressed, and my arms were getting pretty dark. In one day, I was getting more sun that I get in a whole summer back home in the Pacific Northwest. At least, it seemed that way! John played for about a half hour, backed up by Greg on acoustic and electric guitar, and Randy on percussion. Here is his abbreviated set list...he played the first two songs on piano, and the rest on guitar, except for his aca pella last song.

World
100 Years
Chances
Slice
65 Mustang
Superman
Hope (Greg on guitar)

Afterwards, I went back to the fence and said goodbye to John as he was returning to the bus. I didn't stay for the autograph session afterwards, but I had done enough of that on the tour. Nor did I hang around for Barenaked Ladies. I have a big day tomorrow...have to drive a few hours and visit Grand Canyon National Park. I haven't been there since I was a child of about 7 or 8, and I remember nothing of it. So, I'm looking forward to this a lot. And, the weather forecast says it will be cooler...low 60s! Fantastic! It was too hot today. Hmm...it looks like my right arm got a little sunburned.