GBS - Mountain Stage
Morgantown, WV
Why does it take six hours to get to Pittsburgh and only 4 ½ to get to Morgantown? They are an equal distance from Philly. Things that make you go “hmmmm.”

We rode thru the rolling hills of Pennsylvania and Maryland enjoying the ride. “Farms to the right of them farms to the left of them…” We kept seeing signs for Sideling Hill. Had no clue what THAT was all about till we got close to a cut in the mountain where the Interstate squeezed thru. Wow!!! A geologist’s dream - exposing 240-million-year-old rock strata for everyone to see. I was so awed by seeing it, I forgot to take any photos. But I did get them done on the way back! You’ll have to wait till the end of the review. I had more than a few giggles to myself as I wrote down the name of the hill in my notebook. ‘Sideling’ – is that a little side, a baby side, like a duckling? I wonder if it was someone’s name? Dunno – the tourist center was closed and I couldn’t ask.    
We pulled into Morgantown and found our hotel after a brief detour. We were not far from the venue and right down the road from the restaurant where we had arranged to meet Kestrel and her family and friends. While we were getting settled, this gawd-awful noise emanated from outside our door – after a minute of exchanging glances and wondering, we opened the door to discover the FIRE ALARM bell was on! We called the desk and they informed us that there was a malfunction but they were ‘on it’ and it was being fixed. We didn’t hear it after a while…

Met Miranda and family at the Golden Corral down the street. I didn’t even recognize her, she’s changed so much since 2-3 years ago when we had the Great Big Barbecue.”  Teenagers do grow fast! She recognized me and called, “Anne?” as we were going out the door to look for Kestrel. Us old folks don’t change our looks much after a certain point. Supper was good, the company was fantastic and in an hour or so we wended our way up across from the “Big Cupcake,” the Coliseum for WVU. Big place, the Cultural Arts Center.

Hardly anyone was there as we sauntered in. That was surprising because people were being told by the venue that the show was sold out. Turns out the place was half-full, but it holds over 1,000 people. Maybe they only PRINTED 500 tickets. I dunno, but it was NOT sold out by any means according to MY eye.  I wondered why GBS didn’t have any merchandise on the table before the show – they’d regret that later. Kes, Vic and I sat stage Bob while Kes’s family planted themselves stage Murray. 
The warm-up guy came out while they tested mic levels and we practiced cheering when the APPLAUSE sign came on. He asked if anyone had come from other states. Vic raised his hand, stating Philadelphia, PA. 

“All the way from Philadelphia? What brings you hear to Mountain Stage?” the warm-up guy asked.

“Great Big Sea,” we replied, as a cheer went up from the crowd. Turns out, the large majority of the folks were there for GBS. Others had come from farther away – Wisconsin, Michigan, but I think they were there for GBS. We didn’t know when they’d be on, but as it turned out they were on last – closed the show!

Larry Groce and Julie Adams opened the program with a little ditty sung live. I didn’t realize EVERTHING was live on the show! No canned intro/extro for THIS radio show. It was interesting to see a radio show being performed. People reading from ‘cheat sheets’ and stage crew running back and forth silently between acts, setting everything up so they could cut right to it. The crew did a great job. Danny ran out several times to hook up various and sundry instruments before it was GBS’s time to perform. Made for a quick entrance and music playing later.
The warm-up guy, Andy Ridenour
better lighting when the show began - the broadcast trio - Andy, Larry Groce and Julie Adams
Grace Potter from Vermont, was the first on with her band, the Nocturnals. Boy! Talk about a voice! This woman had one for sure! Her volume and mannerisms reminded me a bit of Janis Joplin or Grace Slick. But she was a sweet young thing who played the Hammond organ. The box looked totally beat-up, like it was on its last legs, but the sound was just fine. She had the happiest drummer I ever saw in her back-up band. They were certainly happy to be there playing for us. The gospel song she did, something with Water in the title, was mesmerizing. Vic said he saw Alan peek out to see WHO was singing. Gotta appreciate a voice like she has.
GBS is coming...!
As we traveled, we drove thru endless mountains that make up the Appalachian Mountain chain, which stretch all the way from Georgia to Newfoundland. Our van climbed to the summits of ‘mountains’ of 1200, 1800, 2200, 2600 and 2800 feet. And – another surprise – topped the Eastern Continental Divide where the rivers on the east side flow into the Atlantic eventually and those on the west flow into the Mississippi.   I spotted the Youghiogheny (yuck-ih-GANE-ee) River at one point. What a difference here than in Pennsylvania! The Yough in western PA is a raging torrent with Class 5 rapids which Vic has done in an open canoe and the one here was broad, slowly flowing. Then I spotted several signs that made me laugh – “WATCH FOR WILDLIFE” it said, with icons of a deer and a BEAR!!!! Oooooookaaaaay, Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore.