MSG Finale Flag Report, a.k.a., Yes, that flag was THE Flag.

[Jose]

:D So........... What happen??????????? Jeff or Brad came from the stage or you went to backstage?????? :roll:

[CirceNYC]

I've got so much work to do and I'm glued to this forum!!!!

[Lynne]

[quote="Skip"]The suspense is killing me - Hitchcock has nothing on DM!![/quote]

No lie!

[Madgrad]

[mardee]

Ok, DirtyM, are you trying to make us as unnerved, as you were those final days? If so, it's working over here.

[DirtyMartini]

[Back-tracking a bit just cuz I think it's funny: just want to add how I met pdx. Was standing around waiting with the small pit crowd and trying not to be a freak when a white and green flag pledge t-shirt approached. Being the classy broad that I am, I walked up to the man inside the tee and said something to the effect of, "Hi, I'm Dirty Martini. Who the hell are you?"]

So there had been circles of debate for weeks about what to do about the pit line-up situation. Option A: wait in line all day; Option B: go to the meet-up at Fat Annie's. After going round and round for a while, I had finally landed the night before on Option B: Mo was not keen on the idea of spending all day in line, and as much as I enjoy the company of the folks who would be in the pit, I really did not want to lose the opportunity to meet folks whom I might not otherwise get to meet, and it might be the last chance anyone would get to sign the Flag.

So after spending a bit of time with the folks outside MSG, Mo finally managed to pry me away to go to the Tick Tock for some food -- where we ended up running into a few other nutters, and many more continued to gather. Food and chat and love was shared -- and I'm going to try and breeze over the just general social bits of the day and try to stick to the flaggish stuff since otherwise this story will never end and there are plenty of other folks who can fill in those details. But a good time was had, pdxracer signed the Flag, and my phone wouldn't ring no matter how many times I checked it.

We decide to mosey over to Fat Annie's (having just eaten, after all) with a stop at the pit line along the way. More social awesomeness as we run into many folks, including the incredible Ska Man who informs Nancy and me that he loves the Stewart Girls. (Smooth move there, Ska Man.) Ska signs the Flag; vermontfan signs the Flag; the Flag gets its gross green mug into many photographs.

While everyone is twittering about, I receive another "eyo" and need to get a bit of distance -- at which point, my husband captures what is probably the quintessential DM portrait of the week:
http://dirtymartiniii.smugmug.com/galle ... UuytG-L-LB

Jeff is telling me that this flag thing may not happen. That I should just pass off the flag to Stewart from the pit or "your choice."

Damn.

I can't say we didn't try -- and I can't say that I don't understand -- but damn.

I start texting Jeff back, asking if SC will still come downstage for the flag before "Next To You" -- and as I'm typing, a small thought occurs to me: I'm the one with Flag Duty tonight -- and if need be, I don't actually need the real flag during the show. At this point, getting it in front of everyone tonight trumps getting it in front of Stewart. So I add to the text, asking if it would help if I give the Flag to Jeff before the show/gong. "Don't tell SC," I tell him, "but there will be other flags in the audience..."

He says he doesn't know, that he'll discuss with SC, I return to the throng, and we head over to Fat Annie's. . . .

[Jack Pozzi]

What up DM

I did not know this happened until today. Glad i was there - even if only in Sharpie.


Impressive effort, Regards, Dave

[Bry]

I hope Hollywood is paying attention.

"In a world without hope...
One woman would make a flag...
That would forever change the course of history..."

[bella]

Damn, even though I know what the outcome is, I'm still in suspense if only for the fact that YOU had to be in so much suspense, Kel.

[Moeskido]

Waiting for the story to unfold here is indeed very much like the wait for Jeff to call seemed to feel that day.

It's also a bit like french toast with ham. No, wait.

[DirtyMartini]

Haha. Hi, honey.

[Schmaffy]

Oh, quit flirting with your husband and get on with this, woman!!! I need to know how this ends!!!!

[Moeskido]

So, Ed. How's your mom?

</1950's radio drama reference>

[DirtyMartini]

[ETA: Oh, hush.]


Fat Annie's was a blast. It was loud and chaotic and an OHMYGONGOVERLOAD of people. It was a lot like being at a wedding -- enough time for a hug and a greeting, but as soon as the first spark of conversation appears, you have to stop and move on to the next person. At one point I was so overwhelmed by the numbers and so unsure of which direction to head that I just stood still and watched people revolve.

But it was amazing -- truly amazing -- to see so many people from so many different places all in one space. To look around and see Maud and musinggrai and Schmaffy and Sleemans and Toxteth and Ted and all these people that have only ever co-existed in written language actually physically appear together in one space -- it was mind-blowing. So many people I had never met; so many people I had barely met; so many people I had met a thousand times -- all thrown together, gabbing and drinking and eating tater tots smothered in fuck knows.

Wow.

And it was really cool to see quite a few more folks get the chance to sign the infamous green cloth. It was really touching to hear people's stories and feelings about the whole project, both from those who were finally seeing it in person for the first time and those who have seen it a million times. If I had ever been in doubt, it was made obvious over and over that a number of people really love that ridiculous object -- or more specifically, what it has created and represents. Even if the Flag wasn't going to make it on stage that night, it had already made an impact on many.

Finally it came time to do a bit of Flagmistressing. Thanks to nancyrose and charliearnold (whom I owe greatly), a slew of green paper flags had been printed up with the SC logo on one side and the words "Thank You" on the other. So I reluctantly stepped up onto a chair and started yelling over the din -- which must have made the rest of the restaurant so terribly happy.

Maud captured a mercifully small portion of this "speech" of mine -- which I realized way too late I hadn't actually prepared, so I can only hope made some semblance of sense. The gist that I hope that I conveyed was that I had Flag Duty that night, but that the Flag no longer belonged to me: it belonged to Stewart and it belonged to all of you folks -- so I wanted all of you folks to share in Flag Duty that night. Everyone who wanted to should feel welcome to pick up one of these paper flags and use it display their love and support of Stewart at will. In addition to showing support to Stewart, I figured folks might like a chance to say "Thank You" to both him and the rest of the band; the only thing I asked was that folks hold off until the end for that. I don't know if I actually said any of this -- I have no idea what actually came out of my mouth -- but I sure hope I came close.

Within seconds of me shutting my yap, Mark (of "Eugene and") was asking if I would talk about the Flag for the fan documentary that they were working on. I've spent about a year avoiding their cameras (also having already avoided Gert's in Vancouver) -- but I guess it just seemed like a good idea at the time. So we went outside, and Mark filmed -- I'm afraid I can't remember -- was it bab? -- signing the Flag, and we "chatted."

Funny enough, Mark had two particular questions near the end: if I remember correctly, one was asking if anything special would happen to the flag that night and one was asking how it would get to Stewart. What I couldn't quite say was that, if something went somehow right, the two questions were essentially the same. So I'm pretty sure my answer to the second question was "I don't know. Ask Stewart. Tell him to call me."

(Go ahead and smite me, Stewart.)

Around -- I don't know, 5:30ish? 6ish? -- we had just decided we should head over to MSG and were getting ready to go when Dive called. Jeff was there in the lobby and was looking for Flag measurements. (Killing me.) I gave one of those lamest movie lines ever -- "Don't let him leave!" -- and Mo and I beelined for the door, where I nearly crashed right into the lovely Midori. I felt like a total shit having to hug and run -- so sorry, Midori -- but I did, and Mo and I booked down the street to the Garden. . . .



[No, I can't believe I'm still talking either. Sorry.]

[samburusunset]

OK! OK! Don't tell SC, other flags, might come downstage, may not happen ... yada, yada, yada!!!

*edge of seat*


"But how does the story end, Mommy?" the wide eyed child asked.



Come on Woman!!!!!!