Mary's roommate, soon arrives in her roommate's 1960 T-Bird convertible. She has the top up,
but when she parks, she puts it down, before joining us on the deck. Fortunately Craig's date is
finished with Craig for the moment, fortunately for me, as I have a weak stomach. It's lucky;
Mary's roommate is here to help me forget that scene. I had forgotten how truly beautiful she
really is. I decide that although she may be short on brains and morals, she more than makes up
for it, by being a good person. Not to mention being one of the most beautiful women, that has
ever (had sex with me.) Craig is jealous, Craig's date is jealous, and I feel fine.

     That time rolls around, and we're off for the Forum. Craig heads for the freeway, but we
take the scenic route on the surface streets. Surprising, Craig only beats us by fifteen minutes.
He is parked in line, behind a pair of familiar limos, and we pull into this line.

      They're not letting the guests in, until the band arrives. Even though it's still about three hours
before show time, LA's finest are out in force.  Unlike the Funkadelic concert, where you couldn't
find a cop with a bag  of doughnuts, now you can't move an eyebrow without bumping into one.

Chapter 12 page 352 Apocalypse and beyond

     There are even several police helicopters, busily flying round in circles,  around and around
and around the Forum. We sit in the convertible passing a joint of dust back and forth, while
awaiting Led Zeppelins arrival. A small party is breaking out in the limos in front of us. As we're
at the top of the tunnel entrance, I can watch as the line for back stage grows, and begins to
snake through the parking lot. So far the cops are mostly out in front, where the legions of fans
are assembling. As we finish the joint, I notice a group of four limos arriving like landing aircraft.
Led Zeppelin has arrived. The gate below swings open, and as we watch the band drive by,
Mary's roommate begins to cum.

    Mary's room mate waits for the last limo to pass, and then whips the T-Bird to the left and
follows the last limo through the gate and into the tunnel. Surprise, surprise, we're not even
glanced at by the guards who then shut one side of the gate, and begin to inspect the cars in line.
We follow the limos through the tunnel to the back stage area, and park behind them.

     The band leaves their limos and heads back stage, while we dig out the stage passes and stick
them on. I put mine on my bag, and Mary's roommate sticks hers on her right breast. I hand her a
ticket, and tell her to meet me at our seats when the concert starts. I can tell by the stars in her
eyes, and the wetness of her crotch, what she has in mind, and who am I to stand in her way.
She surprisingly sticks like glue to me, and we take seats on the car to await Craig's arrival.

     He soon arrives with a shit-eating grin on his face. She's been at him again. They join us,
and Craig asks how we managed to sneak in, and Mary's roommate just smiles. We walk to the
entrance that leads to the seats. After finding our seats, we head back stage to meet the band.

     They are no where to be seen, as we enter a room with a large buffet. There is a crowd
gathering around the food, and when we join them we run into Ken and his date. I get myself
and Mary's roommate, a plate and a couple of plastic cups of beer. We then munch and mingle,
our way through the crowd. I see Buddy and Joe arrive with the Mary twins. I should have guessed.
We join them, and have a group hug, then do a quick one and one, from Joe's little vial.

      Buddy wants to know where my Mary is, and her roommate tells him. He says that we're recording
next week, and for her and her roomie to stop out ans party with him. She says she'll tell Mary about it.

     The band members begin to drift in, and as they do, the noise in the room grows and grows.
Every one is trying to crowd their way to the forefront. I hang back a bit with Joe, as Mary's
roommate heads toward a victim. It's Robert Plant, and I hope she doesn't hurt him. I'd like to
talk with Jimmy Page for a minute or two, and will wait for my chance. Buddy has cornered
John Bonham, and I join them. Buddy introduces me and I shake John's hand and tell him
thanks to Buddy, I've met two of my favorite drummers. I tell him when I meet Carl Palmer,
and Corky Lang, I can die a happy man. He says thank you for the compliment, and is interrupted
by a gorilla, who wants to know who I am. As I look him over I'm reminded of the ELP song,
"Benny The Bouncer". He doesn't remind me of Benny, but of Sydney. Fortunately John says
we're old friends, and the guy moves on. "He's our manager; Peter Grant," John explains.

Chapter 12 page 353 Apocalypse and beyond

     I hear a cheer, and when I look up I see Robert Plant, plant a long, slow, wet kiss on my
Mary's roommates lips. That's my girl.  Well, she's found a friend. The party  goes on for a while.
Meanwhile there is a pounding sound coming from the arena.  As the party goes on, this sound
grows in volume, until it's slightly passed starting time.  I've been talking to a sound tech from
Electro Voice. They've created two 18,000-watt stereo systems, called Electro Sound. High
above the Forum hangs a series of all-metal speakers. He claims the sound is the same, in the
front and last rows. When I ask about the cost, he says it's not for sale. They are currently
leasing the two systems, to Led Zeppelin and Yes.  He invites me to stop by the mixing board
during the concert, and I tell him I will. The band members have disappeared along with most
of their staff, so it must be that time. We walk back to the parking lot to do a few lines with
Joe in his limo, before taking our seats.

     We have to remove a few bozos from our seats but it's no big thing. As we take our seats,
I can see the band take the stage. A few last second adjustments to the instruments and
microphones, and they begin.

     With an explosion of laser lights and gunpowder, the concert begins. Robert Plant notices
Mary's roommate, and points and smiles at her. You should have heard her scream, when he
smiles at her. Suddenly it's 1964, and we’re at a Beatles concert. I'm sitting in the front row,
and you barely can hear the band for the women screaming. Bizarre.

     The laser light show is living up to all the hoopla I've heard about it. In particular there are two,
that are pretty amazing to me. One is a pyramid laser that surrounds Robert Plant and then begins
to spin around. Neat. Second, there is a Rainbow laser, that changes through the light spectrum
as it arcs across the ceiling. Wow.

     The music itself is incredible, not only is it note perfect, but the audio tech is right.
The system surrounds you with sound, no matter your location. You may not be able to see
the band clearly from your seat, but you sure can hear them just fine. He's definitely kicking
out all 18,000 watts, but it's incredibly clean and clear. The only distortion I can hear is coming
from John Paul Jones bass, and I'm not sure as to whether it's intentional or not. I decide along
about their fifth song, to go visit the mixing board and audio tech., Bob.

     The first thing I notice about the mixing station location, is that it's off to stage left and
barely fifty feet from the stage. They are usually located at least a hundred feet from the
stage, and directly in front of the stage. When I arrive there, I'm rather shocked to see a
home made mixing board. I had expected something a whole lot different. Especially something
brand new and looking rather futuristic, like the speakers.

     I ask Bob, if the bass is supposed to sound like it does. It's hard to say at this point as John
Paul Jones is now playing a grand piano. Bob apparently has heard the same thing, but couldn't
put a finger on it. He says that when John goes back to the bass, he'll check it out and add thanks,
as it's been driving him a bit nuts. These systems are brand new, and there is a lot riding on their
performance. I hang out for a song or two, until John picks up his bass, and I watch Bob bring
that line into the proper wave shape, and then head back to my seat.

     Jimmy has whipped out his bow and is currently bowing his guitar.
The crowd is going wild and so is Mary's roommate.
 

 Chapter 12 page 354 Apocalypse and beyond

Fortunately for the band, they are on a high stage, and Mary's roommate can't quite reach them.
Someone is passing a joint of dust around, and Buddy latches on to it. Oh well, where's Michael
when you need him? In fact where's Jim? I would have thought he would be here for this concert.
I guess if you've worked for the Stones, everything else is a bore.

      As for me, I'm having a ball. The music is fantastic, the presentation is brilliant, and the special
effects are mind boggling, I'm with a beautiful lady, the drugs are excellent, and Led Zeppelin is
kicking ass a few feet away. What more could a man want? Other than the obvious hot monkey sex,
I'm going to get after we leave. Nothing that I can sense. The energy I'm getting from the music
is tremendous. It seems a pity that Bach, Beethoven, List, and that great queen Tchaikovsky can't
be here tonight. They would really appreciate the high energy flowing from the stage. I know I'm
digging it. All I can say, is that the people who paid top dollar for their tickets. Who had to wait in line
for hours to buy them, and then forever in a line to enter here, aren't complaining. I'd say it was cheap
at twice the price. The concert goes on for about two hours, and after several encores they are gone,
and seconds later so are we. We head back stage to the beginnings of a pretty hot party, which is
already in progress.

     The band has gone off to change, out of their sweat soaked clothes, and into something a bit drier.
What most people don't understand, is that musicians don't really need any drugs to keep slim and trim.
Try working for two hours, in an never-ending flurry of energy, flowing out of you to the audience.
Imagine five hundred-watt Par lights by the hundreds, raising the temperature on the stage, to somewhere
near the temperature at the surface of the sun. Imagine it doing it on the road, where all the food is strange.
Imagine losing weight by the stone. Hell of a silly way to make a living.

     I stand listening to Mary's roommate, and the Mary twins babble excitingly about the concert. I notice
all the heavy players aren't here anymore, which makes me think I'm at the wrong party. Somewhere back
here, the real party is happening and I've been left to baby-sit the women. Oh well, life lands another
crushing blow. I get the lady's and myself a drink, and as most people are smoking various things, I light up
a joint of dust and pass it around to the lady's. I see Joe enter the room from a door on the other side,
and as he joins us he's all smiles. Apparently, Joe found the real party.

     He says he's just had a very interesting talk, with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. He also mentions
that Anne is looking for me. I wonder why? He says Buddy is trying to get them, to come out on Monday
to our studio. Now that would be a groove. It sure wouldn't hurt Buddy's album sales. I wish him luck,
though I doubt they will come. I'd really like to leave now, and get Mary's roommate into the sack, but she
is positively glowing. I don't want to end her groove, but I don't want to end mine either. So I'm rather
surprised, when she asks if I want to leave. I tell her fur sure, and we say good-bye to the twins, and I
tell Joe, I'll see him at his party. We say a few more good-byes, and head out to the parking area.

     Roadies and chauffeurs are loading the limos with luggage and such, as we head to the T-Bird.
Mary's roommate hands me the keys; which is another major surprise and I gingerly head the T-Bird
up the ramp, and through the now open gates, into the warm Californian night. I find a freeway,
which by a rather bizarre coincidence, is already in progress and head north ...

Rock on,
Ernest