The Stevie Ray Vaughan Experience
Andrea L. Bois
October 20, 2000
To Stevie Ray and All His Devoted Fans-
I was blessed to have seen Stevie Ray perform on 2 occasions. It would have been 3 times had I not passed-out during Lonnie Mack's opening performance at San Diego State's back door theater!
It was a tiny theater with no seats and no ventilation, and I was right up front, in the crush of the crowd when the next thing I knew, I was laying on the floor in the lobby and my brother and my friend were trying to wake me up! I woke up, but we were not allowed back inside, so we had to miss Stevie that night.
I will always regret that. But I did get to see him perform twice after that,at San Diego State's open air theater and OH MAN what a SHOW!!! Never have I seen the like! Stevie was just AWESOME!!
My big brother had turned me on to Stevie's brand of blues, and we saw him together both times at that open air theater. We were already totally devoted fans, but to SEE him perform, was like nothing we had ever experienced before or since.
A woman in the crowd took off her top and bared her breasts for Stevie. He just grinned his classic SRV grin and nodded in her direction. The crowd cheered her on, and security tried to throw her out, but Stevie wasn't havin' it, oh no! Still playin' and without missing a beat he said something to somebody backstage, they ran out to the crowd and STOPPED security from throwing her out!! Now how cool is that??!
Stevie Ray was simply too good for this world.I firmly believe he was sent from Heaven to do things we mortals could never fathom, and when finally his mission was somehow complete, Heaven called him back. There will never be another STEVIE RAY. He taught us all priceless lessons of love and heart and soul and personal integrity, day after day night after night, without ever meeting us or knowing us, he touched us all, heart to heart and soul to soul.
Whenever I speak of him (which seems like every day) and someone who has never heard of him asks who I'm speaking of, I am always completely amazed and I feel a real sense of sorrow for anyone who doesn't know of Stevie Ray, and never heard or saw him play, because I know just what they are missing, and no words can ever express to them how good he was or how much they missed out on
.So when someone hears me say his name and asks me "who's that" this is what I tell them--
"Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Late Great Stevie Ray was The Michael Jordan Of Blues Guitar".
Was Stevie's untimely and tragic death God's way of telling us that we do have free will?? Or was his death God's way of telling us we really don't have free will, and our fate is in his hands??
I wonder if I will ever know. The one thing I do know is this:Heaven is hosting The Best Band Ever.
I hope to meet you there one day Stevie Ray,
Your devoted fan always,
Andrea L.Bois,
SRV Junkie
San Diego,California
