Biloxi

Puddle of Mudd summer experience #1 of 2: CPR Fest at the MS Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, MS. (Experience #2 of 2 will be in Milwaukee upon my return for school in August.)

The concert was pretty cool, but only worth half the retelling of the day, seeing as how there were 7 hours of cumulative driving to get there and back, plus exploring the city of Biloxi itself. Plus, I broke code as a true POM fan because I had to leave halfway through Puddle's performance, just to start the drive home and get out of town before all of the drunk drivers would stumble out of the concert themselves. (Joe & I went to Biloxi and back in one day, to save expenses that a hotel room would accrue.)

Back on track: I've got this thing where I collect Hard Rock Cafe shirts from each of the Hard Rock cafes either I or my family/friends go to. It's sort of a way to mark my territory as I slowly make my way around my travels in my lifetime. They say you can do anything you want in your life...well, I want to do everything! I mark this by buying shirts with the timeless 'Hard Rock' logo on it with the city name spelled out underneath it.

Example:
So far I've got Munich (my favorite one, wear it all the time) and Orlando (which my parents kindly bought for me). After this weekend, I bought 'Biloxi' to add to my stash. As you can tell, I have only recently started this collection thing. Edit: I made up my mind to start this collection while standing in the Munich Hard Rock Shop, holding my first shirt and deciding what size to buy it in. So....that dates this all back to January 2007 when I was studying abroad. :)

Anyway, Joe and I ate at the Hard Rock cafe right on the gulf coast as the sun was going down and it was great! We got outdoor seats on a balcony just above their hotel pool, it was pretty posh if you ask my tastes.

Driving up to the hotel + casino - the big guitar reminds me of the one from Honey I Blew Up the Kid when the toddler plays with the even BIGGER guitar in Las Vegas. :)


Always the car buff....spockin' out the Hard Rock valet parking while stopped at a red light.

The inside of the Hard Rock cafe - very fun, but loud.

The view from our dinner balcony: poolside with just a quick splash over the barrier walls RIGHT into the Gulf of Mexico. WOW. :)

After finishing dinner at the Hard Rock, Joe and I went in to the concert and got to watch four bands play, ending with Shinedown and Puddle of Mudd.

I'm rather disappointed that we missed seeing Saving Abel and 10 Years, but I'm hoping and checking their touring schedules to catch them some other time. Besides, the concert was at a HUGE venue - easily 10,000 people there from all over the south. (There were mostly crazy Alabama country boys there, wearing their cowboy hats and showing off their bulging upper arms and form-fitting denim jeans.) At a venue that large, the sound system was pretty shoddy, and admittedly it was my least memorable Puddle of Mudd experience. :( :(

Driving up and down Biloxi's main drag, Beach Blvd., was a lot of fun because there was so much to look and gawk at. It reminded me of everything my family has ever experienced in Panama City Beach, FL, while on our Griswold-family-style vacations. :) Except this city was much smaller, just with explosive potential to become the next big-name touristy place.

I'd like to return, if not even stay, at that Hard Rock hotel for even just a weekend, to check out more of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. There's a lot of history there that I would love to finish checking out!