Prepping for Wrigley - A Thank You Note 16 Years in the Making
Some may have seen this in the facebook group, where I'm clearly more active (hello 1st official forum post for me in 16+ years of being 10C).
My only desire is to get this to the guys to express our gratitude, no tickets needed - just a hope that they receive the thanks and they continue to know the difference they make in our lives. This is a copy/paste from the link shared on social: evernote.com/shard/s196/sh/572f2b9d-987d-48fb-be0f-799e5691f866/75cc0cda2ada5e96
(8/12/16 update - Here's hoping we can thank you in Chicago! Wrigley bound in 8 days!)
5/20/16
The 1st few days of May, somewhere in the magic that is NYC. I stood 4 feet away from some of the most influential people in my life and I was too chickenshit to say a word to them.
Ed & I even laughed together about a gag gift that a woman received as a present for her 60th surprise party just outside. And I went back to the bar like a coward, unable to find any words.
But above all, I let an old friend down, someone who would have had the courage to say thank you to each of you for all you did for him, all you've done for me, and all that you continue to do for so many.
So here I am, 36,000 feet in the air, documenting my embarrassment and everything I wanted to tell you all when we were 4 feet apart.
Ed, Mike, Stone, Jeff, Matt, & Boom,
Do you believe in soulmates? I do. I lost one of mine on August 15th, 2000, 5 days after 2 Pearl Jam shows that had already had a profound impact on my future.
From 3rd grade to 11th grade, Joseph Coffaro and I shared nearly every single class together. Every year we would joke about how rare this was, especially in such large schools.
In middle school, we both joined band and it was immediately clear that we shared a strong passion for music. And what a time for music it was: the early 90's.
Seattle was on everyone's tongue; every kid wanted to be a part of that scene & see what was happening. It became a dream destination of ours. One that wouldn't happen for me until this very "flight to mars", at 32 years old.
Back to middle school: Joe started wearing a different Pearl Jam shirt every single day of the week. Every week. Every year. You were all he talked about. He started playing guitar and boy, was he an amazing musician.
It would be years before I could go to a Pearl Jam concert, but by the year 2000, I was long overdue and Joe had me convinced that I needed to attend both shows in West Palm Beach.
By this time, the summer of 2000, we were also working together. We were living our very own version of Empire Records: working at Spec's Music at a time when the music industry was changing all around us. You were part of that change, announcing the release of bootlegs of every single show from the tour. We planned to get our hands on as many of them as possible and counted down the days to August 9th & 10th.
Those 2 nights under the stars are still a blur of emotion & excitement. At one point, there was a shooting star, and I turned to a friend in awe of what we were witnessing.
It was all Joe & I could talk about at Spec's over the next 4 days. We were 17 years old.
On August 14th, 2000, there was a house party after work - a last hoorah before senior year started. I should have gone, but I was too tired. Joe went.
Sometime after midnight, he got in a car with a drunk driver to pick someone else up.
There was nothing anyone could do to pick me up when I got the call the next morning. They'd say, "Had the car hit the tree a few inches to the left or right, he may have survived". But he didn't.
A piece of me was gone and I never truly told him how much he meant to me, how a childhood crush had grown over the years, how many times I had signed "Crystal Coffaro" or doodled "Joseph and Crystal" in every single composition book I owned.
I couldn't listen to your voice at first, Ed. For quite some time, really. There was so much anger. Joe was supposed to open for Pearl Jam someday, to grow close to his idol the way you had grown close to Johnny Ramone or Pete Townshend.
But, time is a wondrous thing.
Soon enough, your music was exactly what we all needed to make the pain more tolerable. Eventually, it became healing. The only one that still sends chills to this day is Immortality, Joe's favorite song. His closest friends performed it at his funeral and Vitalogy albums lined the tree that still stood tall after the accident.
Your music has been our connection to Joe for 16 years. You've kept him alive in each of us and you've saved me more times than anyone truly knows.
Hanging onto Joe's senior picture at the April 2016 Jacksonville show
You've also saved the beautiful woman in the Easy Street Records shirt above, Elysia Skye Musmecci. Shortly after her 24th birthday, Elysia was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Through music, love, laughter, family, friendship, and gratitude, Elysia shone with positivity as she underwent chemotherapy, radiation, a double mastectomy, re-constructive surgeries, you name it.
She's a survivor in every sense of the word and someone I admire with all of my heart each and every day.
My wife in another life; Elysia is a warrior, a conqueror, a healer. She brings hope, light, & life to everyone she meets and even started The Elysia Skye Breast Cancer Organization to raise awareness about cancer in women under 40 and to share a message of love, laughter and gratitude during trauma and illness.
“With a sense of humor and a change in your perception, you will lessen the severity of any illness or trauma.” – Elysia Skye
As her 35th birthday approaches on August 21st, Elysia is also approaching her 10 year anniversary of being cancer free. A significant milestone worth celebrating, and what better way to do it than at Wrigley Field that birthday weekend.
Thank you for giving us that outlet, that ability to connect with so many other incredible spirits, and for bringing us that much closer to Joe at every show.
As time goes by, we look for ways to thank you, not only for what your music has done for us, but for using your platform to help so many others who truly need it.
This very flight to Seattle (FTM!), to thank you Mike for all you do for Crohn’s & Colitis.
We need more activists in the world, fighting for peace, fighting for cures. We donate to the causes we believe in whenever we can.
The nights you've seen the EB shirt this tour, Ed, and have raised your arms in thanks, know that there are a force of people behind you fighting for this cause, for those impacted by EB. And know how much it means to us that we're able to give back to you in this way.
Elysia & I at Madison Square Garden, 2016
And for that night in Greenville: my dreams weren't the only ones made that night.
That boy who introduced me to Pearl Jam in the 90's caught that tambourine too.
That was for Joe.
My sister Ashley's 1st Pearl Jam show, Greenville 2016
So, if I could go back to that place in NYC, 4 feet away from you all, I would gather the courage to at least say "thank you".
See you in Chicago!
Love & Gratitude,
Crystal Gans
@crystalgans
10C Member 197xxx
My only desire is to get this to the guys to express our gratitude, no tickets needed - just a hope that they receive the thanks and they continue to know the difference they make in our lives. This is a copy/paste from the link shared on social: evernote.com/shard/s196/sh/572f2b9d-987d-48fb-be0f-799e5691f866/75cc0cda2ada5e96
(8/12/16 update - Here's hoping we can thank you in Chicago! Wrigley bound in 8 days!)
5/20/16
The 1st few days of May, somewhere in the magic that is NYC. I stood 4 feet away from some of the most influential people in my life and I was too chickenshit to say a word to them.
Ed & I even laughed together about a gag gift that a woman received as a present for her 60th surprise party just outside. And I went back to the bar like a coward, unable to find any words.
But above all, I let an old friend down, someone who would have had the courage to say thank you to each of you for all you did for him, all you've done for me, and all that you continue to do for so many.
So here I am, 36,000 feet in the air, documenting my embarrassment and everything I wanted to tell you all when we were 4 feet apart.
Ed, Mike, Stone, Jeff, Matt, & Boom,
Do you believe in soulmates? I do. I lost one of mine on August 15th, 2000, 5 days after 2 Pearl Jam shows that had already had a profound impact on my future.
From 3rd grade to 11th grade, Joseph Coffaro and I shared nearly every single class together. Every year we would joke about how rare this was, especially in such large schools.
In middle school, we both joined band and it was immediately clear that we shared a strong passion for music. And what a time for music it was: the early 90's.
Seattle was on everyone's tongue; every kid wanted to be a part of that scene & see what was happening. It became a dream destination of ours. One that wouldn't happen for me until this very "flight to mars", at 32 years old.
Back to middle school: Joe started wearing a different Pearl Jam shirt every single day of the week. Every week. Every year. You were all he talked about. He started playing guitar and boy, was he an amazing musician.
It would be years before I could go to a Pearl Jam concert, but by the year 2000, I was long overdue and Joe had me convinced that I needed to attend both shows in West Palm Beach.
By this time, the summer of 2000, we were also working together. We were living our very own version of Empire Records: working at Spec's Music at a time when the music industry was changing all around us. You were part of that change, announcing the release of bootlegs of every single show from the tour. We planned to get our hands on as many of them as possible and counted down the days to August 9th & 10th.
Those 2 nights under the stars are still a blur of emotion & excitement. At one point, there was a shooting star, and I turned to a friend in awe of what we were witnessing.
It was all Joe & I could talk about at Spec's over the next 4 days. We were 17 years old.
On August 14th, 2000, there was a house party after work - a last hoorah before senior year started. I should have gone, but I was too tired. Joe went.
Sometime after midnight, he got in a car with a drunk driver to pick someone else up.
There was nothing anyone could do to pick me up when I got the call the next morning. They'd say, "Had the car hit the tree a few inches to the left or right, he may have survived". But he didn't.
A piece of me was gone and I never truly told him how much he meant to me, how a childhood crush had grown over the years, how many times I had signed "Crystal Coffaro" or doodled "Joseph and Crystal" in every single composition book I owned.
I couldn't listen to your voice at first, Ed. For quite some time, really. There was so much anger. Joe was supposed to open for Pearl Jam someday, to grow close to his idol the way you had grown close to Johnny Ramone or Pete Townshend.
But, time is a wondrous thing.
Soon enough, your music was exactly what we all needed to make the pain more tolerable. Eventually, it became healing. The only one that still sends chills to this day is Immortality, Joe's favorite song. His closest friends performed it at his funeral and Vitalogy albums lined the tree that still stood tall after the accident.
Your music has been our connection to Joe for 16 years. You've kept him alive in each of us and you've saved me more times than anyone truly knows.
Hanging onto Joe's senior picture at the April 2016 Jacksonville show
You've also saved the beautiful woman in the Easy Street Records shirt above, Elysia Skye Musmecci. Shortly after her 24th birthday, Elysia was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Through music, love, laughter, family, friendship, and gratitude, Elysia shone with positivity as she underwent chemotherapy, radiation, a double mastectomy, re-constructive surgeries, you name it.
She's a survivor in every sense of the word and someone I admire with all of my heart each and every day.
My wife in another life; Elysia is a warrior, a conqueror, a healer. She brings hope, light, & life to everyone she meets and even started The Elysia Skye Breast Cancer Organization to raise awareness about cancer in women under 40 and to share a message of love, laughter and gratitude during trauma and illness.
“With a sense of humor and a change in your perception, you will lessen the severity of any illness or trauma.” – Elysia Skye
As her 35th birthday approaches on August 21st, Elysia is also approaching her 10 year anniversary of being cancer free. A significant milestone worth celebrating, and what better way to do it than at Wrigley Field that birthday weekend.
Thank you for giving us that outlet, that ability to connect with so many other incredible spirits, and for bringing us that much closer to Joe at every show.
As time goes by, we look for ways to thank you, not only for what your music has done for us, but for using your platform to help so many others who truly need it.
This very flight to Seattle (FTM!), to thank you Mike for all you do for Crohn’s & Colitis.
We need more activists in the world, fighting for peace, fighting for cures. We donate to the causes we believe in whenever we can.
The nights you've seen the EB shirt this tour, Ed, and have raised your arms in thanks, know that there are a force of people behind you fighting for this cause, for those impacted by EB. And know how much it means to us that we're able to give back to you in this way.
Elysia & I at Madison Square Garden, 2016
And for that night in Greenville: my dreams weren't the only ones made that night.
That boy who introduced me to Pearl Jam in the 90's caught that tambourine too.
That was for Joe.
My sister Ashley's 1st Pearl Jam show, Greenville 2016
So, if I could go back to that place in NYC, 4 feet away from you all, I would gather the courage to at least say "thank you".
See you in Chicago!
Love & Gratitude,
Crystal Gans
@crystalgans
10C Member 197xxx
23 Shows & Counting
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Bonnaroo 6/14/08 Spectrum 10/30/09 Spectrum 10/31/09 Atlanta 9/22/12 Wrigley 7/19/13
Baltimore 10/27/13 Charlottesville 10/29/13 Charlotte 10/30/13 OKC 11/16/13
St. Louis 10/03/14 Greenville 4/16/16 Hampton 4/18/16
Columbia 4/21/16 Wrigley 8/18/18
We lost Joe 16 years ago today; it just felt right to share and put a little effort behind getting what started as more of a journal entry, to the band.
~not a dude~
2010: MSGx2
2012: Made In America
2013: Pittsburgh, Brooklynx2, Hartford, Baltimore
2014: Leeds, Milton Keynes, Detroit
2015: Global Citizen Festival
2016: Phillyx2, MSGx2, Fenwayx2
2018: Barcelona, Wrigleyx2
Hopefully stories like these (and it continues to amaze me how many of them there are) keeps them motivated to do so.
See you in Wrigley
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Welcome to the boards! Thank you for sharing your, Joe's, & Elysia's stories here. Even if you were unable to speak a word at the time, it is great that you were able be in the moment and enjoy it.
See you in Chicago.