I was finally able to the last signature on my REO Speedwagon items this past Thursday during the band's stop at the PCCC in Springfield, Illinois. That last member was bassist Bruce Hall. I missed Bruce during the band's appearance at Busch Stadium to sing the national anthem at the Cardinals home opener in 2007.

Bruce gladly added his signature to my items and posed for this shot.

I also spent some quality time with vocalist Kevin Cronin as he returned to the band's hotel after taking some pictures of the state capital. Cronin always make sure to get his photo taken in front of a state's capital building whenever he is in a state capital city. He said he already had a Springfield shot, but it needed updated. Cronin also shared the story behind the song "The Ballad of the Illinois Opry," a song he wrote during a trip to Springfield in the early 70s. Cronin recalled he may have been under the influence of some "special mushrooms" which helped him write the song, his vision of the Grand Old Opry in Illinois.

Drummer Bryan Hitt and guitarist Dave Amato also stopped for photos as they entered the hotel after an afternoon of visiting the Lincoln Presidential Museum. Amato has an extensive music resume and he talked with me and a group of other fans about his time working with Ted Nugent, Motley Crue, Cher, and his infamous appearance on a Michael Bolton video.

Styx and .38 Special were also on the concert bill. Another one of music's nice guys, Styx's James "JY" Young posed for this picture before departing for the show. Unfortunately, I had to depart the hotel early for an out-of-town meeting and missed the rest of Styx and .38.

Yesterday could have been titled a Turtle and a Car. It should have been the Turtles and a Car.

Yesterday afternoon I met Howard Kaylan, the original lead singer of the 60's pop group, The Turtles, before their show at the Alton Argosy Casino in Alton, Illinois. I had a nice chat with Kaylan as he waited for his ride to the venue. We talked a lot about Seattle (his current residence), his pets (like a proud pet owner he showed me photos on his I Phone), and a little bit of music. He also signed a couple of 8 x 10s and posed for this shot.

A few minutes later, the Turtles keyboardist for the evening arrived in the lobby. Greg Hawkes, the original keyboardist and co-founder of the 80's super group The Cars, plays keys in the "East Coast Band" version of the Turtles. His signature style is evident on The Cars hits like Hello Again, Let's Go, Shake It Up, and Just What I Needed. Hawkes signed a Cars Greatest Hits disk that already had the signatures of deceased vocalist Benjamin Orr and guitarist Elliot Easton and happily posed for the photograph above.

Hawkes current fascination is the ukulele. Check this out.

Unfortunately, Mark Volman, the other original member of the Turtles, drove himself to the show from his home in Nashville and wasn't at the hotel. I did manage to get him to sign the 8 x 10s that Howard had signed earlier, but those darn Illinois Gaming Commission laws prohibit photographs on their property, inside and outside. So, a photo with Mark will have to wait until next time.

Actress and humanitarian Mia Farrow was in St. Louis last evening as the featured speaker in Maryville University's St. Louis Speaker Series event at the Powell Symphony Hall.

Farrow is a fascinating woman. She spent a quick 90 minutes recapping her life's adventures, including surviving polio as a child, dating (and eventually marrying) a 50-year-old Frank Sinatra at age 19, her marriage to Woody Allen, hanging out with her sister, Prudence, and the Beatles (yes, the song "Dear Prudence" is about her sister) with the Maharishi in India, spending time with Nelson Mandela, making movies, and her current role as a leader in the fight for human rights in such countries as Darfur and the Congo.

She posed for the above photo and signed a couple of 8 x 10s at a reception following the presentation.