It was July 7th, 2001. I had waited for this day to come since I was 16, and it was only three days until my 25th birthday. Not only was I going to see Joe Satriani, the most amazing guitar player on the planet, I was going to see him with my dearest love, Chris. Oh, how I admired Joe and the way he was able to touch my soul with his music. And to have the opportunity to spend the entire weekend with the one person I loved more than I can ever explain was like a dream come true. If someone had said to me that on this day, I would see my favorite musician with the man I cherished, I would have told them to wake up, as they must have been dreaming.

Friday, I spent the whole day planning every last detail. I printed the map...