Before we delve into some more concert reviews and full photo galleries from the past week at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis, here is an insight into the chain of interesting events and encounters that made 2009 perhaps the most memorable rally yet.

For the first few days, everything ran quite smooth at the Chip as the artists were giving great performances during great weather. Sunny skies were the rule, and apart from some wind and a chill during the evenings, it was a perfect setting for the likes of Mark Farner and George Thorogood. Activity and excitement picked up on the night of August 2nd, when Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler showed up on grounds and spontaneously met with lucky fans who had purchased Fan VIP tickets for the evening and had no idea that he would be walking through. Tyler was in Deadwood the next day for the 2nd Annual Legends Ride, a charity parade of motorcycles that sees riders traveling from the historic mining town back to the Buffalo Chip Campground. Among the riders were Meghan McCain and Steven Tyler, but both did a fine job of blending in as ordinary bikers participating in a great cause.

A couple hours before its start, a Legends Ride press conference was held at the Franklin Hotel in downtown Deadwood. Buffalo Chip CEO Rod Woodruff, a spokesperson for the Children’s Home Society, and John Paul DeJoria were first to speak, followed by Steven Tyler. The last question for Tyler in the press conference came from myself on behalf of Melodic Rock Concerts, and it went something like this: “So Steven, how is it that the music of Aerosmith goes together so well with the crowd here in Sturgis?” His answer? “Yeah I think they just go hand in hand, don’t they. *sings* Love in an Elevator!” Aside from giving this rock fan a moment to remember, Tyler was extremely gracious in person and took time to meet other reporters as well.

Lita Ford and Toby Keith played that evening to a very extensive crowd (read the Lita review), and the next day Steven Tyler once again became a star performer while not even being on stage. A brief opportunity for fans and campers alike to meet Tyler was set up in the Buffalo Chip Amphitheater on Tuesday, with nearly 100 people lining up by 4:30. When the singer rode in on his Dirico motorcycle at 5:15, gasps were heard from women who quickly began to push their way forward to get in a photo. Completely nonchalant even as fans chased him on his way to the Lichter Motorcycle Exhibit, Steven took time to sign autographs and pose for photos with a few lucky fans. You can see below that the meet and greet created some interesting photos:

This particular evening featured a unique blend of entertainment in the form of Billy Squier and Cheech & Chong. I briefly spoke with Squier before the show and the singer sounded extremely gratified to be back on tour, informing me that the night’s playlist would contain a few surprises (read the Squier review). Aerosmith’s show arrived the next evening as history unfolded before the eyes of all who were watching the band perform “Love in an Elevator“. The story has been told on major news networks and in over 1,000 news articles, but only at Melodic Rock Concerts could you find a photo of Tyler on stage just half an hour before the fall (read the article here). More photos and a complete review of Aerosmith’s Chip performance will be published tomorrow.

Thursday August 6 at the Chip was a day of hysteria as the previous evening’s events finally set in. It was stunning to come to the realization that such a dramatic situation had unfolded hours ago, especially when Twitter led to my contributions to a breaking news article by the BBC. Tesla and Hinder both gave hard rock performances later in the day that effectively lifted spirits and eased minds.

The following day brought another series of bizarre and unexpected events. The Pink N’ Proud breast cancer charity auction took place in the afternoon, featuring Pat Simmons of The Doobie Brothers. Pat and his wife Cris worked to donate items that generated great revenue for the auction, among them being a signed copy of the Doobies’ album Cycles, and even the opportunity to join the band on stage for part of a show. Just minutes after the final gavel rang at the auction, attendees were told to seek shelter as a severe thunderstorm approached. Golf ball sized hail fell for nearly 15 minutes, devastating parts of the campground. Meanwhile in the exhibit building, a dozen or so individuals gained the unique distinction of being stuck in a hail storm with a founding member of a legendary rock band. Simmons signed autographs after the storm and gave everyone a laugh when he suddenly walked up with two hailstones in hand:

Finally on the last day of concerts at the Buffalo Chip, there was a return to normal as the property damage was assessed. Broken windshields were a common sight and many campers departed early, but those who remained on grounds gathered to watch The Guess Who perform the final show for the year. Even through a series of unfortunate occurrences, in the end every moment at the Chip seemed to bring something new and exciting to the table whether it was hanging out with Pat Simmons in a hail storm or watching Steven Tyler ride a motorcycle. What will 2010 bring? We can only wonder.