My alarm snapped me awake well before dawn the morning of the show. I sat up on the edge of the bed and stretched for a moment, collecting my not fully coherent thoughts. After a quick shower, I got dressed in khaki cutoffs, a faded gray Built To Spill shirt and sneakers. Grabbing my backpack and double checking to make sure I had the tickets, I wandered down the hall to make sure Skye was up and ready.

She was no more of a morning person than I was and answered her door while mid-yawn. I paused a moment to take in her look. She was wearing a loose skirt...