While normal people spend New Year's Eve reflecting on the past or making resolutions for a fresh start, we instead mark that night as the beginning of the two-week countdown to our favorite time of year: The annual winter NAMM convention. 

Following all optimistic indicators of our healing economy, the 2010 NAMM Show (National Association of Music Merchants) hit Anaheim with a bang this year, generating more than $70 million for Orange County businesses and bringing more than 1,500 exhibitors from around the world to our own backyard to show off their musical products and their latest innovations. 

So, what's in it for us? Well, wherever there is music gear, there will definitely be musicians.  And where there are musicians, there will most definitely be music!

For the four incredible (yet long) days of The 2010 NAMM Show, Gary and I slung our bulky camera bags over our shoulders and put ourselves through the rigors of literally slalom-walking through traffic jams created by the more than 86,000 attendees who crowded the corridors and walkways of this year’s convention, trying to ignore our increasingly aching feet and sore backs, while we admired the nearly million square feet of space covered with every imaginable music industry related products known to man.

Aisle after aisle, NAMM members filled their booths with products that would make any musician or music lover drool. From one end of the Anaheim Convention Center to the other (and through even more exhibit halls in adjacent hotels), we worked our way past the latest in music technology, combing through thousands of guitars, walls of amps and cabinets, and endless rows of drum kits, woodwinds, brass, and much, much more. We even stumbled upon an exhibit that was drawing spectator attention by having parked one of the five original Batmobiles from the 1966 television series - a modified 1955 Lincoln Futura created by George Barris, who was actually present at the booth, signing autographs and posing for photos with fans.

With such a variety of things to visit, we do try to plan ahead as we sift through the overload of sights and sounds at this massive music convention.  Yet, each year, we find that the most memorable moments of NAMM are simply unexpected.  Take, for example, how a quick decision to turn left down one aisle bumped us into actor Gary Sinise, who was picking up a bass guitar a manufacturer was donating to him to assist in his ongoing heroic USO efforts.  On another day, a choice to eat lunch at one food court over another landed us in line right behind Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, who kindly refused our offer to buy his lunch (seeing as though he has brought us such great music – we thought we’d at least offer), but who did pose for a lovely photo with me. Such random run-ins just make us wonder who we missed out on seeing.

That’s how it is at NAMM – musicians roaming free among us, which means you have to be on a constant watch to see who is literally standing right next to you.  Sometimes, I must admit however, it’s hard to tell who’s who when every wanna-be rockstar walks around NAMM trying to look like someone famous.  It can get pretty exhausting keeping your eye out for the real thing!

Whether accidental or well orchestrated, though, our adventures at this year’s NAMM gave us some truly unique experiences.  We saw Yoko Ono, Jackson Browne, and Quincy Jones together singing "Give Peace a Chance" while promoting music education. We caught an incredibly intimate and jaw-dropping jam session with bass legend Tony Levin and his band Stickmen. We witnessed a surprise reunion concert (pictured above) by 90s supergroup Damn Yankees (Tommy Shaw and Ted Nugent together about five feet away from me – I nearly fainted!). And, as expected, we met and saw so many talented musicians including Tito and Jermaine Jackson, Peter Frampton, Neal Schon of Journey, and Gene Simmons - who was promoting his new signature bass and who, much to my elation, looked over our last month's article about Kiss, and even took a copy home with him!

Adding to our fun, we always run into old friends, make a few new friends, and, this year, even met a couple of our loyal readers, who quickly recognized your humbled writer and photographer. We certainly are happy to know that someone is out there joining us on our wild musical ride.

So I say thank you to NAMM for another good year. And, even though we now must re-set the countdown to 365 days until our next NAMM show, we can at least direct our energies on the new year and new decade, and look forward to filling 2010 with loads of amazing live music.