What I did on my summer vacation

Hello all,

I'm back in Texas, recuperating.  It's just as hot as it was when I left
:-(.  As part of my recuperation program, I'm supposed to actually get a
good night's sleep tonight, which means I've got about 2 minutes to write
this.

Had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones.  It's actually
kind of scary to read Bernd's "back in Germany" note and realize that we've
already dispersed back to our respective (if not necessarily respectable
:-) homes thousands of miles away.

The shows were as good as I could have expected.  On the downside, there
were no surprises; the evening's program is set.  On the upside:  Roger's
voice was better than I had a right to expect; John beggars description as
always, but unfortunately had only the 5:15 solo in which to blow the doors
off; Pete was the behind-the-scenes MC, the spark that kept things going
but was content to share the spotlight, with his  occasional windmills,
leaps, stretches and wiggles fueling my memories, and his brilliant
acoustic technique making fresh moments to remember.  Drowned was his song
on which to stretch and improvise.  I liked Gary Glitter; much credit to
him for throwing himself into his cartoon character 100%.  Billy Idol
redeemed himself in my eyes for his '89 performances which left me
unimpressed -- yeah, he fluffed a couple of lines, but then so did everyone
over the six nights, Idol just had the misfortune to blow his during
broadcast night.  I didn't particularly care for Phil Daniels' narration;
he spoke as if he didn't realize he had a mike on and had to project to the
last row under his own power, thus coming across with the mike and
projection screen like an actor reading a script, not a character telling a
story.  Geoff Whitehorn is technically perfect or nearly so, but
unfortunately plays with a fixed smile or grin that makes it seem like he's
detached from the emotions of the music he's playing in favor of
appreciating his own undeniable skill.  Simon and Zak both have an
unqualified thumbs-up from this quarter, although I could barely hear
Simon's playing and found myself wishing I could hear just his contribution
by itself for a bit.

John's Le Bar Bat gig was a highlight of the trip.  The show opened with
the John Entwistle Band, with Mark Clark (of Mountain, I believe?) standing
in quite well in the bass slot, and an excellent guest vocalist, Joe
_____?.  They kicked my butt with Goin' Down, Rocky Mountain Way, and the
Hendrix or Buddy Miles (hep me out) number Changes.  Then John came on, the
vocalist left, and the John Entwistle Band did the previously posted
setlist:  Had Enough, The Real Me, Pride & Joy, and Summertime Blues.  John
must have been tired after the gig to do only four songs, but played each
with full display of his abilities.  I grinned involuntarily during the
whole set.  Then after a short break, Godfrey brought on a bassist he'd
played with for many years before, Frank ________? and Craig Salas, the
durmmer from Joni's Butterfly, and they continued the rock with Hendrix's
(Let Me Stand Next to Your) Fire, Sunshine of Your Love, and  Crossroads.
After this it sort of devolved into a serial jam, including different band
members; Rabbit sat in during part of it, as did Geoff Whitehorn.  Godfrey
Townsend was the wild man of the evening, playing almost every number.  I
bailed about 2:00 or 2:30 I think.

Simon's Bitter End gig played to a packed house of about 150.  About a
dozen folks from the Quad show/cast were there.  Suzy Webb (backing vocals)
introduced him.  He played solo acoustic for most of the show, joined by
Ben on backing vocals and tambourine for 4-5 songs.  Don't have a setlist
memorized and it's getting late, so maybe later.  An excellent show, warmly
received.

OK, that was the world's longest two minutes, I'm outta here.  Great to see
you folks that I'd seen before, and to put faces and good conversations to
some of the names I've seen here.


Alan

"When I'm on stage, it's not like bein' possessed...it's just...*I* *do*
*my* *job*."                 - Pete Townshend



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From: sharkbait@juno.com (Mike Schmidt)