|
Hard
Rock Live
The Band day off was Monday, a very lucky thing for the Moodies’ lead guitarist, imo. He would have needed a shopping cart onstage at the bows and could have just pushed it up and down the stage, taking flowers, cards and giftbags, smiling, then tossing them into his cart. I’ve seen the poor dear loaded like an overworked pack mule at the end of some concerts, barely able to stagger off stage under his load of love gifts. I’m sure the temptation for his fans to show him their appreciation and admiration on his birthday would have been irresistible! Yes, even I broke down and gave him a card. I had bought three hilarious ones which we chortled over, but I had my doubts whether the recipient would think they were funny, and settled on one of music and good wishes. The three of us decided to spend Monday celebrating the Moody holiday, and wished each other Happy Justin’s Birthday at breakfast, and throughout the day!  Tuesday
was a beautiful day in Florida, and I decided to embrace the Florida experience
by spending some time in sun worship. I had to send up my solar prayers
alone; my traveling companions possess auburn hair and cream colored skin,
and they wanted it to remain that way. The pool was lovely, the water
was blue and inviting, and the palm trees waved gently in the breeze.
The beautiful scene was accompanied by the sound of waves breaking on the
beach. A nice young fellow helped me to select the perfect chaise,
covered it with a thick towel, and made me a pillow for my head.
I was surprised that he didn't insist on slowly slathering me with protective
sunscreen! He made up for it later in the morning, by asking me if
I'd like to be spritzed with Evian water. I mulled it over, but in
the end decided that it smacked of nubile slaves hovering with palm fronds
and regretfully declined. The morning went quickly, as it always
does in Paradise, and I was finally forced to go inside to dress for the
Orlando concert.
We were off for Disneyland and SueC shone, and bragged about getting us to the venue without a single mishap. Using my bum knee as an excuse, we were allowed into preferred parking. It was a nice stroll through City Walk to the Hard Rock Cafe where we were to meet Louise for BLTs. Louise was no where to be found, but a kind manager allowed us to hork one of the three smoking tables, rather than sending us to the back of the line, proving once again that good things happen to good people (or people who own the planet.) ; ) It was fun in the Hard Rock Cafe and we had the added pleasure of knowing that the venue was just next door and our tickets could not be improved. It had begun to sprinkle when we had walked over, and it was raining now in earnest. THE VENUE The HRL is an incredibly cool place! Most venues we see must be multipurpose and serve everything from ballet and opera to country western. The HRL is dedicated to the belief in rock ‘n roll. The venue is similar to the Cafe with rock memorabilia on the walls and in the corridors. They even allow smoking in the venue, though not in the auditorium proper. The rain had let up, and after greeting yet another old Moodies friend, I approached the security line outside the door. There were probably 6 security guards watching the line, and one approached me about my small purse and bag, rifled through it and specifically asked about cameras. I hate to lie, but have been infuriated before when I did not bring my camera, thinking they were not allowed, then having a security guard up front say sure, you can take pictures! The nice fellow didn’t seem to notice the film canisters that had floated to the top of my bag, and waved me through the door. BTW, photos were allowed! The Hard Rock Live was very close to sold out, and may have been by show time. It is a large room with a small balcony near the back of the hall and service bars against the side walls. It has a large front row, over 40 seats wide, and they wisely use two continental rows as an effective crowd control trick. The crowd can't rush the stage at the Hard Rock! There are areas of side seating up a few steps on either side of the main floor. The stage is on the high side, perhaps 4 to 4 ½ feet high, but the front row was back far enough for comfortable view. Though I had attended the last Moodies evening at the HRL, I had forgotten that the stage front contained front fill speakers, giving one a very full sound at the front of the hall. THE FASHION REPORT RT- White long slvd shirt, black slacks GE- Jimi Hendrix shirt, black slacks JH- White long slvd pinstripe bib shirt, black jeans JL- Black on black, black Oxford shirt, black slacks Justin seems to have an entire wardrobe of different tux shirts for stage wear. The list may or may not be for the first half only, I must have been too mesmerized to remember to write anything down for the second half. THE CONCERT The permanent setlist was performed ably with a 20 minute intermission. No incidents or outstanding moments onstage were noted. Great concert! The crowd was better than usual, into it, and appreciative. There was a roaring of the audience at the finish of ILS, proving once again that I'm a maverick on this particular Moody song and that The Band is throwing pearls before swine. (Oink, oink!) My only distinctive memory of this particular concert will be the boorish and lascivious behavior of the dissipated and drunken over the hill floozies sitting near me on the front row. I rarely notice or care about the behavior of other fans, having an enlightened live and let live attitude, helped by frequent recitations of the Desiderata. After all, most of the time, it is happening behind me! I'm cursed with a mother's peripheral vision, and while blind as a bat, I can't help but be distracted by odd motions at my side. That this "lady" was a John Lodge fan was noticeable from word one, and John's winning performance was greeted by a great deal of shimmying in response. Yes, I was jealous, as I can't shimmy, having neither the necessary equipment, nor the freedom from the Calvinist attitudes of my childhood. I can't quite imagine the view from the front, since the view from the side was more than a bit unsettling. There was a huge scene of midconcert pick begging, and the kind fellow relented and tossed his blousy blonde a plastic token, which she promptly lost. There was a frantic searching of the stage for the bass pick, a desperate survey of the venue floor and then a scene of utter despair worthy of Madame Butterfly. I would have been moved to pity, but felt none after enduring her drunken talking during The Actor, and her continual annoyance of my patient girlfriend of the blue hair. The girl from Wonderland jumped forward and located the errant pick and gave it to her, hoping that it might quiet her down. This generous act was well repaid later in the concert, when the lady said to her "if you get between me and John Lodge, I'll bite your arm off." I don't think anyone has ever threatened me in such a bold and direct manner at a Moodies concert, and I didn't appreciate my companion or anyone being intimidated in this way. We worked to maintain our Zen, and enjoyed our concert. MaggieMay |
Melbourne