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Viva Las Vegas
Vegas isn't meant to be enjoyed as much as survived. I was in good shape, having crashed and burned up front, and refueled on sleep on Thursday. Sue and I wisely spent only two sets with Catdaddy on Friday night and headed to bed at a reasonable hour. Sue and Red kept saying they were "going shopping over at Caesar's" but they just didn't do it. They lounged around the room with me, drinking coffee and eating pastries (not "pasties" – that's Cornwall or down the block from the Paris) and talking about it. And talking about it! Red: Hey, we should go over to Caesars. Sue: Hmmmm. Yeah! Um...want another cup of coffee? Red: SURE!  It went on for hours.
The Bellagio water ballet started and they were still drinking coffee.
I don't remember Saturday very well. Caffeine intoxication, no doubt!
I do remember being AT the show! Yeah...we were in the 5th row again, Sue joined me this time. It was a different concert experience because we sat behind Band Children. As in children "of" Band members. I can't imagine what it would be like to be the child of famous people or a famous person. I don't think I'd like it! LOL!!! How would you feel about their music? Would it be anything special to you, or would it be everyday stuff you had heard all your life? What would you think of your parent being onstage and performing? Well, I don't know the answers to these questions, and I didn't have either the chutzpah or the opportunity to ask the Band offspring sitting in front of me Saturday night. I could only watch the concert and didn't notice at all when they came, when they left, when they went for a smoke, when they went to the ladies room, when they returned and had to throw seat jumpers out of their seats, or who THEY watched in the crowd (now THAT was interesting!) Nope! I didn't notice at all. Let's just say that they didn't bother me by obnoxiously standing and clapping. I did feel a bit inhibited about even THINKING about anyone's cute butt on stage with his KIDS sitting in front of me. It's one more good reason to sit on the front row! I can honestly say that I don't mind them (the Band Children) being there, but all in all, I'd rather not know anything about it. I suppose my next concert ordeal will be to sit next to a BAND WIFE! Eeeeeek! Now, that could be awful! Not "only" would one be unable to even THINK the word "butt" but one WOULD be thinking the entire time: Is she a size 4 or a size 2? Or Damn! Is she whispering during The Actor? Should I tell her to "shut up" and then tell her my name is "Sue"? Would it make a difference if it were the singer's spouse? Hopefully, I will never have to answer these questions and they will mercifully remain hypothetical. It reminded me of my childhood neighbors. They were a lovely young couple and the wife was particularly friendly to me. I was 10 at the time, and Nancy loaned me all her Black Stallion books. She also gave me my first drink, a shot of rum from a mostly decorative rattan covered jug from the Bahamas. Yes, it was awful and it threw me off liquor for a number of years, which was no doubt her wise intent! Nancy's burden was to be married to the high school football coach. She was a low key, calm person. It only took once sitting with her in the stands at a football game to be horrified at the abuse she quietly and anonymously endured. I wonder if it could be like that for the family members of The Band? I did notice a new Rayfan in the audience; a nice guy who intently watched the flute solo in LOAM, then clapped and stood, and at the end, did the windmill with Ray. Cool kid, and I'd love to know how he opened his Corona with my lighter! The Fashion Report: GE- 2 Ladies shirt (long slved black shirt with 2 ladies design on the back), black slacks RT- White long slvd shirt, black slacks JH- White short slvd shirt, very thin material, pocket on the left breast, black jeans JL- Black long slvd ruffled shirt, cuffs undone (the JL trademark), black slacks No intermission, therefore no change in stage attire. I've been amused this tour by JL's and JH's shirt cuffs. Their preference seems to reflect their personalities: Justin, with his cuffs tightly buttoned, and John's hanging and free! LOL I have no notes on this concert, except for the monumentally important Fashion Report, and am referring SOLELY to my memory for a few tidbits. The Big News on Saturday in Vegas was Ray's. He introduced FML by saying: "I just met my new granddaughter for the first time 30 minutes ago. This song is for Megan." (This was Ray's daughter Nancy's baby.) Graeme Edge dominates the Vegas concerts for me.  While the rest of The Band seems a bit "tired"
in Vegas (only in comparison to the rest of the tour and not as an absolute)
Graeme shines in his brief moment at the front of the stage, every night!
He's absolutely unpredictable! On Saturday night, GE came down for
Nothing Changes, stood at the mike, looked down at his chest and said "I've
lost me medallion!" He turned around and buttoned his shirt.
He's so natural and unaffected in the spotlight.
I was amazed again at the frantic stampede to the stage. A woman in the center of the 5th row dragged a large child past us to the aisle, tramping our feet in the process. It seems very important for some people to get to the stage. I understand that, but I'm not sure hurting people, or risking getting hurt oneself is worth it. Since I've read numerous reports of this person's at-stage experience, I guess it was. I wish them well, and I'm glad it provided good memories for them.  I lit out immediately at
the end of SeeSaw to garner us a table at one of the hotel bars and was
able to order us some very strange sandwiches right before they stopped
serving. I think one of them was wild boar. Part of what
I love about The Paris is that the things that I love about it pretty much
stay the same from visit to visit. One of the few things I don't
like is jazz. Jazz is music hell to me. The bar we selected
had featured the Tommy Thompson Project the last time we were at Paris,
and unfortunately, the TTP was still there. Grover Washington, they
are not! They are too loud for the small bar and there's no escaping
them! They fill every corner of the place with some of the most butchered
music I've ever heard. They do a fair job on The Pink Panther and
I spent our hours there praying...perhaps the NEXT song will be PINK!
Still, the Margaritas were good, and I had the wicked pleasure of seeing
late fan arrivals forlornly standing next to the door, searching for a
table. There was a large table next to us presided over by a Band
Patriarch who benignly hosted a number of Band children, both his and others,
and it seemed a happy affair. We left early, fearful that the TTP
would again try My Funny Valentine.
This was my third set of Moodies concert experiences at The Paris. The concerts have been good, and sometimes very good, and are comparable to many others on the tour. What is different about The Paris is the off-stage experience! This time, more than any other time, it seemed as if two very large reunions were going on simultaneously: A Fan Reunion and A Band Family Reunion. There's a lot of waving and smiling that goes back and forth between the two groups, but the reunions are separate (with a few very limited exceptions). It's a great time for both groups! And very interesting to watch. MaggieMay |
Las Vegas