Broward Center We had entered the most difficult miles of the tour. SueC had estimated 1100 miles drive between Washington DC and Ft Lauderdale, around 25 hours of driving in 48 hours. We looked at it, and looked at it, and decided we just couldn’t do it and have any chance of enjoying the concerts. While Jill, my Parrothead travel agent found us a doable flight from Washington to Charleston, nothing could be found that would get us to Ft Lauderdale in time for the first of the two shows. We HAD to drive it. Sigh God provided us a dry road, and for that we were grateful. We left after the Family Circle fiasco and got the heck out of Dodge. SueC and Thelma traded off, SueC doing the first 100 miles, then Thelma taking over for the next two hundred or so. My job, and a very important one it was, was to pinch them to make sure they stayed awake. SueC drove on a bit longer, and then made the executive decision to pull into a rest area near Cape Canaveral for a couple of hours of sleep. I jerked awake in my seat, covered in sweat and discovered that the morning sun had heated the car to at least 100 degrees. There’s nothing quite like checking in at a very nice hotel, and having the staff lean over to pluck hay from your hair. They were kind enough to overlook our bedraggled condition, and got us in our room as quickly as possible. A non-smoking room, of course! Larry the bellman moved us to what was touted as the ONLY smoking room left in the hotel. I think they have a total of three. Lol! Cool showers were reviving, and we made our way to the venue, parked in the convenient garage across the street and made our way up the slope to the front door. THE VENUE The Broward Center was a very nice venue, perhaps 10 years old. The interior was modern, minimalist, but comfortable. Food had been spotty since our Family Circle picnic basket, and the Broward hotdogs tasted like filet mignon. I particularly liked the chairs at Broward. Unlike recent others, you didn’t sink to the floor and were able to effortlessly get in and out of them. Broward doesn’t have a pit, though the first five rows seem like one. Its most distinguishing feature is the boxes on the side. Nice venue! The stage was normal height and included three front fill speakers. THE FASHION REPORT First show: RT- White long slvd shirt, black slacks GE- Red car shirt, black slacks JH- White long slvd shirt, black slacks JL- Black on black Second show: RT- White long slvd shirt, black slacks GE- Flag shirt, black slacks JH- White ruched shirt, JL- White long slvd Oxford shirt THE CONCERTS There were two concerts at Broward, the only date on the tour on which two are performed. Each concert was performed without an intermission, however the full permanent setlist was performed for both. The lighting was much different than usual at Broward. Ray was lit better than I’ve ever seen him; in fact all four were favorably lit. The sound was great (at my third row center seat) and I really enjoyed the Gibson pouring out of the center front fill speaker. It was fabulous, and I enjoyed every minute of it! I thought Broward had a “harder” sound overall than other venues. What does that mean? I can’t tell you, but I can hear it! Lol It’s a good thing. I didn’t need earplugs to protect me from loudness or worse, distortion. I did need to shove them in at the end of ILS. First show: IKYOTS hit me with chills again tonight. If there were no other reason to attend every Moody Blues concert, IKYOTS would be enough! What a rush! YWD had a minor lyrics flub. I thought for a minute that JH had hiccupped. For a change, Gordon was actually LIT for ILS. That’s my least favorite song in the setlist and I “need” Gordon to entertain me, wonderfully whacking those cymbals. He hasn’t been lit for a long time and it was a nice surprise. I know the crowd loves ILS, and I’ve sat by sobbing Britons in the UK, obviously overcome by emotion, but it makes my teeth itch. I used to sneak off to the ladies room during ILS, but after running into half of the front row in the restroom at Vegas, I stick it out. Maybe it will grow on me! Isn’t life strange? I’m stuck in a cage. Can’t take much more, It’s such a bore! OK, maybe it won’t! GE changed the intro to NC saying, “I know you’re all music lovers”. His relaxed delivery amazes me and he glows with assurance and self-confidence at the front of the stage. Nothing Changes becomes an oxymoron in his hands for he has allowed his work to grow and mature. Though the piece is short, it’s vibrant and alive. I sometimes think that the rest of The Band is desperately trying to control their work, to play each song perfectly each time, killing the spirit of the music, while Graeme sets his work free to soar. Hmmmmm. I have boots of wild solos by Justin in years long past. I’ll never hear it. Sigh We make our own chains. The Gordon Marshall show continued with that wonderful psychotic performance he gives in Nights. Oooooh, keep those lights on the drummers! I love to watch him circle within his drumset, an almost robotic expression on his face. It’s creepy and scary and I love it. ; ) Welcome to the Gordon Marshall show! Second show: The crowd was definitely wilder at the second show. It was a very good performance, and the only VERY unusual thing was a highly uncharacteristic flub by TDMH in Nights. I’m not sure I’ve EVER noticed anything amiss in Justin’s world-famous showcase, and was startled out of my seat when I heard: Just what the truth is, You will be in the end! Say what??? You know, I almost like it. It certainly makes a lot of sense to me. Great concerts, great venue. MaggieMay |
Fort Myers