| Tuesday
night in Bakersfield provided both an outstanding concert and a comedy
of "errors". The concert was performed in traditional (non-casino)
style, with a full set list and a 20 minute break after TSIYE. There
were no changes in the set list.
Fashion Report: RT - Black on black first half, a LOVELY white shirt in the second half. GE - Car shirt first half, Jimi Hendrix (paint drop shirt) second. JL - White long-sleeved divine shirt with white embossing down the right front, black knit shirt second. JH - Black on black first half, new white "tuxedo" shirt second half. When I say "new", I mean new this tour. It was warm in the Fox theatre, and it must have been a bit warm on stage too - hence the changes. JH's studded boots must have been left in Monte Carlo. It's been five straight shows in the patent leather policeman shoes! The Fox Theatre is an old venue (I understand there are a number of Fox theatres on the west coast) and is used for a wide variety of concerts. It is in shabby but serviceable condition, not nearly as lovely as some of the other small theatres the Moodies have appeared in in the last two years - eg New Orleans. The stage was fairly high, say 4 to 4 and a half feet. Too high for ME to jump, tho Goddess has given me some "ideas" on that line! Perhaps a half-dozen traveling fans were there, it was primarily a local crowd. It was wonderful to drive up to the large neon marquee and see: The Moody Blues: SOLD OUT!!! The Concert: The concert sound was very good in the intimate 1500 seat theatre. Sound balance was fine. All vocals could be clearly heard. The Band appeared rested and in good spirits, and related well to the enthusiastic crowd. The audience probably didn't notice the little errors made (which gave the concert it's unique stamp). John had some problems with the lyrics of Gemini Dream, but recovered well despite the long withering glare that Justin gave him. Graeme introduced Nothing Changes in his typical fashion, "Don't worry, I'm not going to sing. We're going to do the last track on our studio album, Strange Times, and it's called...um...(turned to Ray), um....turned back to the audience and said: I can't remember the name of the song, and I wrote the damn thing!" The audience yelled out Nothing Changes (he had received no kind help from his bandmates). GE said "that's right!" Those of us who also suffer from CRS, extend our sympathies to him and welcome him to our pitiful group. LOL In thinking about Saturday night's event in Paris, it was comforting to see Justin come out all the way to the edge of the stage in Singer and SeeSaw. The Fox security was both pleasant and "watchful". It helped too, that the stage was not very wide, and that there was an small orchestra pit. The people in the pit did not approach the stage at the end of the concert and security was not inclined to allow any additional people into the pit. One gal was seen at the far side, above and outside the pit, with the apparent desire to shake Justin's hand. Security was aware of her, and watched. There were no problems in Bakersfield! I was surprised to see that the second row center of the two row pit was empty at the beginning of the concert. An additional four seats on the front row pit were empty too. It seemed to fill at the half. I can not understand why those seats weren't sold by the box office, considering the sold out status. If they were held by the promoter, then it is a shame that he did not turn those seats back in to be sold. The demand was certainly there! The Star Performer of the Evening is awarded to John Lodge! Actually, they were all equally great tonight, but my seat was in front of JL, and he looked DAMN good. The silky white shirt with the black leathers is a knockout combination and reminded me of a line from "Under My Feet": You took my breath away! All in all, a great concert! A good time was had by all. I just can't think of a single thing to WHINE about! LOL MaggieMay |
