| Thursday
night at Thousand Oaks was uneventful. It was a good concert, but
not a memorable one (I'm sure it *was* to many members of the audience).
The venue was part of a large complex which included City Hall and a large
parking garage. The entrance was not well-marked and we were quite
perplexed for a bit on just how to get to the box office. While not
as lovely as the PAC at Escondido, it was a very nice hall. Acoustics
were good and the mix was fine. Again the concert was sold-out per
the box office today. The setlist was unchanged and included the
usual twenty minute break after TSIYE. Purses were not examined at
the door, but signs were posted saying No Photography. There
were no "incidents". A local sitting by me offered to throw
his pants onto the stage, but I gently suggested that none of the Band
members would be, um..."interested". HAHA His wife assured
me she would control him.
The Fashion Report: RT - Black on black first half, white long-slvd collarless shirt second GE - Jimi Hendrix shirt first half, black slacks, car shirt second JL - White white embroidered shirt, black leathers, black long-slvd shirt second JH - Black long slvd shirt, black slacks, white tuxedo shirt second Thousand Oaks saw the return of Justin's policeman shoes. : ( Oh, where for art thou, Studded Boots? The concert went smoothly. Again, it was an enthusiastic and appreciative hometown crowd with a small number of traveling fans in attendance. I spent part of my time "helping" a group of three pleasant people clap in rhythm - they were so bad at it, that I thought for a minute I was back in the Royal Albert Hall! (No offense intended to my English readers) They were willing to learn, however, and very pleased to have scored front row center for the concert. Just plain happy to be there! They promised to get up when we stood and frankly, if I had their kind of rhythm, I would have slunk into my seat and avoided public embarrassment. LOL The Band members were in good voice and all four gave solid performances. There were no glaring "flubs" save one - TDMH trashed part of his guitar solo on SeeSaw. Mistakes happen, and this one was quite unusual for the talented perfectionist. I think there is no question that it will be played perfectly in Reno. The strangest and most different moment came in Question - the audience sat for the entire song until the ovation at the end. My partner in crime, SueC said that she had NEVER sat for Question before. It was very odd and unnatural for these two traveling fans. I heard a good deal of singing behind me, and there was no question that the audience enjoyed it, but it felt like sitting during The Star Spangled Banner, or perhaps more appropriately, God Save the Queen! I think the Song of the Evening (awarded tonight in lieu of Star Performer of the Evening) had to have been The Actor. It was simply divine! Justin sang it beautifully, and his voice contrasts so well with Ray's vocals. It had a soulful and plaintive quality tonight. I never tire of that song, but it was particularly beautiful tonight. JL appeared a bit subdued, and the "little drummer boy" was caught hiding a yawn. Someone PLEASE hide their golf clubs and make sure they get a good rest! LOL!!! Justin seemed to be his old self and walked to the edge to receive flowers, giving one lucky gal a pic. sigh That lucky gal was not me! I will be instructing my husband to have a Justin pic inscribed on my headstone, so that I'll FINALLY get one. I realized tonight how different the concert experience is in Vegas, Tahoe and Atlantic City where there are a large number of seasoned fans in attendance! The energy level is much higher, both for the audience and therefore, for the Band. Still, the good people of Escondido and Thousand Oaks need music too. : ) One note: There is some new merchandise! I could not get near the merchandise table; it was packed. Expect everyone in Thousand Oaks to be wearing a new Moody Blues tshirt tomorrow. On a side note - we were asked by our waiter today if we were on vacation in LA. When we told him we were attending the Moody Blues concerts in the area, he replied: RAY THOMAS! He went on to say numerous things which set off alarm bells for me and SueC. Our FAVORITE comment was that Ray stays at this hotel, but makes "his band" stay elsewhere! LOL After we picked ourselves up off the floor from laughing, we asked the waiter what Ray Thomas looks like. He replied, oh, fairly short, thin and with a beard. Uh-oh! I went to get a tourbook from our room, showed it to our waiter, and his reply was: that's not Ray Thomas! Yep, the impostor has surfaced again. Looking forward to Reno! MaggieMay |
