Sunday, May 5 - Oxford, England
Sunday travel by rail in England is a pleasant experience! The train trip involved changing at Didcot to a “coach” (bus to us), which was full of exuberant teenagers. We nabbed our seats and tried to zone out. LOL Oxford is a WONDERFUL town, definitely a place to return to! It reminded me of my own dear college town, Bloomington, Indiana, full of small shops, bookstores and trendy restaurants.  Like
Bloomington, the colleges dominant the town and like Bristol, herds of
young adults crowd the streets, laughing and slyly looking for potential
mates. Unlike Bristol, these teenagers all looked intelligent and
well-to-do, with nary a face piercing in sight. We were a bit tired
– I’m still unable to sleep well, and had stayed up the entire night writing
my Bristol “epic”! I sunk into the taxi and prayed fervently that
an angel wearing a bellman’s costume would be at the door of our hotel
and would INSIST on relieving me of my heavy bag. The problem with
rail travel is that you are on your own. As long as I can roll, I’m
good to go, but hefting that sucker onto the train is a Herculean task.
I’ll warn everyone right now that I am developing a wicked right arm and
can slug it out with the best of them.
The Lord hears our prayers as my mom always said, for when we pulled up to the Eastgate Hotel in a light rain, a very large arm reached out and effortlessly lifted my suitcase from the curb. My prayer that he would pull me too out of the taxi was NOT answered! We crawled out and were entertained at the desk by the large owner of the large arm and his sister – a Jamaican duo. I had threatened Jill, my travel agent that I would give away the Buffet tickets (she’s a Parrothead and so very understanding about my Moody travel needs) I was holding for her if she booked me into ANY hotel that did not have a lift. It turned out the Eastgate HAD a lift, but it only went to the second floor. Our room was on the third. Our Jamaican hoteliers took in our horrified expressions and assured us that brother would bring our bags to our room. Our room turned out to be quite adorable, and one of the old college towers could be seen from our window. Food became the next priority, and as I have told people, my goal is to have high tea every day that I am in the UK! One should have goals in life, and darn it, this one is mine. At our query for the best tea in town, one of the Jamaicans (sister) directed us to the Grand Cafe, merely a short block away. The Grand Cafe is very small, and seats 50 at most, but we were to have the next table and so waited patiently with our grumbling stomachs keeping us company. The Grand Cafe has the distinction of being, according to a prominent plaque, the “first” coffee house in England! We decided that a bellini (champaigne and peach nectar) would fortify us and nicely compliment the tea! I’m on a quest of contrast and comparison on my tea journey, and I’ve found that scones are pretty standard so far. The sandwiches (making it “high tea”) were quite different at the Grand Cafe than we had previously had and the salmon and egg mayo (egg salad) were served on a lusty panini bread with chewy crusts that could pull your teeth out. The cafe was quite lovely, done in blue and gold in a deco style and with enormous mirrors that made it appear twice its size. A great experience! We had a front row ticket for a friend, so scurried back to the Eastgate (and up the stairs), dressed for the concert and taxied our way toward the venue. We joined the AETFs for a drink across the street at the Wig and Pen, then looked CAREFULLY before we crossed the street to the venue. One of the ever present dangers to Americans in England is crossing the road, since the traffic is coming at you from the opposite way that you expect it. I deal with that problem by compulsively looking to my left, then my right, then my left again. It’s worked so far! The Venue The Apollo Theatre is located in town and is older and a bit run-down. 
Let’s say it’s seen years of use! Like the RAH, entry (for me) was
not thru the front, but through a series of doors on the right side!
Very unique and different from ALL USA venues. Rather than figure
it out for myself, I followed someone with similar seats and let HER worry
about it! LOL We made it in, our ticket was torn, and we were
directed to another door a bit further down. The first thing I noticed
to minor dismay was that there was a deep orchestra pit between the first
row and the stage. What a waste! The pit was about 6 to 8 feet
deep, and fairly wide, about 12 feet. The front row, therefore, was
about 16 feet from the stage at center. : ( No Moodies
in our Laps at Oxford! The hall, per the closest security guard,
seats 1800 and was sold-out. Unlike Colston Hall in Bristol, I noticed
several promotional posters on the outside of the theatre, proving to passersby
that the Moody Blues were there, even if THEY couldn’t see them!
The hall was dimly lit, and had Abyssian friezes on either side at the
front. The theatre type seating included a balcony (giving Justin
something to actually look at when he stares up during the concerts), and
there were boxes along either side of the hall at the balcony level.
The stage was on the high side, and looked both deep and wide, and again,
seemed more fitting for Shakespeare than rock ‘n roll. The stage
height wasn’t a problem since we were a long ways from it and the seating
was elevated so that the first row was almost level with the stage, allowing
us to see those Moody feet. Security was low key, with no purse searches,
and with people at the side of the stage keeping their watch. When
I left at the interval, I followed some like-minded locals out an open
door onto the street and wandered back in the same way, unmolested!
Trusting souls! LOL
The Fashion Report RT – Black on black, long slvd shirt, no change at half. We need a change, Ray! How about those red tights? GE – Car shirt, black slacks, black short slvd shirt with white and pink design on right chest second half. I REALLY like this shirt and it looks fab on Graeme. Makes him look, “dangerous” JL – White on white long slvd shirt, leathers, boots, black long slvd shirt second half JH – Waiter’s Outfit, no change at half The Battle of the Buttons Sadly, this issue is going nowhere. Prim and proper describes the Jays in the UK. (losers!) I was mollified a bit by GORDON’S shirt in the second half which um, “caught my eye”. He was wearing a short slvd black shirt, open necked and unbuttoned about a third of the way down. I’ll simply say that it looked VERY good on him! : ) The Concert This concert seemed a good bit livelier than Bristol, probably because the average age of the attendees was noticeably lower. (Senior citizen discounts were handed out to the Bristol crowd along with Viagra samples.) Although standing is apparently a US custom, there was enthusiastic applause and several spirited comments shouted out from locals. As Justin leaned down to pick up his Olson, a fellow shouted out “The Actor” and Justin chuckled and said “OK!” Quite cute! If Justin can ever be characterized as “playful” tonight was the night. Dan (Moody Guitar tech) came up behind JH with some short cables a moment later, adjusted something, and JH said “oooooh!” and acted like he had been, um “goosed”. JH also varied the standard (and robotic) intro to The Actor, making it much more spontaneous and natural. He mentioned DOFP, that they didn’t have a recording contract back then, and taking ISOTLC to America. Nicely Done and a big improvement over the usual. I don’t remember exactly what happened, but JL said something during the concert, and Ray retorted: “Don’t get him started!”. JH has been chugging water (as often seen last tour), and was caught draining his water bottle as JL announced “QUESTION”. He looked shocked as if he realized that he was supposed to be somewhere, looked right and left (yes, Justin – it’s YOU that is supposed to do something). 
He moved up, took his spread stance, dove in to Question and...nothing.
More shock! LOL Dan was starting off the stage, turned around,
leaned down in a fluid motion and flipped a switch. JH just kept
on! (Great moment for our sweetheart of a guitar tech)
JL has continued his low-key stage presence, having left Mr Rock ‘n Roll somewhere in America, but JH seems like a different person! He’s definitely more relaxed on stage, and it shows. One wonders why! Does he feel safer in the UK? Considering the two stage incidents that I observed during the USA tour, perhaps he has good reason to be. Whatever the reason, it is both noticeable and delightful. All singers were in good voice, sound was fine, balance was ok. One of the things SueC pointed out to me after Bristol, and which I looked for in Oxford, was that JH introduced both GM and PB after Forever Autumn. What a nice bit of recognition! (Bernie remains the only back up not introduced or recognized) Yes, FA was still in the setlist for Oxford, remaining as the first song after the interval. Why people say it is played DURING the intermission is beyond me! It was wonderful! It was a really good concert, and a lot of fun! I had the pleasure of spending time with two Welsh fans next to me on the front row: Elf and Ian. Elf’s real name was unpronounceable, at least by me! She had a “different” accent that was delightful, and she and her husband were so excited to be at the concert. She told me she WANTED to get up and clap, and was that ok? YES, IT WAS! LOL OK, I realize now it is my lot to be punished by having the most excitable people in the UK next to me at each concert. Elf had driven 150 miles to see the Moodies, and that was a real journey for her. I had a GREAT time with Elf and our only disagreement was on “English Sunset”. I told her it was my favorite concert song, and she frowned. I asked why, and she said, well, it’s ENGLISH Sunset, and I’m Welsh! (Hmmmmm-interesting!) I told her to think of it as Welsh Sunset, and she laughed. Elf made the concert for me with her love and joy at being there, and I smiled when Ian took her hand and sang (kind of loudly, too!) along with Justin during Nights...I love you, yes, I love YOU, with total adoration in his eyes. It meant more to me than anytime Justin has sung it; it was real, and it was beautiful. I was full of regret to have to turn down Elf’s invitation to “stop by” when we’re in Wales, being sure that just GETTING to Wales will be everything that we can do. MaggieMay |