November 18, 2003 - Reading, PA
Welcome to the DECEMBER Tour! On The Road With MaggieMay...  Youngstown
had worn us out. We lingered after the concert and joined the substantial
throng to see The Band off and then chatted with an old friend, risking
injury as we hopped back and forth trying to avoid the crew loading out.
Our car had survived intact, being directly in front of the theatre and
under the watchful noses of Youngstown's Finest and we drove off without
a backward glance. We had seen enough of Youngstown! I tried
to stay awake and it's hard to sleep with the rush of cold air from SueC's
open window assaulting me, but I'd drift off, jerking awake to the sound
of the windshield wipers moving back and forth. I was dead out when
SueC announced we were stopping. I crawled out of the Jeep, squinting
my eyes against the bright lights in the hotel lobby and arranged our room.
Ah, to sleep! Perchance to dream...
I have developed a serious problem, and it's entirely Justin Hayward's fault. I can NOT get December Snow out of my head! The song is beyond catchy, it delightfully PLAGUES me. I hear it 24/7. I hear it all day long, and it's the last thing I *hear* as I fall asleep. I'm certain I even hear it in my dreams! It's the first thing I hear when I wake up and I start the day, hearing OVER AND OVER... TIME, Take this sadness from me, TIME, Bring my heart back safely! I think it would be better for me just to play it on my walkman and put it on repeat, because my mind can't finish it. It's in a loop. LOL!!! I'll think I'm finished with it, and it starts again...Like December Snow, that lays in the wood. My favorite moment is when the piano kicks in and I'm gripped by the guitar. I'm not the only one suffering! I've run into several people this tour and online who are caught in its grips. DECEMBER desperately needs a disclaimer, a sticker on the front saying: WARNING!!! May Be Addictive! Somebody, HELP me! Aaaaargh! I fear I'm suffering damage to my acerbic personality. sigh I smile all the time! Um...apparently, I sing it OUT LOUD. The only thing I hear as often is SueC telling me to shut up! LOL!!! (Ed: Yes, OUT LOUD! The only thing worse is when I'm silently singing MY favorite, When A Child Is Born, and am rudely interrupted by the sudden LOUD 'ahhhh ahhhhhs' from Don't Need A Reindeer!) The drive through Pennsylvania was lovely, and a pleasure. SueC's practically a professional driver (Ed: I AM a professional driver - it's how I make my living!) and I can relax and enjoy the beautiful woods and hills. One of my favorite moments is pulling up to our hotel and watching the smiling young men lift our heavy bags and load the cart. That's what I was doing when SueC caught my attention and pointed to the biggest guy I have EVER seen as he walked by us. YAO!!! It was Yao Ming! SueC highly annoyed me by not knowing who he was. Damn it girl! Watch some TV! I watched him walk down the street and had one thought: THAT would take a week. ; ) It was so good to sink into the cushions of a comfy sofa and sip one of the best Margaritas I've had in a long time with no concert to rush to, no worries and no cares. Angel joined us in the bar, and we finally had the chance to catch up at leisure. sigh Life is Good! We made the mistake of not putting out our Do Not Disturb sign and the danged attentive staff knocked repeatedly on our door the next morning, finally CALLING us to find out when it would be convenient to service our room. Mornings are not our best time on the road! We're on Tour Time now. : )  THE
VENUE
There *is* no Sovereign center in Reading, PA. There ARE a number of one way streets. I've started to think that Map Quest was developed by Monty Python. We finally came upon it by accident. There was plenty of parking and we chose a convenient, though pricey lot directly across the street. Even though we were very early, a radio station van was already there, surrounded by a small crowd of people. We were shocked - they were playing MOODY BLUES! We sat in our car and tuned it to hear Legend, followed by Singer. My favorite version of Singer is the one from the RAH, but I love the original since it brings up mental pictures of the infamous Come Again video. (Oh, yes...PLEASE!) I had the car door open and nearly fell out when the next song was introduced: DECEMBER SNOW! It was a thrill to hear it on the air, and through the air, filling the parking lot and the street, and snaring other innocent souls with its hypnotic beauty. What a terrific start to a Moody Blues evening! The Sovereign center is a hockey arena. I LIKE hockey arenas! They're friendly, they're fun and they're not intimidating. I wonder sometimes if a number of people just can't see themselves in a ritzy theatre that usually hosts the symphony and the ballet. Big guys in yellow shirts were there, and there were a number of them, but they didn't ask to see in my purse. We entered into the ring surrounding the arena proper and were amazed by the food and drink offerings, pork bbq, burritos, sandwiches, pizza. It all looked great, but alas! We had arrived full. There were plenty of beer stands, but fruit smoothies were offered too. It didn't look like a heavy drinking crowd. I smelled before I saw the Bavarian Nuts and the delicious smell of cinnamon filled the air. Restrooms were convenient and numerous, and the staff was pleasant and helpful. GREAT PLACE!  A
friendly security guard (they were ALL friendly at the Sovereign center)
told me the arena seats 10,000 for hockey. That's on the larger side
for a hockey arena. SueC peered in and was very surprised that the
stage was set up at the end, rather than at mid ice. If you whacked
that puck right through Justin's head, you would probably score.
HAHAHAHA (Sorry!) I would have expected more of a cut down
deal with the stage at mid ice. The guard said this configuration
sat about 8200. Jeff, the Sovereign center photographer (And such
a nice boy! All apologetic about blocking our view) said that he
thought ticket sales for TMB were around 6300. That's a darn big
crowd these days compared to theatres of less that half that number.
The floor was filled as were the sides.
The temporary stage looked comfortable, and the setup was the usual arena deal with the monitor board on the side below the stage. I kinda wonder how the performers signal the monitor guy. There were three large speakers on the floor with a large set flying from poles on either side. SueC has often expressed a fear of the lights and if it had fallen at the Sovereign center, we would have been goners. I took great delight in pointing that out to her. LOL If we didn't get along so well, we would have killed each other LONG ago. The stage was fronted with black material and was 47 inches high. Crispy and I measured it, started gabbing, forgot what it was, and had to measure it again. Mikes were placed a near 4 feet from the edge of the stage, unlike the far 10 feet back at Youngstown. The front row was placed back a little farther than I prefer, about 10 feet from the stage. The view was PERFECT! You absolutely cannot tell anything about concert sound from the front row, and I can only describe the sound as it was at my seat. It was excellent at the Sovereign center! Loud enough to be rock 'n roll, but not distorted. I didn't get out my ear plugs until well into the concert. Vocals were clear and lovely - a great night for everybody on stage. The whole issue of photography is driving me nuts! Tag's overzealous police squad at Youngstown told me that cameras could be confiscated (which I nervously risked at the end). I would rather ask before the concert starts than cause a scene mid song as SO many have pulled, disrupting the concert for ME. I was very surprised when the guard said ANYTHING GOES! What??? Are you serious??? Yep! Anything except video. Well, there's nothing like consistency! Other than the house pro, no one walked in front of me during the concert to snap away with their disposable, and for that, I am grateful. Certainly, the Sovereign center isn't beautiful like Powers, but it was a GREAT place for a concert. I'd go back to Reading any time and EVERY time The Moodies play there. THE FASHION REPORT JL - White long-slvd bib/ruffle shirt, leathers, boots, 2nd half black long-slvd bib/ruffle shirt JH - Black long-slvd plain shirt with black tshirt underneath, black jeans, shoes, 2nd half pink pinstriped long-slvd shirt with black tshirt underneath GE - NEW Christmas shirt "Santa World Tour", black slacks, 2nd half Red Ho Ho shirt Norda - Black strapless brocade top, ruffled skirt, boots, no change at half Bernie - White pants and jacket, black top underneath, no change at half The Sovereign center saw the debut of the third new DECEMBER tour shirt for Mr Edge. Oh, its a cool one! It's similar to Graeme's "car" shirts and appears to be black with an outdoor Christmas scene on the front. There's a sleigh in the background and a building on the front says Santa World Tour. : ) If you want one, you're out of luck; the shirts are custom made for Graeme in London. Apparently, its Graeme's sole responsibility to represent the holidays onstage and he does an outstanding fashion job with it. Perhaps the Jays will join in in NYC and come onstage with red Santa caps! Um...maybe not! LOL  We
were stunned to recently hear that Norda's boots are called Tart's Trotters!
HAHAHAHAHA Well, Norda, you wear them well! They look great,
and are perfect with the ruffled skirt.
Justin came out with a black tshirt under his oxford style shirt, and it's a good look. His hair looked beautiful, soft and "fluffy". VERY nice! THE CONCERT The Sovereign center saw an EXCELLENT concert, and it was well-appreciated by a crowd of enthusiastic but well-behaved fans. A large number of online fans made the journey, anxious to hear the new DECEMBER cuts, and the east coast was well-represented in the first 5 rows on the floor. The Holiday setlist was performed in its entirety with a 20 minute intermission, and with a few very minor exceptions was smooth and silky from start to finish. We haven't had a rocky start yet this tour! (Knock on wood) It's hard to pick out any one song in the first half that outshone the others, but I particularly noticed Tuesday Afternoon (a personal favorite) and Lean on Me. I even found ILS enjoyable tonight! I like its new placement in the Holiday setlist. Great versions of IKYOTS and TSIYE. I admit that I was mesmerized by the EXQUISITE view from my dead center seat in front of Justin's mike (and I have the LEGAL photos to prove it! LOL) and somehow *missed* the minor flub in English Sunset that SueC picked up. Hmmmm What could I have been looking at? LOL! All in all, a great first half.  I'll
admit these days that I don't RELISH the first half as much as I used to.
I just can't wait to get to the DECEMBER cuts! Even The Voice has
me impatient. Those four songs are SO fabulous, so beautiful and
SO EXCITING! I know almost no one promotes an album by performing
all the songs on it, but oh, how I would LOVE to hear DECEMBER from start
to finish.
There was no disappointment for MaggieMay tonight. Can DECEMBER sound any better? I only have one very minor criticism, and it's with Don't Need a Reindeer. I want Justin to sing it as performed on the cd. It's a bit...unsatisfying. Still, *I'm* nobody, and He's the somebody, it's his song and I must respect his treatment. To THAT, I say: Ppppppfffffft! It's a great song and it rocks! Bottom line - the Girls can't carry those vocals. It NEEDS you, Justin! : ) The Spirit of Christmas was great, JL sounding wunnerful, wunnerful. December Snow! Ahhhhhhh! Blows me away every time (and damn well won't LEAVE me, either!) I think that White Christmas just seems to get bigger and bigger. It truly *needs* to end the concert. It's an abrupt jolt to follow it with H&H. White Christmas has a sense of finality about it.  That
is nothing against H&H, a HUGE song on the setlist. Personally...I
think I'd START the second half with H&H. It would be a great
starter song. Hey, if they would do what *I* want, they'd put the
usual ALL in a longer first half, end THAT with SeeSaw and come out 2nd
half to perform DECEMBER, adding When A Child is Born, On This Christmas
Day and In The Bleak Midwinter and finish brilliantly with White Christmas.
Yes, that would make me HAPPY! LOL!!! John surprised me and the audience during White Christmas by lifting his hands and inviting us to sing along! WOW!!! It gave the song an even MORE powerful effect. I wasn't sure at first that was what he wanted, but clearly the second time he was indicating we should. What a GREAT idea! BRILLIANT! Graeme does his thang with wild abandon onstage, last night adding the Jerk to his dance routine. What a performer! The shocker of the night was none other than SINGER! It was absolutely perfect! PERFECT!!! I fell back into my chair amazed, impressed, flabbergasted and in complete and utter shock to the accompaniment of a knowing and self-satisfied smile from Mr Rock 'n Roll. I imagine I was no more shocked than Justin Hayward! LOL OK, John! You done good! Now, do it again tomorrow night! HAHAHA Nights was particularly lovely in Reading. I always feel like I'm hearing it for the first time. sigh Question and SeeSaw finished out an almost outstanding concert, nicking that level, but not quite making it. It's hard to understand why one concert hits you as spectacular and another doesn't quite measure up. I think JH seemed a little held back tonight. That can make all the difference in the world. I had a wonderful time BEFORE the concert! I was greeted as I arrived on the floor by Mark, who I had last seen in Seattle, of all places. Where people turn up just amazes me! I got to meet Crispy and Cheryl who have taken on the touring life and are doing it with great enthusiasm. SueC and I are proud to have been their inspiration. I was particularly happy to meet Cathy, who made me feel very warm inside by telling me that I had taken her around the world, and that she always thinks of me and SueC when she stocks Diet Coke. She's raising her son right! He's a drummer and a Zildjian fan, just like me. I didn't appreciate being pushed out of my spot at the stage by an unfriendly and aggressive man who pushed out his elbows to block me, but realized that we're back on the East Coast and People Are Different Here. Ya'll need some Valium.  The
highlight of the night was my *hug* from Moody Blue! We have corresponded
for a long time, and she's a cutie, though I think she can be a bit of
a terror. Moody Blue is a (toy) cow owned, oops! "companioned"
by NancyJ. Moody Blue often sends me little notes in Nancy's emails,
and I always look forward to hearing from her. I think the big attraction
for MB is the thought that I'm sitting here in Indiana, ROLLING in primo
Indiana hay. I understand she likes the grass in the park across
from the RAH too! I had offered to let Moody Blue sit on my lap so
that she could easily see the stage, but I was told her hooves can really
wreck one's skirt or pants. Still, it was delightful to FINALLY meet
her in person. So to speak! LOL
Make music, have fun, live and love to the fullest! How WONDERFUL to be with people in the audience and on stage who feel the same way! MaggieMay May your days be merry, And bright! And may all your Christmases, Be white. Photos courtesy of SueC |
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