| Marymoor Park On The Road With MaggieMay... BlueGlow and I kept the partying to a minimum Saturday night, but while BG wisely went to bed, I grimly faced the unpleasant task of writing honest and critical comments about a performance that I felt was sub par. I'd much rather glow and gush. sigh A friend had emailed me asking about the evening's concert and I realized it would be easier to bite the bullet, and get it over with. It was a lonely night. I was quite pissed off too! Our hotel had said there would be some construction near our room on Monday morning and I had suggested that construction *might* be easier to take with fruit to console us. Someone took the hint, and a plate of lovely chocolate drenched strawberries (along with a card expressing their sincere apologies) was delivered before we left for the show. I suddenly felt hungry during the concert and smiled at the thought of those huge, beautiful red berries, dipped in chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate, waiting for me. The maid removed them when she turned down our beds, and they were GONE when we returned to our room. I sincerely hope she at least ATE them! What a pisser. grrrrrrrrrrr BG was peppy and I was at least adequate the next morning and we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the elegant hotel restaurant. It was filled with happy families and nicely behaved small children celebrating Father's Day. It's not everywhere that you can get Eggs Benedict made with salmon. Excellent coffee, too! We retired to the lobby lounge for another cup of coffee and a smoke. The lounge saw a lot of action on Sunday, though very little of the Moody sort. There was quite a bit of "milling" and people going in and out, and it dawned on us that the baseball team must be checking out. We had been greeted by one fine fellow the night before who gave one unnamed member of our group a brilliant smile to accompany his "Hello Ladies!" I was only sorry I didn't know his name but the Atlanta Braves have never been my favorite team. 
It was quite obvious that she could have, um, scored a home run if she
had had a mind to. (She didn't) THEIR fans were there to greet
them, get autographs etc, but were kept at bay by the hotel staff.
BG and I were surprised to see a large group of them standing outside by
the team bus and to see that two had brought lawn chairs to wait there.
LOL I think I'd be very worried to come upon a group of Moodies fans
holding baseball bats! The team had an unbelievable amount of luggage
- cart after cart of black bags tagged with the player's numbers. It
was a bunch of good-looking young guys having the time of their lives.I had noticed a large Asian family in the lounge, dressed up and waiting around. Who were they waiting for? Larry Flynt, of course! LOL Yes, it was a busy day in the hotel lobby. (Ed: Believe it or not, THIS bit of news actually warranted the lone phone call I've gotten from MaggieMay since she hit the road.) Our driver was late again, but the important thing is that he got us there, safely and with adequate time to get in and get ready. Luck had seated the four travelers together and I knew it would add to the concert experience. I want to get up, I want to stand for Singer and it's a pleasure that is enjoyed much more in the company of friends. BG and I had moved several seats closer to the center for this evening's performance and away from the large speakers at the side of the stage, sparing my tender ears from the blast. WE were ready to go! It turned out the Band was, too! HOORAY!!! THE FASHION REPORT GE - JImi Hendrix shirt 1st half, Hula shirt 2nd, black slacks JL - White "bib" shirt, leathers, boots, no change at half JH - Blue long slvd shirt, black t-shirt underneath, no change at half Paul - White long slvd shirt Gordon - Leather shirt 1st half, white shirt with black design 2nd half, white slacks Bernie - White outfit, red patterned belt Norda - Burgundy pantsuit, the infamous flesh colored cami underneath I've learned to check Norda closely BEFORE I gasp, and yes, she had a camisole underneath her jacket. LOL THE CONCERT It's a HUGE relief to be able to say that the Sunday night concert at Marymoor Park picked up considerably over the pallid show of the night before. There was much more energy and punch in the Sunday offering. Like the night before, the 2003 setlist was performed with a 20 minute intermission. The audience apparently HAD fallen asleep beside their coolers and just stayed the night, because it was the same laid back scene. My guess is that they're my age and with my creaky bones and the effort to jump up from a blanket is just too much. LOL I've found a receptive and enthusiastic clamor can make a big difference to a Moodies concert, but tonight the Moodies put on a show that shone, even if the graying baby boomers enjoyed it from a prone position. The concert started smoothly and went very well without any major surprises. Though my seat the night before had been fine considering the high stage and the distance to the front row, Sunday's had both an improved view and better sound. I was away from the big stack of speakers and it was a blessing to my ears. It was still loud, but sounded less distorted. When your hair starts blowing back from the sound, you know you're in a bad spot. I was surprised how powerful the frontfill speaker was, though it wasn't that intolerable town I sometimes find myself in. Since the stage was so high, that was about all you could hear from my seat. At times, the keyboards drowned out the Gibson, but I still really enjoy hearing Paul have at it (he's a rocker!) and getting a "different" song than usual. The keyboards knocked me off my chair during TOSOL. DA DUH! DA DUH! It was great. Norda's flute sounded very clear (and very loud) at my seat, but it was quite enjoyable. I particularly noted the difference in her flute part from Ray's during Nights. There's one line near the end of Nights which was much more effective and powerful in Ray's version, and I feel the song loses a bit by its change. It was a great seat from which to enjoy AYSC. I was able to watch both Norda and Gordon while they played, and it added to the performance. There was a lot of natural light and I could see Gordon and Paul at Marymoor and not have to wonder if they're still back there. LOL I did have the passing thought that Gordon looks quite sexy holding a flute. ; ) Norda receives increasing audience attention and appreciation for her flute work onstage and was again (and has been consistently this tour) introduced by Justin at the end of AYSC. Let me check my notes (made AFTER the concert in the *quiet* of the hotel bar. Ahem!)...the Moodies were "greeted" by a very enthusiastic and happy front row fan dead center with a shouted We're glad you're here! ES had that spark, and confirmed that tonight's concert was going to be seriously better than the night before. I feel the real test of the evening for Justin is The Actor, which may surpass Nights as a demanding vocal piece. It was a strong performance, though the sustained notes were slightly weak. I don't know him, I haven't seen him and I don't talk to him, but from my seat, I'd guess that he's come down with "something", perhaps a mild cold. He's sniffly, he's rubbing his throat and BG caught a couple coughs. I saw him touching his ears and then what looked like trying to *pop* his Eustachian tubes. Flying is hell on that. I was glad that the front row was WELL back, because I *sure* don't want him to give it to me! Word of warning: anyone who gets his pick - DON'T put it in your mouth. That's exactly how I came down with JL's cold a couple of years ago, and if you've heard otherwise, it's a bald-faced lie. LOL Despite whatever JH may, or may not, have come down with, he put on a hell of a performance Sunday night at Marymoor, both vocally and on guitar. (I wonder what he'd look like playing a tambourine.) He still sounds a little stuffy, but his voice was much stronger Sunday night. JH was pretty darn bouncy on IKYOTS! : ) There are no concert photos, neither visible nor INVISIBLE (as Ed so cleverly put it) because the venue security strictly enforced their No Camera policy (Editor: Yes, 'tis sadly true...I've been to Seattle, and there are security guards on every street corner, effectively preventing ANY photography in that fair city!*) and *I* was sitting out in plain view. I am not very good at going unnoticed! One bold fellow came up the center aisle near the end of the 2nd concert, kneeled down and got off some shots. I try to respect the policies of the venue and the wishes of the Band with regards to photography, and just think it's a darn shame that I don't have a few photos of the venue, the stage and the concert to give a clearer picture of the evening. <shrug> I understand one fine fellow of the Kristian variety was taking photos during Marymoor of the stage and the audience and hope he caught my "good side". It's WHO you know! LOL The end was a bit wild with an older gal flying to the stage from the side to attempt to hand up cards and flowers to the guys. Security was on her, but she got at least one card up and flung her flowers up to the stage to Justin's feet. He looked down with an indulgent and amused expression. Another couple ran up to the stage and the lady began screaming JUSTIN at the top of her lungs while her male companion ripped off his t-shirt in his excitement. I expected a dog and pony show next. BG and I left our seats accompanied by this awful screaming, and I thought, at least ONE fan is awake! It was a really good concert, and a great relief after the night before. It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do for rock 'n roll! It was great to see some of my northwest Moody friends at Marymoor. One lovely couple (who asked to remain nameless) greeted me very warmly and startled me by saying they had something for me to SIGN. LOL!!! S held out a pen and opened the Moody Blues Companion to a photo of me with the star of Higher and Higher. I took the pen and went totally blank, too embarrassed to think of anything to write. Luckily, S had something in mind and coached me along. I looked around uneasily and then turned my back to the audience in hopes that no one would see what I was doing. I feel very honored and humbled that two fine people would want "MaggieMay" on anything they might own. I'm pretty darn amazed that anyone would want MY autograph, and very VERY pleased that they took the time to say a few kind things about the Words I Say. : ) I've also had a couple of amusing moments. One person asked me who "Chester" was (coming late to Gunsmoke and knowing only the UNlimping Festus) and followed that one up by asking me who ED was! This one stopped me. Ed? I asked her, um...do you mean MR ED? (EDITOR: OMG! LOL! HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Seriously???) No, she was curious who the Ed was that had the nerve to insert sarcastic comments in my reviews. For everyone who has WONDERED, "Ed" is Sue Cutlip, the webmistess at moodysojurn.com. I'm her guest. She's the EDitor! Hey Ed! Move your butt and get this ONLINE! LOL MaggieMay And the Beginning of the Free... Photo courtesy of MaggieMay (*Ed: It's not really true about photos in Seattle...just another one of my sarcastic comments) |
