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Caesar's Tahoe On The Road With MaggieMay... I never notice the time passing by when I write. It's like going into a zone, where the words flow out onto the page. It's very pleasurable, like a drug experience, where everything stops and nothing matters. It was like that last night after the second Mountain Winery show. I came back to my hotel, had one VERY bad drink (the bartender must be a teetotaler), saw the sunshine walk in, then leave the room in darkness. I thought about packing, but realized I had PLENTY of time before our 6:30am taxi and sat down to write. What a mistake THAT was! I wrote, read a few paragraphs, wrote some more, drank some coffee, and then wrote. It won't LET you stop. It gets a hold of you. I went back to the concert and replayed it, song by song, walked around the venue, and looked out over the mountains. I watched the Band come out on stage and listened to everything from Lovely to See You to The Story in Your Eyes, then replayed the dozen different conversations at intermission. I did it all without leaving my hotel room! That's what I do. I think, then I write and then think some more. My notes used to be the catalyst that facilitated my soul travel and put me back in that moment. sigh It's a lot harder these days to do it without them. That's life! If you swim with the sharks, they're apt to bite you. I had forgotten (no notes - LOL) one unique moment in last night's concert at the Mountain Winery. Bernie, Norda and Graeme were all glancing stage right at a "box". It looked more like an area provided for someone to broadcast baseball games for a farm team, than a seating area for a concert. I looked up at the box and saw at least three small children, jumping up and down and dancing to the music. The three stage right had noticed them and were smiling and waving at the kids. It was so cute. Despite my hobbled state, and the sad truth that my memory has "holes" these days, I continued to write away, laughing aloud at times, and at other times knitting my brow in concentration over parts that weren't quite working. I looked up at the clock and my heart sank to the floor. It was 3am! How had it become 3am? Since my wakeup call was for 5:30am, the prospect was gruesome. I have pulled more all nighters on tour with TMB than I *ever* did in college. And I was in a lot better shape to handle it in college! LOL There would be no sleep tonight. I finished writing, and it's odd...I *know* when I'm done. It finishes itself. The trip from hell rears its ugly head when you least expect it. It did at San Jose. We arrived in good time at the airport, had no problems checking in curbside, then went in to go through security. Uh-oh! The line looked long, and we were directed vaguely. The line never ended! HUNDREDS of people were standing in line. It snaked from check in up a series of ramps for two entire floors. We finally reached the end in the rooftop parking lot. It was beyond belief! My friend and I looked at each other in utter disbelief and with the firm idea that we would not just be missing one flight, but at least the next two. San Jose has now surpassed LAX as my most hated airport and that is saying a great deal. We got in line, dazed and beaten. LOL It did have a happy ending: we made our flight. We were in pretty pathetic shape though, both of us. My friend had only had two hours of sleep, and I had had none. She felt "blurry" and I had moved into "giddy" which makes every awful thing hilarious and the temptation to break out into song almost irresistible. She "encouraged" me to resist. LOL!!! I think Old Man River or Working on a Chain Gang would have been about perfect. The flight lasted a few minutes, to me at least, and we were in Reno, whipped thru there and were in our car and out of town in no time flat. I fell into the limo and stretched out on the long seat, thinking I'd continue my nap in the clouds, but every time Kent went around a curve I began sliding off the darn seat and had to dig my fingernails in to keep from falling off. Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  sigh
I'm looking out at the lake right now with it's rim of pine trees and at
the sun striking the snow covered mountains beyond the lake. It's a
million dollar view, and fills me with calm and peace. How can any
place be SO beautiful? I've had everything you could want in a span
of days - the ocean AND the mountains. I think the mountains may suit
me better. There's a serenity here that I don't experience anywhere
else. It's always hard to leave.Caesar's Tahoe is...well, it's a great place!  I love Vegas and love
going to Paris, but I have to say that between the two I much prefer Caesar's
Tahoe. It's relatively small and compact and doesn't overwhelm you.
The casino's nice and small enough that you don't get lost in it. Gambling
is much quieter here, but still lots of fun. You pass the central bar
as you go back and forth and have the chance to wave hi to friends or sit
down and have a quiet chat. Things go at a much slower pace than in
Vegas. I won't turn down a trip to either, but if forced to choose,
the choice would be Caesar's Tahoe. I'm VERY glad it made its way back
onto the Moodies touring schedule! THE VENUE I lied when I said that the RAH was my favorite venue. LOL It would have to be tied with Caesar's Tahoe. I love this showroom! It's tiered down pretty steeply and has a combination of tables and booths on 6 levels, A through F. Though it seats 1400 it has a wonderful intimacy about it. I sat high up here back in '99 when I was impatient to see my favorite band and begged my sweet husband to bring me to Tahoe. He did, and now says about my traveling that he only has himself to blame! LOL I thought I had really scored by getting us level C seats, and they *were* very good. I like to sit a little bit closer these days! When I can. They're old school at Caesar's and pretty laid back. No one searches your purse for those dangerous cameras. It's posted, but not strictly observed. Security doesn't make itself obvious, but I'm sure it's there. The staff is VERY pleasant and seats you with a friendly smile, chatting a bit and often remembering you from your last Moodies concert. The seats at the front row of tables are pretty close, but I think it adds to the atmosphere. There's no intermission and it's almost impossible to get out once you're blocked in. If you're going to be at a front seat, you had better plan accordingly. Caesar's Tahoe is THE most coveted "elbows on the stage" venue for The Moody Blues and many fans have had their special seat for years. My understanding is, if you miss a time you lose it and you don't want to lose it. I *really* don't want to lose MY seat! : ) The t-shirt stand usually placed in front of the activity desk was not set up before the concert. That's a shame, because several people I talked to were ready to buy and wanted to get their copy of the new program before they were sold out. Fans were searching for it after the show, too. I glanced over and saw that they were just putting things up BEHIND the activity desk. There was a pretty big crowd there after the concert. There are cool new mugs and a set of magnets that were new. Credit cards were being taken, but you were handed your "stuff" and pointed toward the store next door. I thought that was a little risky! I believe in trust, but the CPA does not. HAHA There was only one clerk working the t-shirt counter and some people walked away rather than wait. I thought the showroom was a little warm tonight. I wore a three quarter length sleeve shirt under my jacket and had to take it off (the jacket, though in retrospect maybe I should have taken off the shirt) and toss it under my seat after three songs. Whoa! I should have put that in The Fashion Report! LOL MaggieMay - White shirt to the elbows, v-necked (showing her sunburn), clingy material (woohoo!) black jeans, Birkenstocks and her trademark Celtic cross and guitar pick earrings. The shirt wasn't low enough to show any cleavage (making the Wonderbra underneath a total waste of money) and she keeps wearing those same black sandals. Geez, MaggieMay! Can't you borrow at least one cute pair from Imelda??? After all, this is rock 'n roll! OK, boys! Now I *know* how it feels! LOL THE FASHION REPORT GE - Two Ladies shirt, black slacks JL - Black long slvd shirt with ruffle on the placket, pleats on either side, bib effect, Lovely Leathers (an involuntary chomping of teeth here), boots JH - Blue long slvd shirt with four rows of tiny ruffles on either side of the button packet, trademark black jeans Norda - Black sleeveless turtleneck with cut-in armholes, black slacks Bernie - white outfit, red sash Norda's outfit looked great. She's one of 10 women in the world who could wear that top and look fab in it. Wonderful arms! (and every middle-aged woman is cringing at that comment - LOL) I had to look twice at Bernie tonight, because the FIRST time, I thought it was someone ELSE! It was her hair - she opted for a straight look last night and came off as some exotic Swedish movie star. Let me emphasize that her hair looks beautiful blonde and curly, and I love it, but this new straight fashion makes her look strikingly different and very beautiful. I loved it, and gave her two thumbs up. Not that it matters, everyone's here for the music, and even if Norda and Bernie came out in rags and with cobwebs in their hair, they would still SOUND every bit as good. But hey, it doesn't *hurt* to look nice up there! LOL They both make "looking good" look easy. : ) The Jays! Ah, the Jays! Oh my! They looked REALLY good last night. EXTRA good. Um, FANTASTIC! And very, VERY Sexy. (Hmmm there's a lot of capitalized words here! Must be for emphasis) They're both a little tanned, in fact JH has some sunburn underneath his eyes and on his cheek (please don't forget the sunblock, Justin, we don't want you getting all burnt) I don't think either of them have ever looked better. There's nothing like a tall, strong, lightly tanned, confident man on stage, and two of them! Well! I thought they both looked rested and in wonderful moods, if they weren't, at least that's what they looked like. It was a celebration of Life, and every woman there celebrated her ass off. LOL!!! Oh...and they were both a bit "unbuttoned" as well. BOTH! I'm chagrinned to say that *I* still can't get the smile off my face. There's nothing like a glimpse of a gold cross, or a slight gaping of a blue shirt while intently playing a guitar. Hubba-hubba! I do want to assure everyone it was "tasteful". The last thing I want is for Mrs Hayward or Mrs Lodge to think otherwise, and for the Jays to come out buttoned up all the way to their necks tomorrow night. Rather, it would be a nice gift if each wife would give her hard working husband a little kiss and slyly undo a button while having him occupied, then lovingly shove him out onstage before he can notice it. It would be the sisterly thing to do! ROTFLMAO It was a GREAT night in Tahoe! FABULOUS! THE CONCERT Well, who cares after that Fashion Report? Maybe a few guys do. <shrug> The 2003 setlist was played in its entirety (I'm married to this phrase - LOL) without an intermission, as is common in casino shows. The slots are waiting! I almost think this concert moved into the OUTSTANDING category. If it didn't, it was damn near close. The house was pretty full, though not a sell-out, and more importantly, the first few tiers were filled with adoring and excited fans. That can make all the difference. People were jumping up, dancing, shouting, and one unfortunate woman was screaming behind me in the most incredibly annoying manner possible. She almost burst my eardrums. grrrrrrrrrrr Get a grip, woman! Sheesh! It had that Brilliance, and it had... PASSION!!! MMMMMMM (MaggieMay sighs deeply and with a satisfied smile) Now, I'm not going to complain about my seat. I would NEVER complain about my seat at Tahoe. It's a gift from God and I almost sob when I think of it. My elbows are on the stage (but only metaphorically). I'm thankful, I'm appreciative, I'm in Moody Heaven. But here's the complaint: the sound. You're going to give up good sound in trade for sitting so close that beads of sweat might drop on you (oh, that's a great thing!) and I'm very willing to accept that. But, but...there's usually *some* vocals! There were almost NONE last night. If I didn't know the setlist (by heart, I must point out) I wouldn't have known what they were playing! LOL OK, I could have quickly figured it out from the guitar parts. Drums and lead guitar with a tiny bit of flute and bass, that's all I got, with so little vocals that I had to watch their faces in order to "hear" them. The Moodies became an instrumental show! I didn't remember the sound being that way the last time I was at Tahoe, in that same seat. I'd hate to think that I was overcome by the view! LOL I'm directly in front of Justin's amp and I made love with Big Red all evening. ; ) The sound would be the only detraction from moving the first Tahoe show WELL in to the Outstanding category of concerts. I believe the Moodies use the house system at Tahoe, and I'm sure it's perfectly fine farther back where the mix is intended to focus. Let me HASTEN to say that I am not suggesting that a damn "Fuckville" speaker be moved in front of me, possibly blocking my view of...shoes! LOL From what I could hear and from watching Justin and John's faces, I could feel passion and feeling in their singing. There was something MORE to it tonight. Depth. Meaning. They pulled you in, and wrapped you up with their song. John tends to do that pretty often, but that experience with Justin hasn't been there very often of late. It was there at Tahoe. Justin gave a truly inspired and outstanding performance at Tahoe. The concert started cleanly and the crowd of fans was treated to a great rendition of LTSY. Lots of standing and fervent applause after every song. GD went well and I REVELED in my spot, wriggling with the delight of hearing a hot version of the GD lead guitar. That guitar part is completely different from any other song the Moodies play and I LOVE it. Love it, love it! And it was VERY loud. Heheheh The times in venues when I can't hear it at all are the times I want to pull a hunk of silver hair out in complete dismay. I'm an old rocker, and rock 'n roll is electric guitar for me - down and dirty. It was perfectly marvelous last night. There are songs I WISH they would play twice. Gemini Dream is one I wish they would play THREE times! "MAKE it work out, for each other tonight!" PLAY that guitar, Justin! YEAH! The surprise performance of the evening was none other than Tuesday Afternoon. WOW! It was the best performance of Tuesday Afternoon I have ever heard. It can be kind of a, um...sweet song at times, but last night, it was HARD and in your face. It sounded like a bunch of twenty year olds putting out a rocker. GREAT version, LOVED it. LoM was lovely, JL looked great and I bet he sounded great, too! LOL!!! OK, LoM I could hear and it was very good. ES was good, very good, but not the highlight of the evening, being beaten out tonight by TA. Justin didn't put quite the magic in the Jam that has characterized ES lately. It was very good, I don't mean that. Not AS great. WYS was nice version. The Actor...um. I think a bit of passion creeped in there tonight. A bit! It's a beautiful, beautiful song. I thought a lot about it in the last couple of days, and the "passion" in it was provided by Ray. I love John Lodge, but this is past him. He can't do it. What John does is fine, but his voice can not, simply can't do for it what Ray's voice did. It will ALWAYS be a beautiful song. It will never reach outstanding again, no matter what they do. They're kidding themselves if they think otherwise. Hey, it's *my* opinion and only my opinion. It doesn't mean a thing except to me! That's my opinion. The magic in The Actor is sitting next to a pond in England. I'm sorry I'll never hear it again. Or will I? How about the RAH in 2004? Hmmmm Wouldn't that be a good thing! OOOOH Slide Zone! This one rocked tonight, IMO, more than it ever has. It didn't hurt that a bass was swinging over my head at the end. ; ) Fans were UP and rocking. Slide Zone was brilliant from Justin's first note to the end. Mr Rock 'n Roll was ON tonight, in every song, but was fantastic in Slide Zone. This is EXACTLY what I want from John Lodge and I got it in abundance tonight. WooHoo! I can say it was one of the highlights of the evening's performance. Absolutely SMASHING! Love the drums. The flute. The Gibson. I'm a woman FULL of love! IKOTS has become one of my favorite concert songs! Live, it's a combination of a sadly sweet love song AND a rocker. ; ) Graeme grinned devilishly at Gordon and they pounded out a drum crescendo that brought everyone to their feet. Way to go, boys! Always remember children, without DRUMS the Jays are playing folk music up there. We need to go down on our knees and thank God every night for drummers so that we can have rock 'n roll! I'm really big on Graeme Edge and what he brings to the performance. I'm extremely "fond" of the moment Justin sings "thunder in the air" and Graeme makes me HEAR the thunder from far off clouds. I love it when he looks up afterward to see if it is raining. Yes, I see that, Graeme! : ) I've talked about the analogy between sex and IKYOTS; the drum crescendo FLAMES the audience and the result is the most exciting single moment in the concert. It's a moment of WILD abandon! The Moodies end that song on a high note and segue into another LIFE-long favorite of mine: The Story in Your Eyes. It's like following Tabasco sauce with a bowl of jalapenos! LOL You're up, you're HOT and you just get HOTTER. Those fans that had fallen into their seats in exhaustion popped right back up again for TSIYE. It was an outstanding performance. I wonder how hard casino concerts are on the performers on stage and how much they might like to have that break. It didn't show last night! Justin turned right around from that powerful rocker and was dancing up to his mike for YWD. Oh, that's great to see! Isn't Life Strange was a crowd pleaser, as usual and was followed by a fabulous version of TOSOL. That's a song I LOVE in concert. Live has a rough edge; it's a song that doesn't caress you, but slaps you around. I love it, and it was outstanding tonight. Higher and Higher was hot and wild and I was BLASTED by the Gibson and I felt almost shakey afterwards from the effect. (Can't WAIT for tonight!) Graeme Edge is just too cool for school and anyone who isn't WOWED by his performance had better check their pulse to make sure their heart is still beating. Damn! What a dancer! People were going wild, and GE leaned down at one moment and said to a girl at the stage who um...well, was *leaning over* a bit: Watch Your Dress! LOL!!! It was hard to not fall over laughing. Folks, the "show" is not just on the stage! Graeme's no-holds-barred performance is matched by the Master of the red Gibson, who gives a lesson in brilliance on the electric guitar every night. He's so consistent with it - that's what really amazes me. It puts me at a loss for words, and that almost NEVER happens to MaggieMay! Thank you, thank you! Graeme plopped down on his seat at the end of H&H, and was sucking away on oxygen. LOL!!! He deserved a rest after that performance. I'm huffing and puffing myself up here, this time more than usual. Please send oxygen! We need it here at Tahoe! AYSC was very beautiful last night! Perhaps since JH was on acoustic and I wasn't caught up in Big Red, was the reason I could hear his vocals. Very lovely, very beautiful, with a tinge of pathos. I could feel a soul there tonight! : ) It was sung from the heart. Norda's flute solo, and Gordon's accompaniment was very nicely done. I can appreciate it and the fine job they do without being crazy over it. It's growing on me! It's very nice. I glanced over at the Jays while Norda was playing, and both men were strumming along with their eyes closed. It made them look like sweet, young boys, very innocent, just floating away while Norda played. It was beautiful to see. You just wanted to hug them! Singer was hot! JH again spoke the words WJTSIARNRB. I like that a lot, it comes off VERY strong. Caesar's Tahoe is the place to experience Singer. There's nothing like it! (Have I said how much I LOVE Caesar's Tahoe? 15 times already? LOL) That shallow stage, the mikes pushed up and the Jays jamming center stage...it gives me CHILLS just to think of it. What an experience! John was so close, so WONDERFULLY close, INCHES away and I loved it. In fact, he was SO close during the Jam that I was afraid I might bother him while he was playing and so, I sat down to give him a little room to "work". : ) I didn't WANT to, but I love him, and it seemed a thoughtful thing to do. If the guys are *willing* to come that far out to the edge of the stage, I'd like for them (Justin, too!) to know that they'll get the right kind of reception. Trust is a beautiful thing! LOL Oh, fantastic, outstanding, brilliant! WONDERFUL guitar work by the Divine Mr Hayward! John joined Norda and Bernie for the "woos"; it's great, I love it. Where are the hip moves that JL used to put on poor Ray? LOL I'm not *sure* the girls could take that! HAHA I couldn't sit down for the end, and experienced the excitement of Mr Rock 'n Roll, just inches away, until the spectacular finish to wild applause and screaming. Singer has survived uncertainty, change and turmoil to again take it's rightful place as the song that establishes The Moody Blues as the PREMIER rock 'n roll band. Oh, they're fine troubadours too, but rock 'n roll is where MY heart is and no one does it better. Nights was lovely, a wonderful performance, but then, it ALWAYS is! It can't be improved. I know I never tire of it. Never could! It's the most beautiful love song ever written. John was delivering his ending speech when he noticed JohnB the guitar tech and Justin "messing around" next to him. He played it great, though! He strung things out, smiled winningly and gave Justin time to get ready. He was VERY cute about it. JH finally got strapped on and got his cue: QUESTION! Yeah, it was great and SeeSaw brought the curtain down on a spectacular evening. OK, I admit it. It *was* an OUTSTANDING concert! HOW can I read this review and not say that! LOL Hundreds of fans are kicking themselves for not making the trip to Tahoe. I'm sorry for you, truly sorry. You'll just have to be here next time around. Please God! Let that be SOON! JL presented me with a little "present" right before he left the stage! He *let* me take it out of the neck of his bass. If you don't think that was a RUSH, then you're wrong! ; ) I don't like to go to the well too often, as wonderful a guy as he is, but I asked for it for a Southern Belle who has been pining for one and calling ME a, and I quote: "Shameless Hussy!" It's on its way to you MizBev, if I can manage to pry it out of my fingers and stop kissing it. Now, THAT'S a smack in the making! LOL LOVING It in Tahoe, but one little thing is bothering me. Two, in fact! I miss my girls! Red and SueC, where the hell are you? You're SUPPOSED to be here with me. : ( Of course, I *know* where they are. One is sitting angrily in St Louis eating handful after handful of Chex Mix and the other is violently ripping off wallpaper. If I were you, I wouldn't mess with them today. MaggieMay WE'RE just Singers in a rock 'n roll band! Photos on this page courtesy of MaggieMay |
Lake Tahoe