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| UK FALL TOUR
2004
Glasgow, Scotland Clyde Auditorium Thursday, Sept 30 On the Road with MaggieMay… Unlike the anxiety-filled trip to Monte Carlo in August, our flight to the UK was without a single worry – the skies were clear, the plane on time and despite the screaming four-year old two rows ahead of me, I was able to muck out some sleep. I was pretty tired when we arrived in Gatwick and not entirely coherent in conversation with Immigration. They let me in anyway! <shrug> Our connection to Glasgow was a comfortable 2 and a half hours away. Our luggage had been checked through and that worked out very well. In essence, we circled around the airport, and checked in for our British Airways flight to GLA. I was surprised when we weren’t given a GATE for our next flight. Watch the boards? Were they serious? Yes, the clerk assured us brightly – just watch the boards and about 10am your gate should come up for your 10:30 flight. Hmmmmm I’m not stuck on the US and our American ways, and I enjoy experiencing different customs, but I DO like knowing where I’m supposed to be. It’s a religion with me. Gatwick is run very similarly to a British train station. There are large boards with times and long lists of flights, and as at the train station, you gather in front of these boards and wait ANXIOUSLY for your gate to be announced, then rush off at a brisk pace to board your flight. Well, what can you do? IMHO, this is no way to run an airport! However no one asked me what I thought, and no one cared what I thought. LOL Darling Hubby and I found seats in what’s basically the Gatwick shopping mall near one of the boards. Of course we couldn’t actually SEE the board. I couldn’t read it from farther than 10 feet away. We checked a couple of times, watched the travelers as they shopped the duty free stores and desperately tried not to fall asleep. At 10am, the board flipped up a DELAY sign and I groaned. We had no idea how long the delay would be, whether 10 minutes or 10 hours. Gabe finally left to look for a phone, a mobile of our own and I thought that was reasonable – after all, we were on delay. I began to get uneasy, but I was babysitting our hand luggage and didn’t feel comfortable risking our things for a closer look at the board. Ah! I remembered the binoculars in my briefcase, thrown in for…oh, birdwatching, pulled them out and tried to get them and my dried out eyeballs to work as a team. I nearly passed out when the following words came into focus: 10:45 Glasgow Gate 55 NOW BOARDING ACK!!! I jumped from my seat in terror. Gate 55 was at the other end of the airport and Hubby was nowhere in sight. We were going to miss our flight! God has a plan for all of us, and apparently our divine plan was to be in Glasgow. DH turned up a New York minute later, new mobile in hand, jumped to with purpose and said “We can MAKE it!” We raced down the entire length of freakin’ Gatwick (Grrrrrrrrr) and weren’t even the last ones on. Quite a number had been taken similarly by surprise. I will never bitch about airports in the USA again. I’d have a nervous breakdown if I was a frequent traveler in England. Name a gate or else – it’s a God-given human right! Someone alert Amnesty International (said tongue-in-cheek). I hadn’t flown British Airways before. The plane interior was attractive and pretty comfortable; there was a pullout coat hook in front of me which I thought was practical. The cabin crew was very pleasant. Their dress was formal – skirts, white shirts, ties, HEELS. I felt I had gone back in time to the coffee, tea or me era of air travel. It was a good flight and one of the quietest groups of travelers I’ve ever experienced. I woke up when the wheels touched ground and felt renewed. HAHA Well, somewhat! The view from the plane window was not promising – it was gray and rainy. One does not usually choose the UK for a fall vacation, and I had packed both raincoat and umbrella. GLA was a surprisingly small airport and baggage claim was limited to a few carousels. We waited patiently by the one that had our flight number listed, but our patience wasn’t rewarded. DH finally asked a luggage professional who suggested we just check the other carousels. I thought that was an odd way to do things, but our bags turned up a couple carousels away.  During
our brief wait, I noticed a big guy wearing a garish tshirt decorated with
a large American eagle. I cringed at the insensitivity and thought
immediately of the recent online posts about wise attire in the UK.
He turned toward me and spoke to his wife and I had to laugh. The
gentleman wearing the example of insensitive American aggression was a
Scot! LOL
Like some of 2002’s UK train stations, Glasgow airport (there are TWO airports in Glasgow, btw) was brightened by a flower stall. I can’t imagine any people in more need of color, well…perhaps those that live in Seattle. It was hard to pass it by, but it wasn’t the time and I had plenty to juggle. If I may make just one more suggestion: a LARGE sign saying “Taxi’” would be a real time-saver for foreign visitors. We finally had to ask an airport security guard and I’m sure it gave him a real feeling of value and purpose to point us toward the queue. I hadn’t seen much of Glasgow in 2002. We had trained over from Edinburgh and left immediately after the concert, performing the fan version of a “hit and run”. It was nice to taxi through the city during daylight, and it isn’t unattractive. We took the tunnel under the River Clyde, made a few turns and were in front of the SECC. It’s always a good feeling to SEE the venue and I smiled at being at the Armadillo again. We took the riverside drive past the venue and pulled up to the Glasgow Moat House. It’s no Four Seasons, and no one opened my taxi door, greeted me warmly or took charge of my luggage. What the Moat House lacks in amenities, it makes up for in convenience – it’s actually attached to the back of the venue. The nice girl at the desk checked on our room and assured me it would be available in an hour. That was fine with me, ‘cause what I needed I could see 20 feet away – an attractive bar serving coffee and littered with ashtrays. I was in Heaven! An hour later, DH and I were on a couple of child size beds, very happy to have safely arrived. Our room doesn’t SMELL like the Four Season’s either! Sigh There’s a hint of beans in the air, or perhaps permanently attached to the candystripe wall paper. It goes with the view. I can look out over the car park and  see the River
Clyde. It’s a depressing sight – all it needs is a few papermills
to make it look completely industrial. Some gasoline storage tanks.
A dump or two. Pretty, it ain’t!
To be fair, the view from the bar lobby and out the front door of the Moat House is nice. A footbridge spans the Clyde a football field from the entryway and almost directly across on the opposite bank is the Museum of Science, a football of glass. It’s a pleasant enough spot to be. Where the Moat House shines is with its wireless internet service. Surprisingly, the front desk didn’t know they offered it and the tech they sent to my room to help me stood transfixed, fascinated by my Sony Vaio. I figured it out my OWN self and though pricey (17 GBP for 24 hours) Eurospot worked perfectly and the signal was good. The hotel staff, though pleasant, were idiots. After a few hours spent in recovery, we got up to work on realigning our internal clocks. Everyone has different ways of dealing with jet lag. I’ve found what works best for me is to get on local time as quickly as I can. We got up and determinedly stayed up until 11pm. Thursday morning I woke up and didn’t feel half bad! LOL  An
old friend came up to meet me in Glasgow and though her gallant ride was
at ONE airport and she was at the other airport, they finally appeared
at the Moat House. I would have gladly chatted all day, but the Glaswegian
(no kidding, that’s what they’re officially called) insisted we go into
town and walk around. He was right! Though he had to push me
off my bar stool and drag me into his car, it was absolutely the correct
choice. Walking around gave me a different perspective on Glasgow.
I like it! I will admit I was initially uneasy. It was like
a new television show: Glasgow Survivor! He pulled over, put
us out on the sidewalk, waved vaguely forward and we knew we were on our
own: we’d have to forage for food, find shelter from the rain and obtain
a taxi back to the hotel before the concert. We made a good team!
DH successfully figured out our new UK MOBILE. You can call us ANYTIME
at, ooooh, I’ve misplaced the phone number. Gosh darn it! Well,
you could have called. I caught sight of a kiltmaker’s shop and decided
I needed to do that. Everyone really should have a sporran of their
own. I feigned confusion and made people say it over and over, JUST
so I could hear them roll their “rrrrrrrrs”. I didn’t have to feign
a lot – most of the time, I really couldn’t understand them! I sweetly
said that to one cute fellow and his reply was, “That’s what we’re always
saying about Edinburgh! No one can understand them!”. LOL
Another UK friend had suggested one of his favorite restaurants in Glasgow – Rogano’s. Oysters, champagne and Art Deco was an appealing combination. Though hubby was disdainful, I had the feeling that the restaurant might be nearby. It was! One of the kiltmakers kindly took us outside the shop and gave us excellent directions, enthusiastically pointing the way. A five minute rainy stroll and we were there. Rogano’s is on a side street off Buchanan and prides itself on being not only cool but historic as well. It was built in the 30s and is marvelously Art Deco (one of the few styles I feel I understand and could live with). The booths in the  Oyster
Bar were full, but one of the handsome young Scot waiters (think Sean Connery)
held the first booth that opened up for us – I had barely had time to sip
my champagne. Red doesn’t do seafood, but she was willing to have
champagne with us and keep us company. I don’t really know what we
would have done for entertainment (besides watching the waiters, checking
out the other guests, admiring the Art Deco design (and knowing THIS was
the real stuff) if she hadn’t dumped her open purse under our table.
: ) Coffee and crème brulee followed and we talked until
we remembered we had a concert that evening. It took a while
to get a check, but we finally got that done and were directed to the taxi
stand a couple blocks away, in front of the train station. A fellow
traveler pointed out that we were standing on the WRONG side of the queue
and we jumped to race to the right side. We didn’t know! He
said, well (said more like whale) you’re in front of me! It was a
lovely afternoon in Glasgow.
THE VENUE Clyde Auditorium is part of an up scale multipurpose/exhibition center – the SECC. It’s a striking building set on the bank of Glasgow’s Clyde River, formed of overhanging metal plates, begging the nickname “The Armadillo”. I first visited The Clyde in 2002 and it hasn’t changed. It’s a very nice, modern facility. What I particularly like about The Clyde is its design and flexibility. Opening up the balconies allows about a 7000 max crowd. Seating was nice and full in the 3000 setup used for The Moodies. The Clyde’s design gives it a feeling of intimacy in the smaller setups. A large comfortable lobby encourages a bit of socializing before the concert and at the interval. A nice touch is the bar at the top of the escalator where one can get into the mood. Smoking is allowed in the bar and in the lobby. Getting into the showroom is a pill. There are narrow hallways on both sides leading into the showroom  and
since the ushers can only assist one or two people at a time, you’re stuck
for several minutes in what amounts to a cattle chute. It’s good
I’m not claustrophobic! The staff are pleasant and pretty funny –
after looking at my ticket, the greeter said to me “I don’t need to tell
YOU where you’re sitting!”. The floor is divided into two basic areas,
rear and front seating. Handicapped seating is available on both
sides of the rear seating which is over hung with a low ceiling.
Curtains attractively cover the side walls. Front seating is divided into
three sections, and is either flat or barely inclined. Due to the
design of the auditorium, the lightboard is upstairs. I didn’t notice
the soundboard (usually next to the lightboard), I presume it was also
upstairs. The front row is a good distance back from the moderately
high (about 4 foot stage) at least 8 feet away. Not where *I* like
it! The mikes were placed well forward, softening that blow and were
within 6 inches of stage edge.
While the sound wasn’t exceptional, I thought it was very good – clear, no distortion, well-mixed, loud, but not too loud. No complaints here! (HAHA) It’s hard to complain about Clyde Auditorium. It’s not the most rockin’ place I’ve ever been, but it’s a darn good place to see/hear a concert. THE FASHION REPORT JH – Long-slvd white Western shirt with flower/leaves pattern (also known as the sheet shirt because SueC had sheets of a similar pattern. It’s ok – she liked them!), black jeans, shoes, no change at half JH – White long-slvd western-look bib shirt, black jeans with leather pockets, boots, second half, black long-slvd “shirred” shirt GE – Jimi Hendrix shirt, black slacks, second half hula shirt Norda – Her black riding skirt with ruffle, black brocade with white design sleeveless top, long boots, no change at half Bernie – NEW black sexy halter/keyhole top with black skirt, boots Paul – White long-slvd shirt, dark slacks I couldn’t tell if Bernie’s new outfit was a skirt plus top or a dress, but it was a great look for her and the color really shows off her blonde hair. The girls were both wearing boots and looked pretty kick ass! (Literally and figuratively!) John’s hair looked fantastic. I don’t know if it’s any different from last tour or from Monte Carlo. You can’t help but think *wow*, especially when it’s been a while. It’s gorgeous! I don’t know what poor Gordon was wearing. I never saw him during the concert. I was directly in front of JL and he blocked him out completely. I could hear him though! LOL I have to say, everyone on stage looked great – rested, relaxed and happy to be there. THE CONCERT It seems to me that In The Old Days when I was a young fan, and walked 5 miles through the snow to every concert, that the first concerts of a tour were often pretty awful. The band members looked tired, grumpy and jet-lagged and the energy coming off the stage would barely light a 40 watt bulb. That was the old days! The last few tours have seen first concerts that are quite respectable, in fact, GOOD. The first concert of the UK Fall Tour 2004 was VERY good! A flawless, well-coordinated start brought out a smiling trio of professionals ready to rock ‘n roll. And what a satisfying sight it was! The UK Fall Tour 2004 setlist was the same as the Summer USA Tour 2004 setlist with the DELICIOUS addition of Forever Autumn. Here it is, with my commonly used abbreviations: Lovely to See You LtSY Gemini Dream GD Tuesday Afternoon TA Lean on Me Tonight LOM English Sunset ES Talking Out of Turn TOoT Voices in the Sky VitS Slide Zone SZ I Know You’re Out There Somewhere IKYOTS The Story in Your Eyes TSIYE Twenty minute Interval (we get an intermission in the States – LOL) Forever Autumn FA Your Wildest Dream YWD Isn’t Life Strange ILS The Other Side of Life TOSOL December Snow DS Higher & Higher H&H Are You Sitting Comfortably? AYSC I’m Just a Singer in a Rock ‘n Roll Band SINGER Nights in White Satin NIGHTS or NIWS Question QUESTION Ride My SeeSaw SEESAW It wouldn’t BE a MaggieMay review if I didn’t say: The 2004 UK setlist was performed in its entirety with a 20 minute intermission. (I want people to be able to sleep at night.)  While
the setlist remained greatly the same (and damn near perfect it is, too)
the Moodies lighting genius redesigned the lighting for the fall tour.
The Clyde stage was hung over or perhaps well hung with 3 overhead triangular
screens, that MOVED. Bitchin’! Mick used a recurring almost
Celtic motif on the screens and I, for one, was trippin’. LOL
I did tell him that the whirling sunflower at my feet was making me a little
sick, and front row ticketholders should bring an airplane bag with them
if they are sensitive to such things. LOL Seriously, the lights
were fantastic, even from the front which is the worst place to enjoy the
Moodies’ famous light show.
There are very few concert notes to list for Glasgow. The concert was strong, well-performed and nearly flawless. The first half went smoothly. I have come to admire and respect The Moodies for their rapid movement into the next song. They graciously accept the audience’s applause while subtly changing guitars and very effectively move the concert along, keeping the momentum going throughout. You really don’t appreciate how WELL they do this until you’ve stood around waiting on Lenny Kravitz for 10 minutes between songs. LOL John took a moment to introduce Lean on Me in his usual short and sweet manner, and Justin prefaced English Sunset in a similar way. I think (and was expecting) John shout out Scotland!, but though I was expecting that, I’m not sure that’s what I heard! LOL John also prefaced Talking Out of Turn – when you say something that a moment later, you realize you shouldn’t have. Justin’s introduction to Voices in the Sky added not only that it was from In Search of the Lost Chord, but that at that time, he had only found 3 chords and was still looking for the others. It had a nice spontaneous, relaxed quality. Voices was quite lovely! The Band had substituted The Actor for Voices in Monte Carlo, and I’ve found myself sadly conflicted. The Actor was gorgeous in Monte Carlo, but I love Voices. I’m glad it’s not my decision which one to use in the setlist; if I can’t have both, I’d love to see them put in alternately. Both are gems!  Slide
Zone was really good, in fact, it’s always good. IKYOTS is a personal
and a crowd favorite. It pulls people upward and then TSIYE hits
them on the head. It was a wonderful, high energy ending to the first
half.
I must have been chatting away at the break, for I didn’t notice the tell-tale sign – Gordon moving in behind Bernie’s keyboards – announcing Forever Autumn. It’s the ONLY reason a Moody fan needs to cross The Pond. The pleasure, no – the THRILL of hearing Forever Autumn performed live is unsurpassed. Paul did um...”rewrite” his solo, but quickly recovered and put it back on track. I’m sure there’s good reason The Moodies decline to add it to the American setlist, but what a shame! I think it would knock people off their feet, or rather, bring them TO their feet. It’s simply a glorious song, performed magnificently. It received a huge ovation. Justin trotted offstage with a shy smile, and quickly returned preceded by Graeme and followed by John. Your Wildest Dreams went very well, and was followed by Isn’t Life Strange. I still don’t get it, don’t feel it, and in fact, am puzzled by the strong reactions it solicits. I’ve felt seatmates tremble, I’ve seen men sob. What are these people feeling, and why do I not get it? I’m going to have to go into therapy if this keeps up – I’m getting a complex over this song! It’s going to require psychoanalysis with a renowned Moodies expert. As always, it received a big response from the audience. TOSOL (now, I UNDERSTAND The Other Side of Life) moved me back into the arena I’m comfortable in. Those wild Canadians came to the UK armed with their glowsticks. December Snow was Beautiful and H&H was the wild party that follows. AYSC, another treat, and Singer was...Singer! The second half differs so much from the first half. It’s much more of a roller coaster ride: you’re up, you’re down, you’re UP, you’re down. I like that! It’s almost funny that the highlight of the concert is the ultimate misery: Nights in White Satin. It’s the epitome of great beauty and great pain, a masochist’s delight. Well, we’re a bunch of sick puppies out there! LOL  Like
the rest of the concert Question was strong, Justin ripped into it.
I’m into Question for one reason – I love John’s bass part. I was
directly in line with JL’s Ampegs and could hear it perfectly, making me
a very happy camper. It’s one excellent reason to make it up to the
stage. It’s there you realize what a fantastic bass player JL is.
Time after time, I’ve had people turn to me afterward, blown away, and
say they had NO idea, and I reply, now you do! : )
I thought Justin’s performance in Glasgow was, well...up at the top! He always works hard and he’s got a big job, but he seemed relaxed in Glasgow, IN to the music, a part of it, feeling it, MOVING with it. Some nights it seems like a job, and a hard job at that, and some nights, it seems like it’s a pleasure. It was obviously a pleasure in Glasgow! For me, it was just super being back in the UK. I feel most comfortable in Scotland; the Scots seem to me more like Americans than the English, feisty, but sweet. LOL Not that I don’t love England! It’s a feeling more than anything I can put my finger on. A new tour always brings fond reunions with dear friends, moments to catch up with loved ones from all over the world. It was a special pleasure to meet WichChristine, a Scot fan I connected with thru Patluv from Florida. The Moodies have made it a small world. Big hugs were exchanged with Su and Jackie from Vancouver – two of the nicest fans you could ever meet. The entire Broggy family made it to Scotland, and after a nightmare trip so did PhillyPhanGrace and my dear friend, MoodyVal. The only sad thing was the absence of one best friend, the irreplaceable SueC, and I tear up every time I realize she’s not right here. I’m not sure how I can write without her, and it halves my enjoyment of everything. I’m sure she’d have a tissue ready before I even asked for it. Sigh Hubby falls asleep when I read to him, and there’s not much enthusiasm when I say “Wanna hear it so far”? I know Angel will be a comfort to me, as she always is. Life is completely fair,(Ed: easy for YOU to say, Missy!) and while one best friend is stuck home and far away, another found her long way to Glasgow and was seated again next to me for the first time in a very long time. It wasn’t *quite* the same, but it was still good, and it brought back fond memories of The Beacon in 1999. To you I want to say: More tea, Vicar? : ) MaggieMay And at journey’s end, You will find a friend, In me. Photos by Maggie and Gabe |
Newcastle |