June 26, 2004 - Hyannis, MA
WELCOME TO THE SUMMER 2004 TOUR! SueC and I made our way out of the Fleet Pavilion toward the hundreds of waiting taxis promised by our concierge. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Of course, there WERE none! I knew it. SueC seemed glum but not surprised. It was par for our Boston experience. A few cabs came by but they were always in service. I felt a little panic – we had left without a map or walking directions (foolish on my part) and the area didn’t look like a good place to be without a crowd around you. Finally, a LOVELY policeman took us under his wing and nailed a taxi for us. God bless you sir! We’d probably still be wandering the docks without his help. We got back to our hotel and indulged in a Patronne Margarita, made from scratch by somebody who knew how. Even though we had waited forever for a taxi, we had arrived at the hotel before the fan rush. Smoking was not allowed, but our waitress nodded when we told her we’d be back in *just a minute*. I was rather surprised to run into Keith Lockhart at the door! There was a LOT of well...”activity” at the hotel entrance. I’d say The Moodies need a new hotel in Boston. LOL!!! This one has been made big time. We went back to our Margaritas, looked at our photos and that was it. We could not stay up another minute and went to bed. I must be getting old! SueC and I had a few things to do the next morning, and I was annoyed to see we STILL didn’t have high-speed access. This would not do! I called Wayport again and lucked into a genius on the phone. He got me online – there was some bizarre connection problem with my laptop and it took him 2 minutes to walk me through a setting change. Grrrrrrrrrr We had to get ourselves together to move on. I have to say, I delight in mildly torturing the very proper desk staff and I love to see their look of horror when I relate something even the least bit lacking about the room. When the clerk asked about our stay, I said oh, everything was FINE except the shower – it drained very slowly. The three gals at the desk immediately clutched their hearts at my suffering, so I quickly added Yes, but my ANKLES are the cleanest they’ve EVER been! One girl burst out in laughter and the other two had to desperately work their faces to retain their looks of compassion and regret. I suppose it’s similar to trying to make the guards at Buckingham Palace laugh. I have to say, I’m very good at it! LOL We asked for directions toward Cape Cod (checking for detours and construction) and got good ones from one of the clerks. We were a little surprised, but it turned out that he was from Jersey and unlike the natives, actually DROVE in Boston. LOL We were packed up and ready to go, and after the doormen ogled the MEB one last time (all the valets wanted it) we were off to Cape Cod! SueC wound her way around perfectly. We had passed by the highway on-ramp 500 times since we had been in Boston, and it beckoned like an old friend. There was an AMAZING amount of traffic for a Saturday afternoon! Our usual style of driving after the concerts is well-suited to the northeast, I’m afraid. Still, it was a nice drive. We didn’t have any problems, found ourselves on the correct bridge and all that, when I saw signs saying “Rotary”. Rotary? I didn’t know what they were talking about! We got closer to our turnoff and another, more explicit sign appeared. Oh no! It was a ROUNDABOUT. I immediately thought of our near-miss in England when Red came upon our first roundabout without any warning and barely avoided a major smash-up. I have to say, SueC did brilliantly, never needing to go around a second time ala Chevy Chase in European Vacation, and the exits were very well marked. We had plenty of time to steel ourselves! LOL There were at least two rotaries, the second one within a couple hundred feet of the venue. I see the advantages to them, but I hope they don’t become a common feature in the traffic landscape of America. I’d have to stop driving entirely! LOL  We
found the venue without any problem, pulled in and looked around.
The box office was open for business and a few people were in line.
The restaurant next door looked nice, but was closed, and phone inquiries
indicated that they were very full for dinner. Dairy Queen got our
business! Other fans pulled into the venue parking lot as we were
munching away, checking on the lay of the land. We chatted a bit,
discussed our plans then waved as they left for their local hotel.
They had invited us to join them in what they described as their broom
closet, but we wanted to see as much of Cape Cod as we could in the small
amount of time we had. We didn’t have a map and no particular desired
direction – we got back on the rotary and picked an exit. It turned
out to be quite a lovely drive! We pulled in at Craigville Beach,
then drove down a lane of very nice homes ($$$$) fronting on the water.
I would say that it’s a nice life! LOL We went on and found
a busy marina, then drove back thru Hyannis. Cape Cod is nice, and
while I wouldn’t turn down a vacation there, I’d head down to St Simon’s
Island if it was a choice between the two. <shrug>
 We
decided that it was probably time to head back to the venue, but we didn’t
have any idea where we actually WERE! LOL We drove a couple
miles more and suddenly we were back at the rotary where we had started.
We pulled in to the parking lot in back of the venue (the front parking
lot that had served as our picnic area turned out to be handicapped parking),
got an outstanding parking spot and relaxed in the car until it was time
to go in. We knew it would be a big crowd because the venue sign
said:
SOLD OUT!!! THE VENUE I’ve been to a lot of different venues in the past four years and they’ve run the gamut. There have been small, historic theatres, casino showrooms, standard outside amphitheatres, pavilions (particularly this tour), gorgeous places and places that I don’t ever need to go to again. The Cape Cod Melody Tent is one of a kind! LOL I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. I loved it! The Melody Tent is exactly that – a tent. It’s a little worrisome from the outside, and while charming in a circus kind of way, it is certainly not prepossessing. There’s very little in the area other than a Sheraton across the street, the Dairy Queen and the Paddock restaurant. It’s plopped in an undeveloped, almost rural wooded area. There’s an average sign in front by the road, a parking lot and a free-standing box office next to the venue. The box office should be selling lemon shake-ups at its three service windows, and the only clue as to its real purpose is the awning which advertises “box office”. The venue is separated by a gray picket fence and the modest front entrance is quaintly marked with a curved blue sign, appropriately marked “Melody Tent”.  The
tent is an amazing sight! My initial reaction was “Oh Lord!”.
It’s the very definition of The Big Top: a single, BIG, blue tent.
It looms over you and I would guess that almost everyone is at a loss for
words on seeing it. I was, well...horrified.
The small grounds within the confines of the gray picket fence include food and drinks, restrooms and merchandise stands. It was adequate when we went in, but darn crowded at the half with the sold-out crowd. The area was really not big enough to accommodate that many people. There are several entrances into the tent, and one must be very careful to pick the right one. Not all entrances lead to the bottom (which I found out after the break). I couldn’t imagine how that tent could possibly seat 2300 people until I actually entered it. The area within is dug out and moderately steep ramps lead down. It’s very compact within, but comfortable. The Melody Tent touts that no seat is more than 50 feet from the stage. That’s an amazing statement, but it’s true. I was relieved that it wasn’t a terribly hot evening. The Melody Tent is made of heavy blue plastic and it’s not open. I suspect (and this thought was confirmed by prior attendees) that it could become a steambath in there.  The
center of the tent at the bottom is dominated by a circular stage.
One side of it is bordered by an orchestra pit which takes up about one
fourth of the circumference. Front row is close to the stage; I was
able to touch the side of the stage with my feet, but not close enough
for me to prop up my Birkies. It can be very hard to determine stage
height by eyeing it so I pulled out my measuring tape. I tried to
check it, but as I was leaning over, dangling my tape, an official looking
personage asked me WHAT I was doing. He wasn’t TOO mean about it.
I’d describe him as more...flabbergasted. snort!
The stage was 31 inches high. ; ) I wish I had inquired about the stage diameter. The Moodies were a tight fit on it, that’s for sure! There definitely wasn’t any extra equipment onstage, and it appeared to me that some pieces had been pulled off or that at least Justin’s stuff (and he takes up a lot of room) was stacked. The unique thing about The Melody Tent is not so much the tent itself but the REVOLVING stage. It is AMAZING! I had heard it described over and over, but you have to see it to believe it. While most of the venue staff was pleasant, I thought they were a trifle hopped up on security. An employee repeatedly warned attendees in the parking lot that cameras were NOT allowed. (I left mine in the car) A crowd had gathered in front of the single entry and more guards instructed women (well, mostly women) to take their purses over to a table to be checked. The two gals at the table were pretty thorough about it. I got my bag checked and moved back toward the entrance and was stopped again by security. The fellow narrowed his eyes at me and asked if my bag was a backpack (a forbidden item on their LONG list). I had to show it to him and explain it was a healthy back bag before he moved on to harass someone else. Jeesh! They’re suffering from security overkill there. The decision to leave my camera in the car was a good one. A young guard was parked at the stage 6 feet away from me the entire concert. It’s really too bad, because it’s a very cute place and there would have been a number of one of a kind shots there. SIGH! (Ed: Soooooo, we shall fill in, once again, with non-concert photos. Grrrr) THE FASHION REPORT JL – White new shirt (at least, that’s what my notes say!), jeans, boots JH – Pink pin-striped long-slvd shirt, black slacks, shoes GE – Black short-slvd shirt with white design, black slacks Bernie – Black angled skirt, black sleeveless top, boots Norda – Knit midriff sleeveless sweater, hiphuggers Paul – White long-slvd striped shirt Gordon – White tshirt, black pants The stage dress noted above is for the first half only.  THE
CONCERT
The Cape Cod Melody Tent provided me with one of the most unique and definitely one of the most FUN Moody Blues concert experiences I have ever had, rivaling the best concert I’ve ever seen at Caesar’s Tahoe. It was fantastic, and without a doubt, the best concert of the Summer Tour. There are a number of factors that go into making a wonderful concert experience. They are (not necessarily in that order): 1 The Music 2 The “Sound” 3 The Seat 4 The Audience 5 The Pleasure of The Band 6 The Venue – its setup, staff, parking, restrooms, etc When attending a Moodies concert, #1 is a given; it’s my favorite music in the world. I’ve seen at least 200 different rock ‘n roll bands, and have come to realize that it’s my favorite LIVE music too. After that, all the other factors come in to play. What made the CCMT special was the incredible feeling of intimacy and connection with the ENTIRE band. I’ve never experienced anything like it!  The
concert began with the musicians filing down the aisle almost directly
across from me. That side of the stage must be where the steps are.
Once *on board* the stage began to revolve clockwise. It revolved
continuously, VERY slowly, so slowly that you don’t tend to notice it until
you realize that the musician that was directly in front of you is now
4 feet past you. LOL An entire revolution took about 3 and
a half songs. The stage then reversed and did a half turn, then turned
back the other way. It seemed that for the last couple songs
of the first half the stage was stationary, possibly to ensure that it
was lined up with the steps for The Band’s exit off-stage.
SueC and I started our revolutionary journey at Paul’s side. Imagine the normal stage setup, with everyone on stage facing forward. While the Jays were a few feet back from the edge of the stage that they faced, Paul and Bernie were at the very edge of the stage. Paul turned of course, smiled and greeted us from 3 feet away. After the music started, Paul slipped past us and we were treated to an fantastic view of Gordon, then Graeme on the drums. I have NEVER been that close to the drummers during a performance (and neither have my poor eardrums – they’ll never be the same!) It’s incredible to see what all they’re DOING back there! Graeme also turned and smiled and seemed pleased as punch.  There
was a song break as Bernie appeared next to us and she was full of smiles
and waves, then Norda came by. It was great to have the chance to
watch her play close up. In fact, the biggest letdown of the night
(if there could be any small thing) would have had to have been The Jays!
Justin and John were the farthest of all The Band from the edge of the
stage. They must have been at least six feet away. LOL!
John did a great job of glancing around and playing not only to his front
and side but smiling and interacting behind too. : )
I don’t think I have ever seen EVERY member of The Band more interactive with an audience. It was way past being good sports about performing a concert with an audience on every side and almost on top of you. They seemed to be having a GREAT time and enjoying themselves! Justin said at one point “I Love this!” The appearance of everyone on stage seemed in agreement. I have talked to people who didn’t like The Melody Tent. They like to get “their” seats, they like to watch who they want to watch without interruption or distraction. I guess it’s not for everybody. I thought it was a fantastic experience. You’re never going to get the chance to have a good look at what Graeme and Gordon *do* onstage, and can’t usually admire Paul’s work at the keyboards from the best angle at a regular venue, nor see Bernie close up.  If
there would be ONE venue I would urge a Moody Blues fan to try to make,
it would be this one.
The Summer 2004 setlist was performed in its entirety with a 20 minute intermission. I got a leg up (not a leg over!) on the rest of the audience since I knew we were at the half and managed to slip into the ladies room before the rush. The perimeter was packed during the break – their grounds are inadequate for a sold out crowd. I didn’t notice much musically during the concert, being highly entertained by the sight of whomever was in front of me performing, but had the *bad* luck to be directly in front of Justin during Engish Sunset. I was smacked with a series of wildly wrong notes emanating from the Gibson. Ack! Everything else seemed to go smoothly. We were crowded a bit at the end when a few fans moved up to the stage for Question. I was being shoved and unfortunately, the people sitting on our right did not want to stand at the stage, and I wasn’t going to move in front of them. SueC and I planted our feet and definitely were up there a little tighter than we would have preferred. The biggest problem at The Melody Tent was The Sound. It was not a good place for sound. Large speakers were rigged from the tent roof and faced downward, but they were inadequate. There were speakers on the stage, and we got something from that. The drums blew you away, particularly Gordy. It hurt! LOL Stage/venue design precluded good sound. <shrug> I know what they sound like! On the plus side was the audience. It was enthusiastic without being obnoxious. Maybe I’ll call it The Big Top Effect – it puts people in a good mood. LOL Our evening at TCCMT was truly special and simply, one of the most delightful concert experiences I’ve ever had. It’s a long ways to go for a concert, but keep it in mind for the next time. It is well worth the trip! MaggieMay I feel the rhythm of the earth, In my soul tonight, May it never fade away... Photos by SueC & MaggieMay In far off lands, on distant shores So many friends to meet |