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May 25, 2004 - Denver, CO
| WELCOME TO THE SUMMER TOUR 2004!
I was the first up Sunday morning in Merrillville and dressed and packed before Hubby was even out of bed. He was astonished. LOL Though we were much closer to Chicago's two airports, it turned out to be cheaper to fly out of Indy and we decided that it would probably be much less hassle too. We had a pleasant drive to Naptown, forcing Hubby off the highway for Egg McMuffins. He was terribly worried on our behalf that we might miss our flight to Denver. God bless him! He got us to the airport three hours ahead of our flight. With The Mad Hungarian at the wheel, we were lucky it wasn't four!  Our
last run thru DEN was very unpleasant. Frontier had switched our
gate and we had to commandeer a mobile cart and elderly driver, barely
getting to our new gate before the doors closed (the couple in front of
us wasn't as lucky). It was a much better experience landing there
on Sunday after an uneventful flight. SueC is in charge of cars,
planes and *used* to be in charge of limos before Hubby said No More Limos!
sniff I have to admit I was surprised when we were taken out to an
electric blue PT Cruiser. We'll look cute said SueC! Well,
it *is* cute and it *is* extraordinarily uncomfortable. It feels
like my sister's old VW. SueC agrees and says it's our last one.
Cute is ok, but I'm more of a Lincoln Town Car kind of gal!
The Denver airport is a ways out of town, similar to the Calgary and Edmonton airports. Our directions were good, but the entrance to the hotel took us a little by surprise. Downtown Denver is dominated by one way streets and as we circled the block my stomach noticed a fondue restaurant. Ummm. SueC, do you like fondue? It turned out she did and instead of checking into our hotel, we pulled the Cruiser in to the valet parking of La Fondue. What a delightful experience! Cute place, darling waitress and great food. We decided to go all out and order their package - cheese fondue, salad, assorted meat and seafood fondue and then, TA DA - CHOCOLATE fondue. Felicia made our cheddar cheese fondue at our table: CHEDDAR CHEESE FONDUE Coors Light Beer, brought to a boil dry mustard chopped garlic shredded cheddar and swiss (4 to 1 ratio) Worchestershire sauce  Serve
with various cubed breads and chunked Granny Smith Apple
(Recipe courtsey of Felicia at La Fondue) Hubby and I went through a serious fondue period, but received intensive couple counseling and *made* it out. As a result, I am well versed on fondue customs, procedures and lore. I told SueC that we would be suspending the usual fondue custom that follows a morsel lost into the pot. LOL I prefer Emmenthaler, but had to admit the cheddar fondue was REALLY good. We scraped that pot until washing it would have been redundant. Unfortunately, Felicia continued to bring food. We only dented our milk chocolate fondue; I concentrated on the strawberries (better than sex!) and SueC zeroed in on the bananas. Felicia wanted to know what the heck we were doing in Denver and we told her in detail. When we mentioned our hope to see Red Rocks, she insisted that we visit her father's place in Morrison for breakfast and mention her name. We solemnly promised that we would! She laughed at memories of her father's restaurant being overrun by Phish Phans when they played Red Rocks. I understood completely. I like Phish's music, but their fans and the huge crowds at Deer Creek kind of creep me out. Half of them are in a trance and the other half want me to dance with them. Please children! Granny needs her rest.  While
our hotel is rated one of the nicest hotels in Denver, it's a typical chain
with no personality, no warmth and minimalist style. The lobby is
dominated by vases filled with huge sticks, and the lobby bar decor apes
a strange Japanese style combined with Western elements. The large
bar area has what I think is *supposed* to be a fountain of rocks in the
center and there are a number of annoying low seats that no one could sit
in. SueC and I attempted to relax in one corner that had a grouping
of large low chairs with no arms but gave up. They looked awkward
and they FELT awkward. Still, a couple of the female bartenders are
kind to us and give us Bailey's and Diet Cokes for free after we listened
earnestly as they discussed their love lives. We're just that kind
of people!
I love to watch people and occasionally chat with them, and the most interesting person I've run into at our hotel was a fellow here for a conference that we met in the elevator. I glanced at his name tag and was surprised to see that he was with the Golden Gate Bridge! He is in charge of its maintenance. I asked him if it was true that the bridge was painted continuously, from one end to the other and then back again. He seemed very pleased and probably stunned that someone was interested in it and said that yes, it was true. He said the road had to be worked on in the same manner, and that it was a GREAT place to work. I had been very surprised that the bridge was orange and he chuckled at that! He was a super guy and was impressed when I thanked him for looking after *our* great monument and replied You're Welcome with a hint of emotion. SueC's laughing, but hey! It was a big thing to me! As the elevator doors opened, he leaned toward me and said with meaning, Rust Never Sleeps! Isn't that Neil Young's motto too? LOL  We
came to Denver to see Da Moodies, but a few weeks ago a little light dawned
in my feeble brain. Perhaps we could go to see RED ROCKS! I
tentatively suggested it to SueC and she looked at me as if I was just
plain dumb. That's the FIRST thing I thought of when I saw Denver
on the schedule she replied! Duh! Monday was put on our calendar
as the day we would make our Haj to the Moody Mecca. We got up early
(for us) and set out on the road. Leaving Denver was a relief; buildings,
streets and shops mean nothing to me, my heart is in the hills. We
hadn't forgotten our promise to Felicia and we used her directions to get
to Morrison and the family restaurant for breakfast. Morrison is
a cute town and T and T restaurant was near the end of the tiny burg.
The highlight of the meal were the beer batter pancakes which we enjoyed
out on their deck under a warm sun. I turned to SueC and said We're
the luckiest two people in the world! Gary wasn't there, but we left
him a note with my card and told him that his daughter had sent us his
way. ; )
 We
weren't sure how to get to Red Rocks, but one of the T and T employees
sent us out basically the right way. Oh, we passed the entrance on
the first shot, and built up quite a line of locals behind us, no doubt
furious at the girls slowing down, pointing at the rocks, the mountains,
the brook and taking photos right and left. We finally stopped for
photos in a lay by and turned back toward Morrison. SueC used her
trained psychic abilities and zeroed in on an open gate. After we
turned in, we saw a small sign hidden behind a bush: Red Rocks Park.
We drove around gawking at the magnificent rocks, pulling over every few
minutes for pictures. Finally, we caught sight of a familiar rock
formation, one that has appeared on my big screen too many times to mention
- RED ROCKS!!! We drove around it a few times, examining it from
every possible angle, then pulled in. Our hope was to get close enough
for a good look, but to our amazement, the amphitheatre was completely
open! We walked in and admired everything close up and at a distance.
I stopped to snap some shots and lost SueC. I walked in alone
and was swept up in the magic of the place. After crossing the plaza,
I stood at the top looking down on the stage and felt the timelessness
of the rocks, hearing every note of music that had ever been played there.
One of my few regrets in life is missing Red Rocks, but in standing there,
I finally felt a part of it.
 Red
Rocks isn't a solitary or lonely place! There were a number of people
there walking around, a few dogs that had slipped their leashes, a couple
of young gals working out by doing the steps. I spotted SueC at the
bottom walking around, but I left that ambitious feat to her (and boy,
was she huffing and puffing afterward!) One fellow carried his guitar
case on stage, his girlfriend taping him from the 5th row and began to
play and sing. He didn't have a single piece of amplification, but
I could hear him at the top, 70 rows up. I waved down at SueC and
just tried to take everything in. I could see Denver in the distance,
a lake on the other side, mountains all around us. We weren't in
any kind of rush, there wasn't a concert to make Monday night and we were
completely free. Finally, we *knew* it was time to leave, that the
place would always be a part of us, and that a special connection had been
made. We had become a part of Red Rocks, and it had become part of
us.
I'll admit a few tears came to my eyes there. It was a very powerful experience, very moving, both peaceful and energizing. It's as if the rocks have a song of their own. sigh  Though
we left the venue, we didn't leave the park. We drove around, through
the short tunnel bored thru the rock, and up as high up as we could go,
always keeping the amphitheatre in our view, imprinting it with our eyes.
We ended the afternoon on the little deck behind the trading post with
a mocha cafe au lait and a spectacular view. We may have been there
minutes, we may have stayed there hours. I don't know! Time
had stopped. Finally, a glance at my watch told me we needed to leave
while we still had light and we played Red Rocks on the Cruiser's stereo,
hearing it with new appreciation, feeling the rocks as part of the music.
What an incredible experience it was! We came back to our hotel strangely solemn and oddly joyful, and spent a quiet reflective evening in our room. SueC worked on her photos while I stretched out, thinking about our day and the path we had walked. After a bit of reading, I fell asleep and way too early. It's a bad thing to wake up at 4:30 am the day of a concert! Well, there's no better time to write than when the world is asleep around you. HAHA We were very fortunate to reunite with an old friend in Denver, and spent lunch talking about old times and the naughty things we had done. ;) And no, I ain't tellin' what those were! While our food was excellent, we were surprised when our waiter brought a bowl to our table with a radish, a large dill pickle and a green tomato. Huh? I thought it might be the culinary bell, book and candle. We never found out what that was all about! The three of us continued on to the bar to talk but not until our waiter had frightened us with the dessert tray. There was the biggest piece of carrot cake I had EVER seen on it! We ordered coffee at the bar and an ELDERLY man with a walker tried to pick us up and wanted to send over Bailey's. I never turn down Bailey's but the bartender told him no, and said we were working girls. I really really hope that that phrase means something else in Denver than it means in Indianapolis! Boo had had a long flight from the west coast and left for a pre-concert nap with the hotel ghost. I needed a nap, but it was too late. SueC was afraid that Vegas might happen again and hung tough despite my whining. I thought I might be able to sneak in a few zzzzz's in the venue carpark and suggested we leave early and get a good spot. We were too tired to care much about anything at that point, but a gentleman on the elevator gave us EXACTLY the spark we needed. Fans plot and plan in desperation to meet a member of The Band, but the truth is, it happens when you LEAST expect it. We rode down the elevator with our favorite bass player, beautifully decked out in a butter cream suede jacket as protection against the Denver chill, and in his usual pleasant and friendly mood. There is no one funnier than John Lodge, and his greeting to us was an innocent "so what are you girls doing tonight"? LOL What a fabulous way to start an evening.  THE
VENUE
I had heard a fair number of snide and disparaging comments about The Universal Lending Pavilion being "a tent on the parking lot". Well...it wasn't that bad! I thought it rather an attractive sight - a large white tent backdropped with an amusement park. Parking was a pricey $10, but we got a place not too far from the gate. I stuffed my camera where I *usually* stuff it, and we brought jackets, gloves and burglar type warm hats in anticipation of the predicted drop to 46 degrees. Security checked our bags at the gate and were firm but not unpleasant. I bought another bottle of the worst bottled water I've ever had, and we settled down at one of several tables outside the venue proper to relax and people watch. I was stunned to see two gals walk in in formal gowns. Well! Huh. There were pleasant tickettakers at the entrance to the concert area and a number of kids from Mullen High School were wearing Moodies tshirts with a cute design (not the usual merchandise, but made specifically out of the current Moody logo) walking around importantly. : ) I will admit that the trailer style restrooms made the setup look, well...sort of trailer parkish, but they were clean and in fact, looked new. I didn't ask the seating at the Lending Pavilion. The tent was HUGE, very high and peaked. I don't know if it would actually have provided any rain protection because the 30% chance did not materialize, thank goodness. Seating extended quite a ways past the tent edge, and past the chair seating was an area of table type seating where you had bar service. A nice setup! The tent was supported by 6 substantial looking pillars, one on either side of the stage and the four around the outside. The tent supports included posts for lighting and I watched one of the lighting guys climb up thru the open work support. The stage was good sized and scaffolding on either side held a flying curved set of speakers. Big ones! A couple of front fill on tripods in front of the stage were used to augment the sound. Front row was back 5 feet from the moderately high stage, but we had a great view, unobstructed of...SHOES! LOL Large video screens were on either side of the stage, and I thought the video crew went to some effort to stay out of the way and be unobtrusive.  Photography
was forbidden (Ed: shall we continue with the
Red Rocks photos?) and my own camera stayed put away, but I did
see one fan sneak a few shots in the second row. <shrug>
THE FASHION REPORT JL - Black tank top and a hint of gold, black jeans, leather jacket and boots, no change at half JH - Black tshirt, running type jacket with white stripe down the sleeves, zipped, baby blue blue jeans, tan shoes, second half, white cattleman's shirt GE - Black short slvd shirt with white design on left breast, black jacket (windbreaker style), black slacks, second half hula shirt Bernie - White pants, white jacket, black low cut top, no change at half Norda - Gold mesh tank top, shortie patterned palazzo pants, no change at half, jacket added over JL looked fabulous in his black leather jacket! I thought Justin's running jacket looked good too. I hadn't seen Norda's pants before; they're an indescribable pattern, but go well with the gold mesh top. Justin's tan shoes were very nice. They almost look like hiking shoes, black soles, tan with darker tan laces. They're much more subtle than the dazzling white deck shoes of the last few concerts. A good look with the jeans. Paul came out in a sports jacket (a lovely look for him) but Gordon bravely appeared in a black short slvd tshirt (the one with the sparkle on the left shoulder). Paul's jacket came off pretty quickly, too. It did look like small portable heaters were on either side on the stage.  THE
CONCERT
Representatives from Mullen High School took the stage and talked about the purpose of the evening and thanked various sponsors, including Clear Channel Entertainment. It wasn't too long and it was nicely done. Mullen High School presented the evening as a fundraiser in lieu of having a bake sale. LOL They did a very nice job of selling those tickets and I hope the event will assist them in raising their roof. Their development person, Karen, took on the enormous job of selling the tickets privately (not utilizing Ticketmaster or other) and was very pleasant and accommodating. I have to say that when I called the sales number and a voice answered Mullen High School, I was dumbfounded. LOL The Tour 2004 Summer setlist was performed in its entirety with a 20 minute break. The concert started a little past 7:30 while there was still plenty of light. It was fun to watch The Band gather before the start behind and to stage left. The space sound was cued and another near perfect concert began! All songs in Denver were well performed and solid. My notes (made after the concert over coffee) have the following notations: LTSY - Great! GD - Great! TA - Great! LoM - Really Great! And so on. I think you get the picture. LOL SueC thought Lean on Me was particularly good in Denver, but I wonder if she was blinded by black leather. ; ) The sound at my spot was not the best, vocals sounded *tinny*. I would guess it was due to being on the right past Paul, the stage being on the high side, heck just being outside affects the sound. Rather than having four walls to bounce against, it dies in that tent. That's ok, that's just how it is when you're outside in a marginal venue. Although there was a white screen behind The Band, lighting was limited. The Moodies don't need a stage show, but the lighting always adds.  Justin
gave quite a long talk before English Sunset. Paraphrased, of course!
"This is from an album called Strange Times, which is one of two that we did at our favorite little studio in Genoa. And we're going to do a concert in Monaco on August 8 in my hometown, and you're all invited!" Well...Thanks! I appreciated being invited. : ) Could you pick me up at the airport and put me up for a few days? No? LOL The Moodies followed with a very nice rendition of English Sunset. In fact, it was Great! I particularly noticed Talking Out of Turn in Denver. I love the chorus (SHOT to pieces) and JL was doing some great dance stuff up there. (SueC dryly said that perhaps he was going for the David Bowie award of the evening and really...someone should smack her!) It was pretty hot! Voices was again, beautifully done by both Justin and Norda. It seems like it's been a long, long time since I got goosebumps during IKYOTS, but I had them in Denver. It's one of my favorite songs! Denver turned out an enthusiastic crowd for The Moodies. I haven't stood that much in the first half since I don't know when. A number were up for the Jam in ES, were up again during IKYOTS and stayed up for TSIYE. The floor was perfectly flat and I couldn't see where the standing ended. I was treated instead to a lovely view of downtown Denver. The second set was excellent. Great, in fact! LOL Drumsticks were flying everywhere during YWD, and ILS received an enthusiastic ovation. The venue had given out blue climbing hooks that were also a flashlight and those were widely used during TOSOL. SueC and I looked at each other, said what the hell, got ours out of our pockets and went to town with them. I'm a hypocrite, I admit being a hypocrite, and in fact, I revel in it. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time! LOL The other standout song of the evening was December Snow. It was just SO good! Mmmmmm. The rest of the second set was great! Simply Great!  I
had thought that there might not be many regular fans (I knew of several
who weren't able to get to Denver, at least not in the *style* they are
accustomed to) and was very pleasantly surprised to see a large number
of people I knew or recognized in the first few rows. Sad to say,
the two couples directly to my left (and closer to center) talked the entire
damn evening. It's great that they're supporters of Mullen High School,
that's commendable. However, while this isn't Carmen, it *is* fine
music that deserves respect, and I paid $175 to hear a concert. The
two women started their conversation up enthusiastically the second half
and I tried to ignore it. December Snow was the breaking point -
they TALKED through the entire beautiful song. I had HAD it.
Grrrrrrrr I tapped the lady on my left, leaned over and said I hear
you talking. I thought considering her age and appearance that she
would immediately tender a gracious apology, and mortified at annoying
me, would say that they were sorry and would stop talking. What she
SAID was: No Way! Humph! I narrowed my eyes and said
WAY back to her firmly.
Hey, they shut up! LOL All I can say is, The MORE I get to know people, the MORE I like my dog. It *was* cold, but not TOO cold, and the musicians looked fine onstage, sounded fine and played fine. I found I didn't need my jacket though a couple of very cold breezes shot through the tent during the course of the evening. Though the concert started in the sun, JL didn't use his sunglasses and was lit up beautifully by the natural light. JL made some very pleasant comments about Mullen High School, in addition to his regular Have a Great Life wellwishes. Security protected the stage during Question and moved people back from it about a foot. There was no stage rush. The evening ended brilliantly with SeeSaw and a number of roses appeared on the stage. A special girl received a special pick from a special bass player. : ) It was lovely to see! MaggieMay And you're the only other person who knows, Don't tell me! I'm just a singer in a rock 'n roll band Photos courtesy of SueC |