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Ruth
Eckerd Hall
We left Jacksonville in a satisfied frame of mind, and started on the long drive to Clearwater. We knew that a soft bed and welcoming arms waited for us near Clearwater at the home of a dear Moody friend, and that cold Diet Coke would be in the refrigerator. She had also promised us banana pancakes and Moody videos for breakfast! It provided great motivation to gut out the estimated four hour drive. SueC took over the wheel, and I rode shotgun. I have to admit I failed miserably in the role, and just couldn't stay awake with SueC's Barry Manilow tape playing, his soft voice lulling me into unconsciousness. I'd fall asleep, then wake with a jerk and feel very guilty for leaving SueC to drive with two snorers in the car. Somehow we got there, and had a moment of panic when no one came to open the front door, but the jack-o-lanterns were lit in the entryway (the signal that we had found the right house) and after several minutes, a ghostly figure in a robe appeared. After hugs all around, she sympathetically showed us to our beds. The next morning was spent with gallons of coffee, juice from the tree out back and blueberry muffins. We caught up and then delved into the finest collection of Moody Blues videos in the free world, including unseen videos of One Lonely Room and Say You Love Me. There was LOTS of ooohing and aaahing at those, proving again there is nothing like young Jays to get the heart going. It was a 45 minute drive to Clearwater to Ruth Eckerd Hall. THE VENUE Ruth Eckerd Hall is a freestanding venue not associated with a college as several venues have been. It's a fairly new and quite attractive place with plenty of parking. The venue is a bit odd. The auditorium is long rows of tiered seating, and you enter the building depending on whether your seat is left or right. The back of the venue (where you enter if your seat is on the left) has a nice patio with tables and chairs, food and a small stage where you are tortured by a local jazz group. I walked around the venue, hoping to improve my second row, but no one was selling. Hey, sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're luckier. This was our second visit to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida. It's another in the series of "members" venues, where to have any chance at a decent seat at all one MUST join their members club. Unfortunately, Ruth Eckerd has some $10 million dollar donors so your measly $250 only assures you a spot in the first 10 to 12 rows. The Moodies wait to reschedule these member venues after your year membership has run out and you're stuck joining again. LOL It's a very nice facility with great sound and a competent staff used to running pop concerts. The modern hall has a three row pit separated from the orchestra section by a low wall. There are no sections and the long rows stretch from side to side. There would be no way to get out of the middle of that hall if there was an emergency. The one great feature about Ruth Eckerd is that the staff encourages you to move out into the side aisles to dance. Moving the slightest bit into the aisle at the Star Theatre in Merrillville resulted in a quick reprimand. The front row was four feet from the medium height stage. Unfortunately, "I" wasn't in it! I was very happy with my seat in the second row on the right, which was just past the front row so no one was in front of me. There's no balcony at Ruth Eckerd. It seats 2173 and was SOLD OUT! THE FASHION REPORT GE- Red car shirt, black slacks, flag shirt second half RT- White long slvd shirt, black slacks, no change at half JH- White Oxford shirt, black jeans, no change at half JL- Black on black, black Oxford shirt, black slacks, white Oxford shirt second half THE CONCERT The permanent setlist was ably performed with a 20 minute intermission. It was a good crowd and a good concert. There were no glaring errors or anything unusual on stage. I traded my seat with a dear friend at the interval and went back to observe life on row K. It was back on row K that I became very very grateful for the venue's lenient aisle dancing policy. A tall 50ish man two seats down from us had moved to the aisle, and his dancing included high kicks that would have taken out half of your brain if they had connected. I watched in a mixture of terror and admiration. The Singer choreography was punctuated by vigorous shadow boxing. I was afraid for the indulgent and elderly Ruth Eckerd ushers, but they smiled and paid him no mind. I missed being at the stage at the end, but heard later that a fan had lunged onto the stage and managed to grab one of the laminated setlists. An alert guard proceeded to snatch it out of her hands. What was she thinking??? That setlist can be used and reused for the next ten years! LOL Apparently others saw it too, for a man passing by shook his finger at her and said: "Bad fan, BAD fan"! We kidnapped our poor hostess and whisked her off to IHOP for the traditional after show breakfast (no Waffle Houses being handy). Her corruption complete, we drove back to her lovely home and retired for a good night's sleep prior to our flight to Atlanta. MaggieMay |
