| Welcome to the DECEMBER Tour!
On The Road With MaggieMay... We were lost. Lost, in of all places, Detroit. Not Grosse Pointe, not even Dearborn, but the big, very bad City of Detroit. It wasn't our fault! We *knew* how to get back to our hotel. We, or more accurately *I* had not "marked" our turn with a landmark and there were no street signs. sigh They probably had been stolen! Hubby rang us as we were frantically looking for signs to 75 or 696 or ANYTHING and chuckled saying you guys really need Shirley! Shirley??? That one threw me. Ah! SYLVIA! Yes, we could have used good old Sylvia, our GPS lady, in Detroit. We are women and not too proud to ask for directions. SueC's first try was with a gas station attendant who barely knew where HE was, but the 2nd netted us paydirt. We are practiced in strolling in to our hotel, watched by a dozen or more fans, as if we had stopped off for a quick drink with an admiring band member. HAHA Our change in luck held and we were seated at the very last table in the bar. SueC turned up her nose at Belugian caviar and the other fine offerings on the bar menu. My tentative request for a cheeseburger (*not* a gourmet offering) was met with a sweet smile and the words "Oh, we will for YOU". Coffee and Baileys followed (cup after cup) and we closed the bar at 2am. We hated to leave our friends, and the conversation was delightful, but the staff had sternly turned the lights on, and wanted to clean up. Some nights are just perfect! Leaving our hotel was even harder on Sunday. What a chore packing is when you have no desire to go anywhere else! Ken the doorman hugged us both goodbye, and the rest of the staff wished us a safe journey and the sincere hope that we would soon return. Bowie is at The Palace in January, and if the Hummer can make it, hubby and I will be there. We were off to Youngstown!  Youngstown
is a hellhole. Bottom line, that's it. Our worst seats of the
tour landed in Youngstown, but it stood between Michigan and Pennsylvania,
so we thought we might as well. I am *willing* to sit almost anywhere
in a theatre, and we've experienced worse than 8th row in our Moody lives.
It's a good thing to sit back at times and realize just how precious and
privileged a front row seat IS. I had never heard anything good about
Youngstown, Ohio, but didn't realize how pathetic a straggler from the
Rust Belt can be. We found the theatre and it looked ok, but the
neighborhood around it was completely deserted: no people or cars on the
street, shops boarded up and run down across from the theatre, and us with
a car loaded down with thousands of dollars of luggage and equipment.
Heck, I was afraid to leave the car! It was an eerie scene reminiscent
of some post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie where the only things left on earth
are you and some huge mutant rats. While waiting for the box office
to open, a local pointed up the street and told us that last week a policeman
had been murdered a block away.
That was just what we wanted to hear! Though we were first in the box office line, the IMBECILE at the box office turned us away, then his partner sold a pair of front row center seats to the couple behind us. I sternly inquired how this could happen, and he sputtered an unintelligible answer. What an idiot! It was lucky for him that he was safely behind thick glass. Foie gras was sounding damn good to me at that moment. Grrrrrrr We coldly settled on a pair on the right side, and left shooting murderous glances in his direction. SueC turned to stomp in to the theatre and I pointed out that we had been left holding a decent pair in the 8th row. We HAD to offer them to the public. Then our troubles REALLY began!  I
am not in the business of reselling tickets. I HAVE to do it on occasion,
but I invariably fail miserably. It's just not my thing, nor is it
SueC's. We have eaten dozens over the years and given more away than
we have sold. sigh We have our talents and brokering is NOT
one of them. I dislike The Law and was taught to fearfully respect
it as an impressionable child, and for the most part, it's a good thing.
Perhaps due to the seamy nature of the neighborhood, there were a LARGE
number of cops posted around the theatre. MaggieMay and SueC are
law-abiding citizens. (Mostly!) I pushed SueC over to gingerly
ask a lady cop the niceties of the situation and Lady Cop said we certainly
could sell them as long as it was at cost. This was a problem, because
I was asking LESS than cost. Did I HAVE to sell them *at* cost?
LOL We were relieved that we were Doing Nothing Wrong. I held
up my two tickets in the usual manner as people passed by. Ah...but
it made one person VERY unhappy!
THE PROMOTER! A rather grim, solid looking fellow walked up to me and SueC as I was leaning against a sign post, got in my face and said "You can't sell those (tickets) out here"! SueC and I looked at each other amazed that a total stranger would come up and say such a thing to two such obviously nice women. I thought perhaps he was a zealous citizen and replied that the police a mere ten feet away had told me that I COULD. He turned on his heel and marched into the box office and was seen in heated conversation with the box office manager. We see things very clearly ; ), and saw the box office clerk raise her hands in a gesture of helplessness. SueC asked the Lady Cop who the fellow in the box office was and she knew - lol. She said he was The Promoter and a Big Pain. While I don't mind watching trouble unfold, I don't particularly like being at the center of it. I had no desire to annoy the concert promoter. However, I *am* Proud to be an American ('cause at least I know I'm free) and feel strongly that the assertion of one's rights under the law is an act of patriotism. Well, that and the fact I wasn't really doing anything else right then! LOL The promoter came back out for Round Two. This time he asked to see our tickets, still without identifying himself, turned them over and read all the little fine print on the back and loudly claimed that we were violating the ticket's prohibition against exchanges. He went on to say that most tickets have a statement on the back forbidding the resale within 1000 feet of the venue. Ah! Is THAT what it says I brightly asked him? Uh, no was his taken aback reply. SueC and I do not "cotton" to people who attempt to intimidate us. Tag was a fairly decent fellow as promoters go (Bubba being an exception) and he calmed down when he realized that we had just bought a SECOND set of concert tickets from the box office. We listened as he told his story of his difficulties and problems and how people expected HIM to suffer just because they were sick or had had a marital spat and got a friend to sell their tickets. He said it was taking money away from him and from The Moody Blues. Time stopped at those words, and I immediately saw a heart-breaking picture in my mind: Justin, cold and forlorn, sitting on some steps in the icy wind, pulling his tattered Armani jacket up against his throat with one hand, and holding out his matches to passerby with the other. John, sipping Gallo Red from a paper cup while he plays a round of golf on a public golf course. I couldn't STAND it! I pressed my $115 worth of tickets into the promoter's hand and begged him to sell them, that I understood completely, and I couldn't bear the thought that The Band might suffer because of me. (Ed: For godsakes, Tag...take the tickets, and turn them back into the box office so that The Moody Blues can each get their effin' three dollars!) That wasn't quite the end of our relationship with Tag and I'd like to say that we felt the true bond of friendship because of our shared love of music, and parted in a comradely fashion. We didn't. It was part of the unending entertainment of touring *with* The Moody Blues! THE VENUE I was surprised on entry to Powers Auditorium. It was very pretty, like stepping into another world. What a jewel, especially for a sorry town like Youngstown. The entry hall looked newly restored and was very crisp, its high arches the focal point. The merchandise stand was set up on the left and looked busy. There was a staircase to the balcony off this hall. We took a right thru a crowd past bars and munchie stands and came out to the entrance of the left side of the theatre. Restrooms were off to our right and were almost blocked with foot traffic. The theatre itself was simply GORGEOUS, one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Who'd a thunk it? It reminded SueC of a carousel, not just in the use of green, pink and bisque with gold, but also in the wall designs. The center of the ceiling was a large petal-like structure that glowed in brilliant pink light before the concert. Two exquisitely wrought intricate glass lamps hung on either side at the near front of the auditorium. It was simply spectacular. I do hope that Powers will eventually find a sugar daddy to underwrite new carpet to replace the black/purple patterned oddity. The balcony was straight back from the front, with no side boxes. The orchestra floor was split into three sections, but there were three aisles; the center orchestra section was divided by an aisle making seating much easier. The stage was 43 inches high and a bit TOO high for the two of us in our right side seats next to the pit. The stage setup was as usual with a a set of three large speakers and a front fill on either side of the stage. And right in front of US. ack! The stage was very wide, seeming to run the entire width of the venue. Justin was MILES away from us, and John only marginally closer. We waved to them as if from the deck of a cruise ship about to embark out to sea. sniff Mikes were at least 10 feet from the edge of the stage. The configuration included a two row pit of temporary chairs under the close supervision of the fire marshall. LOL  The
venue sat 2300 and we were told by an Unnamed Source that the concert was
almost sold out. Purses weren't examined and though there were posted
bans on photography, I saw an awful lot of flashes going off during the
concert. huh! No water allowed in the theatre, but Diet Coke
was $1. The promoter's hired security was a pain and insisted we
sit down during The Story in Your Eyes. I pointed out to him the
girl standing a few feet away in the pit, but apparently he was only in
charge of me and SueC. We're not big standers, and it's particularly
rare (and painful) for me this tour. We stood during Singer though
SueC said our guard tried to catch her eye. LOL I can see it
might be a minor problem, though we were off way to the side, because the
Youngstown audience did not stand. It was like attending a concert
in the UK. Applause was good, cheering was loud, but they didn't
stand. Not even for Question, until the end. As another fan
said to me afterward, How Odd! The nice thing about the Youngstown
audience was the number of couples in their 40s and 50s who brought their
kids. : ) One dad walking out of the theatre was heard
to proudly say, That's OUR music!
Yes, it is! THE FASHION REPORT JL - White long-slvd bib/ruffle shirt, leathers, boots, 2nd half black long-slvd bib/ruffle shirt JH - Black long-slvd plain shirt, tux pants, shoes, 2nd half white long-slvd shirt with ruffle, gathers at the shoulders, thin material, sleeves rolled up (nice look) GE - Jimi Hendrix shirt, black slacks, 2nd half patterned Christmas shirt (Ho Ho!) Norda - White blouse with low neck and ruffle THE CONCERT SueC and I were ready for some rock 'n roll, having skipped the drive to Grand Rapids on Saturday to recover. I thought the sound was poor, but SueC thought it was very good. She says she could hear each voice and each instrument. We were both forced to wear earplugs due to our proximity to the speakers. I respectfully disagree with her. I got a lot of keyboards and drums first half, very weak guitar and vocals. Sound seemed to improve in the second half. The concert began without error and the Holiday setlist was played in its entirety with a 20 minute intermission. The energy level seemed lower than Detroit. SueC and I were playing right field in Youngstown! I hope our good friend Ken B will write a review from the perspective of the center. : ) John was revving up his Harley before the start of Slide Zone. A blonde ran up to the stage at the end of The Voice. SueC said she threw something AT Justin at the end (!!!), it seemed to me that she was asking him for his guitar pick. I don't know. The December songs were beautifully performed, and seemed to be well received. Youngstown really liked White Christmas and that song has definitely won both me and SueC over. Graeme added a cute bit to H&H saying after When my hair was brown and my teeth were white, it looks like some of that December Snow has fallen on my head. That bit cracked Justin up! LOL I noticed Bernie singing along with Big Red on H&H last night. I hadn't noticed that before. It's cool.  More
lyrics problems in Singer. Scorching The Earth, and *not* in a good
way! I can understand it happening once, even twice, but every night
we've been there? Heck, put them on the floor with everything else!
LOL Perhaps this is intentional, done as part of the Moodies conceptualization
of a troubled mankind and the failure to communicate between peoples.
Yep! I bet that's it! <snicker> I can't believe I
didn't realize that before.
SueC had a fine pair sneak into the two unsold seats next to her right before H&H. They barreled into her, kicking her purse into the stage. The gal, who was either quite drunk or mental spent H&H yelling something that would not have been appreciated if Graeme had heard it. She jumped up and down, flailed her arms, and her man sang Nights loud enough to be heard over the speakers. Very romantic! LOL I was sorry for SueC but glad that I wasn't having to deal with them. Near the end of the concert, I smelled butane and looked around in worry, not wanting to go the way of Great White. The obnoxious couple had lit up cigarettes! Now where was that security guard when we needed him? We ended the evening with our usual schtick - begging a flute from Norda. SueC said she thinks we'll GET that flute one evening - up the side of our heads. Norda's a darn good gal. It was a good concert in a beautiful venue. Why wasn't it great? I'd say the passive crowd did not inspire one. As ye sow, so shall ye reap. It was great fun to run in to Wendy, Ken, Carol and the intrepid Gypsy. Gypsy's, well, breathtaking Santa hat has inspired me! That and the fact that SueC doesn't think I'll *do* it. Expect us to have interesting "company" at Reading. Don't Need a Reindeer? Ah! I think you do! Heheheh MaggieMay And if you want this world of yours, (garble, garble, garble) And you can see exactly what to do, (Garble) tell me! I'm just a singer in a rock 'n roll band! Photos courtesy of MaggieMay (Ed: Ha! We see who the REAL rebel is here! LOL) |
| Reading |
