June 19, 2004 - Poughkeepsie, NY
WELCOME TO THE SUMMER 2004 TOUR! I’m traveling with Roland Rivron. SueC has listened to BBC2’s “Jammin’” one too many times. If a parking place opens, it’s "How Fortuitous!" When someone moderately nice-looking comes by it’s "I need a slice o’ THAT!" When I make any kind of innocent remark, it’s "You must have done". Me – I’m stuck on the Ginger Song. What ya havin’, gingerale? No! Le mo nade. We desperately need to stop listening to it, but the cd is in the MEB stereo and we play it over and over as we drive our hundreds of miles. All I can say is… Hit me with some mandolin! It was a long drive to Poughkeepsie. SueC had *suggested* we skip it, but her view of the drive was colored by the less than fancy seat waiting for her at the Civic Center. I, on the other hand, had been *gifted* by an old friend who was unable to make the trip, and was quite enthused about going. SueC caved and I agreed to go early to see if any front row seats dropped into our laps. It was a beautiful day for a drive, and it started in a promising manner; we found diesel at $1.59 a gallon. WooHoo! In the Midwest, people think of NYC when they think of New York. If you can get past the city, the countryside is quite beautiful, wild and hilly. I managed to catch a few glimpses of it during my afternoon nap. ; ) We drove over Mid Hudson bridge and were THERE. Apparently too, we were the first ones there. The parking lot was empty except for the merchandise truck. Well, it’s always good to have a nice parking space. A limo drove by about 15 minutes later and circled to the rear of the venue. ; ) No brokers or ordinary people with a ticket to sell were around. Why? It was obvious when we turned to see the venue across the street. The word “modest” comes to mind. We relaxed in front of the venue, greeting the small number of regulars and having an impromptu fan social hour. A great ticket didn’t fall SueC’s way, but she was a brave girl about it. LOL 
THE VENUE
Well, the venue! It was a shock to go from the showroom at The Trop to the Civic Center. I haven’t been to a place quite like it since Visalia. The Civic Center is a multipurpose facility in downtown Poughkeepsie; the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel (a misnomer) is conveniently attached. There’s parking both within the complex and a parking lot and garage across the street. Security didn’t search purses, but there were clearly posted signs prohibiting photography. There was a small lobby area containing the tshirt booth, a food/drink stand and alcohol (beer and coolers) was available. I inquired about restrooms with a guard and he pointed upstairs. I claimed my bad knee (and it WOULD be if I did too many stairs) and was allowed entry into the skating rink! Wow! They could hold the next Art on Ice there! LOL I peeked in, and looked for the Zamboni, but sadly, it was safely put up. I’ve never stolen anything of note, and I think jacking a Zamboni and taking it for a joyride would make my life complete. Sigh It was not to be! The *showroom* is a very large room with a completely and utterly flat cement floor. The back is bleachers and when you enter you walk UNDER the bleachers into the room. Very, uh *unique*. The place sits 3050, and while the young girl at the box office didn’t know how many tickets were sold, it was pretty darn full. The stage was on the high side, I was just able to see shoes. I was surprised when the lady at the drink line handed me my $3 bottle of water sans cap. Huh? Perhaps they’re used to wild crowds at the Civic Center, after all, the next group to play there is Twisted Sister. (Maybe I can make it back for that one!) I placed it under the seat in front of me, hoping that it would make it to Singer. I lost SueC sitting somewhere far behind me and discovered that my second row seat was directly in front of my favorite bass player. A very nice surprise! The gals next to me were old acquaintances from Moody Tour Life, and we waited to see how big the guys would be in the seats in front of us. The lights dimmed and a full 6 seats in the front row remained empty. I’m not much of a seat jumper, but I *suggested* that we move up to temporarily *hold* those seats for the rightful owners. They agreed and the next 40 rows moved up too! LOL It was a good decision – I’m sure a serious family emergency kept those people from attending, and we will remember them in our prayers. You missed a nice concert! : ) THE FASHION REPORT JL – White long-slvd *bib* shirt, black jeans with leather pockets, boots second half - he changed JH – NEW black tshirt, black jeans, black shoes, second half white long-slvd tuxedo style shirt with front placket and embroidery (see KC review for shirt photo, courtesy of the Official Photographer) GE – Jimi Hendrix shirt, black slacks, second half I don’t remember! Bernie – White sparkle top, black jacket, black skirt with angled hem, no change at half Norda – Black flowered bustier, black slacks, no change at half I sincerely want to thank Bernie and Norda for relieving part of my hideous fashion burden by NOT changing clothes at half. Apparently, SueC and I have entered the Twilight Zone part of the tour where all the clothes melt together in our minds. Sigh I made a few clothing notes at the half, but nothing afterward, and though I was directly in front of John Lodge and 6 feet away I can’t REMEMBER what he wore in the second half. (Please send ginko biloba in large quantities) I *think* GE changed to his hula shirt, and I *think* JL wore the new black gauze shirt. Justin’s simple black tshirt is fantastic and it fits very well. Armani? (LOL!!!) Paired perfectly with the black jeans it makes him look very tall and thin. Maybe not *thin*, fit is a better word for it. : ) Sadly, VERY sadly, I have not a single photograph of it. Nope, not a one! Sniff snif THE CONCERT If you missed the Poughkeepsie concert, you needn’t kick yourself. It was fine, it was ok, it was good, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. The crowd of locals was appreciative and moderately enthusiastic. There just wasn’t any magic there. I asked SueC her thoughts and discovered that she had had some difficulties. Her seat was at the end of one of the side sections in row D, directly in front of the speakers and she was blown out of the water. Apparently she spent the first half wandering the Civic Center, went upstairs and watched the show from the walkway on the second floor. She absolutely gushed about the light show from the back, particularly the lighting for H&H. The Summer 2004 setlist was played in its entirety with a 20 minute intermission. I thought the standout song of the night was English Sunset and I really enjoyed Justin’s part on the Jam. Every song was uniformly good. *My* thrill of the concert was motioning the 16 year old gal behind me to come up to the stage for Question. Her family had come all the way from North Carolina to Poughkeepsie (family ties made that make sense) to see The Moodies. Callie, I hope you had a WONDERFUL time! : ) Getting TO Poughkeepsie turned out to be a lot easier than getting OUT of Poughkeepsie. We followed our directions fruitlessly and ended up in Blair Woods. It provided one little treat though! We passed (and then passed again) the CIA – Culinary Institute of America. My favorite chefs from the Clipper Cruise line train there and I’ve secretly hoped my son could be talked into it. Sigh He’s thinking graduate school instead, leaving me without a restaurant to hang out in during my twilight years. I could use a nice Stilton! Or a sandwich for that matter. A donkey? Perhaps an overflow carpark! MaggieMay – a woman who can induce Quiplash in the shortest of journeys Are you gonna go my way? Are you gonna go my way now? (A few notes from Mr Ed: I spent the first concert half pushing my earplugs in deeper until I was afraid I'd never get them out. I didn't leave, though, until TSIYE. It was then I discovered the delightful view of the stage from the upper level. A wide ramp ran the length of the theater, just above and behind the last row of bleacher seats. I was blown away at the lighting in H&H! WOW! That's not something we ever see in the front row. Good job, Mick!! My spot at the low wall provided plenty of room to dance around, and a nice view of almost the entire room. NIWS must be one of the all-time great love songs....the moment it began, I saw dozens of arms slip around the shoulders of the sweetheart in the next seat. It was beautiful. Though a LOT of people were on their feet to applaud for H&H, *everyone* stood for the ovation following Nights. Good job, Justin! But, now that I've seen it, I really don't have to again. Please, God!) ;-) ) Photos by SueC |