That gathering brought together members from several boards that I had been waiting and hoping to meet – what fun getting to know everyone and taking multiple photos together, with different subgroups getting drinks and/or dinner together. I won’t name them all because some have different screen names on different boards. All special ladies (and a hubby and a daughter) – so nice to now have faces and voices and laughs to go with the “personalities” I was already familiar with.
Then it was finally showtime – or so we thought – but someone had goofed (Mohegan? Ticketmaster?) when listing it as a 7:00 show – it was actually a 7:30 show, and the crowd was getting antsy when the doors did not open until 6:30. The Mohegan is a smaller arena seating only 10,000 when there is not a catwalk and second stage – so had a much more “intimate” feel to it than many of the venues. And after all our worrying there WAS a catwalk and second stage (hallelujah!) so we were all so excited and pleased!! More good fortune because I just happened to have a seat next to yet another board member I had hoped to meet! We visited a little before and after the Wreckers. I was torn between staying there in a pretty nice middle lower riser seat, or going down to the other rear floor seat I had never successfully sold because no one expected a catwalk. Now this second seat was about 5 seats from the very end of the catwalk! I decided to head down to that floor seat after the Wrecker, hoping for a few close-up views of Keith on the walk and second stage. Turned out to be a great decision as I’ll explain in a minute.
Tonight Keith played a guitar I didn’t remember – a rather bright greenish-blueish one – I believe it was during Blacktop but I’m not completely sure. He was dressed in brown this evening and was in a particularly goofy mood, really hamming it up on stage. It seemed he was into making faces and funny expressions tonight. I can’t recall them all but especially liked the couple quick eyebrows raises and conspiratorial look he gave the audience before he made his “charge” towards Jerry during that little guitar “duel” at the beginning of WWWBM, and also liked when he decided to stick his puss way up close to the camera when one of the camera guys was filming one of his kneeling at the edge of the stage guitar solos. He also on several occasions put a little extra country lilt or upward inflection of voice at the ends of lines of some of the light hearted songs. I was impressed, as always, at how he could go from the raucous, playful voice that he used in YLGIMS one minute, and then, in the very next song, accomplish perhaps the most beautiful rendition of TIWC of the tour – what emotional vibrato, that quaver in his voice does me in every time – with just a bit of an extra piano prelude before TIWC to help him switch moods!! How does he do that??
I must go back to YLGIMS – Keith walked through the audience tonight!!! Not the path he used to take, but instead up one of the staircases into the lower risers and then continued to sing YLGIMS for a bit from the risers, interacting with those surrounding him!!! And he wasn’t savaged so maybe we will see more little walks in the future. Then when he arrived back on the stage he collapsed onto his back and did some of his “laydown guitar playing” : ) so all sorts of goodies from the past are returning. So much fun to have those extras!! He seemed so happy and excited all evening – we got several “oh hell yeses” tonight and he broke out laughing several times (laughing at himself most times). But he was serious as times too, making a couple mentions about being “detoured” from his last Mohegan visit and apologizing to those who had traveled there last October, thanking everyone for sticking with him.
I must say I had good timing tonight. Each time I knew a bit of catwalk performing was about to occur I was able to slip out of my floor seat row and move up to the rail surrounding those techies that sit near the small stage for an even better view of ROS, the catwalk ending of Faster Car and Better Life, part of SLY and his back to back return to the stage with Brian Nutter. And then I managed to be the first one to arrive at the small stage when they came down for their set there, so I was positioned on the rail right in front of Keith for those 3 songs. I felt like he was singing right to me (and I’d like to think there was some eye contact there!). Although I mostly stared at the passionate singing of Mr. Gorgeous, I also noted from that close up view that Chris M. burns incense by his small stage drums! And that Chris had a red, white and blue stars and stripes maraca tonight during Better Half.
No cell phone wave tonight although cell phones were out in good numbers. The crowd was very loud and active tonight and Keith thanked us for making it such an incredible night. During Better Life, when he moved to stage right he motioned for a little girl in a cowboy hat to some up front. She was so short I couldn’t see if she got a hug or a kiss, but the crowd roared their approval. Chris M. also got a big hug from Keith during the final bows – not sure what exactly sparked that..
“Everybody” seemed especially beautiful and touching tonight – I had tears rolling down my cheeks by the end. I’m sure it was the extraordinary delivery and the beauty of his expressive face on that screen, but also, no doubt, that it was the final song of my over-the top Keith journey (for now!).
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