Night Ranger - Joliet, IL

06/27/2009
Night Ranger
Taste of Joliet
Joliet, IL

We should have gone to the show in Downers Grove last night instead of this one!!

I checked the weather forecast before we left home, and storms were forecasted to move into the area after 10 PM. That was well after the time that Night Ranger was supposed to finish their set, and I was neutral about seeing Joan Jett. We staked out a claim on the lawn area, and sampled many of the food items. As they were setting up the stage for Night Ranger, they announced that severe weather was forecasted to move through in about 35 minutes. If it did, they would stop the show and everyone was supposed to move under the concrete bleachers to the east, which would provide a shield from the storm. Right before the band was supposed to come on at 7:30 PM, they said that it looked like the storm would move through quickly and the show would continue while it moved through.

The sky looked like this...

Night Ranger came out and played about 5 songs. The sky got darker and darker, and it got windy. We felt a few drops of rain, and saw quite a bit of lightning. We noticed that they had deflated the giant balloons at the entrance, and had lowered the roof of the stage in anticipation of the storm. The band was in the middle of a song when they abruptly stopped and said that they were instructed to stop and get off of the stage because of weather. We headed under the bleachers, as instructed earlier. There was a lot of rain and lightning. After about 45 minutes, I called my brother and had him look at the radar. He said that it looked bad for quite a while yet. We decided to cut our losses and go home. By this time, it was about 9 PM, and saw that all of the equipment was being removed from the stage. Night Ranger was not coming back out, and we doubted that Joan Jett would play, either. This morning, I read that she never did play.

Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood - Chicago, IL

06/17/2009
Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood
United Center
Chicago, IL

Opening Band: None

I didn't know a lot of the songs, but it was a great show!

Set List:
01. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Presence of The Lord
05. Sleeping in the Ground
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tough Luck Blues
09. Pearly Queen
10. Crossroads
11. There's A River
12. Forever Man
13. Georgia On My Mind - Steve Winwood solo
14. Driftin' - acoustic
15. How Long Blues
- possible that Nobody Knows You was performed here -
16. Layla - acoustic version
17. Can't Find My Way Home
18. Split Decision
19. Voodoo Chile

Encore:
20. Sweet Home Chicago / Watch Yourself*
21. Going Down*

* with Buddy Guy (guitar, vocals)

Additional reviews here.

Dave Matthews Band - Las Vegas, NV

05/09/2009
Dave Matthews Band
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, NV

Opening Band: Jason Mraz

Another great show, but I think that I liked the first night better. It didn't help that I was sunburned, exhausted, and my feet hurt :) The MGM Grand is a fabulous place to see a DMB show!

Setlist:
Bartender *
Stay Or Leave *
Granny
Why I Am *
Grey Street *
Recently *
Crash Into Me *
Spaceman *
Dancing Nancies *
Funny The Way It Is *
Warehouse *
Dreaming Tree *
Crush *
(Stir It Up) *
Crush *
Everyday *
Pantala Naga Pampa *
Rapunzel *

__________________

The Maker *
Anyone Seen The Bridge *
Too Much (Fake) *
Ants Marching *

Show Notes:
* Jeff Coffin

(song name) indicates a partial song

Dave Matthews Band - Las Vegas, NV

05/08/2009
Dave Matthews Band
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, NV

Opening Band: Jason Mraz

Whew! This was an incredible show!! The new songs were very good, and were stuck in our heads long after the show was over. The old favorites did not disappoint, and were given a new twist with Tim Reynolds on electric guitar. The crowd did most of the singing on "Jimi Thing", which was very cool. And, any show that includes "Two Step" and "Watchtower" is a great show!

***********************

The DMB road crew summed it up best:
"It happened in Vegas. Word's will never fully describe it. Find the tape. This one won't stay in Vegas."

The DMB Crew
Saturday, May 9
2:06 AM PDT

***********************

This You Tube clip is of "All Along The Watchtower", which is one of the most incredible versions that I have ever seen. The band managed to mix a bit of "Stairway to Heaven" into the middle of the song...unbelieveable!!!

Setlist:
Tripping Billies *
Spaceman *
Corn Bread *
Seven *
So Damn Lucky *
Out Of My Hands
You Might Die Trying *
Funny The Way It Is *
#41 *
Why I Am *
Where Are You Going
Jimi Thing *
Rhyme And Reason *
Burning Down The House *
Two Step
__________________

Rye Whiskey +
All Along The Watchtower *

Show Notes:
* Jeff Coffin
+ Dave Solo

Tim Reynolds & TR3 - Evanston, IL

02/26/2009
Tim Reynolds & TR3
SPACE
Evanston, IL

Opening band: None

It's no secret that we're huge DMB fans. Bryon and I have both been fan club members for over 8 years, and have many kick-ass shows under our belts to show for it. So, what could we do when one of Dave's buddies announced that he was playing a show in the Chicago area in a tiny place that holds only 200 people? On a "school night" on top of that? What any sane person would do! Book those tickets NOW and figure out a plan later :)

Since we both work in the 'burbs, we decided that we would drive up to Evanston after work and stay the night. There was no sense in driving 80 miles home only to get up after a couple of hours of sleep to drive back. Our plan worked out great!

We went for the reserved seats, and wound up right next to the stage on Tim's side. WOW!

We have been lucky enough to see Tim play with DMB several times. We have loved listening to him play on Live at Luther College and Live at Radio City Music Hall. We tried getting tix for a Dave & Tim show a few years ago, and that was the ONLY time we had a fan club request turned down. Hmmmm...we thought this might be a good show :)We weren't really familiar with his own stuff, and didn't know what to expect. He is a guitar genius! Most of his songs are instrumental, and reminded me a lot of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. It was amazing to see him work that guitar from such a fabulous vantage point. I will admit that it was a bit "trippy" at times, and we didn't get the Winnie the Pooh with the gas mask and cow with the devil head near the end of the show. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable night of music, and we're looking forward to seeing him again on tour with DMB this summer!

Jim Peterik & World Stage - Glen Ellyn, IL

01/17/2009
Jim Peterik & World Stage
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL

We look forward to the World Stage show each year because it is such a great collection of talent. This year was no exception! We were treated to performances by Jimi Jamison (Survivor), Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger), Don Barnes (38 Special), Rik Emmett (Triumph), David Pack (Ambrosia), Nick Colionne, Lisa McClowry, Ides of March, Lobster Newberg, and of course, Jim Peterik (Ides of March, Survivor). They were backed up by an incredible band, with as many as 20 people on the stage at one time!

Jim Peterik and Jimi Jamison

Jim Peterik and Rik Emmett

Jim Peterik and Nick Colionne

Jim Peterik and Kelly Keagy

Jim Peterik

Guitars, guitars, guitars...Jim Peterik, Mike Aquino, and Joel Hoekstra

Don Barnes

David Pack

Rick Springfield - Somewhere Exotic

11/14/2008
Rick Springfield
Carnival Destiny
Somewhere in the Caribbean...between Key West, Florida and Cozumel, Mexico :)

We tagged along on this cruise. We were *so* glad that Rick played a show for everyone onboard the ship!!

We heard about this as we were waiting to get back onboard after Key West. We staked out a claim on the Lido Deck, and were treated to a very informal show. The guys were definitely having a blast (and so were we!) My friend Colleen, who went to her first Rick show in August, was right along side of me singing and dancing along :)

The pictures aren't the best. Although we did have a good spot, it was a bit out of range of the flash. Taking pics of the big screen worked best, but sometimes that gave fuzzy results.

Rick Springfield - St. Charles, IL

08/15/2008
Rick Springfield
Arcada Theater
St. Charles, IL

Opening band: None

It's been a long time since I have seen Rick...what is it now...12 days? Just kidding :) This was a much better show than the one in Indiana a couple of weeks ago, and we had a lot of fun!

I went with my friends Sabrina and Colleen. Most of the shows that I have been to have been with Sabrina. This was Colleen's first Rick show, and I don't know if she knew what she was getting in to :) Before the show, we had dinner at a restaurant a few blocks from the venue. We had received an e-mail advertising a special Rick menu, etc. so we decided to check it out. It took way too long for our food to come out, but the wait was well worth it when Rick strolled through the restaurant :)

Our tickets were in the 10th row in the middle, so we had a great spot. Rick came out wearing an awesome leather jacket, but it was super hot in the theater, so we knew that wouldn't stay on long.

Rick played several songs off of the new album, Venus in Overdrive, which is awesome! He also did Crossroads again. I really love it when he does a blues song, and wish that he would include that one on an album sometime (hint, hint!)

Rick came out into the audience twice. The first time was during "Don't Talk to Strangers". He usually makes people sing, most of them reluctantly. Usually there are also a few little kids who get up onstage with him and give it a try. Rick spotted one little boy who had no interest in singing or in coming up on stage. So, Rick made his way out to him and tried to persuade the kid to sing. He told him that girls really like boys who sing :) He also forgot where he was for a minute (he usually uses the name of the town during the part of the song that is "how's life in the big city". He messed it up and called it Port Charles.

The second time that he came out was near the end of the show. He stayed out for a long time, and wound up in the row in front of us. Colleen got to hold him up at one point :) The second pic was an attempt to get both of them in the picture, but they were too close!

Dave Matthews Band - East Troy, WI

08/09/2008
Dave Matthews Band
Alpine Valley Music Theatre
East Troy, WI

Opening Band: Black Crowes

This show was, by far, the best DMB show that we have ever seen! First of all, the Black Crowes were very good. We were a bit disappointed that they didn't play any of their bigger hits, but they were still very good.

Our seats for the show were pretty awesome! We could tell from the minute the band hit the stage that they were whipped up and ready to go. The selection of the first couple of songs really set the tone of the evening, and we knew that we were in for an awesome treat. The band played for right around 3 hours, and it was pretty intense the entire time. The encore was Two Step, which I have been hoping to see for quite a few shows now!

Set List:

Dancing Nancies *
Seek Up *
Proudest Monkey *
Satellite *
So Damn Lucky *
Bartender *
Corn Bread *
Spoon *
Eh Hee
Water Into Wine *
Burning Down The House *
Louisiana Bayou *
Anyone Seen The Bridge *
Too Much Intro *
Halloween *
Water Into Wine (Reprise)
Out Of My Hands +
Crush *
Money *
You Might Die Trying *
Ants Marching *

__________________

Don’t Drink the Water *
Two Step *

Show Notes:
* Jeff Coffin
+ No Horns, Dave on piano

*********************************************

Updated April 2009...this show will be released as Live Trax 15!

Rick Springfield - Crown Point, IN

08/03/2008
Rick Springfield
Lake County Fair
Crown Point, IN

Opening band: None

My very first concert was 26 years ago tonight. It was Rick Springfield. A lot has changed since then, but it is still all good :) I have averaged one show per year over that time, although I didn't see him at all between 1982 and 1999. Who would have thought that 26 years later, I would be seeing him again? For the 27th time?

The show was a lot of fun, and Rick played a few songs from the new album in addition to the old favorites. He also pulled out an old Clapton song, Crossroads, which rocked! I just love it when he does a blues song or two.

Would you believe that this man is going to be 59 in a couple of weeks??!?! Look at those arms...he must eat a lot of spinach :)