The end of my birthday - another really long post

For my birthday, Byron gave me season tickets to our local Bakersfield musical theater group. At the time, there were four shows left to see (Cinderella, A Night of Stars, Cats, Hotel CA) ... he did this on the advice of a dear friend to surprise me - and I loved it. It was also supposed to be an opportunity for him to reach out and do something that I really enjoy (without gritting his teeth too much). As luck would have it, Byron only went to one, and the experience was SO incredibly painful for him that he has voluntarily taken all four kids and I have invited a girl friend to dinner and the theater. I digress .... Tonight was the last set of tickets. It was to see Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles. This was a "play" I had never heard of and I was a bit nervous to see what it was about - and this factored into deciding whom to invite to go with me. I wanted to take someone who was not easily offended - just in case. I found a perfect victim, umm, companion in Tami H. :-)

As you might have already guessed (I didn't actually guess until it started), there was no play but actually a concert. Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles is a group of five incredibly talented musicians who sound exactly like the Eagles - and they play all of the hits. The were absolutely incredible to listen to, but this had to be the tamest concert I have ever attended in my life. First of all, more than half of the audience was way over 65 (my guess is that they were also season ticket holders who had NO idea that this was a concert); also, being in a theater, there was no real understanding of what was "appropriate." We didn't know if we were supposed to stand up and hoot and holler (normal rock concert behavior) or if we were supposed to sit politely in our seats until each number was finished. When the guys first came out, Tami and I looked at each other and just said "No way." This was a geriatric rock concert ... you have to see it to believe it. Here they are (and these pictures had to have been taken at least 10 years ago):

This Dicky (no really - that is what they call him). He was the band's spokesman. He introduced everyone and was quite the character. He would walk up to the edge of the stage while playing the guitar and just shake it - presumably for the ladies. It might have passed for sexy a couple of decades ago, but ... (let's just say we had the giggles). Dicky also played all of the "specialty" instruments, which included an incredible mandolin and a few uber metalic (imagine fingernails on a chalkboard - with vibrato) guitars thrown in for good measure. I loved the mandolin, but wished I had a sling shot for the special guitars ... sounded just like the originals though.

This is Steve - from Downey. He was the lead singer and all I could say was WOW!!! This man has the best voice! I could just melt listening to him - as long as I kept my eyes closed. He didn't look much like this picture - his hair is about shoulder length now and he was channeling Jenifer Grey too (see my earlier post about the dentist). I liked him the best (can you tell) and thought that he was the most entertaining. He was also having fun on the stage, but he wasn't quite as over the top as Dicky and Wade. He got his leg up with his guitar a couple of times ... then he would laugh at himself.

This is Wade. What can I say about Wade? He was way over the top. He played the guitar and the keyboard a little, but spent most of the time singing and dancing around the stage. He would grab the microphone stand (the others had head mics, but Wade needs a prop) and swing it around and stoop over it to sing. He had a great voice too - not as great as Steve, but he did a great Desperado ... which was made most memorable to me by the audience pulling out cell phones to light up and wave over their heads in lieu of lighters (I am NOT kidding).

This is Scott - who played the bass and also sang all of the really high, falsetto, parts (seriously, I think he sang higher notes than I've done). It was an amazing contradiction. I'm not sure whether it is because he plays the bass, or because of his almost portly build, but I expected him to have a deeper voice. He could really belt it - very amazing. The other guys kind of stole his thunder, though, since they introduced him as a degreed tax accountant (I think they are just jealous of his vocal range).

Last, but certainly not least, this is Phil - the drummer. Phil's bio lists him as an amazing drummer, and I am sure that he is, but since they were just doing Eagles music (and Eagles music isn't known for its cutting edge drum parts), he wasn't really spotlighted. He just kind of hung out with his set - obviously, he would be the backbone of the performance - but I guess you only notice the drummer when he is terrible so it is good that he was just there being "spot on."

By the time the concert was nearly over, people were starting to get into the swing of things and were calling out and clapping. Ultimately, it was really fun and I bet they are used to a warmer audience since they are fabulous musicians. (You could tell who were the musicians in the house at first since we were the only ones calling out or clapping during any riffs or solos). I tried to do the after concert thing and managed to get Steve and Scott's autographs (feeling like a complete dork - I mean how do you ask for the autograph of a musician who just spent the last hour and a half perfectly immitating someone else's music - it is not the same as acting, believe me!), but I stopped short of asking for a photo opp. Tami offered, and it would have been great for the blog, but I just couldn't bring myself to ask ... they seemed really nice, but I just didn't have the nerve (believe it or not).