Seattle, WA (July 18, 1999)
Zoo Amphitheatre


I just returned from the sold out Seattle concert.

Dan was in typical top-form. He was clad in sandals, faded jeans, and a
white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up (which doesn't matter to me,
but I know you ladies like to know this stuff).

Here's the set list:

Nexus
Hard to Say
Forefathers
To The Morning
Don't Lose Heart
Make Love Stay
Road Beneath My Wheels
The Reach
Todo Santos (SP?)
Eleanor Rigby (Instrumental) Dan's tribute to the Beatles
Run For The Roses

During "Run for the Roses", I decided to make a run for the bathroom and
missed most of
Morning Sky
Longer
Leader of the Band
Part of the Plan

Encore:
Auld Lang Syne

Dan was great. This was the first time I've heard him accoustical. He can
do enough with the guitar or piano to make you think there's a full orchestra
up there. His voice was powerful throughout and the sound here was great. I
was a bit dissapointed with the set list though. I hoped to hear Loggorea
(sp?) but only heard the one new song (the instrumental). I was also hoping
to hear Old Tenessee or Hearts and Crafts or Looking for a Lady. His set
list was just a bit too standard for me. Bottom line? I liked it. It was
the first Dan show I've seen since 1992, so I was bound to like it.

The Bad Part

The venue sucked. The Woodland Park Zoo Ampitheatre is a great place to see
a concert if you're the first one in line (festival seating). To do this,
you have to pay Zoo admition, spend the morning looking at Girraffes and be
in line for the concert by noon. I was right in the center middle. The
grass has no rise. The A**holes with high back chairs have you shifting back
a forth on your buttocks to see Dan. It was like family night at a late
season baseball game. 75% of the people were watching the concert; 25% doing
other things. These lemmings are who I blame for no second encore. After
Aulde Lang Syne, they all just left. I stood there alone waiting for him to
at least come back and play "Gambler". I'll spend more on the ticket and
travel next time. The good part? Weather was great. 70 degrees; clear
skies; no wind.

MtnBrdFan@aol.com

 


But Dan sounded great and I'd say that from his song selection that he knew
his audience because he played most of his popular stuff - and only a few
oldies. As a long time fan, the selection was disappointing, but it was a
great evening to be outside and he seemed in great form. It's always great
to see him without the band.

Even though the venue was beautiful it is not a great place for a concert.
(When did people start bringing chairs to "lawn" concerts? It's quite
annoying.) But the part that really bothered me was the crowd -- I'd say
that 80% or more were there because they wanted to see a concert - and it
helped that they knew two Dan Fogelberg songs (Longer and Run for the
Roses). That was the only time they stirred. Dan tried to engage them with
funny anecdotes or stories and they sat like lugs - absolutely no reaction.
I should add that I moved to Seattle 4 years ago from Chicago and I find all
Seattle crowds as dull. (NOBODY even stirred during Morning Sky!)

Jackie Fabbri


The weather was fantastic! Sunny. Mid to upper 70's. A perfect day
for the concert. We sat to the right of the stage and had a perfect view of
Dan's trailer.
Loni Rose took the stage. She was good, but, in my opinion, she
sounded like every other angst-ridden female performer out there today. She
did give a fine performance.
While Loni performed, I caught a glimpse of Dan standing outside his
trailer. He was talking and laughing with some people. It looked like he
was in a good mood and happy.
Dan came onto the stage looking very comfortable in jeans, white
shirt and sandals. To me, he looked "MAH-VELOUS"! He grabbed a guitar and
started playing.
Nexus: As I listened to this song, I was amazed at how much and how
many different sounds could come out of one guitar at one time. It was
beautiful.
Hard To Say: This was the 2nd time I'd heard an acoustic
version of this song (1st being 'Greetings From The West').
Forefathers: Dan talked about ancestors and his 105 year-old
grandmother. She's never had a driver's license to prove her age. She never
drove a car. She drove his grandfather nuts a time or two, but never a car.
Big laugh from the audience. Dan dedicated Forefathers to anyone with
children or grandchildren, then went on to dedicate it to single people, the
zookeepers, people selling stuff at the concert, etc., etc., etc. He got a
big laugh on that one too.
Dan then moved to the piano and talked about how the next song was
the first song that made him feel like he'd made it as a songwriter.
To The Morning: I was pleased with the fact that he was hitting the
high notes on this song after noticing that he was changing some songs so he
wouldn't have to try hitting those notes. I thought of an on-line friend
while listening to this one (Wanda, You know who you are.)
Don't Lose Heart: Did well on this song; even though I don't care
for it, personally.
Dan went back to his guitar to play:
Make Love Stay.
After Make Love Stay, he had trouble tuning his guitar with his
electronic tuner because of the sun obscuring his vision. He had his
assistant, Tom come out to help him and tried to talk him into playing
something for the audience. Tom just shook his head no and walked quietly
off stage.
Road Beneath My Wheels: The crowd loved this one! It really had
them moving.
The Reach: Dan talked about the coast of Maine, where he sails. He
said it was much like the waters around the San Juan Islands here in
Washington.
Dan then went into an instrumental set.
Todos Santos: Always a beautiful song.
Eleanor Rigby: Said he always tries to incorporate a Beatles song
into his shows. This one was done in what Dan described as a Brazilian beat.
(Dan called it "The Little Old Lady From Ipanema". Another big laugh!)
He went back to the piano for:
Run For The Roses: At this point, I went to the back of the meadow
to poison my lungs and was able to hear this song more balanced than from my
seat up front.
I came back to my seat as he returned to his chair and guitar to play:
Morning Sky
Longer: Made me swoon ;-)
Leader Of The Band: When he finished this song, there was some noise
from the front of the crowd and Dan began to laugh heartily. He said that it
was the most logical question he'd been asked in ten years, then told the
rest of the audience the question: "A little girl in the front row asked,
'Hey, aren't you getting tired?'". The entire crowd roared with laughter.
>From the mouths of babes.
Part Of The Plan: Great show-ender: Audience danced in their seats
and clapped along.
Encore:
Same Old Lang Syne: Beautiful encore song.

All in all, I left the concert with a beautiful feeling in my heart.
My first Dan Fogelberg concert will be something I shall never forget!

JENNYSTEP@aol.com


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