Just returned from the show at the Konocti
Harbor Inn on Clear Lake. The showroom was packed with Dan's
diehards. Dan said he spent the day checking out some Napa Valley
wineries and then Clear Lake. He opened the show banging out
Nexus and said he "wasn't this lucid in 20 years". We
knew we were in for a good show as Dan was in his stand-up comedy
mode telling many hysterical stories between songs. My wife and I
have seen Dan at least 15 times since 1977 and this show ranked
up there very highly. Sorry all of you could'nt be at this show
as he really cranked it up and gave his best shot. Was thrilled
he sang songs from Captured Angel and Home Free, but no Christmas
stuff (did'nt mention it). His guitar playing was the best I've
seen. Dan played for 2 hours and I think he would have kept going
if not for a curfew. He kept pointing to his watch as he walked
off with a standing ovation.
Here's the play list:
Nexus
Captured Angel
Old Tennessee
Forefathers
To the Morning
Don't Lose Heart
Make Love Stay
Road Beneath my Feet
Believe in Me
The Reach
Todos Santos
Eleanor Rigby (instrumental)
Full Moon Mansion (he said this was a 30-year old guitar tuning
song (new age sound - instrumental)
Run for the Roses
Morning Sky
Longer
Leader of the Band
Part of the Plan
Encore - Same Old Lang Syne
Vic
Telesino
Hi Folks!
Here's my review of Dan's 7/20 concert at Konocti Harbor Resort
& Spa. The venue is a resort on the shores of Clear Lake,
which is a large natural lake in Northern Calif. A lot of
performers go there, and it's a nice place for a concert. I had a
dinner ticket. The food was OK, but it was all you can eat prime
rib or chicken, so I can't complain.
Dan's opening act was a solo performer named Elizabeth Edwards.
She's local, and she's not too bad. She could learn a few riffs
from Dan, though. I enjoy her music. She opened for Dan the last
time he played at Konocti. When I talked to her awhile back, she
said that he preferred a solo female performer to open for him.
Enough of that. Now, for the main event. Please, don't turn too
green with envy, especially those who won't get a chance to see
Dan this time around. My table was literally right in front of
the stage. I had great table mates who were also great fans of
Dan's, and that helped make the evening even nicer. I've never
had a front row seat before! And, Dan was great last night! I'd
say that it's one of his best concerts so far, and I've seen him
6 or 7 times now. He played for just over 2 hours without a
break.
The play list is as follows:
1. Nexus
2. Captured Angel
3. Old Tennesee
4. Forefathers
5. To the Morning
6. Don't Lose Heart
7. Make Love Stay
8. Road Beneath My Wheels (blues!)
9. Believe In Me
10. The Reach
11. Todos Santos
12. Eleanor Rigby (guitar only)
13. Full Moon Magic
14. Run for the Roses
15. Morning Sky
16. Longer
17. Leader of the Band
18. Part of the Plan
19. Same Old Lang Syne (encore)
What a list! Dan wore a Hawaiian type shirt that was lightweight
with islands and sailboats on it, along with a black blazer that
lasted for about 3 or 4 songs, the usual well-worn jeans, and
shoes that were almost closed-toe sandals. He kept the top 2 or 3
buttons of the shirt undone (yes, what part of his chest that I
could see was tanned). His hair was short. He looked great! His
humor was in fine shape, in fact, the best I've ever seen it. He
interacted with the audience A LOT. He talked about the last time
he was at Konocti which was a Feb., and they flew in, he did the
show, then flew out, and this time he actually got to see the
place. And, he was happy to be wherever boats were nearby. He
talked about going to the wineries in Napa, but "I didn't
swallow." (Yes, he really said that!) He also made a comment
that he's the most "lucid" he's been in 20 years. He
alluded a lot to previous substance use, but it seems to be a
thing of the past, and it certainly shows. There were some who
cheered when he talked about the University of Illinois, and he
stated that they kicked him out of school, and now the alumni
association asks him for money every year. That was a theme for
awhile. There was the usual called out requests for songs. He
kind of sat back in his wooden chair & waited, said,
"They're all good songs" then made reference to the
play list. When someone requested Leader of the Band, he said he
could skip to that, do one more, then that would be the end of
the show. Of course, the audience didn't want that! I've never
seen him in such good humor or form. His playing was also about
the best I've ever seen it.
As for the music. He said that it was just him and his guitars.
He played a few songs on the piano, but mostly it was guitar
work, and he was great! I don't know how he can get one
instrument to sing the way he does, especially a 12-string
guitar! He made his usual comment that To the Morning was the
song that made him realize that he wanted to make his living
making music. Everything he wrote before that was
"junk." (His words, not mine) Don't Lose Heart was done
on the piano, and in places, his voice had an almost gravelly or
blues edge to it. It was good. (Oh, he can still hit the high
notes, too. He's got good range these days!) He just played with
Road Beneath My Wheels the way he's so good at. He did The Reach
on his 12-string, and it sounded wonderful. The story about Todos
Santos is that it's a town on the Pacific side of Baja, Calif, he
drove through one day, had a not so great lunch, and drove on,
but it made for a great song title. Nothing happened other than
that. Eleanor Rigby was guitar only, and he admitted that he'd
changed it a bit. He said that his father used to close every
concert with a John Phillip Souza march (his father's hero), and
he liked to play a Beatles tune as a way of paying tribute to
both his mucical heroes and his father. Full Moon Magic is a tune
I've never heard before. It's guitar only and rather haunting. He
said that it's an old piece and he'd decided to play it on this
tour, but I don't think it's been released. It was a great piece,
though! He played Longer somewhat reluctantly. He started, then
stopped, then started again. He played it for "those of you
who got hitched to it." Someone in the audience said
"thank you" for playing it, and he actually thanked
them! (Personally, I got so burned out on that song when it was
on the radio that I wouldn't mind if he didn't play it, but
that's me.)
Now, here's my favorite part of the whole evening. I had been
told that my tickets were in the front row, so I brought along a
small bunch of carnations to give to Dan if I could, hoping
against hope. Well, after he did Part of the Plan, someone else
handed him a bunch of flowers as he walked off the stage on the
side away from where I was. I was kind of disappointed at first,
but I waited. Then he came back out and did his encore. As the
crowd was cheering, I leaned up against the stage and held the
flowers out so he could see them. He came over and took them from
me, looked down right at me and smiled as he took them. To me,
that was a once in a lifetime experience! This particular venue
does video of the concert on big screens as it's happening, and
the last picture on the screen was of Dan looking at the audience
& smiling as he's leaving the stage, holding the flowers I'd
just given him. Wow!
I hope I haven't gone on too long for you folks. I know some of
you wanted as many details as possible, so here they are. I had a
fantastic time, and I'm still smiling. Hope you can get at least
some of the pleasure from reading this that I got from last
night's concert.
Linda Chrestionson :-))
I will add just a short message to the other reviews of Dan's
performance at Konocti.
I didn't think I could enjoy him any more than I have at previous
performances but he truly gets better each time I see him. His
dedication to his craft is obvious and is certainly appreciated
by his fans. I actually came home and bought tickets to see him
again tonight at the Historic Mountain Winery in Saratoga.
If you have a review to submit, please e-mail it to Wynn.
This page was last updated Tuesday, March 21, 2000