In order to have a table at the Galaxy Theater you have to make dinner
reservations when you purchase your tickets and the sooner you do so the
better table you get. I learned my lesson last december from making late
reservations and getting a table all the way in the back. This time we
were in the first row just a little to Michael's right as you can see
from the angle of my pictures, the seats were great!!! I addition to
making reservations, in order to get your table you have to be at the
club by 7:00pm which was kind of challenging being that I got off work
at 5:30pm. We did make it though.Being seated about 7:20pm we ate dinner (which was actually pretty good) and sat and sat until the first of the two opening acts that we had to endure started around 8:30 or so. I believe they were called "Scarred" and they were basically three piece speed/thrash metal which is not my thing at all. I also don't think it was the majority of the audiences thing either. To their credit however, they were very tight and pulled off some very well done breaks. The second band was called Clubber Lang and were a four piece kind of old school metal (Iron Maiden etc.,) meets speed/thrash. They had tons of gear and were RIDICULOUSLY LOUD!!!!! I have been playing for years and for me to say they were loud, THEY WERE LOUD!!! They all had lots of guitars (and changed them often) especially the lead guitarist. He has some REAL nice guitars and other than a beautiful Les Paul, the others looked to be custom made Les Paulish guitars and a 7 string - 6 string double neck. He was a pretty decent player but any personality he had was lost in mindless shredding. They were also pretty tight but nondescript. Also their powerful singer who had a amusing energetic stage presence did not really seem to have any interest in what (if any) key he was singing(?) in.
Michael came on about 10:45 and between the last act the place really
filled up and everyone was READY for Michael. When ha came out with his
"Nike" beanie and chrome shades on and put his guitar on and did a
little tuning up everyone went NUTS!!! When they were ready Chris
shouted "Lights out!!" and the lights went out for a second then they
fired into "Lights Out" for the opening song!! Really cool!! They were
in top form and seemed very into it with Rev bouncing off the walls and
ceiling like Daffy Duck!! However it took a little time for the mix to
get dialed in and somewhere during one of Michael's solos they had a
MAJOR train wreck!! It seems Michael went a little to long and everyone
seemed to be totally lost with Chris whispering in Michael's ear several
times. They pulled every thing back together and finished up though and
unless you have every measure, note and beat of Lights Out burned into
your cerebrum like I do, you probably wouldn't have noticed it. Next
they did a flawless version of "Are You Ready to Rock" The crowd was
very enthusiastic and it seemed to energize Michael and crew with
everyone having allot of crowd interaction however as I have observed,
It usually take Michael 3 to 4 songs to "come out of his shell" but when
he does his grace and glory is heart warming to observe.
I don't remember the exact set list but they did most of the usual stuff from this tour including (with a general comment):
Mother Mary - KICK ASS - blistering precise solo work
Let it Roll - See below
Rock and Roll Believer - I just love the chorus guitar line - One of
Chris' best songs
Arachniphobiac - Wayne Findlay did a great heartfelt guitar solo
Fat City - PURE ROCK - Killer verse guitar line
Attack of the Mad Axe Man - See below
Into the Arena - See below
On and On - See below
Fatal Strike - Fat, Tight and ballsy!!
Because I Can - Cool harmony vocals
Only You Can Rock Me - One of the all-time greatest solos
To Hot to Handle - Fine German Engineering with a nice blue tint
Doctor Doctor - See below
Rock Bottom - See below
And Armed and Ready - A song that defines melodic rock and they rocked
it HOT!!!
And as usual we all still of course would have watched him play all night!!
After the little Lights Out hiccup they were pretty much spot on for the rest of the show. Chris' voice was strong, the rhythm section was tight Wayne's guitaring and keys was well done and the show was high energy all thow I know when Rev is spinning his hair around one day his head is going to come completely off!! But even that wont stop him!
Some of the extra special highlights in my opinion were:
"Let it Roll". I just love the solo in that. He plays with such purity and elegance that I could (and have) listen to it over and over. That is a prime demonstration of how every single note is there for a reason and there is no need for "filler".
"Into the Arena" as usual Was fantastic with a little chance for Rev and drummer Pete Holmes to stretch their wings for a bit and then Michael majestically pulls everything back together..
Attack of the Mad Axeman was great and in particular, Michael and Rev's
interaction in the quiet passage. Rev did a very nice flashy job of
playing his part by tapping it on the fret board crossing his hands over
and sounding perfect!
Another high point was another song and in particular, a solo that I cant get enough of is "On and On". I cant think of a more beautiful melodic guitar solo EVER!! By ANYONE.... PERIOD!!! That has to be from the purist most innocent part of Michael's soul!!! It is PERFECT!! Not to sound like a fruit loop or anything but that solo has brought tears to my eyes!!!
I also was as always pleasantly surprised by Michael's tasty ad lib intro in Doctor Doctor which also rocked the crowd into a frenzy!!
Rock Bottom.. Ahh yes Rock Bottom. IMHO I have always favored the Strangers in the Night version as opposed to some of the slightly toned down versions of later years and to my delight this version favored the SITN version. The song cranked as usual so I'll skip to the solo... It was an intense love scene!! Starting as a small kiss turning to ever so teasing foreplay building momentum to a huge and fulfilling climax!!!! To me this solo is one of the many things that separates Michael from any other guitarist there is. He has stated that he has an endless well of creativity within himself and this is proof that even with the valve open full blast, the well just keeps pumping at full pressure. Again, no filler, with most guitarists including GREAT ones you get maybe 40% meat and the rest is filler in their solos where as Michael can burn along at full speed with a minimum of filler notes. That is also what I define as "elegance" in guitar playing. Now don't get me wrong, Michael does use allot of standard riffs in his solos but they are put together so that they are greater than the sum of their parts. IMHO
As far as the band is concerned, they have been on tour for quite some
time and it shows. There is an unmistakable casual comfort and ease
among their playing indicating they have grown familiar with and are in
sync with each other. Again, they all seemed to really feed off the
crowd an Michael made allot of eye contact, gave thumbs up signs, bowed
graciously and shook allot of hands. At the end of the show they all
went back and forth across the stage shaking as many hands as possible
and Michael was positively beaming! I know that Michael has gone through
allot over the years, but it looks as if he is experiencing a new
renaissance and kind of a re-birth. I totally identify with him when he
says that he just wants a "peaceful life" and I feel from his music that
he is a peaceful and beautiful child of god and I pray that he achieves
the peace that he desires.
If you happen to read this Michael, I just want to thank you for enriching my life over the last 25 or so years and for helping me in my pursuit of a peaceful life. Your music and your words touch me to the depth of my soul. Also it was great to talk to you at the Key Club in Hollywood last December after the show!! I was the 41 year old blond fool whom approached you upstairs after the signing session and tried in vain to come up with something intelligent to say.
The show was great and Michaels playing
was superb. The band looks to really enjoy playing
together. I said hello to Michael after the show at
the signing and thanked him for giving us so many
years of enjoyment.
