The Orchestra : Old Shawnee Days Festival, Kansas, U.S.A. - 8th June 2002
I woke up at noon today, but that seems justifiable given that my wife and I didn't get in until 3 a.m. last night, after driving from Kansas City to see Orchestra at Old Shawnee Town [otherwise known as "the backwoods" ;^)]
The temperature was a cool 82 F, and a nice clear day. Li'anne (my wife) and I met a gaggle of ULS members at the Rainforest Cafe in the mall. Thank you, Tami Moyer for arranging this get-together. We had a nice dinner, sporadically interrupted by a family of gorillas passing through, and the occasional thunderstorm (you really ought to experience the Rainforest Cafe).
We then headed over to the Old Shawnee Town, where they have an annual festival called "Old Shawnee Days." Thanks to Serena and Tami, we got reserved up-close seating (1st and 2nd row), which meant that all of us got to sit in actual chairs. The first act was Victoria White, and she was a local singer/songwriter who had a CD out and whose style was very much in the Alanis-influenced-I'm-an-alternative-gurrl style. During her performance, you could see Parth lounging to one side of the stage, and Kelly (and maybe a couple others) showed up in an area to the other side of the stage where most of the ULS people talked to Kelly et al. a bit.
Orchestra entered the stage right at 9 p.m. I hope they were encouraged by the fact that the outdoor amphitheater was packed. I have no idea how many people were there, but there were a lot of 'em. From the start, the band seemed energetic and interactive. Kelly is a true showman, frequently using call-and-response with the audience - and it worked. He was wearing some cool butt-length scarves tied to his pony tail and several knee-length ones tied to his waist, which created a whirlwind of color as he spun around playing that big old bass. Kelly has a very strong voice - with powerfully projection, and it's easy to see why he is one of rock's great vocalists. Parth was every bit as cool as I imagined. He would often sing off-mic with Eric to the little vocal parts that Eric "adds" to the songs he sings (the "yeahs," "ahhs," etc.).
Kelly would look over at him and smile, as if Eric's ad- lib lines were well-rehearsed :) Parth likes to add his own touches to the standard ELO guitar riffs. I loved that! He also provides a very full guitar sound. I didn't even notice when there was only one guitar playing when the song originally had two or more. I liked the variety of instruments that Eric played, including keys, guitar, and the strap-on keyboard. Louis seemed reserved onstage, as he did in '95 at Starlight Theater, but it was nice to see his personality come alive as he came up front to introduce the band. Equally nice was the respect given him by Kelly, who declared him to be the man who gave ELO its sound back in the day - something I have agreed with for a long time now. Lou was smiling during this part of the show - that was great to see. I had a great view of Mik throughout the show, and was fascinated to see him play all of those beautiful solos. He delighted me in Livin' Thing, easily my favorite ELO song, since they didn't play it in '95. Although the original recording uses an echo effect to round out the violin, Mik chose instead to write the solo so that it actually IS more full - a real treat to hear. Gordon was very into it, and was fun to watch. Interesting to see that he uses mallets to play - I don't see that a lot. He changed the drum fills in many places to suit his style, and they were just as natural-sounding as what Bev did.
The only downer in the set was the technical difficulties that surrounded Eric's microphone. I don't know if it was the engineer's error or a mechanical flub, but his mic was not hot during the first line of "If Only," so we couldn't hear the haunting "Score one for the mixed-up man." Too bad. Also, his mic cut out several other times throughout the show.
The set list:
Turn to Stone
Evil Woman
Jewel & Johnny
Livin' Thing/No Rewind
Twist & Shout*
Can't Get it Out of My Head
Over London Skies
Showdown (with rockin' new intro)
Before We Go
Ma Ma Belle
If Only
Sweet Talkin' Woman
Telephone Line
Do Ya
Standin' in the Rain
Mr. Blue Sky
Rockaria
Don't Bring Me Down
*I forgot to write this one down, so I'm unsure if it was put exactly here in sequence, but it's close.
"Before We Go" met with a very positive reception from the crowd, possibly because the message is so positive and resonant with the times. My personal highlights were "Twist & Shout" - MAGICAL!!!!, "Over London Skies," and "Livin' Thing," followed by the new songs. The guys were great in every way; harmonically, musicianship-wise, rapport, the mix - everything.
There was a meet-and-greet after the show, and we finally got to meet the guys. They were all extremely nice, and I especially hit it off with Gordon. I got the feeling he would be a hoot to sit down and chat with. Eric as well; we talked a bit about the first ELO Part 2 show when they unveiled the first tour back in - what - 91? Kelly was very much there to connect with the fans. There was a rumor of a later rendezvous at a lounge a few miles away, but not having reserved a hotel, Li'anne and I decided to head home before we got sleepy and became a road hazard. Maybe another day. I hope there will be lots of other days for this wonderful group.
Mike D.
Review kindly provided by Mike Dickerson - June 2002
I woke up at noon today, but that seems justifiable given that my wife and I didn't get in until 3 a.m. last night, after driving from Kansas City to see Orchestra at Old Shawnee Town [otherwise known as "the backwoods" ;^)]
The temperature was a cool 82 F, and a nice clear day. Li'anne (my wife) and I met a gaggle of ULS members at the Rainforest Cafe in the mall. Thank you, Tami Moyer for arranging this get-together. We had a nice dinner, sporadically interrupted by a family of gorillas passing through, and the occasional thunderstorm (you really ought to experience the Rainforest Cafe).
We then headed over to the Old Shawnee Town, where they have an annual festival called "Old Shawnee Days." Thanks to Serena and Tami, we got reserved up-close seating (1st and 2nd row), which meant that all of us got to sit in actual chairs. The first act was Victoria White, and she was a local singer/songwriter who had a CD out and whose style was very much in the Alanis-influenced-I'm-an-alternative-gurrl style. During her performance, you could see Parth lounging to one side of the stage, and Kelly (and maybe a couple others) showed up in an area to the other side of the stage where most of the ULS people talked to Kelly et al. a bit.
Orchestra entered the stage right at 9 p.m. I hope they were encouraged by the fact that the outdoor amphitheater was packed. I have no idea how many people were there, but there were a lot of 'em. From the start, the band seemed energetic and interactive. Kelly is a true showman, frequently using call-and-response with the audience - and it worked. He was wearing some cool butt-length scarves tied to his pony tail and several knee-length ones tied to his waist, which created a whirlwind of color as he spun around playing that big old bass. Kelly has a very strong voice - with powerfully projection, and it's easy to see why he is one of rock's great vocalists. Parth was every bit as cool as I imagined. He would often sing off-mic with Eric to the little vocal parts that Eric "adds" to the songs he sings (the "yeahs," "ahhs," etc.).
Kelly would look over at him and smile, as if Eric's ad- lib lines were well-rehearsed :) Parth likes to add his own touches to the standard ELO guitar riffs. I loved that! He also provides a very full guitar sound. I didn't even notice when there was only one guitar playing when the song originally had two or more. I liked the variety of instruments that Eric played, including keys, guitar, and the strap-on keyboard. Louis seemed reserved onstage, as he did in '95 at Starlight Theater, but it was nice to see his personality come alive as he came up front to introduce the band. Equally nice was the respect given him by Kelly, who declared him to be the man who gave ELO its sound back in the day - something I have agreed with for a long time now. Lou was smiling during this part of the show - that was great to see. I had a great view of Mik throughout the show, and was fascinated to see him play all of those beautiful solos. He delighted me in Livin' Thing, easily my favorite ELO song, since they didn't play it in '95. Although the original recording uses an echo effect to round out the violin, Mik chose instead to write the solo so that it actually IS more full - a real treat to hear. Gordon was very into it, and was fun to watch. Interesting to see that he uses mallets to play - I don't see that a lot. He changed the drum fills in many places to suit his style, and they were just as natural-sounding as what Bev did.
The only downer in the set was the technical difficulties that surrounded Eric's microphone. I don't know if it was the engineer's error or a mechanical flub, but his mic was not hot during the first line of "If Only," so we couldn't hear the haunting "Score one for the mixed-up man." Too bad. Also, his mic cut out several other times throughout the show.
The set list:
Turn to Stone
Evil Woman
Jewel & Johnny
Livin' Thing/No Rewind
Twist & Shout*
Can't Get it Out of My Head
Over London Skies
Showdown (with rockin' new intro)
Before We Go
Ma Ma Belle
If Only
Sweet Talkin' Woman
Telephone Line
Do Ya
Standin' in the Rain
Mr. Blue Sky
Rockaria
Don't Bring Me Down
*I forgot to write this one down, so I'm unsure if it was put exactly here in sequence, but it's close.
"Before We Go" met with a very positive reception from the crowd, possibly because the message is so positive and resonant with the times. My personal highlights were "Twist & Shout" - MAGICAL!!!!, "Over London Skies," and "Livin' Thing," followed by the new songs. The guys were great in every way; harmonically, musicianship-wise, rapport, the mix - everything.
There was a meet-and-greet after the show, and we finally got to meet the guys. They were all extremely nice, and I especially hit it off with Gordon. I got the feeling he would be a hoot to sit down and chat with. Eric as well; we talked a bit about the first ELO Part 2 show when they unveiled the first tour back in - what - 91? Kelly was very much there to connect with the fans. There was a rumor of a later rendezvous at a lounge a few miles away, but not having reserved a hotel, Li'anne and I decided to head home before we got sleepy and became a road hazard. Maybe another day. I hope there will be lots of other days for this wonderful group.
Mike D.
Review kindly provided by Mike Dickerson - June 2002