You're right my friend, I should have put a longer review, but since some of you did a great job showcasing the gig (videos) I didn't find it necessary. But let's do it anyway, so here it goes...
As you know we come from Sherbrooke, Québec. When I heard that BCC was starting their NA tour in San Diego I decided to bring the family to California. So we flew on Wednesday to avoid jetlag and be as fresh as possible for the gig. We stayed at the Westgate just in front of the Civic Theater.
On concert night my wife, son and I attended the M&G and finally got to tell Glenn how it took me almost 30 years to see one of my all time favorite songs (Mistreated) in New-York in 2009. I had seen all the possible bands who could have played it, Deep Purple (I know they don't play Mark III stuff, but still), Whitesnake, Dio, Rainbow and nobody had ever played it while I was there, That night in 2009 was just magical, but back to the M&G.. I didn't bring anything really to get signed, but we were allowed to buy merchandise, so I bought the signed Jason drumskin and got it signed by all the members. We of course took pictures and my son who has 2 of his guitars allready signed by Joe (Hampton Beach and Toronto) told him next time we meet, we'll jam together. That brought a smile and a laugh from Joe. It was short but very relaxed and they were all very friendly. We then left to grab a bite at the Yard House.
At 7:30 we decided to enter the Theater and see what kind of seats we had. Very nice theater and view from where we were (10th row pretty much in the middle). I was getting a little anxious. I knew that was their first gig and that they only had a few days rehearsing. Would it be enough or would it show ??? The lights dimmed then it started. Since that was the 1st show of the tour nobody knew the setlist (reminded me of the ol' days before internet when each concert you attended to was a surprise). I won't bother with the setlist, everybody now knows it but there were some very intense moments.
First of all Glenn was superb. The guy is a freak of nature. Almost 60 and signing with such power and emotion it's frightening. When he's not signing he 's prowling the stage like he owns it. Joe, all dressed in white, looked super cool and confident. Not your typical rock star, but a classy maestro knowing when to turn up the heat and when let the others have their moment. Jason was a beast and really seemed to have a lot of fun. Unfortunatly Derek was a little low on the mix from where we were. I would have liked to hear more from him.
I was a liitle surprised by the setlist. Some were obvious choices, but 2 songs I was really expecting and looking forward to see were An Ordinary Son and Little Secrets. They have 2 of Joe's best solos and hearing Glenn sing the blues would have been awsome. Crossfire and Beggerman are the 2 I would have replaced. Highlights from me were Song of Yesterday, Cold, Sista Jane and Save Me, but overall the show was everything I was hoping for. The crowd was great, the sound (other than Derek being too low) was loud enough and clear. Nothing went wrong. The only problem is it gave me no choice to skip work this Friday and drive 4.5 hours to be in Hampton Beach and be back right after the show for my son's High School graduation. No way I'm gonna miss them being so close from home !!!
So there it is Rocket, my full review of the San Diego premiere. I'll let you all know how Hampton Beach goes when I get back this weekend. Cheers from the East...