COMMENTS/FURTHER INFORMATION

Submitted by Chris Prelypchan.

The show was excellent, as usual. The musicianship outstanding, including Julie Wolf, whose presence fleshed out the songs very nicely. This reviewer's highlights were the guitar solos on If I Had A Rocket Launcher and To Raise The Morning Star, and the overall jazzy-jam feel to Trickle Down. I must say that there was, however, a bit of a professional, workman-like tone to the gig. The Vancouver crowd is usually quite raucous and interactive with Bruce, engaging him in conversation. On this occasion, the crowd was appreciative, but very subdued in between songs. (Sometime I think that Bruce has to be drawn out of himself to interact with the fans, but waits for them to make the first move.) At no time did Bruce really address the audience, other than words of thanks. There were a couple of great moments, regardless. At one point, a female admirer called out,"Bruce, you're a sexy beast!" which seemed to crack him up for quite a while. ["More like the elephant man," he replied, according to Stephen Connella.] As the band took the stage for the first encore, an audience member yelled: "Bruce for Prime Minister!" to which Bruce gave a wry smile and shot back, "Make me dictator, and I'll fix everything." Classic.

All in all, a gig that lived up to Bruce's high standards. Can't wait for the next one.