SETLIST (possibly
incomplete)
COMMENTS/FURTHER
INFORMATION
Submitted by Allan Byer:
It was one of
the finest BC shows I have ever seen, and I have seen at least 15 over
the years,
most recently August 8th in Eugene when he was beginning
this current Life Short Call
Now tour. Bruce is amazing in that
he seems to get better, both vocally and with his guitars, every time I see
him. The guy is 61 years young. He is in incredible shape. He is a role
model for us older folks, especially aging musicians like myself. He seemed
to
have more energy than ever.
His current band, Gary Craig on drums and Jullie Wolf on keyboards and harmonies,
I thought were perfectly meshed with Bruce. Gary seemed to be having way
too much fun with all the various combinations of percussion instruments
he was playing including the hammer on the gongs and chimes. I especially
was impressed with what he could do with one hand, his left, and his feet
while doing a shaker thing with the right hand. He was totally in tune with
the many changes that Bruce took us through. Julie's voice is a perfect compliment
to Bruce's and her keyboard playing, and that "melodica" thingie
(the tube in the mouth) filled in and enhanced all the songs.
I was also impressed with the set list in that there were lots of his nearly
timeless hits like Wondering Where
The Lions Are and If
A Tree Falls as well as more recent songs like Open and Pacing
The Cage that showcased his incredible consistency as a writer.
Of course the emphasis was on the new material, as it should be. The new
songs came
off so well, so topical and true, especially stuff like This
Is Baghdad.
Bruce has the amazing and unique ability to create songs that are topical
yet personal
accounts of current events. Like a news reporter bringing home the story,
only he is not locked into being objective; he has the licence as a songsmith
to interpret those events and bring them to us, the listener, in personal
form. The visual images are like a movie; you can't help seeing stuff in
your mind as you hear the song. He additionally amazes me with his guitar-playing
stylings. That thumb, more and more I notice it supplying a back-drop drone
at times, while the other fingers are plucking melodies. Unique, one of a
kind, inspiring in so many ways.
I was also heartened personally that he did nearly all the BC songs that
I do in my shows affirming to me that I have picked songs that still resonate
with him and his current audiences that are repeatedly exposed to those tunes.
When he does If I Had A Rocket Launcher,
his only MTV hit from 1984, people feel the outrage toward utter cruelty
in the world. When I do it,
in my own
simplistic manner, people recall him and the courage it took to make that
statement back then. He also never ends a show with that song. When he came
back with All The Diamonds I was
reminded of his simple and beautiful faith — in the world, in all of us, and in the spiritual side of all the
tapestries he weaves for us.
Some would have wanted more talking by him, which he is so good at sharing
little tidbits of himself and the world with us, but I think he wanted to
share as much music as possible with us. I think he will remember Bend this
time and want to return very soon.