Bruuuce.com - tour reports

Venue: Windsor, CT .. August 15 2004

Our thanks to Charlie Gessner for this write-up from Windsor, on a great night in August 2004:

A great show, a great night, and no rain!! Considering the fact that many were worried that Tropical Storm Charlie would but a damper on things, we all lucked out. The storm hit early and went out to sea, which left nice cool conditions for an outdoor show.

Bruce hit the stage promptly just after 6:00 pm (an early start) and went straight into Pastures of Plenty, a nice choice considering this venue (SummerWind) was out in the middle of a field very close to Bradley International Airport. From there, it was onto a very tight rendition of "The Way It Is" which got the crowd excited seeing that EVERYONE knew that number. This was followed by "The Good Life" and by now you could tell it was going to be a special evening. Bruce busted on the crowd several times about the name of the town (Windsor) and saying that it was "INDIGNANT" for him to say anything else, but he thought the name "Windsor" sounded UPTIGHT.

Again, he busted on this topic all night long and it was hilarious!! You could tell that Bruce, JV, and the rest of the band were having a great time, and it showed. It should also be noted that Bruce's bus driver (Ryan Bishop?) was on percussion next to Sonny Emory and Bruce noted that for the rest of the evening, the band would be known as "Bruce and the Bishops of Windsor). Again, it was hilarious....you had to be there to appreciate all this stage banter.

At this point, Bruce slowed it down a bit and played a lovely version of "Fields of Gray", with had traces of "That's Where It's At" and "Cupid" thrown in. From there, it was onto "Tango King" which again had everyone in the band taking spotlights, especially Bobby Read who blew everybody away on sax.

One of the highlights of the show came next when someone asked for a Ray Charles' song, That Lucky Old Sun. I would love to hear Bruce put this tune on a CD someday because it was fantastic. From there, Bruce closed out the first set with Spider Fingers, with traces of some Motown soul and some funk thrown in.

During the break, you could tell that the place was ready to start dancing and sure enough it happened. There was plenty of room in front of the stage for people to dance, though in the first set, no one did. That didn't last! When Bruce came out for the second set, he opened with Swing Street and it was like the dam bust open! Throngs of women (and some guys) came down to start dancing. Bruce asked everyone up front if they were OK with it, and everyone agreed, so the party continued. From there, it went to "Pete and Manny" and "Women Are Smarter", which by this time had everyone and their grandmother upfront trying to dance in this now very cramped area. During "Women" throngs were also on the stage dancing which got everyone into the party mood. nfortunately for some, the party mood was getting out of hand. People in the front rows were getting squished, couldn't see, etc... And you could tell Bruce was going to have slow things down to help with crowd control. In fact, just after this song, the Windsor police (two of them) came down and asked people to move to the sides, which most people did, so things didn't seem too bad. Bruce then went onto perform "The Show Goes On" which still moves me every time I hear it...another great number.

Next up was "Talk of the Town" and what a treat it was to see this performed because Bruce's piano playing really took it to another level. He threw in the broadway/movie song "My Favorite Things" and his piano playing was OUT OF CONTROL!! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!! He even threw in traces of "Dark Star", which kept the Deadheads happy as well. From here, it was onto "End of the Innocence which segued into "Halycon Days", which should definitely be a single off of this album. It was a fantastic 1-2 punch which left many in the audience saying "what song was that?"....and "I gotta have that song". From there, the set closed out with "Big Rumble" and a different octave for"Mandolin Rain". One encore which was "Rainbow's Cadillac" was performed, with everyone up close and dancing again (yes, even on the stage) to close out the night.

Some other insights..I've seen Bruce a couple of dozen times now and (maybe it's me), I've never seen him have so much fun up on the stage. The crowd was really into it, the venue was perfect, people that wanted to dance, got to (and weren't busted by security for it), and everyone seemed to leave happy. In fact, this venue seemed like someone just set up a stage, threw up a few lights, and said "let's party"...Again, I say "thanks" to Bruce for allowing me to be put back in the right frame of mind. Can't wait for the fall when he returns. Finally, if anyone has a copy of this show, I would love it...I have a few that I can trade....so please email if this is possible. Thanks!!


		Tour reports - I'd love to hear about any shows you've been to, recent or distant. If you'd like to share, please mail anything to me, and I'll see that it goes straight up with full credit.
	Venue: Windsor, CT .. August 15 2004 Our thanks to Charlie Gessner for this write-up from Windsor, on a great night in August 2004: A great show, a great night, and no rain!! Considering the fact that many were worried that Tropical Storm Charlie would but a damper on things, we all lucked out. The storm hit early and went out to sea, which left nice cool conditions for an outdoor show. Bruce hit the stage promptly just after 6:00 pm (an early start) and went straight into Pastures of Plenty, a nice choice considering this venue (SummerWind) was out in the middle of a field very close to Bradley International Airport. From there, it was onto a very tight rendition of "The Way It Is" which got the crowd excited seeing that EVERYONE knew that number. This was followed by "The Good Life" and by now you could tell it was going to be a special evening. Bruce busted on the crowd several times about the name of the town (Windsor) and saying that it was "INDIGNANT" for him to say anything else, but he thought the name "Windsor" sounded UPTIGHT. Again, he busted on this topic all night long and it was hilarious!! You could tell that Bruce, JV, and the rest of the band were having a great time, and it showed. It should also be noted that Bruce's bus driver (Ryan Bishop?) was on percussion next to Sonny Emory and Bruce noted that for the rest of the evening, the band would be known as "Bruce and the Bishops of Windsor). Again, it was hilarious....you had to be there to appreciate all this stage banter. At this point, Bruce slowed it down a bit and played a lovely version of "Fields of Gray", with had traces of "That's Where It's At" and "Cupid" thrown in. From there, it was onto "Tango King" which again had everyone in the band taking spotlights, especially Bobby Read who blew everybody away on sax. One of the highlights of the show came next when someone asked for a Ray Charles' song, That Lucky Old Sun. I would love to hear Bruce put this tune on a CD someday because it was fantastic. From there, Bruce closed out the first set with Spider Fingers, with traces of some Motown soul and some funk thrown in. During the break, you could tell that the place was ready to start dancing and sure enough it happened. There was plenty of room in front of the stage for people to dance, though in the first set, no one did. That didn't last! When Bruce came out for the second set, he opened with Swing Street and it was like the dam bust open! Throngs of women (and some guys) came down to start dancing. Bruce asked everyone up front if they were OK with it, and everyone agreed, so the party continued. From there, it went to "Pete and Manny" and "Women Are Smarter", which by this time had everyone and their grandmother upfront trying to dance in this now very cramped area. During "Women" throngs were also on the stage dancing which got everyone into the party mood. nfortunately for some, the party mood was getting out of hand. People in the front rows were getting squished, couldn't see, etc... And you could tell Bruce was going to have slow things down to help with crowd control. In fact, just after this song, the Windsor police (two of them) came down and asked people to move to the sides, which most people did, so things didn't seem too bad. Bruce then went onto perform "The Show Goes On" which still moves me every time I hear it...another great number. Next up was "Talk of the Town" and what a treat it was to see this performed because Bruce's piano playing really took it to another level. He threw in the broadway/movie song "My Favorite Things" and his piano playing was OUT OF CONTROL!! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!! He even threw in traces of "Dark Star", which kept the Deadheads happy as well. From here, it was onto "End of the Innocence which segued into "Halycon Days", which should definitely be a single off of this album. It was a fantastic 1-2 punch which left many in the audience saying "what song was that?"....and "I gotta have that song". From there, the set closed out with "Big Rumble" and a different octave for"Mandolin Rain". One encore which was "Rainbow's Cadillac" was performed, with everyone up close and dancing again (yes, even on the stage) to close out the night. Some other insights..I've seen Bruce a couple of dozen times now and (maybe it's me), I've never seen him have so much fun up on the stage. The crowd was really into it, the venue was perfect, people that wanted to dance, got to (and weren't busted by security for it), and everyone seemed to leave happy. In fact, this venue seemed like someone just set up a stage, threw up a few lights, and said "let's party"...Again, I say "thanks" to Bruce for allowing me to be put back in the right frame of mind. Can't wait for the fall when he returns. Finally, if anyone has a copy of this show, I would love it...I have a few that I can trade....so please email if this is possible. Thanks!!