Bruuuce.com - tour reports

Venue: Burlington, VT .. October 30 2004

Click to check the photos!

Thanks yet again to our regular contributor Charlie Gessner, this time for a report from Burlington, in October 2004:

Bruce "treats" Burlington with another excellent show!

I don't know what it is about the Flynn Theatre in Burlington, VT that brings out the best in Bruce. Maybe it's the fact that R.S. sits in on most of the shows, I don't know; but whatever it is, most shows are always very special up here.

Tonite was no different. On this Halloween Eve performance, Bruce delivered to a sold out house with great songs, a little dancing, and some fine showmanship from all members of the band.

The show opened slowly with Mirror on the Wall, but quickly kicked in after that with a spirited rendition of Big Rumble and Mandolin Rain. After that, it was onto requests, with the first one of the evening being Ray Charles' "That Lucky Old Sun". I've said it before, Bruce does a fantastic rendition of this song and should record it for a future CD... remarkable!!

What the Hell Happened next, and then it was onto the dance-able "Rainbow's Cadillac". Dozens of women flooded the stage which was specially setup tonite to all for more dancing than what was been experienced here in the past. The women were into it, and so was Bruce. The best part of the song however was the addition of the road crew wearing political masks for Halloween. Represented were masks of John Kerry, Jimmy Carter, and Richard Nixon. It was a laugh-and-a-half to watch, as all road crew members were dancing and partying along with the women.

The set closed out with Boo Radley and The Way It Is, which left the crowd about 15 minutes to go catch their breath.

The second set literally kicked it!! Bruce opened with a spiced up Great Divide, Sir Duke, and Backhand (Keith Jarrett number). The crowd was lovin it, and you could tell that ole Vermont/Flynn Theatre/Bruce Hornsby vibe was kickin' in. Fantastic versions of Country Doctor, Changes Made, and Circus on the Moon left the crowd in awe. In fact, it's remarkable how much applause Bruce received for all of the new songs tonite. At most of the shows I've been to on this tour, the new songs are treated with polite applause, but tonite's crowd was truly sold on the new material and you could tell that Bruce really appreciated it.

The set closed with some of my personal favorites: the Fortunate Son/Comfortably Numb medley and then onto Sunflower Cat (one of the most requested songs of the evening). The funny part about this song was that Bruce was begging people to come up and dance and no one would....strange, considering that earlier their were throngs of women on the stage. Anyway, it was a great finishing song which again brought out the stagehands and the return on Dick Nixon, Kerry and Carter...hilarious!! Everyone had their hands in their air like they just didn't care.

The encores were special as well. End of the Innocence was beautifully played and highlighted Bobby Read on the clarinet. Again, I've said it before, but this guy is remarkable (as is the rest of the band). The show closed with the latest version of Valley Road which Bruce has been highlighting on this tour...again, a remarkable version which makes me wish he would record this one all over again.

A couple of other quick notes.... R.S. Hornsby sat in on the entire show and was highlighted throughout the evening, most notably on Big Rumble, as well as several songs in the second set. And finally, I had a chance to meet Bruce and the band after show. All I can say is... what a bunch of nice guys. Bruce took time out to sign some autographs for all in our party and even autographed my tour shirt. Thanks Bruce, for taking the time after a great long show to spend a few quality moments with us. We all really appreciated it. Can't wait to see my final show of this leg of the tour in Boston next Friday. Till then....hope to see you on the Spirit Trail!


		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: Burlington, VT .. October 30 2004 Click to check the photos! Thanks yet again to our regular contributor Charlie Gessner, this time for a report from Burlington, in October 2004: Bruce "treats" Burlington with another excellent show! I don't know what it is about the Flynn Theatre in Burlington, VT that brings out the best in Bruce. Maybe it's the fact that R.S. sits in on most of the shows, I don't know; but whatever it is, most shows are always very special up here. Tonite was no different. On this Halloween Eve performance, Bruce delivered to a sold out house with great songs, a little dancing, and some fine showmanship from all members of the band. The show opened slowly with Mirror on the Wall, but quickly kicked in after that with a spirited rendition of Big Rumble and Mandolin Rain. After that, it was onto requests, with the first one of the evening being Ray Charles' "That Lucky Old Sun". I've said it before, Bruce does a fantastic rendition of this song and should record it for a future CD... remarkable!! What the Hell Happened next, and then it was onto the dance-able "Rainbow's Cadillac". Dozens of women flooded the stage which was specially setup tonite to all for more dancing than what was been experienced here in the past. The women were into it, and so was Bruce. The best part of the song however was the addition of the road crew wearing political masks for Halloween. Represented were masks of John Kerry, Jimmy Carter, and Richard Nixon. It was a laugh-and-a-half to watch, as all road crew members were dancing and partying along with the women. The set closed out with Boo Radley and The Way It Is, which left the crowd about 15 minutes to go catch their breath. The second set literally kicked it!! Bruce opened with a spiced up Great Divide, Sir Duke, and Backhand (Keith Jarrett number). The crowd was lovin it, and you could tell that ole Vermont/Flynn Theatre/Bruce Hornsby vibe was kickin' in. Fantastic versions of Country Doctor, Changes Made, and Circus on the Moon left the crowd in awe. In fact, it's remarkable how much applause Bruce received for all of the new songs tonite. At most of the shows I've been to on this tour, the new songs are treated with polite applause, but tonite's crowd was truly sold on the new material and you could tell that Bruce really appreciated it. The set closed with some of my personal favorites: the Fortunate Son/Comfortably Numb medley and then onto Sunflower Cat (one of the most requested songs of the evening). The funny part about this song was that Bruce was begging people to come up and dance and no one would....strange, considering that earlier their were throngs of women on the stage. Anyway, it was a great finishing song which again brought out the stagehands and the return on Dick Nixon, Kerry and Carter...hilarious!! Everyone had their hands in their air like they just didn't care. The encores were special as well. End of the Innocence was beautifully played and highlighted Bobby Read on the clarinet. Again, I've said it before, but this guy is remarkable (as is the rest of the band). The show closed with the latest version of Valley Road which Bruce has been highlighting on this tour...again, a remarkable version which makes me wish he would record this one all over again. A couple of other quick notes.... R.S. Hornsby sat in on the entire show and was highlighted throughout the evening, most notably on Big Rumble, as well as several songs in the second set. And finally, I had a chance to meet Bruce and the band after show. All I can say is... what a bunch of nice guys. Bruce took time out to sign some autographs for all in our party and even autographed my tour shirt. Thanks Bruce, for taking the time after a great long show to spend a few quality moments with us. We all really appreciated it. Can't wait to see my final show of this leg of the tour in Boston next Friday. Till then....hope to see you on the Spirit Trail!