Bruuuce.com - tour reports

Venue: Milwaukee, WI .. August 16 2001

Click and to check the photos!

Thanks to Mark for this review:

Mark in Wisconsin here reporting on the show last night at the Milwaukee County Zoo.

My wife and kids and I arrived at the Caribou Stage (outdoors next to the caribous) in late afternoon. It was a beautiful, cool, sunny day with a gentle breeze blowing. There was a possibility of rain later in the evening. The venue was very small with a small lake to the left and thick woods to the right. The event is called Milwaukee A La Carte and it features food stands set up by many of the Milwaukee area restaurants. There were a number of food stands back behind the audience and, more importantly, a beer stand was located very close by!

I spoke to the sound man well before Bruce took the stage. I asked permission to set up mics and record and he said "you know its OK"! I asked about board patches and he said "only at solo shows"! As I set up my very basic mic stand (basically just a curtain rod going up with a cross-bar taped on), my eight-year-old son, Kyle, became fascinated with his first experience of live concert recording. Being very mechanically inclined, he mounted the mics, ran and taped the mic lead wires and wanted to know all about my rig. By the time the show started there were probably six or seven tapers surrounding us with extremetly sophisticated equipment (my recording turned out nicely though!). Little did Kyle and his twelve-year-old sister, Cory, know what their first-ever concert experience held in store...

Bruce and the band took the stage at about 7:15 (scheduled for 7:00). Bonny ripped into a solo and we were off for a wild ride. Later in the show Bruce would say this may be the most fast songs they'd played in one show! The set list is below, but the highlight had to be when it started to sprinkle a light rain and a double rainbow made it's appearance high in the sky to the left of the audience. Several people in the crowd began pointing to the rainbows and Bruce had no choice but to immediately bring out a rousing version of Rainbow's Cadillac! By the time the song was finished, it had stopped sprinkling and the skies turned clear and cool for the rest of the night. Later in the evening some peacocks in the zoo screamed a few times from nearby adding an interesting dimension to the crowd noise!

Bruce seemed very relaxed on stage and did some really great off-the-cuff skat rapping on Milwaukee, Milwaukee-town, Milwaukee-people, Milwaukee-talkies, etc. Since Milwaukee may be the polka capitol of the U.S., at Bruce's request JT did a little polka for us at one point on the organ!

The coup de grace came after the show when we got to meet Bruce! After a brief conversation at the front of the stage with JT, we were invited backstage where I introduced myself and both of my kids to Bruce. I explained that all three of us are piano players (my kids and me) and I gave him a copy of my church bulletin from last Sunday because I played a medley of the intro to Harbor Lights and Song C in church. I also gave him a CDR of a Leon Russell show I taped last month complete with the custom artwork I did. He was very appreciative and gracious as usual and signed a really nice photo for me from one of his piano books which I had brought along. I told him it would be framed and hung over my piano where it will join framed autographs of my piano heroes, Leon and Roy Bittan (E Street Band). I also told him that I only needed one more autograph to complete my collection and that would be Elton John (not very likely I"ll ever get this one!). We finished our meet with a couple of quick photos taken by a by-stander of Bruce, the kids, and me!

So people, get out there and see a show, on this or any Hornsby tour! Nobody else is doing what Bruce and this band do so very well and they really do appreciate your support.

Mark in Wisconsin

(set list is below - corrections appreciated, but I think this is very close)

August 16, 2001 Caribou Stage "Milwaukee A La Carte" Milwaukee County Zoo Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1. Bonny's drum solo > China Doll
2. Carry The Water
3. Another Day > It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Take A Train To Cry (Dylan) > Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder tease) > Another Day
4. Rainbow's Cadillac (with a double rainbow in the sky!)
5. Jacob's Ladder > Popeye > Pig In A Pen > Turkey In The Straw > Pig In A Pen > Jacob's Ladder
6. Sugaree
7. Hot House Ball
8. Piano Man (Billy Joel tease) > The Tide Will Rise
9. Line In The Dust > Jive Talkin' (BeeGee's tease) > Line In The Dust
10. Sunflower Cat > Big Boss Man > Sunflower Cat
11. Drunken Hiccups > Western Skyline > When I Paint My Masterpiece (Dylan) > Big Stick
12. Great Divide > The Way It Is > Spider Fingers > There Is A Mountain (Donovan) > Great Divide

Encore:
13. Big Rumble
14. The End Of The Innocence

NO INTERMISSION


		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: Milwaukee, WI .. August 16 2001 Click and to check the photos! Thanks to Mark for this review: Mark in Wisconsin here reporting on the show last night at the Milwaukee County Zoo. My wife and kids and I arrived at the Caribou Stage (outdoors next to the caribous) in late afternoon. It was a beautiful, cool, sunny day with a gentle breeze blowing. There was a possibility of rain later in the evening. The venue was very small with a small lake to the left and thick woods to the right. The event is called Milwaukee A La Carte and it features food stands set up by many of the Milwaukee area restaurants. There were a number of food stands back behind the audience and, more importantly, a beer stand was located very close by! I spoke to the sound man well before Bruce took the stage. I asked permission to set up mics and record and he said "you know its OK"! I asked about board patches and he said "only at solo shows"! As I set up my very basic mic stand (basically just a curtain rod going up with a cross-bar taped on), my eight-year-old son, Kyle, became fascinated with his first experience of live concert recording. Being very mechanically inclined, he mounted the mics, ran and taped the mic lead wires and wanted to know all about my rig. By the time the show started there were probably six or seven tapers surrounding us with extremetly sophisticated equipment (my recording turned out nicely though!). Little did Kyle and his twelve-year-old sister, Cory, know what their first-ever concert experience held in store... Bruce and the band took the stage at about 7:15 (scheduled for 7:00). Bonny ripped into a solo and we were off for a wild ride. Later in the show Bruce would say this may be the most fast songs they'd played in one show! The set list is below, but the highlight had to be when it started to sprinkle a light rain and a double rainbow made it's appearance high in the sky to the left of the audience. Several people in the crowd began pointing to the rainbows and Bruce had no choice but to immediately bring out a rousing version of Rainbow's Cadillac! By the time the song was finished, it had stopped sprinkling and the skies turned clear and cool for the rest of the night. Later in the evening some peacocks in the zoo screamed a few times from nearby adding an interesting dimension to the crowd noise! Bruce seemed very relaxed on stage and did some really great off-the-cuff skat rapping on Milwaukee, Milwaukee-town, Milwaukee-people, Milwaukee-talkies, etc. Since Milwaukee may be the polka capitol of the U.S., at Bruce's request JT did a little polka for us at one point on the organ! The coup de grace came after the show when we got to meet Bruce! After a brief conversation at the front of the stage with JT, we were invited backstage where I introduced myself and both of my kids to Bruce. I explained that all three of us are piano players (my kids and me) and I gave him a copy of my church bulletin from last Sunday because I played a medley of the intro to Harbor Lights and Song C in church. I also gave him a CDR of a Leon Russell show I taped last month complete with the custom artwork I did. He was very appreciative and gracious as usual and signed a really nice photo for me from one of his piano books which I had brought along. I told him it would be framed and hung over my piano where it will join framed autographs of my piano heroes, Leon and Roy Bittan (E Street Band). I also told him that I only needed one more autograph to complete my collection and that would be Elton John (not very likely I"ll ever get this one!). We finished our meet with a couple of quick photos taken by a by-stander of Bruce, the kids, and me! So people, get out there and see a show, on this or any Hornsby tour! Nobody else is doing what Bruce and this band do so very well and they really do appreciate your support. Mark in Wisconsin (set list is below - corrections appreciated, but I think this is very close) August 16, 2001 Caribou Stage "Milwaukee A La Carte" Milwaukee County Zoo Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1. Bonny's drum solo > China Doll 2. Carry The Water 3. Another Day > It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Take A Train To Cry (Dylan) > Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder tease) > Another Day 4. Rainbow's Cadillac (with a double rainbow in the sky!) 5. Jacob's Ladder > Popeye > Pig In A Pen > Turkey In The Straw > Pig In A Pen > Jacob's Ladder 6. Sugaree 7. Hot House Ball 8. Piano Man (Billy Joel tease) > The Tide Will Rise 9. Line In The Dust > Jive Talkin' (BeeGee's tease) > Line In The Dust 10. Sunflower Cat > Big Boss Man > Sunflower Cat 11. Drunken Hiccups > Western Skyline > When I Paint My Masterpiece (Dylan) > Big Stick 12. Great Divide > The Way It Is > Spider Fingers > There Is A Mountain (Donovan) > Great Divide Encore: 13. Big Rumble 14. The End Of The Innocence NO INTERMISSION