Bruuuce.com - tour reports

Venue: Portland, OR .. August 25 2001

Click to check the photos!

Marty Rostock has shared a great report from Portland, OR:

An "I love Oregon" day greeted us with clear skies as we found ourselves on the first tier behind the concrete apron facing Bruce's Baldwin grand piano despite a snafu involving my having to drive all the way back to Milwaukee to fetch forgotten concert tickets. Emery Wilson joined Kay and myself having bicycled up the hill from SE Portland. The apron soon filled up with a standing mixture of twenty-something hipsters and mainstream middle-aged Hornsby fans. A relaxed atmosphere prevailed, for this is the Zoo, laid-back to the point that even the abrupt presence of the announcer of the act was startling enough to cause Kay to flinch and spill her coffee. This was the concluding show of the band's month-long "Portland-to-Portland Summer 2001" tour and they were in fine spirits. I laid my request list on the stage lip just prior to the 7 p.m. show start and even though Bruce had not the chance to view it, along with many others, he opened with one of my requests, the jazz-tinged China Doll. Sunflower Cat, based on the thematic riff of the Grateful Dead's "China Cat Sunflower", was the second number and I began to take note that the band of the last few years has been trimmed down, missing Debbie Henry on backup vocals and the trombone player John D'Earth. Into Sunflower cat was woven Kay's request of It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry, The Life Of The Party, and Willow Weep For Me. I then spied Bruce picking up my setlist and played a selection off of it from the "Spirit Trail" record called Funhouse. Excellent.

Between songs Bruce remembers when he was last in Portland and generates laughs when he recalls last being here with what he terms "the sensitive ones"-Bonnie Raitt/Jackson Browne/Shawn Colvin and then launches into a soft I Can't Make You Love Me > Lady With A Fan (briefly)>and the crowd-pleasing The End Of The Innocence. He picks up the accordian for Jacob's Ladder and then closes the first set with another crowd favorite, his big hit, The Way It Is.

The second set opens with Women Are Smarter and then forms a nicely executed segue into Pete And Manny. After The Long Race, Bruce hears a fan yelling about why no Seattle gig this tour and this causes him to recollect a gig at "the chateau" (St. Michelle Winery) where "a full-figured woman attacked me, which, of course, we liked, but it was too wild for the winery" he supposed. During Lost Soul I wandered toward the back and noted that the sound off the PA's up the hill was bad, akin to a stereo being turned up too loud, reinforcing my opinion that the Zoo audio is not good. Fortunately, the band sported their own speakers stage front and the sound where we were at was undistorted and excellent. The Life Of The Party makes a reprise and leads into a very nice Sugaree. A jumping version of Hot House Ball brings the dancing to another level although the sand chairs kept our butts still. Then he plays the most requested song of the night Fortunate Son that segues with the superb Pink Floyd number Comfortably Numb and back. Very cool. Bruce indicates they are going to blow from here on out and strings together Long Valley Road>Spider Fingers>the jazz standard Tempus Fugit>Spider Fingers to close the set. The soft encore of Mandolin Rain strung along with Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter composition Black Muddy River has us thinking the tour will end on a quiet note but in mid-walk-off Bruce turns the band around and amid shouts of "they're gonna pull the plug" rips off Rainbow's Cadillac(!) to close the evening.

BRUCE HORNSBY OREGON ZOO AMPHITHEATER 08/25/01

7 p.m. 1st Set *China Doll>So What>China Doll, Sunflower Cat>*It Takes A Train To Cry>The Life Of The Party>Willow Weep For Me, *Funhouse, I Can't Make You Love Me>Lady With A Fan>The End Of The Innocence, Jacob's Ladder>The Way It Is

8:15 8:30 2nd Set Women Are Smarter>Pete & Manny, The Long Race, Lost Soul, The Life Of The Party>Sugaree, Hot House Ball, *Fortunate Son>Comfortably Numb>Fortunate Son, Long Valley Road>Spider Fingers>Tempus Fugit>Spider Fingers E: Mandolin Rain>Black Muddy River, Rainbow's Cadillac
*songs listed on the Martin D. request sheet

-Marty Rosback


		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: Portland, OR .. August 25 2001 Click to check the photos! Marty Rostock has shared a great report from Portland, OR: An "I love Oregon" day greeted us with clear skies as we found ourselves on the first tier behind the concrete apron facing Bruce's Baldwin grand piano despite a snafu involving my having to drive all the way back to Milwaukee to fetch forgotten concert tickets. Emery Wilson joined Kay and myself having bicycled up the hill from SE Portland. The apron soon filled up with a standing mixture of twenty-something hipsters and mainstream middle-aged Hornsby fans. A relaxed atmosphere prevailed, for this is the Zoo, laid-back to the point that even the abrupt presence of the announcer of the act was startling enough to cause Kay to flinch and spill her coffee. This was the concluding show of the band's month-long "Portland-to-Portland Summer 2001" tour and they were in fine spirits. I laid my request list on the stage lip just prior to the 7 p.m. show start and even though Bruce had not the chance to view it, along with many others, he opened with one of my requests, the jazz-tinged China Doll. Sunflower Cat, based on the thematic riff of the Grateful Dead's "China Cat Sunflower", was the second number and I began to take note that the band of the last few years has been trimmed down, missing Debbie Henry on backup vocals and the trombone player John D'Earth. Into Sunflower cat was woven Kay's request of It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry, The Life Of The Party, and Willow Weep For Me. I then spied Bruce picking up my setlist and played a selection off of it from the "Spirit Trail" record called Funhouse. Excellent. Between songs Bruce remembers when he was last in Portland and generates laughs when he recalls last being here with what he terms "the sensitive ones"-Bonnie Raitt/Jackson Browne/Shawn Colvin and then launches into a soft I Can't Make You Love Me > Lady With A Fan (briefly)>and the crowd-pleasing The End Of The Innocence. He picks up the accordian for Jacob's Ladder and then closes the first set with another crowd favorite, his big hit, The Way It Is. The second set opens with Women Are Smarter and then forms a nicely executed segue into Pete And Manny. After The Long Race, Bruce hears a fan yelling about why no Seattle gig this tour and this causes him to recollect a gig at "the chateau" (St. Michelle Winery) where "a full-figured woman attacked me, which, of course, we liked, but it was too wild for the winery" he supposed. During Lost Soul I wandered toward the back and noted that the sound off the PA's up the hill was bad, akin to a stereo being turned up too loud, reinforcing my opinion that the Zoo audio is not good. Fortunately, the band sported their own speakers stage front and the sound where we were at was undistorted and excellent. The Life Of The Party makes a reprise and leads into a very nice Sugaree. A jumping version of Hot House Ball brings the dancing to another level although the sand chairs kept our butts still. Then he plays the most requested song of the night Fortunate Son that segues with the superb Pink Floyd number Comfortably Numb and back. Very cool. Bruce indicates they are going to blow from here on out and strings together Long Valley Road>Spider Fingers>the jazz standard Tempus Fugit>Spider Fingers to close the set. The soft encore of Mandolin Rain strung along with Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter composition Black Muddy River has us thinking the tour will end on a quiet note but in mid-walk-off Bruce turns the band around and amid shouts of "they're gonna pull the plug" rips off Rainbow's Cadillac(!) to close the evening. BRUCE HORNSBY OREGON ZOO AMPHITHEATER 08/25/01 7 p.m. 1st Set China Doll>So What>China Doll, Sunflower Cat>It Takes A Train To Cry>The Life Of The Party>Willow Weep For Me, Funhouse, I Can't Make You Love Me>Lady With A Fan>The End Of The Innocence, Jacob's Ladder>The Way It Is 8:15 8:30 2nd Set Women Are Smarter>Pete & Manny, The Long Race, Lost Soul, The Life Of The Party>Sugaree, Hot House Ball, Fortunate Son>Comfortably Numb>Fortunate Son, Long Valley Road>Spider Fingers>Tempus Fugit>Spider Fingers E: Mandolin Rain>Black Muddy River, Rainbow's Cadillac *songs listed on the Martin D. request sheet -Marty Rosback