Venue: Saratoga, CA .. June 30 2002

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Thanks to Mike Andrews for another terrific review:

Hi there gang, Mike Andrews here. This is the second show review I've done on Bruce and the sixth show I've attended. I've been a loyal Bruce listener since "Night on the Town" and continue to be thrilled at the twists and turns of Bruce's music. Naturally, this night was absolutely no exception.

The setting for this concert was the historic Villa Montalvo, in Saratoga California. This facility is a landmark in California set in the foothills of Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley). The road leading to Villa Montalvo is sprinkled with homes valued at several million dollars that are more appropriately called "estates". One mission of the non-profit group of Villa Montalvo is to present top name entertainment in a leisurely setting. Some of the corporate movers and shakers in Silicon Valley provide sponsorship and there is no apparent shortage of patronage. The setting for this concert was the "Garden Theatre", a venue that seats perhaps one thousand folks in an outdoor wooded setting with plenty of room for picnicking and lounging on surrounding hills. Our seats were the "cheap seats" (the "good seats were sold out to Montalvo members), which meant we were about one hundred feet from the stage with a clear view (no bad seats in this venue).

As we entered the Garden Theatre area, notices were posted that the concert would be filmed and that by entering, we were agreeing to be filmed and giving up any rights to recompense if our image was used. I told my wife that I wasn't sure I would enter until I got paid my "usual fee" for being filmed. After she finished belly laughing telling me that, "sure, you'll get your usual fee", we went on in to the theatre and found our seats. Indeed, in looking around there appeared to be six to eight cameras filming the concert. This concert, and the concert the next evening, will apparently appear on the internet and/or via DVD distribution.

While waiting for the concert to begin, the sound of Bobby Read's sax was heard warming up in the curtained area behind stage. Soon, Bruce sauntered out on stage, with a demeanor similar to the stage hands, seating himself on the usual black tuck n' button piano bench. He began a solo warm up, sounding quite sharp for a "warm up". Soon, the band joined, with J V Collier arriving with a fuchsia wig, and they began "Great Divide". In the middle of the song, Bruce shifted to Sly and the Family Stones' "Everyday People", a completely appropriate complement to the theme of "Great Divide". Next came two songs off the new album, "Try Anything Once" and "Sticks and Stones", both of which exhibit further exploration of new sounds while retaining soulful themes. Following this was "The Show Goes On" which was quite serious and very well done.

I must admit that at this point while the band was technically perfect, they all sounded a bit, "stiff". I was afraid that the filming might inhibit the usual casualness of a typical Bruce concert, with a rigid set list and the band performing for the camera rather than the usual audience interchange that occurs at a Bruce concert. And, in fact, during the first few songs Bruce alluded to the filming and that "they" expect a particular order to the songs. Of course within a few songs Bruce announced "to hell with them and the set list" and started to pick up requests that littered the floor near the piano. One he picked up led to the comment, "someone knows what we really do" and they launched into "Mandolin Rain". This evolved to several chorus of "Sad Mood" which left me feeling a bit like it was time for my Prozac, and then "Black Muddy River" which was a real gospel ending to these phrases lined with emotion. I observed at this point in the concert two things. First, I felt the band could have been a bit louder. This could have been a problem because my seat was off to the side of the PA speakers, or it could be a bow to the ritzy neighborhood not wanting to enjoy a Sunday night concert. But the other thing that struck me was the Doug Derryberry's instrumentation was more prominent, louder. In past concerts, I've really felt that Doug's sounds were muffled, difficult to identify and poorly mixed. In this concert, his guitar and mandolin were super and a tremendous addition to the instrumentation. I noticed this not only on "Mandolin Rain", but on all the other songs where we I was able to really appreciate his talent and expressions on guitar. Maybe it was just my seating location relative to the PA system, but it was a real treat. Great job Doug!!! I also want to mention the drummer. Was this the new guy, Sonny Emory? Whoever it was just killed the drums throughout the set. The blend of Bruce's piano and the rhythms has always been a strong point for me in Bruce's music, and tonight was no exception as the rhythm section cooked.

At this point, it looked to me like all bets were off. The set list was thrown out; Bruce was interacting with the audience, and all seemed to be moving in the right direction toward typical Bruce semi-anarchy. Bruce picked up a request while saying, "I'm gonna do a slow song then take a break". Next, he was mumbling "Sugaree" at which point some guy in the audience yelled, "but it's my birthday!" Bruce, with his usual kindness and sensitivity said, "we don't care about birthdays" to which the audience laughed and you could virtually hear the guy groan. But of course. With a, "what the hell" the next song was a terrific rendition of "Sugaree" and the idea of a break disappeared. You could almost hear a sigh of relief from the Dead Heads in the audience as they got their fix.

When Bruce then stood up and put on the accordion, I figured it was time for a change, something you can always expect at a Bruce concert. Up came the bluegrass "Jacob's Ladder, Pig in a Pen, and I Put a Spell on You, done with the usual robust, foot stomping tempo that makes folks want to dance. Mind you, there were a few folks dancing on the sides of the hills, but the area in front of the stage was strictly blocked off so the camera crew could maneuver. I was wondering how long it would take for that barrier to fall like the set list.

Sure enough. Some guy shot his mouth off in the audience about wanting to get on stage. Yep, that's right. Bruce says, "ok man, get your ass up here, and anyone else who wants to can dance on this one". Soon the stage filled up with folks dancing to "Take Out the Trash". The cameras on stage disappeared in a sea of people as did the band while the area in front of the stage remained empty. Finally, Doug stood on something like an amp so he could see over the guy holding his little boy on his shoulders while dancing. When the song ended, Bruce again said he was gonna do a slow song, to which the folks on stage groaned. He said, "oh, so you want more fast songs?" to which they cheered. He then asked the audience at large if they wanted more fasts songs. We responded with hearty applause. Bruce then said, "why don't you guys dance down there in front of the stage?" Someone near the piano said "they won't let us". Bruce, in a fatherly voice then said, "I give you permission". Soon, the stage emptied and the area in front of the stage filled with dancers and THOSE camera people disappeared. Interestingly, unlike other Bruce concerts, when I walked through the dance crowd there was a number of grumblers from the front row seats about not being able to see. I was surprised that these folks didn't stand up as well. This led me to believe that the crowd was divided between loyal Bruce followers who know the score, and regular Montalvo attendees who might have been offended a bit by the "loose atmosphere". My opinion? Tough.

Next followed "Valley Road", "Line in the Dust", "Cartoons and Candy", "The Tide Will Rise" and "Swing Street". All were done with enormous enthusiasm and verve as the band worked together to put out a really tight sound. Bruce seemed to be in full form of mixing it up with medley's, causing Bobby Read to often laugh and shake his head as the band struggled to keep up with the swift changes Bruce was making. While not musically perfect, it was a showpiece of how a band works together.

The final song of the set was "Across the River". It was the same arrangement I had seen in Visalia of this song and it just knocks my socks off. The arrangement starts with a daunting baseline the drives throughout the song. Bruce and the band then slowly, and dramatically, raise the tension level, playing with your emotions and using the song to rise to a pitch that leaves you tired and drained. The difference in this particular concert is that, again, I could clearly hear Doug and his guitar riffs which really added to the quality of the jam. As in other concerts, I melted and faded away as the song built to its inevitable crescendo and the finale of the concert.

The encore was "Spider Fingers". When this began, I looked to my wife and said, "isn't this a song he does in the beginning?" She looked at me and said, "It's all about the changes, babe," at which point I laughed and thought to myself, "It figures". "Spider Fingers led to the lovely "Night in Tunisia and "Sir Duke", at which point the concert ended.

We then left, exhausted as usual after hearing Bruce and the band bang it out for well over two hours without a break. Tired but pleased, we slowly drove home with "Harbor Lights" playing quietly in the background.