[Margaret Benzer]

The Vegas show was quite an experience for me.  I got to learn the meaning of
yabbo firsthand, especially my sister.  But that will come later.  We arrived
at the House of Blues early, not knowing what to expect, only to discover that
the reservations had been messed up.  No problem, they were going to let us in
early.  So Sharon, her husband Andy, my sister Julie and I went around to find
some place reasonably priced to eat in the casino.  We chose the Rock Lobster.
The bathroom is an experience.  And I mean bathroom as in unisex,
where-the-heck-is-it place where music starts playing and a light turns on the
minute your lock the door to the stall and there is a TV screen playing sports
next to the toilet.  Quite an eye-opening experience for us not used to the big
city stuff.  But the food was good.

The House of Blues was intimate to say the least.  I wish it was nonsmoking
though, but beggars can't be choosers.  I had fun singing along with the songs
and standing in front of Bones and Jim.  I can't get over how great a player
Jim is.  And it didn't help that my sister yelled Blind Lemon Peter in my ear
during Blue Sky Mine (Arrogant Worm reference here) which had me laughing
everytime Peter played harmonica.  (It didn't hurt that bad.)  The only problem
was blonde yabbo #1 who kept trying to push her way to the front.  Then came
the guy yabbo who decided he wanted to get up front.  He asked John M and
another girl if they would let him in so he could get to the stage.  When they
said no, blonde yabbo and another guy hoisted this one up so he stepped on my
sister's arm and into the security area.  He then jumped on the stage where he
was promptly tackled by the guards before he could get to Peter.  And the
yabbos behind us were giving each other high fives over it.  What idiots.  At
the end of the show, blonde yabbo #2 came along and spilled beer all over my
sister so I turned around just as Rob threw a drumstick to me.  It bounced off
of me.  Does the security guard hand it to me?  No,  he throws it to the
crowd.  Jerk.

I loved the Vegas show, my first ever.  I left wanting more and more and more.
I was ready to sell everything and follow them from show to show, but alas,
work calls so I had to return to Arizona and the Phoenix show Sunday.

Celebrity Theatre was a different experience altogether.  It is a theatre in
the round, but the didn't rotate the stage.  That would have been fun.  Because
it wasn't a bar, the ages ranged from about 8 to a woman in her 70's.  How do I
know her age? you may be wondering.  Because she is the lead singer of a local
punk band named One Foot in the Grave and is a great-grandmother.  Boy was she
dancing to Hercules too.  The median age was late thirties.  And I couldn't
believe the number of ex-Aussies that were there.

First a report on Will Hoge:  The drummer smiled.  It is true.  This was a
result of the Incredible Shrinking Mike (and Will).  During the opening song,
the microphone kept getting lower and lower and so did the singer.  By the end
of the song, he was practically playing on his knees.  And Will kept cracking
jokes.  He made comments that it must have something to do with playing on a
round stage, it brings out the storyteller in you, ala VH-1.  The audience
really warmed up to them and Will seemed more relaxed because of it.  So
everyone at the rest of the shows, give them your support.  They are real nice
guys.  Go up and talk with them after the show.  They are there own roadies
too.  And buy their CD.  They need to buy a new microphone.  On the last song,
it started to come down again so Tres came over to join in on the shrinking
mike.  They continued singing as it lowered to the ground.  The audience was
dying of laughter and so were they.  And by the way, John M., they've been
forewarned about you.  Watch out in Chicago. :-p

Midnight Oil really hit it off.  I love "Too Much Sunshine."  I can't wait to
get that one.   The audience kept yelling for Koziucko (or however it is
spelled).  Right before "Short Memory," one of the women in the audience
presented Peter with a bouquet of two dozen roses.  I'm not sure what was on
the note, but it was long.  And Jim's solo during "Short Memory" is to die
for.  I wish I could play half that well.  It sounds so Spanish flamenco.  And
I finally got my drumstick at the end of "Blue Sky Mine" (yeah).  During the
encore, the setlist had Tone Poem/Weapon listed.  My guess is that something in
the note swayed them to play "Put Down That Weapon."  I called Mai during that
time because I couldn't believe that they would actually play it.  (I also had
her on the line during "Golden Age" and "Truganini".)  And then before breaking
into "Power & The Passion" Peter mentioned that they couldn't take the roses
with them over state lines so they would break apart the bouquet and hand out
the roses.  Of course, Peter starts throwing everything including the baby's
breath and sprigs too, taking out Martin in the process while Rob is doing his
drum solo.  Rob finishes up and is awaiting the "uh, uh"  and Peter didn't
realize it because he was looking around for another rose to give away.  He
picked up a red rose, saw Rob looking over at him, placed the rose in his teeth
like a dancer, and did the "uh, uh."  He then continued on dancing like a
flamenco dancer, throwing his arms up to the right.  Then he took his arms down
to the left as if he were a matador and started pretending he had a cape.  I
thought Bones and Rob were going to lose it.  Then Peter threw the rose at
Sharon.  She missed it and couldn't find it.  My sister found it before the
guys behind us so it is now hanging at my house, drying as a momento.  Peter
salavia.  Who has that?  Just kidding.

This has been the best weekend of my life.  I haven't had this much fun in a
long time, even if it meant I spent twelve hours sitting in a car.  And a few
oods and ends to bring the weekend to a closure.  What's with the houndstooth
platform shoes on Rob's drumset?  Why is the sign "Do not feed the pigeons and
rats" in English, Russian and Hebrew?  The water can is part of Rob's drum set
still.  He used it in Vegas but not in Phoenix.  He doesn't use a midget but a
roadie to move his mike back and forth to sing.  And what's with the dryer
hose?

Until the next concert review from someone else.

Margaret, with a perpetual smile on her face from lack of sleep