well, guess this was a show of great expectations b/c it was LB's bday. the show started extremely strong. 1st half was crazy good, when lindsey walked out everybody started singing happy bday and he clearly enjoyed all the love. it felt almost like he doesn't even have to do the show, that people would love to just be there for his bday celebration, with some exchanges back and forth and a bit of music thrown in. LB was really alert for the first part of the show and kept responding, and even "forgot" what he was going to say when he started big machine talk b/c somebody yelled something, and he responded, and then he said "ah, lost my train of thought" - and somebody may have helpfully yelled "machine talk" or something like that... he was also really really sweating starting already from his solo acoustic parts (it was not that hot in the theater but than again he seems to go around in that leather jacket and it was really warm outside).
audience started strong and i really expected something like ridgefiled show or more, and that there would be all the craziness around the stage since it was a bday show. however, for all adoration from the audience in jax, nobody yelled RAB or anything else, nobody tried to strum the guitar or get really close during GYOW, there was no high-five-ing... so towards the end both audience and LB seemed a bit deflated. what i think was off is the exact thing that Michele described in her post in one of the other threads (SWS first impressions?) -
LB spoiled us with always being so alert and responsive and engaging on the stage. what was missing during TIO especially - he seemed to have been phoning that song in, and he looked kinda tired - and he never seems tired on stage, and is soooo engaged normally. maybe they celebrated the night before or something? but he's normally so alert and wired and gives it 200% all the time, that when you notice he's phoning it in and kinda waiting for it to end, it felt deflated. now i have to say - this was nothing like dylan or clapton show would be where they do their spiel and don't even acknowledge there is an audience... it's just that lindsey has set up the live performance bar so amazingly high that we are all spoiled.
concert ended strong with SWS, and one of the highlights for me was that LB whispered some of ta-ta-tas instead of yelling them.
i liked that a lot, would be curious to hear whether he'll keep doing it that way now - that would make that song perfect for me.
afterwards, DavidMN, wondergirl and i ended up on the terrace at hooters by the waterfront - that was the only place open after 11pm
. i love decompressing w/ fellow fans after the show...
so, my 4-show mini tour is done now, and if i would have to rank the shows i've been at this would be the order, starting from the overall best:
1. ridgefield
2. baltimore
3. westhampton beach
4. jacksonville