Las Vegas!!!

[Crystal_Elle]

Originally Posted by badanimals87

First off...I'd like to say that I agree that on paper this show looks like the same old crap but it was anything but. There were several factors that made the show so magical to me. First as someone mentioned, the video normally projected behind the band was not working and I believe Stevie's lighting rig was not being used due to the same computer problem. She mentioned that they were lucky to even have lighting and how dark it was onstage. I don't know much about stage lighting but it seemed like they had to rely on some of the Coliseum's basic lighting. There was only a row of purple and a row of yellow lights almost directly above the band and pointing down and out, some red lights at the front of the stage pointing inward, and a couple spot lights. The only reason I mention this is because it looked so different and absolutely beautiful not having such bright lights behind Stevie and the band. During the end of GDW Stevie and Waddy's dance was stunning to watch because of the simple lighting.

I've seen Stevie about 20 times since Enchanted and this was the most "in the zone" I've ever seen Stevie. We all know how it goes with Stevie where some nights she's just going through the motions and other nights she is TOTALLY ON. I guess she felt the need to really dazzle us since there no visuals behind her to distract. Another thing I noticed was her approach to the older songs vocally. The way Stevie sings on the new album is so subtle and emotional at times and just so unlike the "full volume" almost yelling she has been doing for a little while now at live shows. By the time she was singing Dreams I went from singing along to bawling my eyes out, and I've never cried at a Stevie show. Usually I have perma-grin for days but this time I was a mess! For a song like Dreams to make me cry when I've heard it live SO MANY TIMES and it's just not that exciting anymore...until last night. The recording process with Dave Stewart seems to have helped Stevie in so many ways and it totally shows IMO. I should mention that a stale setlist would not stop me from seeing Stevie (even though I would love her to shake it up) because you never know when one of these truly special nights will transpire.

Now the ugly part. :-(

I have never been to a ROCK CONCERT with so many jerks sitting around yelling at people to sit down. Our seats were in ORCH 4 row 7 and almost dead center so we had a perfect view. I'm 6'1" and Mark is 6'5" so we tried to "go with the flow" and sit when the people in front of us sat down but there were nasty people yelling at 2 girls sitting in front of us and to the left a few seats. Now I can understand being frustrated because you want to sit and you cannot see with someone standing in front of you, but I heard many rude comments that were just unnecessary and it took every fiber of my being to keep my mouth shut and not tell these people to **** off. I wasn't about to let anyone ruin my time with Stevie so I did my best to ignore. Security sucked beyond belief at the Coliseum. We tried to make a break for the stage once Edge started but were told to go back to our seats. We complied but once Stevie was headed for stage right we ran back up only to be stopped again. I noticed a woman making her way to the right side of the stage so I just followed her and walked past security as if I did not hear them and made my way to the stage. Unfortunately I missed shaking Stevie's hand by seconds but I waived to her and she waived back so I was happy. :-) Stevie dedicated Landslide to a "friend of a friend" which was kinda weird. She said her friend was not there but her friend's friend was and that she was asked to dedicate it to her.

Despite the jerkoffs sitting around us and the bogus security this was a fantastic show and I was very grateful to be there. Yes I was dissapointed with only 11 songs and no new songs besides Secret Love, but the simple lighting and lack of visuals made for a truly magical experience. For those that feel Stevie's live vocals in the past 4-5 years have been a little harsh...please don't let this stop you from seeing her again. A YouTube clip absolutely does not due justice to the real thing.

Sorry this was so long and not worded too well but I just had to share my experience with you guys. Those of you going to the LA show are in for a real treat...and if you have general admission you're guaranteed not to have anyone yelling at you to sit down!

Tim

I am quite familar with the colosseum due to seeing Cher there a lot. In my experience, sec 4 is usually the worst section to sit in as a fan of the person performing. It appears that this section is where Caesars sticks a lot of the high rollers who get comped free tix. No offense, but they are usually the ones yelling at fans to sit. Getting yelled at to sit during the shows was such a common thing among us fans. We got yelled at in every section, but 4 was usually where security had to get involved and threats were made. A friend of mine even got punched in the back one night over it. I love the venue, but hate the typical crowd there. They don't understand that it's a concert, not a movie or some broadway show.

It totally sucks that the standing thing was an issue at this show too. At least the show was fabulous. I'm glad to hear great things.