Rockin' Road Report Archive -- The Party's Over

KELSEYVILLE, CA
Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa

September 18, 2004

The Party's Over...

The Party's Over I have gone away.... The Party's Over....

Well folks, the 2004 Detour has come to an end. (You folks in Japan and Hawaii, have fun next month when the guys hit town for you!) With tonight's benefit show canceled due to rain (bummer!), the core dates of this year's tour have ended. Last night's show at Konocti lived up to the expectations I have for a show up at Clear Lake -- the "A-game" show at a fantastic venue.

The weather for this weekend was about the only down side of the trip. (Well, okay there was the usual slow and erratic service of the resort staff, but that happens for every show!) Normally in the nineties this time of year, we were greeted with temperatures in the mid-seventies and wind when we arrived Friday afternoon. By Friday night clouds had rolled in and the temperature dropped into the fifties. Fans had traveled from across the US (and at least one couple from the UK) and met for a wonderfully organized pre-show party at a new casino a few miles from the Konocti resort. Seeing so many familiar faces at dinner made the weekend that much more enjoyable.

Saturday morning was cold and overcast and the winds from Alaska continued to sweep through the lake valley, and lots of plans for "fun in the sun" were canceled. It was just too cold! The up side of this was that as the Nor Cal gang headed to breakfast we happened to arrive at the lodge shortly after the tour buses arrived and got to see all five exhausted band members hop off the bus and on to the shuttle to take them to their rooms. They all looked beat so we didn't chat with them (though some of the folks who were there ahead of us did get to visit briefly) but I did notice Steve was toting a guitar on his back as he got off the bus, so I'll guess there was some writing going on!

The band skipped sound check, which was a big bummer for us since our room was across the parking lot from the amphitheater and would have had an EXCELLENT free performance from the balcony! After prepping the room for the post-show gathering, the Nor Cals bundled up for dinner (awful) and the show (wonderful.) When the show kicked off about 7:45, we were all freezing. The wind that had been blowing all day kept up and the temperature must have been in the low sixties at best. Thank god the show started so everyone was able to keep somewhat warm!

The crowd was on their feet the second the first note of the intro began. Of course, it didn't hurt that about 50% of the two center sections were filled with the tried and true fans who had journeyed from near and far for this show! (Even more awesome to see so many familiar faces in the good seats!) The set list was much the same as the show I saw last month in Turlock, but with a crowd that was about 5,000 times better than Turlock they sounded MUCH better.

How the guys made it through the night with out absolutely turning in to popsicles though amazed me. At one point Neal took his jacket off, then turned around and put it back on! Jon was blowing on his hands by the end of the set. It was COLD!

The highlights of the show for me included Deen's singing of "Mother, Father" (my favorite song done beautifully, something I got a chance to tell Deen later), a GREAT moment between Ross and Jon early in the show where they kind of leaned on each other and flashed HUGE smiles (god I hope someone got a picture!), Neal launching into what sounded like a Santana medley after Voodoo Chile that just rocked the house, Jon's extended solo, and Steve's ability to keep the show so energized despite the icy weather! And then there was the improv moment between "Escape" and "Faithfully" that caused a few of us to look at each other and wonder "new song"? Alas, if so, it was only a tease...

After the show many of those roadtrippin' fans made their way back to one of the two party rooms. To those we saw back at our room -- Thanks for making Darla's bachelorette party such a great time. To those who were up at CJ's -- sorry we missed you and wish that the rooms had been closer together so everyone could have partied together!

When we woke this morning to rain we hoped the weather back in the Bay Area would be good enough for tonight's benefit show to go on, and we were encouraged when the weather cleared up for us. Alas, it was not to be, and so we've come to the end of the road. Hopefully some of the folks who had tickets for the show can make it back in December!

A few final thoughts on Detour 2004... I'm so glad that I was able to get to three shows when I initially thought I would only see one. The extended set list with the new old songs was a huge treat as was having EVERY band member take a turn on lead. I hope that's a trend that continues.

Alas, no "Party's Over", which REALLY should have ended the set at the last show of the tour! This is it until the Rockin' Roll report from the Caribbean...