I attended A Day in the Garden/Woodstock yesterday and would like to share some of my impressions.
This took place on the original site for Woodstock on the same dates 29 years ago.
I missed Francis Dunnery, we got there just a Ziggy Marley was taking the stage.
We got a fantastic spot just off stage right with an un-obstructed view, that is until Don Henley and later, Stevie Nicks took the stage, then pretty much everyone stood up.
It was kind of an afterthought for me to go to this, when I heard about it originally, I did not want to go, but as the tour wound down on the west coast and she was farther away, I was getting that yearning again and HAD to see her.
Due to this 2 for one SCAM by the promoters, I got 3 extra tickets so it was me, my mom, my sister, her two sons (ages 5 and 11) and my 18 year old niece, it was a 3 generation festival for us. Ive got to say these 2 boys were troopers, I prepared them that the one I wanted to see was on last, and when we got there and they saw how long the sets were, they kept asking; are you sure shes on last. Even through the rain, nobody complained, Thank you guys!!
This was the first time I've gone to a music festival like this and I really loved it. You are sitting comfortable in a lawn chair or on a blanket, chilling out, eating, listening to great music, its wonderful. I actually took a cat nap during one of Dons songs, you cannot do that at a regular, 1 artist concert.
Ziggy and his Melody Makers were great, "Rastafarian Man!!" (sp?)
Ten Years After, did those long instrumental jams that you can only get live, that I love and they also did some 50's style music.
I still cannot believe I saw Don Henley live, he did his great songs plus Desperado and Hotel California as encores, when he got to the part "we havent had that spirit here since 1969" of course everyone went crazy.
His 3 backup singers in their tight jeans and black bodysuits were kind of cheesy to me, but I guess it works for him.
Some people cleared out from the stage area after Don, people were basically standing there all day for the various performers, but it was a relaxed atmosphere, no pushing and shoving, lots of room, good views from everywhere.
I decided to try for a spot up front, and was lucky to get right up against the barrier, near stage right.
Stevie looked rested and happy, she was smiling and totally "on" when she first came out she was dancing and doing air drums and guitar. I took about 20 pictures with my zoom , but only during the first two songs, because I went back and joined my family, more on that later. Stevie said that "I got to ride in a helicopter and it was so exciting seeing all of you People down there" She acknowledged this as her last show on this Enchanted tour. It was the same band, stage crew, and setlist (minus stop draggin...).
It started misting as she came on stage and was raining pretty hard by Gold Dust Woman. She made a lot of comments about the weather, that she was hoping for sun, but was glad it was raining, it made it "special" and that we all looked more beautiful, like we were shining or glittering.
The rain did stop by the end of the set, but we were all soaked already, including Stevie, but she said "its ok and if we were gonna stick around to watch, she would stay and sing", (like we're four hours from the parking lot, WHERE are we going?)
The best part for me was, you could actually hear what she was saying, in the previous shows I saw, the audience pretty much drowned out her words, but I guess the sound is better filtered in the totally open air setting.
During Landslide, she picked a gal from the audience, Andrea, and invited the girl onstage for the song (this might have been a miscommunication with security), but it was fun to watch, she walked all the way to the end of the stage to meet her and they hugged for the longest time (who would let go of Stevie?) two seperate times. Stevie asked her at the end of the song if she could do this (sing in front of all these people), Andrea shook her head no, Stevie said she thinks she could. She could not shake hands during E of 17 , but did walk the entire length of the stage and waved to everyone, way out to the back of lawn.
At the end she said that she was so thrilled to be at Woodstock and saw the movie in 1969 at a drive-in and said, "if I go there Im going in the helicopter, Im not walking or driving in Well this fan drove in and had to walk about a mile from the parking lot and it was all worth it. Wonderful show and end to this tour.
Thank you Stevie and you are very welcome..........
A Day In The Garden
August 14, 1998
I attended A Day in the Garden/Woodstock yesterday and would like to share some of my impressions.
This took place on the original site for Woodstock on the same dates 29 years ago.
I missed Francis Dunnery, we got there just a Ziggy Marley was taking the stage.
We got a fantastic spot just off stage right with an un-obstructed view, that is until Don Henley and later, Stevie Nicks took the stage, then pretty much everyone stood up.
It was kind of an afterthought for me to go to this, when I heard about it originally, I did not want to go, but as the tour wound down on the west coast and she was farther away, I was getting that yearning again and HAD to see her.
Due to this 2 for one SCAM by the promoters, I got 3 extra tickets so it was me, my mom, my sister, her two sons (ages 5 and 11) and my 18 year old niece, it was a 3 generation festival for us. Ive got to say these 2 boys were troopers, I prepared them that the one I wanted to see was on last, and when we got there and they saw how long the sets were, they kept asking; are you sure shes on last. Even through the rain, nobody complained, Thank you guys!!
This was the first time I've gone to a music festival like this and I really loved it. You are sitting comfortable in a lawn chair or on a blanket, chilling out, eating, listening to great music, its wonderful. I actually took a cat nap during one of Dons songs, you cannot do that at a regular, 1 artist concert.
Ziggy and his Melody Makers were great, "Rastafarian Man!!" (sp?)
Ten Years After, did those long instrumental jams that you can only get live, that I love and they also did some 50's style music.
I still cannot believe I saw Don Henley live, he did his great songs plus Desperado and Hotel California as encores, when he got to the part "we havent had that spirit here since 1969" of course everyone went crazy.
His 3 backup singers in their tight jeans and black bodysuits were kind of cheesy to me, but I guess it works for him.
Some people cleared out from the stage area after Don, people were basically standing there all day for the various performers, but it was a relaxed atmosphere, no pushing and shoving, lots of room, good views from everywhere.
I decided to try for a spot up front, and was lucky to get right up against the barrier, near stage right.
Stevie looked rested and happy, she was smiling and totally "on" when she first came out she was dancing and doing air drums and guitar. I took about 20 pictures with my zoom , but only during the first two songs, because I went back and joined my family, more on that later. Stevie said that "I got to ride in a helicopter and it was so exciting seeing all of you People down there" She acknowledged this as her last show on this Enchanted tour. It was the same band, stage crew, and setlist (minus stop draggin...).
It started misting as she came on stage and was raining pretty hard by Gold Dust Woman. She made a lot of comments about the weather, that she was hoping for sun, but was glad it was raining, it made it "special" and that we all looked more beautiful, like we were shining or glittering.
The rain did stop by the end of the set, but we were all soaked already, including Stevie, but she said "its ok and if we were gonna stick around to watch, she would stay and sing", (like we're four hours from the parking lot, WHERE are we going?)
The best part for me was, you could actually hear what she was saying, in the previous shows I saw, the audience pretty much drowned out her words, but I guess the sound is better filtered in the totally open air setting.
During Landslide, she picked a gal from the audience, Andrea, and invited the girl onstage for the song (this might have been a miscommunication with security), but it was fun to watch, she walked all the way to the end of the stage to meet her and they hugged for the longest time (who would let go of Stevie?) two seperate times. Stevie asked her at the end of the song if she could do this (sing in front of all these people), Andrea shook her head no, Stevie said she thinks she could. She could not shake hands during E of 17 , but did walk the entire length of the stage and waved to everyone, way out to the back of lawn.
At the end she said that she was so thrilled to be at Woodstock and saw the movie in 1969 at a drive-in and said, "if I go there Im going in the helicopter, Im not walking or driving in Well this fan drove in and had to walk about a mile from the parking lot and it was all worth it. Wonderful show and end to this tour.
Thank you Stevie and you are very welcome..........