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Click Here For Previous Interviews! Including Mike Granger & Chuck Girard! Click Here For A Review of The David Pack Maestro's Show Click Here For A Review of The Twin Palms Show! Click For an interview With Pat Newman! Click Here For A Review of The Cerritos Show! Click Here For A Review of The David Pack Club Caprice Show! Click Here For An Interview With David Cutler Lewis! Concert review of the Tin Drum/Ambrosia concert at Conejo Valley Days in CA on May 2, 1998/ Cabs Vogel Bruce Vogel is a great Tin Dum/Ambrosia Fan from San Jose! He has seen Ambrosia many times! Bruce had a wonderful time at the Conejo Valley Days Concert! I set out ................Saturday morning from San Jose to LA to see and hear the great music of Tin Drum and Ambrosia. Six hours later I was settled in my motel room and then drove to the fairground in Conejo Valley. Upon arriving, I noticed the big main stage and wandered over to see what was happening. I saw Burleigh standing behind the stage and went over to greet him. Soon, I was in the company of Joe, Chris, Tollak and Ricky and I knew this was going to be one memorable time. I also had the privilege to see Mary Harris and the others from Tin Drum.
Dave showed up about an hour before the show and all the guys were setting up and getting ready for their sound checks. The sky began to threaten rain and the concert was beginning to look like it was in jeopardy. The huge tarp covering the stage would not hold up in a major downpour. I went back out front in the audience to hear one of the best sound checks ever. Ambrosia was jammin on "Time Waits For No One" and other song selections to be played in full later that night. I soon realized I was standing next to Papa Frog Rex and introduced myself. We talked all things Ambrosia and Tin Drum and then settled in for some great tunes.
First up was Tin Drum. They began with "Lay Your Hands" which really set the tone for the night. The sound was clear and the driving beat to that song suggested the message "Okay folks, you want it? Here it is!!!" The new songs were refreshing and left me asking again, "When will the second CD come out?" The great musicianship in "Wailing Wall", "Ordinary Day" and "Princess" was evident in overall.
Mary Harris's vocal on "Surrender" was superb! Beside the fact that the song is well written with thoughtful lyrics, Mary brought the song to a new level. Hearing it live and seeing her pour into it was truly awesome. Burleigh leaped into a rap beat and joked about becoming a rapper in "You Were Mine". During "Way of the World" I walked around the crowd to check out the reactions. The song is and light and bouncy and so were most of the people as they listened. Many were moving in their seats rocking with the band. They ended with the title track "Real World" which, of course, is one of my favorites. For as much as I was anticipating Ambrosia to hit the stage, I was left wanting more of Tin Drum. In my mind, I knew all of the songs on their "Real World" CD and wanted to hear every one of them. Burleigh said afterward that they had planned to play about 45 minutes as the opener, and that's really the way it happened. Okay guys, longer set next time!!!
Ambrosia hit the stage firing out "Time Waits for No One" as if they were waiting to unleash the energy they had built up waiting to go on. By this time, Burleigh was warmed up, relaxed, and boy did he let it fly all night. Joe introduced "Life Beyond LA" and to our surprise, he dedicated it to "Cabs" for coming all the way down from San Jose, and to Rex for being there and instrument for bringing all the internet fans together. We both were surprised and just looked at each other and said "Wow". The rest of the show was every bit as good as Rex mentions in his review. After the show, Rex and I went back stage and talked with everyone about the night and how great the music was. Joe told us that they had trouble with Chris's B-3 sound going up and down, getting the right pitches, and thinking they were out of tune at times. It turns out the generator was the cause and this affected changes in power on stage. The only problem I noticed was that the B-3 was not as noticeable during the concert but just thought that it was because I was on the other side of the stage. Joe said they had problems mixing it up without affecting the rest of the sound.
Thanks to Tin Drum and Ambrosia for a truly memorable time. All the band members and stage personnel were kind and generous with their time. I was able to "hang out" with my favorite musicians for a day and wondered if I had been granted a wish from the "Make A Wish" foundation. They gave me a lot to think about for the long drive home. Bruce "Cabs" Vogel
Concert review of Tin Drum/Ambrosia concert at Conejo Valley Days in CA on May 2, 1998/ Glen
Fleetwood Scientists have long claimed that man's ability to understand that there is a future, separates him from animals. This theory was called into question Friday night/Saturday morning, when the person or perons responsible for assembling the PA system for Ambrosia's Saturday night show, DID NOT tarp the equipment, despite predictions of rain. These must have been the same people that had rap music blaring over the fair's PA system to a crowd dressed in boots and wearing cowboy hats, who'd come for "rodeo!" The rain showed up early Saturday morning, and flooded the PA system. Ambrosia's show was deemed "on hold." The PA was dried out, and the acts that were scheduled to appear jockeyed over the few remaining time slots. But Saturday evening, as we approached the stage area of the Conejo Valley Days Fair, I could hear Tin Drum "opening" for Ambrosia, and I knew all was well. Tin Drum sounded very good, with Burleigh actually singing. His voice, in a lower register, sounded much better than on "And..". He later commented that he lived so close to the Thousand Oaks venue, that he could have skateboarded to the concert. Ambrosia began just after 8:30 p.m., "Nice, Nice.." The sound was murky but passable. Joe did do the Hawaiian "Aloha" speech at the end. Next, "Momma Don't Understand", good performance, murky sound. "Hopes and Dreams", followed by "Livin' On My Own". This was a great performance, and made me wish the sound system could do it justice. "Angola". "You're the Only Woman" with Dave's extended intro. Sounded great, even though I have heard it about ten times. "How Much I Feel," sounded very good, then "No Big Deal" and a song I was not familiar with, Nashville type of music. "Time Waits for No One", and minor improvement in the sound could be heard. Suddenly the percussion could be heard through the PA. Then, as the band began "Holding' On to Yesterday" the sound cleared up (and the skies began to rain.) But the improvement in the sound was so marked, that It was worth the drizzle. Dave's guitar solo sounded terrific. "You're the Biggest Part of Me" sounded great with the sing along. The crowd was very enthusiastic, despite its lack of numbers (250?). As the deluge began, the crowd went home, with most still singing "You're the Biggest Part of Me".
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