Review of Ambrosia Live @ Sanibel Harbour Resort, Sanibel, FL 12-28-99

Review By Ebnyeyz

Photos by: Ebby & Billie

It all started out when Billie Boyette and I were talking about Sanibel being the last
Ambrosia concert of this millennium.....and wouldn't it be great to be there?  What began
as a chat in August, ended with our making plans to do it and for some strange reason, it
all fell into place nicely.  Not having been away on vacation for too many years, and
never having flown, this was all a totally new experience for me, and one that I prepared
for mostly in a state of confusion.  The end result was nothing but wonderful, and I'm
going to give some of  my impressions of the entire experience.

 
First, the plane ride...okay, I'm never going to chalk up a lot of frequent flyer miles, I can
tell you that for sure.  But it wasn't bad.  I sat next to a really nice young guy who had
flown many times and he walked me through the entire thing and got my mind off the fact
that I was six miles off the ground.  The ride was bumpy, but otherwise uneventful,
except for listening to SINT on my headset.

When I landed, Billie Boyette was there waiting for me.  Someone I had never officially
met turned out to be someone I felt I'd known forever.  We got to her house and I met Pat,
and the kitties, Niki and Kaz.  We sat around and talked and primed ourselves for the
show by listening to the music and talking about past shows.  The next morning we made
the two and a half hour drive down to Sanibel Island......it was gorgeous!  And as we
passed the Resort where the show would be, I got pretty excited and anxious to see the
band.  That night I even got to speak with Joe and Burleigh on the phone briefly.   Already
the trip was worth it.....

The day of the show we headed to the hotel for the sound check.  We met and spoke with
Ben Rodgers, the sound man, and he explained the sound check had been pushed back a little due to an equipment problem.  Ben's a really sweet guy, and meeting him and his
wife Anne was a special treat.  At that point we left the hotel and went back to our cottage
to change for the show.  All ready now for the evening,  we went back to catch as much
of the sound check as we could.  As we neared the ballroom, and I heard the music
playing even before walking in there, I got goose bumps.  The entire atmosphere was
charged and listening to them do their tuning and testing was fantastic.  I could hardly
believe I was there......

 

And then after they were finished, the guys made their way down
and we were introduced and I finally got to hug their necks!  It was great and felt like I
was meeting up with some old friends, rather than musicians I had never met.  They were
so friendly and personable, it made my first flight jitters well worth the shaking.

The show was just incredible.   Ambrosia......live.  I was in awe listening to the sounds I
had been listening to on my stereo for two years.  I loved hearing all the songs done so
well, and watching them perform live.  I don't even remember what order the songs were
in, having given up trying to write all of it down.  I do remember they opened with a
really great version of "Nice, Nice, Very Nice".  From that second on, I was flying!  I've
read all the previous reviews, and heard everyone say how wonderful they are live, but
until you actually hear them, you can't appreciate how great these guys are!   Everything
sounded perfect!  Their voices, the music, even the lighting was done really well, and
added to the overall atmosphere.  During their wonderful "unplugged" version of  "Life
Beyond L.A.", I remembered how often Rex mentioned how much he loved it and I
wished he could have been there to hear it with us.

After the show, we went back with them and got to meet Joe's wife and daughter, who
were both very sweet.  We then were able to get some pictures and a few more hugs.   It
was wonderful seeing Tollak perform for the first time as well....that man can sing!

 

Ricky on percussion with Burleigh was wonderful!!  Seems like Ambrosia always attracts
the most talented musicians. We managed to go back to the lounge with the guys, and we had a lot of laughs and a few more hugs. 

Did I mention I got to hug their necks?   They
were wonderful and did everything possible to make me feel comfortable.  Joe was sweet
and friendly and as nice as I imagined him to be....Burleigh was warm and always had a
smile on his face, and he's a great hugger......Chris was funny and open and had great
shoes on that night.....Dave was gracious and friendly in spite of an introduction at an
awkward moment, and I appreciated that......Tollak was so personable and I told him he
had a new fan..........Ricky was very down to earth and felt like a family member.
Oh, and the Boyettes? Did I mention they're as nice in person as they are in their posts to the list?

All in all, it was a wonderful night and a fun vacation.  One of the highlights of the entire
evening was seeing Pat Boyette answer the call and go up on stage with the guys to sing a bit of "No Big Deal".   It was great, especially with some people from the audience up
front dancing, including Billie.   The only thing left for me to do now was fly
home.....which I did the next night, smiling, for three hours.   Thank you Ambrosia, for
the music, and for your graciousness and friendliness.  Had it not been for you guys, I
might never have flown at all!  And thank you Pat and Billie for opening your hearts and
your home to me.  I'm glad we really did this.  I couldn't have asked for things to have
turned out more perfectly.  Except I wish there had been more Travellers there to share
the evening with, meet and hug.

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