Kelseyville, CA (July 20, 1999)
Konocti Harbor Resort
Konocti Field Amphitheater


Just returned from the show at the Konocti Harbor Inn on Clear Lake. The showroom was packed with Dan's diehards. Dan said he spent the day checking out some Napa Valley wineries and then Clear Lake. He opened the show banging out Nexus and said he "wasn't this lucid in 20 years". We knew we were in for a good show as Dan was in his stand-up comedy mode telling many hysterical stories between songs. My wife and I have seen Dan at least 15 times since 1977 and this show ranked up there very highly. Sorry all of you could'nt be at this show as he really cranked it up and gave his best shot. Was thrilled he sang songs from Captured Angel and Home Free, but no Christmas stuff (did'nt mention it). His guitar playing was the best I've seen. Dan played for 2 hours and I think he would have kept going if not for a curfew. He kept pointing to his watch as he walked off with a standing ovation.

Here's the play list:

Nexus
Captured Angel
Old Tennessee
Forefathers
To the Morning
Don't Lose Heart
Make Love Stay
Road Beneath my Feet
Believe in Me
The Reach
Todos Santos
Eleanor Rigby (instrumental)
Full Moon Mansion (he said this was a 30-year old guitar tuning song (new age sound - instrumental)
Run for the Roses
Morning Sky
Longer
Leader of the Band
Part of the Plan
Encore - Same Old Lang Syne

Vic Telesino


Hi Folks!

Here's my review of Dan's 7/20 concert at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa. The venue is a resort on the shores of Clear Lake, which is a large natural lake in Northern Calif. A lot of performers go there, and it's a nice place for a concert. I had a dinner ticket. The food was OK, but it was all you can eat prime rib or chicken, so I can't complain.

Dan's opening act was a solo performer named Elizabeth Edwards. She's local, and she's not too bad. She could learn a few riffs from Dan, though. I enjoy her music. She opened for Dan the last time he played at Konocti. When I talked to her awhile back, she said that he preferred a solo female performer to open for him.

Enough of that. Now, for the main event. Please, don't turn too green with envy, especially those who won't get a chance to see Dan this time around. My table was literally right in front of the stage. I had great table mates who were also great fans of Dan's, and that helped make the evening even nicer. I've never had a front row seat before! And, Dan was great last night! I'd say that it's one of his best concerts so far, and I've seen him 6 or 7 times now. He played for just over 2 hours without a break.

The play list is as follows:
1. Nexus
2. Captured Angel
3. Old Tennesee
4. Forefathers
5. To the Morning
6. Don't Lose Heart
7. Make Love Stay
8. Road Beneath My Wheels (blues!)
9. Believe In Me
10. The Reach
11. Todos Santos
12. Eleanor Rigby (guitar only)
13. Full Moon Magic
14. Run for the Roses
15. Morning Sky
16. Longer
17. Leader of the Band
18. Part of the Plan
19. Same Old Lang Syne (encore)

What a list! Dan wore a Hawaiian type shirt that was lightweight with islands and sailboats on it, along with a black blazer that lasted for about 3 or 4 songs, the usual well-worn jeans, and shoes that were almost closed-toe sandals. He kept the top 2 or 3 buttons of the shirt undone (yes, what part of his chest that I could see was tanned). His hair was short. He looked great! His humor was in fine shape, in fact, the best I've ever seen it. He interacted with the audience A LOT. He talked about the last time he was at Konocti which was a Feb., and they flew in, he did the show, then flew out, and this time he actually got to see the place. And, he was happy to be wherever boats were nearby. He talked about going to the wineries in Napa, but "I didn't swallow." (Yes, he really said that!) He also made a comment that he's the most "lucid" he's been in 20 years. He alluded a lot to previous substance use, but it seems to be a thing of the past, and it certainly shows. There were some who cheered when he talked about the University of Illinois, and he stated that they kicked him out of school, and now the alumni association asks him for money every year. That was a theme for awhile. There was the usual called out requests for songs. He kind of sat back in his wooden chair & waited, said, "They're all good songs" then made reference to the play list. When someone requested Leader of the Band, he said he could skip to that, do one more, then that would be the end of the show. Of course, the audience didn't want that! I've never seen him in such good humor or form. His playing was also about the best I've ever seen it.

As for the music. He said that it was just him and his guitars. He played a few songs on the piano, but mostly it was guitar work, and he was great! I don't know how he can get one instrument to sing the way he does, especially a 12-string guitar! He made his usual comment that To the Morning was the song that made him realize that he wanted to make his living making music. Everything he wrote before that was "junk." (His words, not mine) Don't Lose Heart was done on the piano, and in places, his voice had an almost gravelly or blues edge to it. It was good. (Oh, he can still hit the high notes, too. He's got good range these days!) He just played with Road Beneath My Wheels the way he's so good at. He did The Reach on his 12-string, and it sounded wonderful. The story about Todos Santos is that it's a town on the Pacific side of Baja, Calif, he drove through one day, had a not so great lunch, and drove on, but it made for a great song title. Nothing happened other than that. Eleanor Rigby was guitar only, and he admitted that he'd changed it a bit. He said that his father used to close every concert with a John Phillip Souza march (his father's hero), and he liked to play a Beatles tune as a way of paying tribute to both his mucical heroes and his father. Full Moon Magic is a tune I've never heard before. It's guitar only and rather haunting. He said that it's an old piece and he'd decided to play it on this tour, but I don't think it's been released. It was a great piece, though! He played Longer somewhat reluctantly. He started, then stopped, then started again. He played it for "those of you who got hitched to it." Someone in the audience said "thank you" for playing it, and he actually thanked them! (Personally, I got so burned out on that song when it was on the radio that I wouldn't mind if he didn't play it, but that's me.)

Now, here's my favorite part of the whole evening. I had been told that my tickets were in the front row, so I brought along a small bunch of carnations to give to Dan if I could, hoping against hope. Well, after he did Part of the Plan, someone else handed him a bunch of flowers as he walked off the stage on the side away from where I was. I was kind of disappointed at first, but I waited. Then he came back out and did his encore. As the crowd was cheering, I leaned up against the stage and held the flowers out so he could see them. He came over and took them from me, looked down right at me and smiled as he took them. To me, that was a once in a lifetime experience! This particular venue does video of the concert on big screens as it's happening, and the last picture on the screen was of Dan looking at the audience & smiling as he's leaving the stage, holding the flowers I'd just given him. Wow!

I hope I haven't gone on too long for you folks. I know some of you wanted as many details as possible, so here they are. I had a fantastic time, and I'm still smiling. Hope you can get at least some of the pleasure from reading this that I got from last night's concert.

Linda Chrestionson :-))


I will add just a short message to the other reviews of Dan's performance at Konocti.
I didn't think I could enjoy him any more than I have at previous performances but he truly gets better each time I see him. His dedication to his craft is obvious and is certainly appreciated by his fans. I actually came home and bought tickets to see him again tonight at the Historic Mountain Winery in Saratoga.

Lona


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