Santa Cruz

Posted by Chiquita

OK, here goes:

The Catalyst Club has got to be one of the best places I have ever seen them at, although I like venues with shorter stages, cause you get a better view from right up front, but who's complaining?? I didn't manage to get in line until about 1 minute before 7:00, when the doors opened, and there was a line all the way around the block by then, so I was bummed and thinking I'd end up way in back. But when I got in, I was able to walk straight up and stand front row center (alright, 2nd row, I think again that the view is better a couple feet back from the stage, unless the stage is very short, shorter than my eye level ; )! How was that for luck??

I really enjoyed the opening band alot, more than most of the openers I've seen for the guys, and they were called Cowboy Mouth, from New Orleans, LA (hear that Newgirl??) and they were tossing bunches of mardi-gras beads into the crowd, since mardi gras is coming up soon. I manged to catch 2 strings of them, and they were even amber-colored to match my dress.

I met Faye there, which was alot of fun. And I was supposed to be meeting a good friend inside, but I don't think she managed to get there after all.

The band came on around 9:30, I think, and Chris was wearing the blue velvet with the sort of snowflakes and spirals done in rhinestones. One of my favorites, but I think I still prefer the blue one with the "CI" on the lapels and the dotted lines and arrows of rhinestones. Their energy was very high, and I didn't write down the set list, but it was about the same set of songs they've been doing at most of the recent concerts, except they didn't play Wine Wine Wine, but they did play Blue Darlin', which is one of my absolute favorite covers that they do. During Bonnie Bee, only 2 women came up to dance, and I think they both were from the VIP section to the side, unless Chris had culled them from the crowd as he ran through. One was an asian lady, not strikingly pretty, but cute, with a big smile and enjoying herself alot, although she seemed very shy and kept hiding behind Chris. The other was a blond woman dressed sparkly who looked like a slightly older Goldie Hawn (or rather, like Goldie Hawn if she looked anything NEAR her actual age!) but the other lady had more stage presence, I thought.

There was a pair who might have been part of a group of obnoxious girlies who were sort of writhing all over each other (probably trying to put on a girl-to-girl act to get Chris's attention!) and waving their arms around doing "interpretive dancing" (interpreting what, I don't know) and they insisted on singing along very loudly to Wicked Game, which needless to say was bugging the crap out of me. Then during Forever Blue they kept shreiking and one of them made her way right up to the stage with some little sparkly present she wanted to give to Chris and kept waving it at him, as if he was going to stop playing and take it from her. He ignored it of course and after the song was done turned around and walked towards the back of the stage, so she finally gave up, but I assume she gave it to him later, in the autograph line.

He wasn't quite as raunchy as at the Warfield, but he still included the bit about the Summer's Eve in the poodle hairs and had the same safe word, but my favorite line was when he was telling the intro story to Diddley Daddy (formerly the David Palmer story) and he said "I spend most of my time reading the scriptures...looking for loopholes!" Too funny!

I don't know how long they played, and I had made the mistake of wearing high heels (but I had to, cause they were gold and sparkly, and one has to be festive when one goes to see CI & S, after all!) and I was dying of thirst so afterwards I went up to the bar to get some water, and there met up again with Faye and her friends, and I heard the bartender say "hey Kenney!" So of course we all looked behind us, and ther was Mr. Johnson looking fine in a black jacket with sparkles over the shoulders. We all schmoozed for a minute or 2, then Faye stayed at the bar and I went to get in the autograph line.

I discovered unfortunately that the Catalyst keeps the entire ticket, and doesn't give you back your stub, and I had brought nothing to have signed, so I had to break down and buy a SOTD poster. Chris made another cryptic entry in the ongoing theme of autographs he has written for me the last few times I've seen him, and I still don't know what it means, but it sure does sound good ; )!! I also saw Hershel and got him to sign the poster, and Roly was quite the man, surrounded by crowds of ladies and sharing his glass of Grand Marnier (sp?) all around, and twinkling his eyes quite beautifully! I had the honor of a sip or two, but I had to drive and I kept getting lost around there, so I didn't dare have any more than that. He also did his cute music note autograph on the poster (signed it on my back - I LOVE that!!) And as I was on my way out I saw Brett, but he seemed to be going somewhere, and I thought I should be on my way, so I didn't get his autograph on the poster, or Kenney's.

I've probably left out some important details, so maybe Faye or other people who were there will post reviews too. And amazingly enough, I did not get lost on my way back to my aunt and uncle's, the first time all day that I didn't get lost on my way somewhere. Good luck day all around!!!

Here is one more thing I remembered from the show. At one point the 2 writhing chicks must have been bickering over something, cause Chris stops and looks at them and says something like, "Hey, don't fight over it. Save that for later in Roly's room!"

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