Spring, 2002

Greetings all.

Just got back to my office from hearing RT play at the Whole Earth Festival in Van Nuys, CA, about 10 minutes from where I  live. Finally got a chance to meet Janet Sarver, and I think I may have  been sitting behind John Schulte (John, were you wearing an RT band tour shirt from 1996?).

Sir Binque, you will have to rethink your wardrobe. Since it was a festival for Earth Day, Sir Richard was decked out in (I kid you not), a knit rainbow beret, tie dyed t-shirt, and pants that looked like they were made out of hemp fibre, stitched together with various patches. Very cool, and very unlike RT...

A great show. I went with a friend who has never seen him play live, only heard him on cd. She was most impressed. A short set, in keeping with the festival. He did (solo) an hour long set. Played the Lowden exclusively, and at the meet and greet about 5 minutes after he came offstage, he still had said Lowden in his hand...Did a nice set. Didn't write it down, but it included (in no particular order, My Daddy is a Mummy, Inside of the Outside, Crawl Back, 1952 VBL, Ghost of you Walks, I Misunderstood, Cooksferry Queen, How Will I Ever be Simple Again). Ghost of you Walks was probably my favourite. Amazing version.... Got a chance to say hello to himself afterwards. First time I've done that. He was standing at a fence offstage and taking requests for autographs and photographs with good humour. I didn't ask for either, just wanted to pass on my salaams, which he reciprocated. All in all, a great afternoon. Ten feet away from RT for an hour for free. It don't  get any better than that...:-)

Salaams,

Amir
amir.hussain@csun.edu

April, 2002


RT in Van Nuys

I had the pleasure of attending RT's free concert at the Whole Earth Festival in Van Nuys yesterday. Since the organizers gave him only a 50 minute slot (Michelle Shocked was the "headliner" & the only performer  slotted for more than one hour), it wasn't quite as spectacular as last month's show in Irvine, but a great show nonetheless.

It was a great setting, an outdoor concert in Balboa Park, with the  stage set up next to the lake on a gorgeous day. I managed to get quite a sunburn while sitting on the grass taking in the show. There were  some of the usual complications of outdoor show, most notably a low-flying airplane in the middle of "How Will I Ever Be Simple Again," but all in all a great time.

I didn't make note of the set list for either show, but I don't believe  he did anything yesterday that he didn't do in Irvine. Of course, with the time constraints, much that he did perform in Irvine didn't make it into this show. In Irvine, he performed two Fairport songs ("Sir Patrick Spens" and "Sloth"), but no Fairport material this time. Highlights: "1952 Black Vincent Lightning," "Crawl Back," "Cooksferry Queen," "How Will I Ever Be Simple Again?" "Turning of the Tide" and "I Misunderstood."

Brian McKibbin
pisarmckibbin@earthlink.net 
Mon 4/22/2002


Brian was saying:

<<  There were some of the usual complications of outdoor show, most notably a low-flying airplane in the middle of "How Will I Ever Be Simple Again," >>

Yikes!! Perhaps the ultimate mood-trasher, particularly in light of the "events" of September 11th. Now please, friends, no emerging thread of *My Most Memorable RT-show Performance Distraction* (unless, of course, it turns out to be absolutely hilarious).

Tom
mlnjackson@netscape.net 
Tue 4/23/2002