posted March 03, 2003 08:30 PM            

Somebody must want to hear my ramblings, so here goes:

I had been preparing myself for weeks. And finally, Friday the 28th was here! Yes, Friday, a show day that is really tough on the bears. So we draw lots and it's decided - Papabear goes to the show, and Mamabear stays to work. Mamabear hadn't ever seen a "lot" before, so I cheated. Wouldn't you?

Ok, donuts and gas and here we go - off like a herd of...well, bears. Interstate 8 at 10 am local time - hoo-hah. Just as I'm getting up to speed, shifting into fifth (the one on the floor, not the one under the seat - shh!) another dang inspection station. Well, they wave me through, like always. I have no idea what they're looking for, but it don't look like me. Half way to El Centro (1/2 hour, abouts), I remember why I don't drive very far any more. Ocotillo and down-shift into the very grey and cloudy mountains. And it's getting colder.

Half way up the mountain it starts raining. Just a few sprinkles at first, then a pretty good shower. Then it really starts raining. Ewww. Ah, a rest stop - good timing. It's raining hard and it's really cold, and I didn't bring a coat. So I'm getting my second shower of the morning on the way to the facilities, and of course, the near side is closed. Well, back on the road, and here come the snowplows. Really! Never did see any snow, but Cal-Trans was ready. Way to go, guys!

Not quite three hours after getting on the freeway, I'm getting off the freeway in Carlsbad. Scotto has graciously relented to my groveling and is letting me ride up to Agoura with him. What a guy! Actually, I think I'm only along so Scotto can use the Carpool lane. Which isn't bad - that's why I bring mamabear! And the carpool lane is a necessity when driving thru the City of Angels. The remaining 100 miles took a lot longer than the first 210 miles, that's for sure!

Anyway, after like six hours of buffing the seat, we get to our hotel. Guess what - the hotel lost Scotto's reservation! Good thing the bear brings plenty of paperwork with him, and had a copy. Lady luck appears to be on our side, as the lobby of the Good Nite Inn in Calabasas shows that they offer high-speed internet in all rooms. Well, this is looking better.

Well, every silver cloud has a dark lining, and we get to our seperate rooms. And guess what?!? The dang in-room high-speed internet doesn't work. Darn. Well, we're in a business area, let's try to steal some wi-fi! No, that doesn't work, either. Ok, we try dial-up. No, that doesn't work either as neither AOL nor Earthlink seem to have a "local" number. Funny what the hotel operator determines is "local". Well, let's shed some light on the subject. Well, I'd like to, but the main room light doesn't work, the second light doesn't work, the bathroom light doesn't work, the faucet leaks, and the toilet paper roller holder is sitting on top of the toilet tank. Hmmm...may be the last time that I stay at the Good Nite Inn in Calabasas. Hint...Hint...

After a little nap and cleanup, it's off to the show. Scotto and I get to the Canyon just a little after six and Ron (Rock) is waiting for us. I get our tickets from the will/call window (great job working the window, whoever you are!) and the Bear and co are promptly shown to our seats. Now things are looking up! I don't know who was responsible, or if it was just my lucky stars, or payback for the room, but I'm shown to the front and center table. Wow! Our dinner waiter descends on the table like a bear descending on a donut, and voila! - ice cold Corona. Kudos to the Canyon Club for their excellent wait staff. We never had to tolerate an empty drink for long, and the food was superb.

8 pm rolls around and the opening band takes the stage. Four guys who call themselves "The Action Cats". I really shouldn't talk about the opening act, ever. I'm not there to see the opening act, I'm there to see Berlin. I don't need an opening act, and don't care if there is one. I always judge them harshly, cuz I compare them to the headliner. Which is totally unfair of me. I do however, always try to buy their cd (if they offer one), and listen to them again, later. I did buy the 'Cats disc, but haven't listened to it yet. Anyway, I liked them fine and I don't think that they sucked. The lead singer also played guitar and broke a string toward the end of the set. He played out the song, using bar chords to make up, and he handled the situation very well. He didn't panic, or stop, he just played through. Once the song was over, he switched to his backup guitar and continued on like nothing ever happened. Good under pressure. Good job, Action Cats!

At this point in the evening (about 8:45), Martin still hadn't showed up. And of course, being the good host, papabear is all worried about him. I was probably a real distraction to the Action Cats guy, as I was constantly checking my cell phone for missed calls or voicemail. Anyway, Martin enters the venue just before the real showtime, and all is well.

Which, of course, brings us to showtime! First, Tom Bennett comes out to the table. Yes, Tom Bennett, sound guy extraordinaire. This is the best news of the evening, cuz Tom is great on sound. Well, Tom's not the "official" guy tonight, but it's a good start. Tom does inform us that Terri might be walking on tables, and it would be a good idea for us to be ready, just in case the table's aren't that strong. Come now, Terri can't weigh any more than the food and booze that has been on this table!

The house lights go down, and Mitchell, Dallan, Linda and Chris take their places. The sound comes up from the monitors and it's wonderful! Hooray! The sound is great! Understand now that I'm no audiophile, but after a dozen Berlin shows, and several other live shows, I know when the sound is bad. I may not be able to adequately describe what's wrong with the sound, but I know when it's good and I know when it's bad. And tonight it's very good!!! Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!! Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!

The music that the band is playing is "The Metro", and it's a pretty good opening number. Everybody knows the words and it works. Nobody asked me, but I prefer Masquerade to Metro, as (for me) the intro just works better. The intro is long enough for everybody to go wild, and it gives Terri that incredible entrance. But, I guess after numberous openings, it's time to mix it up a little and open with something else. And Metro is fine, it's a great, rockin' song, and everybody loves it. So that's good too. And it also starts with "M". So it works out.

And then Terri takes the stage. WOWWWW!! The little boots, and bias cut skirt. Yummy! A leather looking belt of some sort, and the gauzy-thin fabric shirt. What wrapping for a little gift package. Oh, and the hair is getting longer with the black underneath, and dang, that two-tone color really works!

I think I really screwed up things in Vegas last year. After the show, I told Terri that I was going to grow my hair out and get down front at the next CoachHouse show. She asked if I wanted the "Metro Treatment" and yeah, of course I did. Well, that didn't happen for me, and I've only seen it once, since, and I think I probably just screwed it up for everybody, cuz now Terri doesn't do it. Maybe I was stepping on Paul (Roll), getting in his place, or it was seeming too predictable, but if it's my fault, I do apologize.

Anyway, Terri tore through Metro, and stomped around the stage, glaring at Dallan, and mock-hitting him, and nobody got "the Treatment". But, Terri did come down to the table, and got Paul's attention as she did sing a bit of Metro to him. Well, if the "Treatment" is gone, I'm glad he got that.

Which brings us to Paul's (and almost everybody else's) favorite song from the new album - Drug. Somebody has asked that the show start with Drug, and evidently Drug has been moved up in the set. I really like Drug performed live, as to me the cd version sounds a little off. A poster previously stated that it sounded like it was in a tunnel, and I'd agree with that. Maybe it's supposed to sound that way, but I like the cleaner, concert sound better. And not just on Drug - as the album I play the most is the live album. I enjoy the "stripped-down" sound and raw energy. Just one Bear's opinion.

No More Words is a real crowd pleaser. Everybody knows the words to that. Even the girl who didn't know the title, she got the words and the drumstick. Way to go, girl!

Another of the new songs, Blink of an Eye, was performed next. Good thing I've been listening to Voyeur and singing along to Blink. I've been practicing the words and timing because when I'm singing in the car, I don't wan't to be the guy from the Sprint commercial screwing up the lyrics to "Pour some sugar on me"! And it was fortuitous, as Terri came right down on the floor, climbed up on the monitor, and got right in my face for Blink. And I got it right!!!! 'Cuz in the blink of an eye, you could turn off your mind, In the beat of a drum, you could dance to the sun, And the world is alive, let tomorrow decide, In the morning time... Yeah!!!

And then Terri really pulled one out for "In My Dreams", acoustic, another song about masturbation. You know, you just can't have enough of them. When Dallan picks up Linda's 12 string, and Mitchell picks up the gutstring, and the stools come out, you know you're really in for a treat. And once again, Mitchell pleasured us with his handiwork and yea, it was a treat.

Terri said Bowie was her bright spot in the seventies, and she did Moon Age Fantasy as her tribute. I didn't know the song all that well, but like anything else, she did it real good. And despite my reservations, I think I Lost my Mind, as Terri pulled another one from the vaults when the bird cage started spinning in my minds eye and "Now it's my Turn"! Well, somebody had to dust off that one!

And this next song is about a rave and Mitchell tears into the keyboard and it's Shiny. And with my view of the stage, I keep checking the sides, waiting for the rave dancers to come out. But it never happens. Awww. No really, I didn't miss the dancers. Sure, they're hot, and the eye-candy was nice, but really, they were actually a distraction. IN MY OPINION. Yes, it's a nice distraction when a gorgeous redhead is writhing on the table in front of me in minimal attire, but I can go to the strip club anytime. So, yes, it was a novel thing, and yes, I see more shows than the average fan, but no, the dancers weren't really necessary.

Somebody mentioned the quite different version of Take my Breath Away. Yes, that was Terri on vocals with only Mitchell on keyboards. And it was different. But it was good, too. I'm sure that after eighteen years, that Terri is sick to death of hearing that TMBA intro. NOT THAT YOU COULD EVER TELL BY WATCHING HER!!!! But Mitchell totally changed around the music, and it didn't even sound like the original. It was a nice change. I don't wan't to know any more about Terri's home life (I only wan't good things for her) - as she dedicated TMBA to the true love of her life, her dear hubby, Mr. Spear. Well, if it's never bad - it can never be good, and we never grow that way.

Which brings us to another cover, this time Peter Gabriel's "Big Time". I've never been a huge fan of Peter, probably because MTV and VH-1 have played Sledgehammer to death, but Big Time was a welcome addition to the set. Funny to watch Terri point to her butt and sing "My Ass is Getting Bigger".

The opening song may change, but so far, the closer hasn't. Which means a whole lot of Sex, this time with a little "I feel love" mixed in. Yep, that was Donna Summer. Ahh, I still remember the poster that came with the album, with Donna sitting "on the radio". Mmmmm... I wanna be a radio.... And what's one song about sex without another? Stranger on the Bus, that's what. We go from role-playing to the rape fantasy and it's an interesting look into the song-writer's imagination. Hmmm...yummy...

And then the evening ended with Masquerade. Just doesn't work right FOR ME, but it's good. I love the song, and it ends the show on a high note, and Terri actually carries all the high notes, but FOR ME, I like it the other way around. But Rock and Roll is dynamic, and things change, and I'll get used to it. After all, it's Terri that keeps bringing me back. Make this an even dozen.

After the show, Terri and the band were gracious enough to sign stuff for a real long time. Unfortunately, they have no roadies, so Chris had to take down his drums and could't sign. Hmmm...maybe that was by design. Anyway, thanks to Mitchell and Linda for signing my Serotonin jacket, and thanks to Terri and Linda and Mitchell for signing a shirt for the conspicuously absent Mamabear.

Mamabear, Papabear and Krysta won't be in Vegas, but will be at the CoachHouse. And a special "Thank You" to Terri for the info on the DVD. Looks like it's really going to happen!!!!