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10/11/05 - ARCO ARENA,
SACRAMENTO, CA Review
by Bryan King:
The DL/BA tour rolled into Sacramento on Thursday night and
thanks to someone involved with the Adams camp, I was able to go backstage to
hang out and watch the show from a completely new perspective.
After picking
up my passes and tickets prior to the show, I march down the aisle of floor seats
up to the security person where I proudly showed my pass. She looks at me and
said "you don't get these often, do you?". I replied "no, this
is my first one". She smiles and said..."the pass is a sticker. You
have to wear it on your shirt at all times." A little embarrasment passed
as I quickly stuck the pass to my shirt then ventured backstage. I first saw Mickey
Curry talking with some people he knew. Mickey was very cool in meeting me as
a small group of us talked about drummer and life in general. I also chatted with
Jody for a little bit about the touring scheduling and life in British Columbia.
BA came out a few minutes before his set was to begin
and we chatted briefly. I think he remembers me from Vancouver in 1998 as well
as my web site (www.bryanadamslive.net). He seemed genuinely interested in what
I was doing which was nice. I gave him the 30 second version of my life, but it
was within a few minutes of going on stage so we shook hands and he went into
the dressing room area for final preparations.
Knowing that the show was
about to shart, I walked back to the right side of the stage so I can see the
band come on. Here they come. I'm right in the thick of things. They put guitars
on and I see BA look at a guy and say "lights". Down go the lights...up
the stairs they go...up go the lights and they're on stage and I'm side stage
checking it all out. Wow!!!
The show was nothing special in terms of song
selection (same as most other US shows) and the audience was into the show, but
not INTO a show like a typical BA-promoted concert. This show was promoted 80%
as Def Leppard with support by BA. Although both bands had equal share on stage,
it was a DL show. BA did his best to get the crowd going during Back to You, but
not all sections are buying it. WYG girl is typical blond with big boobs. At least
she knows the song. Hearts on Fire sounded really full after a long layoff from
live performance. The call-and-response during The Only Thing... is complete shit.
Fortunately, Run to You finishes the set strong as the band makes their bows.
After their set, I'm side stage as they walk off and back to their dressing
rooms. I ask for the set list and get one. Backstage, there are no other BA fans
hanging around for a piece of the band's time. It's just me which makes it very
easy to approach them to say thanks.
A few minutes of waiting outside
the band dressing rooms, Mickey comes out. We hang for 10 minutes and chat. He's
really a down to earth guy and enjoyable to talk with.
Norm comes out....we
chat for five minutes.
Gary comes out...we chat for a few minutes.
Keith comes out.... we chat for a minute and he comments on my LiveStrong
wristband I'm wearing for a friend. Nice guy.
BA
finally comes out and watches a few minutes of the DL set which started a few
songs ago. As typical after a show, his voice is resting so we don't chat much.
He did approve a picture of us which Jody was kind enough to take. He thanks me
for coming by to say hello. I wish him well and off they go for a six hour drive
to Irvine.
I then head to the side stage to watch the DL set. Once again...not
a bad spot. It's hard to focus on the DL set as I'm still pinching myself about
what a cool experience I just experienced. I was fortunate enough to get the passes
and really enjoyed the experience. I would imagine at a BA only show, the vibe
backstage would be much busier and less laid back. I got home at 12:30AM and checked
my pictures. Although some of the one of Mickey and I didn't turn out, the one
of BA and me did.
Who knows when the band will be back in California? Setlist:
(As
you can see, the setlist BK got from the Sacramento stage has 'Raleigh' on the
corner... one would think this means that the same setlist has been played since
the Raleigh show. If any changed it meant that Bryan decided onstage while performing
as he often does.) | | |
