Show Reviews

Reviewed By Jim & Jill Leiferman

First of all, let me give you some background on myself. I first "discovered" John Waite in 1979 or 1980 when "Back on My Feet Again" was getting airplay. The first time I heard it I loved it; I called the radio station to get the name of the group, and of course it was The Babys. I bought the Union Jacks LP. It was so good that I bought the 8 track tape to listen to in the car. Not too long after that I bought the cassette also. I eventually bought the CD as soon as it was released. To this day, Union Jacks is my all time favorite album (Ignition is number two on my list). After hearing Union Jacks, I bought all the earlier Babys LPs and loved every one of them. Of course I was surprised to find out that I had heard several of the songs before, but had never known who the group was.

Over the years I bought each album (Vinyl then CDs when technology sprung forth) by The Babys, John Waite as a solo artist, and Bad English. John's music has been an inspiration to me and a driving force throughout my formative years. He wrote the song that my wife and I consider "our song" (I'll leave it up to you to decide which one), as well as several others that have impacted our relationship. Thus, for about 20 years now, I have been a devoted listener to John Waite's music. I had never seen John Waite or The Babys in concert, and I don't even think I knew he even went on tours doing live shows. I am a regular concert goer, but I have never come across a John Waite show.

Sometime last year while surfing the net, I stumbled upon the John Waite Worldwide Connection - what a kick ass web site! I was impressed with all the information provided, especially the interactive things. I bookmarked the site, and I signed up to be on the mailing list. It was the mailing list that clued me in to the John Waite tour and when and where he was playing. When I was notified about the first show in November, I was unable to attend, but I jumped at the chance to get tickets when the April show was announced. Las Vegas is a 5 hour drive from my home, and it seemed like it would be worth it. I guess what I'm trying to say is - THANKS!! If it weren't for the great website, I never would have seen a show ever.

Now for the show itself. I saw both shows, sitting both right in front and way in back. The venue was great as there was not a bad seat anywhere in the house, it was not too loud even up front (but it was definitely concert decibels). The organization and staff were both wonderful. Everyone was so helpful and friendly!

John Waite started the first show with "Saturday Night" to rev up the crowd and went straight to his most popular rockers and ballads. The band was in synch and played beautifully, and the sound was perfect. John interacted quite a bit with the crowd. He sang with the same vocal emotion and intensity that personifies his work. The first show lasted about 90 minutes and was packed with hits from his solo work as well as from The Babys and Bad English. Of course, everyone had some personal favorites that were left out of the set list, but he can't do 20+ years of work in one show. The second show was a bit shorter and the set list was changed a bit with a different order of songs and some substitutions from the first show. John sounded fabulous and the crowd was having a blast. Again he interacted with the crowd frequently, even handing the microphone to a fan for a few lines of "Head First" and accepting a rose and a kiss from a beautiful young woman. When it was all said and done, I was quite impressed with his intense and unique singing style that came across in the way you would imagine it would when listening to the records. I was equally impressed by his stage presence and interaction with the audience. Two fantastic performances!

I was fortunate enough to reserve a spot for the "meet and greet" after the show. This meant about a 45 minute wait in line to meet John in the "Cigar Room" of the Casino, which was nice and informal. John was cheerful throughout and didn't just sign autographs, but actually had conversations! I got the chance to tell him how long I had been a fan of his and he signed some of my album covers and CD inserts. He posed for a picture with my wife and me as if we were old friends! He was exceptionally pleasant, friendly, agreeable, and charming. He never rushed anyone through and he signed everything he was asked to, and he stayed until everyone had spoken with him. I don't think there is any celebrity alive that is as good natured and down to Earth as John Waite. I am still excited and stunned about this. John is just so damn cool! I can't wait to see him again.

I hope that this isn't too long winded, but I'm still reliving the concert a day and a half later! Feel free to post this on the site, and of course I would be honored if you sent a copy on to John.

Keep up the good work!

Yours truly,

Jim & Jill Leiferman