Show Reviews

Reviewed By Mark Dorson

Saturday was my wife, Kim's, birthday, so I had originally planned this as a birthday present and to celebrate our wedding anniversary which was Monday, 11/23/98 (13 years!). Of course, this really was a "gift" more to me as I got to finally see John Waite live AGAIN! I had seen him in April of 1980 while with the Babys and during their co-headlining tour with Journey. Of course they "Rocked" back then, too!

Even at 39 years old, I was "giddy" all day as I couldn't hold back my excitement that I was finally going to see John perform UP CLOSE as the venue was very intimate and our seats were only 10 feet away from his mike stand.

When the show opened with "Glitterring Prize", I was totally into it. But I had a real dilema. Do I sing every word along with John since I know all the words or do I allow the master to sing. It was a problem as I was so excited it was hard to just sit there. His VOICE was absolutely awesome. It was like he had never been off tour and had been taking vocal coaching lessons or something as he was hitting every note and then some throughout the first and second show. If I had to point out any downers, they would be:

John needed to read lyrics on WYWM and Price of Love. I nailed the sheets after the show and gave them to my new buddy Colleen.

Ricky was late coming into several of the leads in the first show and his volume was way too low during those leads. The second show he started to find his way on the songs and he was turned up louder.

No guitar techs available to swap guitars for Shane when he broke two strings during two different songs.

But the positives......

John was really excited and pumped up, especially during the second show!!!

SUICIDE LIFE was FANTASTIC!!! In fact, the outer casino people complained about the sound level during this song.. Shane's slide solo on this was memorizing!!!!

Changing the beginning to When I See You Smile from piano to an accoustic guitar beginning was really cool, too!

THE "MEET AND GREET" after the show!!! Usually, when I meet athletes or entertainers, they have "attitude" or their manager is short with you. John spent a lot of time with all of us and I wasn't really nervous and didn't say anything stupid, like I usually do. I told him how great his voice sounded. He told me he appreciated it and said he had recently quit smoking AND drinking. Chris Arnstein was nearby and there seems to be some question about that last one as John said "5 weeks" and Chris said, "Thursday" LOL>>>>>>LOL>>>>>LOL.

I got to meet a lot of fellow JW fans that I have known on the internet for several years now!

Anyway, I've got two great photos of me, my wife, and John, as well as a bunch of concert shots that WERE allowed by the venue after all!!!!!! I can't wait to enlarge them and share them with some of my new fellow fans of John Waite!!!

I'm so glad that John is BACK!!!!!

Mark Dorson
TheLstRsrt@aol.com