The Fans Review John Waite

Show Reviews

Live At The Sunset Station
Henderson, Nevada
November 21, 1998 7:30PM & 9:30PM

Reviewed By Paul Cummins

We arrived late on Friday night, and the hotel had an excitement about it. We walked around and checked out the Club Madrid, future site of the John Waite concert. Disco Inferno was playing, Oh my ...So we went to bed and got up the next morning, went to breakfast, and we were on the lookout for other John Waite fans! We passed a group of four, that turned out to include Kathi and EB. BTW, they are very nice people that I can't say enough good about, and I owe them many "Thanks!"

So anyway, we noticed the huge marquee in front of the Sunset Station. My wife took a picture. I was standing below it, but I thought I looked too dumpy so you know...

We got to see both shows 7:30 and 9:30. The first show was kind of like a warmup for the second show. Here's how the evening went.

We met Mark D. and his wife just before the show, around 6:45. We talked and got to know each other a little, they're great people. He used to be Xtremes929 on Ignition way back when.

At about 7:20 we went and got seated. Our tickets were in the second row just off center by a couple of seats! Talk about seeing things that you never see from way back! On the floor on each side of the microphone was a set list and reminder lyrics for John.

They opened the show with a high energy rendition of Glittering Prize, and because I could see the set list I could kind of tell what was coming. The first show had it share of tiny glitches. At one point John lost his place in one of the songs (I think it was WYWM), went looking for the lyrics and couldn't find them because they somehow got jumbled out of order. John was real cool they way he was singing and sneaking a peek downward to try see the lyrics. At one point, he was standing at the mic, looking down and trying to move the papers with the toe of his shoe! I crack up every time I think of it. At another point, he actually squatted down mid-song to sort the papers, but to no avail. The looks on the band's faces when he sang the same lyric three times in a row and ended the song in a new way was hilarious...I only mention this because he showed such class and grace in spite of what must have been an unnerving situation. Also, Shayne Fontaine broke two guitar strings, one at the beginning of WYWM and one on the electric guitar during Suicide Life. Funny enough, the hotel complained that the show was too loud just after Suicide Life. Man, Shane rocks, too. In spite of the troubles, John was magnificent! His voice is still so strong.

First set, John performed the following songs,
not in any order:

During Downtown, at the lyric where John sings "and now someone else sounds like me", someone in the audience yelled, perfectly timed, "No they don't!" John seemed very touched, and you could see he wasn't expecting it. He smiled and said a few words and continued the song. I was impressed by John's sense of timing and presence. Even though there were a few lost lyrics, he really put his heart into it. Midnight Rendez-vous and Head First had huge crowd appeal and got the crowd up on its feet.

The first show ended with me saying, whoa, there's another show! We went up to the hotel room and saw Donnie Nossov getting out of the elevator. When we got on the elevator to go back down to the show, Ricky Byrd, the other guitarist, got on the elevator too! We walked and talked to him all the way over to the club. Funny thing, when John said his name during the first show, we couldn't make it out, and we told Ricky this. We wondered if Ricky told John what we said because John seemed to have fun introducing him like 4 times during the second show.

Start of the second show

Second show set list, I wrote this one down:

The whole band seemed more put together and smooth for the second set. John seemed even more into it! Act of Love never sounded better. The entire band except for Shayne walked off during the performance of Valentine. John said it was to every women in there from every man in there. Same thing happened during Downtown as happened in the first show, except from multiple people. John and the band turned it up a notch during Midnight Rendez-vous, and John got the crowd up on their feet. He was holding the mic over the crowd.

BTW, I was in the second row again, only this time right in front of John!! The audience got to sing along when he put the mic out during Head First as well. John said as he left the stage "you don't how much it means to me to come here and play for you"

Yeah, the audience was just as intense as he was, we rose to his level.

After the show was the Meet and Greet, they had us numbered to go in, I got to be first!!! I entered the Labor day contest and won!!! I went first to be presented with an original JWself-portrait!!! How cool. I admit I felt a little like a deer caught in the headlights, and I hope I didn't make an ass of myself. (Kathi or EB, please tell me if I did) John was such a gentleman, he signed my CD covers for Mask of Smiles, Ignition and Head First. It was a little funny seeing John putting my CD covers back in the jewel case when he hadn't taken them out. I asked him if there was a photo opportunity in my future, he responded, "Yes, in your immediate future." He stood up and put his arm around me while my wife took the picture. Then he did a picture with my wife! after a few moments it was time to leave ...These were moments I'll cherish forever.

So we went back to our hotel room, and who did we see on the way, Shayne Fontaine! My wife asked him to sign her glove, which he did. We went up stairs and put away our things, but neither of us was sleepy, so went back down to get a bite to eat in the restaurant, and who was eating there but Shayne! So, I tried to steal his check and pay it as the waitress brought it to him. I was pulling the money out of my pocket when he came over and wouldn't let me pay, he said the hotel would "comp" him for it. So I gave it back, but he stayed and talked to us for a little while.

Whew! Well that's about it.

Paul C.

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