Took off for Lost Angels night of July 1, driving at night as I am un-fond of heat, and the Central Valley of California can be a real pit in the summer. Lots of CHP saw one yuppie scum in a white sportscar get nailed RIGHT in front of me (1 am), almost hit him and CHP both! Got to Orange County about 3 am, cruised the streets a while looking for place to sleep in car for a few hours. Found good spot where I could hear a howling dog, so you know I didn't get much. I spent time trying to get transcripts for my brother, shopping for much needed personal items, fighting traffic (with no air con, yes it was hot) then went to San Juan Capistrano to scope out the Coachhouse. They referred me to Clyde who was apparently the guy you bribed to get close to stage: Shelia Garcia did just that with another lady and they wound up paying $40/per. Lynn and I discussed it and decided it was a principle thing, that we would not stoop to bribing. I dunno what to think but I don't have the cash. If you want to spend all that being "special" I guess it is your affair.

July 2: My brother got home about 6:30 pm (he has a pied-a-terrace in Huntington Beach) and served up some magnificent burritos (he made from scratch himself.....sorry he's married, girls). Neither of us lasted long and crashed early.

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July 3: Next day once I recovered, eventually made it down to San Diego. (Erik has flown home to Phoenix by now, visiting his wife/child). It's two hours to SD, and I managed to hit during rush hour, not improving my attitude any. I'm beginning to doubt my rationality in coming. Changed into better clothes at Carl Jr's (as well as munching some pretty good taquitos)....downtown I cruise gently through the crowded streets with hair uncombed looking for parking (had to pay $5.00 finally....it never ends).... followed a limo in that turned out to be the one the band left in RIGHT after the show. Sure hope to hell they were not looking out the back window, I was not fixed at ALL......there was a line already, although it is reserved seating.

"4th and B" was a clean version of the Roseland in Portland, little bars inside....the VFTH posters were quickly stripped off the walls. Indeed my Fairy Godmother has smiled and I had front row pretty much in front of Micky Feat.....as we are waiting for the show, I have a petite lively lady with two friends ask me what I was doing with the notebook "Are you a reporter?" I explained.....she introduced herself, and for purposes of this note, I'll refer to her as ER.....(that should get a laugh somewhere....keep reading!) ER tried to invite me to another nightclub after the show and I had to pass, since I had to pick up Stephan the next morning and no tellling how long that would have gone on. Getting old.....

Hmmm who was there? Well, Char Kemp was in the front rows all three shows, Frusty Sue was there telling stories. One she told I have to air.....there were allusions on LC to someone yelling backstage at one of the last Moodies concerts....according to Sue, Graeme had yelled "This is not the Justin Hayward backup band!!!!!" Now I gotta take GE with a grain of salt, and would not put it past him to have deliberately yelled that out of the wings for the audience. GE has over the years been Justin's friend and admirer, and I would rather think of this situation as a tension diffusing thang. Sue also told me she was in Milwaukie and ran into Larry B. and Paul, and they had pulled her leg right off in the hotel lobby saying they were fed up with the band, and were quitting! (Paul keeps a very straight face apparently). Me and Sue talked quite a bit and I saw nothing to hide or worry about in either story....both pretty funny if you ask me!

Justin came out first in the show, opened with "It's Up to You" and did several songs accoustic. "Wildest Dreams" I think he mentioned playing for the first time accoustically for Graeme and Tony Visconti in his living room. Before the show I was amused to peek at the set list at audio booth and it said "Snot too Late"....Justin's hair was blowing in the onstage fan air and it was rather attractive. Then Micky Feat was introduced (after "Children of Paradise") they did "Troubador" together, Micky on accoustic bass Guild (it had curved back, thought it was an Ovation at first). Out then came Gordon and Paul, Justin referred to Paul as "spritual guide" and such....then as "person for all around good Vibes" at the Coachhouse. I am sitting right in front of Micky and by this time I have begun to get a very big kick out of his mugging and little dance steps; really made me smile. He is what might be called a "musician's musician" that is, his fretwork as I watched it through the three shows is right on, imaginative, professional and he mostly keeps his eyes on his work; he's there to play the music, not flirt with the bimbos. He had a slightly "ruffled look" sharper edges visually to Justin's "blonde perfection" and they actually set one another off very well (JH dramatic, MF comedic). It was wonderful to see the connection between ALL bandmembers throughout the shows, Micky and Paul grinning at each other once at HOB as Justin very seriously played onward. Micky and Justin really connected too, LOTS. The guitar picking at the end of "The Actor" was really cool, they really watched one another and sorta wound down.....

Hmmm Micky Feat reminded me of Bob Dylan.....other notes say WOTW was great live here. Lights stunk at SD. Everyone very serious about music. As JH donned his Gibson, he said "It's going to get noisy in a minute..."hehehe it did. A note on TA says "the Ents come forth" sure sounded great there with new band and in the front row! JH seemed to have more funny mugs to the left in SD....nice side to be on.

"Broken Dream" was a song I was really waiting to see live, although several other songs I saw for the first time also, first time for "Something to Believe In". Justin did BD very seriously, and I have to confess to the first tachycardia fit I've had in a few years during this. It's an odd song, very magical, has a lot of meaning for me, as well as others, and I'm sure it means something different to everyone.....having held my breath through it in San Diego, was able to breathe in Capistrano, although that time I got weepy half way through. JH really attacked the frets during BD...seemed tense himself.

"Snot too Late" had Paul on lead guitar, it had a ragged edge to it a few times. Paul makes me laugh too, he has this smile that boarders on "smirk" all the time, kinda Cancernian snide. He was cueing some synth on "Snot too Late" with his feet I think. Ah multi-task humans....

Bad points to "4th and B" parking sucked, it was hot and the airfans could not keep up with the hot mob. (The Marine and Navy punks on the roads really were annoying too, rude drivers!) At the end, people started oozing down front, some of the oozers taking up too many degrees in my visual field....i.e. too many big fannys with telescopics on the front end. Have no idea who all were. One nice guy in a tie-dye shirt slipped up for close ups but knelt down to not block views. Others didn't bother. Char Kemp finally, as the crowd pressed in, went right on up front and planted elbows on the stage directly in front of Justin. I cannot say I had that much courage....

By the time I got back out to the lobby, found there was a t-shirt and hat for sale, $12.00 on the hat, $15.00 on the tee, both together cost less than the average Moody tee. The hat is very quality, leather bill and soft grey with embroidery. Sarah was in heaven with her ballcap....mine makes me look like the guy in the Nissan commercial, 'specially with my John Lennon sunglasses.

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July 4th: Drove back to HB in a fog, the stars so bright I wanted to stop and look at them, but did not. Woke on the 4th, got Stephan at John Wayne Airport, which has grown just a *little* since I was there last. Lot of time was taken up calling people, shopping and navigating traffic. LA can be really spread out.....went to my cousin's in Anaheim for a 4th of July party, discovered a VERY good beer that involved a jalapeno pepper in it and you should try it if you spot it. I have no idea what Stephan did, there were kids and drunks everywhere, many smoking cigars. I gorged on barbeque, and finally feeling bloated and boarderline safe to be driving, took off about 8 pm got home to HB...saw awesome fireworks off the balcony that I think were over Newport Harbor, hot tubbed for about 2 hours, talking with more drunks.....it's hard work partying sometimes!!!! I have no idea where the rest of the Moodies fans stayed, but I was very lucky to use Erik's place, would never have afforded it otherwise.

In all this the Mars lander happened (smiles, the vehicle is called "Sojourner") and I tried to keep up, but Erik only got LA TV stations, not cable. I was really happy to see such success, it has a good write up in the current *Time* magazine. JPL's web has good shots I guess, my family is currently trying to get Web capablity and I'm looking forward to it.

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5th of July...it was rough but managed to get Stephan to crawl out of his sleeping bag. He's lazier than I am! I was determined to take him to a Southern California beach, so chose one right down the street from Erik's apartment. It was full, kids running over me and kicking sand into the bag. I lasted about 1/2 hour and left with a juicy sunburn (Stephan left on his shirt wisely, we both have pretty wormy white skin). Got to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano the same day, and we swung by the Coachhouse...looked inside where roadies (one being Renee) were setting up. Spent some time in pool after the crowded nightmare at the beach. Cleaned up, went to see an elderly aunt. Went BACK to the Coach-house to find at 5 pm a line forming, jumped in line with them, realized all of us got in at 6 pm...not just the dinner reservations. In back of me were some Lost Chords types (wearing a nice tee designed by Shawn Skinner I guess) Pam Crawford, Libby Sharp, Pam's well dressed son (mine looked like Hell as usual) and a pretty young lady named Christie came and went. Other LC people floated by: I kept to myself, being overloaded. They finally figured out who I was and got quiet.....Oh well.....my friends arrived, Lynn Powell and HER friend Shelia Garcia, who frankly acted like she had a bug up her ass (and it really turned me off). The Bartels were there with their daughters....pretty good turn out. We snagged some seats over to the left, me and Lynn and Stephan (Scalper Stephan sold some spare tickets; he looks so innocent too! Seriously, Lymm handed her extra tickets to my son, and he could charm the birds from the trees, found total strangers, sold them and returned with the money). Ran into that lady I mentioned earlier, ER....she was doing all the shows!

I was a lot happier with this side, although sitting back a bit. Got to see Justin's fret hand here, rather than the sultry view I had the night before from the right. One thing I noticed was that "Billy" has some wonderful guitar work, from both Justin and Micky, I was impressed. Getting to where I really like that song. Justin has this staccato strum he is doing during it that is ok, but I would have gone for the juxtapostion of a softer strum myself. Stephan liked "Something to Believe In" and "Way of the World", has been humming them to himself. Sadly I couldn't see Gordon's flute playing this show (yes he plays it during "Tuesday Afternoon"). He plays keyboards in FA I think, duet with Paul....no percussion. The flute playing and the tamborine in TA was pretty cool, he swapped off with it. After his drum solo mid "Story in Your Eyes" the first night I was totally blown away and howling......the second night Justin took words out of my mouth by saying "How does he do that???"

Justin wore white shirt and black levis for all three shows. Paul had a plain white tee he wore, Gordon some vests (very pretty one with gold embroidery at Coachhouse). Micky likes loose tees and levis.

Good points: kids were allowed here and my son enjoyed the show more than I expected, since he is a 13 year old wart; he only poked Lynn once with a straw and I was all for her belting him (although she didn't). Zach on line wrote me in dismay since he is just out of High School and unable to attend any Justin solos. I was sorry to hear this, something should be altered somewhere.... audio was VERY good in SJC, there was a reverb to FA that was incredible. Noticed overall the LA/JH crowds were a more serious lot, no electric candles or blue glow wands. They used the mirror ball in SJC for "Nights" I like these.

Stephan was a lot of fun, the son of two commedians, he has no choice. When the first act came down, Stephan was making cracks about "It's Justin in a mask" then later when Justin didn't appear and the crowd got uglier as Renee tuned the guitars a little more, Stephan is saying "He fell asleep. He's constipated and won't come down". When everyone was waiting around for Justin to come down the stairs after the show, Stephan is cracking "He jumped out the window in back and made his escape" He also got a big kick outta Georgie the Budgie stories, since he is a chatterbox himself! ("Shut up shut up" is becoming a gag at our house) Someone finally brought him apple pie and he shut up, whew.

Bad points to the Coach-house: smokers did me in I'm not used to it. No air con, over-crowded, the mob got ugly and stomped after a very poor performance by the lead-in act...the lead in was good technically and had a better guitar than Justin's sound wise, but had a flat level to compositions and his voice. Only one song about his daughter was worth while. It was 10:20 pm or so before JH went on and we were pretty grumpy. It was all better though once the show happened. All worth it. It was too crowded with all the bar tables and my camera almost got a bath, one drunk behind Stephan dumped more booze, the ice flew. Hot hot hot.....some male voice behind S. yelled out once "We love you Justin"....my 13 year old son says "~~~he scares me~~~" Later at the HOB the same apparently Gay gent yelled it out again, and was joined by another male voice with the same sentiment. I was VERY close at the HOB and I assure you a momentary look of pained annoyance came across JH's face at the male adulation. He mentioned "the Call of the Wild" and then made a crack about George of the Jungle, I was about on the floor laughing over that. If you think of the call George did, it is much funnier. Back at the Coach-house, the Bistro waitresses drove me nuts, squirming through the crowd after orders (during show), after charge cards money etc. The girls waiting tables were very cute though. In addition, the Coachhouse had BETTTER home-made apple pie than my Mom makes, and that is a REAL compliment!!!! GOOD food there!

Justin also banned cameras at Coach-house and the HOB very plainly said "no photos" on the outer door. The word was in the smaller venues the flashes are really annoying to performers, and rather than hassle sorting the flasher instamatics from the considerate non flashers, he said ix-nay. After the Mob lining the stage in SD with telescopics at the end, I was glad he did it myself. It was mildly revolting, that many hanging on the stage poking cameras in his face. I felt guilty at the HOB plainly taking photos right in front of him, but at least I didn't have Big Bertha on my camera! I didn't get dirty looks so I guess he didn't mind.

We hung around a while after the show, I think some were waiting for Justin to come out of the dressing rooms (incidently the guard at the base of the stairs going up to the "backstage" said "I haven't seen anyone come through for him, he doesn't want anyone near him before shows"). Stephan had gone behind the theatre before the show, spotted a limo, and when we cruised behind the place it was gone, so there was probably another way out of the dressing room than the stairs in front.

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July 6: Sunday morning we got up at 7 am and went to the San Diego Zoo which was VERY nice, I recommend the Heart of the Zoo and Tiger River....they have redesigned with a Rainforest motief. At the Wild Animal Park which we caught the next day, they have more of an African/Australian savannah sort of motief. Stephan and I had a great time letting the lorikeets eat out of our hands, etc. I guess you either like animals or you don't. Don't miss it if you go to SD in near future. Not too crowded either. I'm surprised I could function with the smog scuze on my windsheild and camera lens....some cute notes about the SD Zoo: did you know pandas go doo 48 times a day in the wild, and 24 times a day in captivity? There's a trivia bit for your next cocktail party! Also saw souvenier "Zoo Doo: Dung buddies" I didn't read any further. Scat cat how about that.....

Somewhere deep under the Hollywood Hills, there are large mechanical golphers eating up the dirt and making new trogoladyte tunnels, and it should be a lot like BART when finished. I had quizzed brother Erik, who is a project manager for Morrison Knudson, about it, and he assured me it did not impact the surface street. But yes there is a subway going in under the HOB, which is where some of the movie *Volcano* was filmed. I hoped we would not stomp on the floor too much and cave it in! (although some would say, considering the sometimes sleeze of that area, it would be no loss...)

Sunday night, dropped Stephan at his cousin Nick's, where they ganged up on their little girl cousin. I took the 57 to the 60 and then to the 101 (Hollywood Freeway), took Sunset practically to Westwood (passing the Rock Walk), where the HOB is across from the World Famous Comedy Store.....I would never have tried all this had I not grown up down there. Poor Rhonda, Carla and friends were continually arriving late and being lost ("No one had a map, I hate LA" she commented). Sarah and Robin, hot from the Bear Dance, were also here, as was pbaub. (pbaub is Grandpa now, congrats!!) My friend ER was at the bar with another friend. Lynn and Sheila arrived....the Bartels said they had checked on the "under 21" matter and alluded that Justin had been the one to encourage the "no kids" thing. In this case I think it was right; as the night progessed, the place more and more resembled a den of demons, orcs and other creatures of the night. Outside of the HOB looks like a swamp shack, the doors and bars are covered with death's heads made from beer cans and laminated in resin. All over inside are very funny primitive art pieces, my faves showed a woman dancing with the devil, another that same devil with a fishing pole dangling cards, bottles, naked women etc.....so many I forgot them.

I beat all my friends there, got a table by myself in the cornor, ordered Merlot (which arrived properly room temp) and a Caesar's salad, which was a pile of lettuce with crutons and a few shavings of cheese.....well, anyway the bread was good and I relaxed a good deal (yes the aircon worked!). I needed the rest after the nasty hot experience (in my leather pants) on the Hollywood freeway and paying the valet $10 for the parking. The waiters were very nice. I asked one about the place, and she explained the bar would swing back and the restaurant would become the upper balcony.....and also alluded that some of the live music we were hearing was actually rehersals! (large smiles! Nice way to eat dinner!). People lined up at the door already, as the dance floor opened at 8 pm. I munched rapidly, paid the bill gathered self etc.....Rhonda and Debbie Lyman already had a place staked in line so I neatly joined them and a few others I knew did too.....someone called my name.....HEY!!!!!!!!!!! it was Karen Nonnemacher!!!!!!!!!!! Wow nice to see her, she is one of the truely nice delightful ladies in the fan base. We talked photography a while, she said she had so many photos it was almost not a challenge anymore. Later she would say it was the same for her, we all felt nervous about lifting cameras out of the mob in the dark even with no flashes.....she was more excited I think about her photo trip to the Mission in SJC. It really is pretty there, if you have never seen it, basis for most California architecture. I cannot guarentee my photos are any good since I messed up the shutter on one roll. Standing in line was the best visiting I had done yet!

Doors opened and I followed Lynn in....we were both pretty agressive by this time, after being in left field the night before. We both crammed up right to the front, and calling up much stamina never moved from there. ER was right behind me. Suddenly Lynn turns around to talk, and says "Oh hello Renee!" We turned, and there is Justin's roadie talking with ER and a friend of hers! I was mouthy by this time, three glasses of Merlot later. "Hey I have a technical comment about the guitars, seriously...."

Renee backed me right off!!!!!!!!!!!!! "I don't get to talk with her very often, do you mind?" Lynn and I turned politely away and I honestly did not hear anything, it was pretty noisy already in there. ER was actually Renee's ladyfriend and he was pretty serious about it if I am any judge. (He's a serious guy!). After he left, I said "Egad sorry I had no idea, my compliments!!!" ER looked a little embarassed actually, not sure how to react, and thus I promised not to mention her name. I also said I seriously liked how Renee took care of Justin, converse to the former guitar roadie. ER didn't blab much, but she did mention that Renee had commented that Justin is a very meticulous kinda guy, notes on everything (he pointed to the Gibson once when Renee took it, like "fix this please"). Anyway I told ER I thought the James Olsen sounded just a little tinny on "Broken Dream" and not on others, I don't know why, but could have been an electronic thing. Hope she passed it backstage...she seemed to have a good ear for music herself, we talked several times....

The curtain made from patchwork silk skivvies opened: another warmup act this time, and it made up for the miserable warmup the night before. One of the young men was tatooed, handsome and ragged, the singer, while the other guitarist was VERY good musically and played a steady lead with a cigarette stuffed into the strings. Justin went on at 10 pm and opened with "Wildest Dreams" rather than "It's Up to You" as the other two nights. In three songs...he played "Blue Guitar" and the place came unglued. The lights were FINALLY done by a professional. They mixed the violet and green, or blue/pink with one of the other two lights. Red only for a few scenes. I was right in front of him......sigh....blue lights shown into the crowd and rotated.....

Did I mention Venus really was around his sign this night? It was a beautiful piercing Evening Star outside the door for that sunset....

Justin and Gordon seemed a little off their feed, which could have been nothing more than shortage of sleep....easy state to get to in LA. A few times Micky tried to "jolly up" Justin and it worked once, but not very often, he was very serious this night. (He was really fun at the Coachhouse though). Justin was at least making eye contact with the front rows, but not a whole lot of smiling. I was finally able to see fret work for "Blue Guitar" it's a pretty complex song with many bar chords to it. I'll be interested to find out how many venues he does it at, I saw HOB and Portland Brewpub and feel very privileged for that.

The animals were really out for the HOB; once some drunk punk and girlfriend crashed into my back, and I slammed them right into some more fans to my right (sorry.....but they got a reflexive elbow and vicious ballerina hip thrust I'm afraid; I'm dangerous when provoked). Same couple was seen trying to hump one another during "Nights". Justin sang on, unruffled. A lot of fans were staying at the Hyatt across the street I think, and drank more maybe. I was NOT the one doing the wolf whistles I'll have you know, but they came from a very sexy 40ish lady on the other side of ER (who was on my right for the show). She was really yipping, throwing hair around! "Broken Dream" was different this night, I didn't quietly freak this time but did catch myself grinning stupidly by the end of it. Later, listening in the daylight it got me though....I realized that though the animal pit was noisy previously, it was deadly quiet for that song. It was as if an angel landed in Satan's domain and the writhing goblins all fell silent in shock at The Voice, singing of Redemption. Luthien and Beren in the Dark Lord's Throne room maybe. Also there were a lot of voices around me singing along with JH on the accoustics....at least three boots are going to have some drunk trying to harmonize on it, and if I were them, I would not admit to it!

Right before "Raised on Love" Justin got to tuning on his guitar. Seemed to be in no hurry! "We could be here all night" he quipped and several in the audience answered "take your time..." anyway all too soon it was over and away they all went. We all wandered around for a while, lost, uncertain where to go. I would have left earlier but the valet parking was backed up, so I went back....sat with Karen Nonnemacher and some friends for a while......Char Kemp and others floated by in the night. One gal caught my name, and stuttering said "Are are you Tigger?" "Who me?" I replyed in my best B're Rabbit voice. "There you sit like a bump on a log" she said "I would have expected you to be bouncing all over the place!" hehehe only mentally I'm afraid. Rubberized braincells here......

HOB reminds me of the Haunted House at Knotts, spacy place and that adds to the floating feeling by Midnight that one gets after a good concert. I guess my friends all went to the Hyatt. I sat at the backstage door a bit, got the car, parked it right outside the gate and went back.....to watch the crowd, and see if Justin came out, he was entertaining a lot of backstage pass types tonight I guess. I chatted with a nice girl who was doing sketches of all the perfomers, nice to meet new people. Sat on curb finally. Gordon emerged with blonde woman in pixy hair cut a few paces behind; they might have walked to the Hyatt. (I'm pretty sure this was Mrs. Marshall, she grinned at me, and seemed like a real nice gal. A trooper). About 1 pm Doremi comes out of backstage, hands valet ticket for the car, they deliver a new blue sedan. Justin comes out, tall in his long overcoat. Doremi in the driver's seat w/ car running shows great agility and holds the door for him, and got a momentary look of worry watching him (he WAS tired, but being very nice to fans) ....the fans crowded Justin and he signed several things. I yelled stupidly as he got in the car something about having a good tour and thank you...and off they went in the night.

I didn't get home until 2 am and we went to the Wild Animal Park early the next day, where we found they were setting up for a preview of *George of the Jungle*.....small world eh? And after Stephan and his Uncle Erik got to talk Mon eve (after no visits for about 8 years), we took off Tuesday Morning and drove home on a very hot I5.

I had heard Justin was afraid (before he did the promo things to the Borders) that no one would come! He seemed rather pleased and thanked us for coming to the shows in Los Angeles, all three. I had a few times I doubted my sanity several times in going and dealing with LA again like I did, it really is a very stressful place, but once the shows started it was all very very worth it. I cannot think of another performer or person I would do this for. I wonder what is next?

Other short notes: heard that Justin's house in Kingston is in escrow, which is not to say the sale is final, but it looks good for now. Marie showed up in New York, Texas and Milwaukie, did not see in LA. Folks backstage said Marie and Justin were getting along just great in Milwaukie, joking etc. My close out: I hope I was nice to everyone....I felt a lot of fans with egos ("bugs up asses") were around, and as Lynn commented about the lousy lead in act in Capistrano, "it really killed my buzz", so I sometimes just didn't say anything when I maybe should have. I loved the shows, but when I get in bad mood, it's best I stay to myself. So I did. But it was a wonderful time and I envy you if you have Justin's shows in front of you yet! Party on!!!!!