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Click Here For Previous Interviews! Including Mike Granger & Chuck Girard! Click Here For A Review of The David Pack Maestro's Show Click Here For A Review of The Twin Palms Show! Click For an interview With Pat Newman! Concert review of Ambrosia's concert at The Cerritos Center in CA on March 28, 1998/Chris Criner Chris Criner is a great Ambrosia Fan from California! He has seen Ambrosia many times! Chris had a wonderful night at the Cerritos Concert! The weather was acting quite strange as I headed my car up the freeway towards Cerritos. It would rain & hail one minute, only to stop with the early evening sun shining down just a few miles further. Since I had never been to this venue, my hopes were not to be waylaid by driving rain (remember, this IS "sunny" California) Anyway, I arrived intact, parked , and walked over to the Sheraton hotel to meet fellow Traveller Tom Hullinger, who'd flown out here from Indiana JUST for the 2 Ambrosia's shows! Talk about dedicated!!! This was to be his first time seeing them (well, actually the second, since he was here for Friday's show too.) Also, an America fan (who were the headliners), he was in hog heaven as we got some dinner & talked about music & all things Ambrosia. Soon, it was time to head over to the Art Center, which was just across the coutyard. The short walk in the rather chilly breeze was invigorating. As we approached the Center, I couldn't help flash back to the cover of an old Jethro Tull album cover "Minstrels in the Gallery", for there before us, was an updated version of that..er gallery. This venue is designed for acoustical excellence! And we were to soon hear one of the most acoustically excellent bands play right inside these walls! We hung out by the T-shirt tables & met several other internet friends of Tom's from the America list. Soon it was approaching showtime. so Tom & I split up, since we had different seating, & went inside.The auditorium was quite spectacular. The stage was rather low to the ground, and the flying PA, hung up in the air, allowed good sight lines for everyone.With a pair of subwoofer boxes on either side of the stage, I knew we were in for a treat! As it turned out , Tom & I both sat in the same row, but I was left of center, he was right. The seats were perfect! The lights came down, the band came on stage, and it began. They opened with a killer version of "Time Waits For No One", the opening low bass notes throbbing thru the PA. Next up was a great version of "Livin' On My Own", which has in recent months become one of my favorites, with Tollack taking the bridge high vocal part that the departed Shem used to do. It still brought up the goosebumps on these arms! Following that, David then asked the audience for a show of hands of who had been married 10 years, then 20 , then 30, then 40, then..gasp..there was a couple in the crowd, with choice seats I might add, who had been married 50 years! Needless to say they were the ones that "You're the Only Woman"was dedicated to. "Nice, Nice, Very Nice " was next, starting out in the reggae mode, only to spill over to the full original version, dynamics nicely focused.The sound was the best I have ever heard them play with, with major kudos to the boys behind the mixing desk. Every note, expression, & solo were right..THERE when called upon.I could get used to this very easily! Next came "Hopes & Dreams", an unreleased song with Tollack playing guitar for the first time on stage.Joe noted that it is his harmonica we heard on the Northern Exposure theme. The new percussionist extrordinaire, Ricky Constantino, began "How Much I Feel" with a great bongo intro, with David doing a superb job on the vocals. After that Burleigh introduced the band, and then they swung into "Angola". While in the past, I admit I've grown a bit tired of this song, with it's usual "crowd participation" segment(which was absent tonight), for some reason it had a bright , fresh sound to it, with Joe even slipping in a bit of Hendrix's "3rd Stone From the Sun"as an aside. Next up, my favorite "Life Beyond LA". This song has some personal grip on me as I was in a band newly arrived from Michigan to "make it" in Hollywood when this LP came out. Dave started it out quieter, with his acoustic guitar & some tasty slides from Joe's fretless bass.This one was the highpoint for me! After the first verse, the band kicked it up a major notch, with Dave taking a searing, harmonically overloaded solo that sang, swooped, & chimed. The Heavy Metal Kid, indeed! Whewww! Tollack began "Holding On to Yesterday" with his mighty harmonica. David once again shows that he is a guitar force to be reckoned with, pulling a string of emotionally charged notes out of his Strat. That was the end of their set. They came back for both "The Biggest Part of Me" and a treat, their rendition of "Magical Mystery Tour" for the encore. It was a truly magical night. I'd wished they had played more of the "proggie" tunes, but seeing as how they were opening for America, versus being the headliner, I expected the "hits" to dominate. But hey, a very small disappointment in a hugely enjoyable evening! And...oh goody...they'll be back in my area soon, as ...headliners!!!! My deepest thanks to the band
and their live crew for a wonderful time! Concert review of Ambrosia's concert at The Cerritos Center in CA on March 27 & 28, 1998/Tom
Hulinger Words can't describe my experience in Cerritos. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Friday night set list: Mama Don't Understand Living On My Own Time waits For No One You're The Only Woman Nice, Nice Very Nice(Reggae style-excellent version) And...Somewhere I've Never Travelled How Much I Feel Angola(funky style-hard to describe, but very good) Holdin On To Yesterday Encore: Biggest Part of Me Saturday night set list: Time Waits For No One Livin On My Own You're The Only Woman Nice, Nice Very Nice Hopes & Dreams Angola Life Beyond L.A.(Acoustic) Holdin' On To Yesterday Encores: Biggest Part of Me Magical Mystery Tour After fridays show ,I was able to meet David. I got a picture with him. After saturday's show I was able to meet Burleigh, Chris & Joe. I got autographs and pictures with each of them. Rich Rees was instrumental in my being able to meet the guys. Thanks again Rich. Because they were opening for America, they were forced to do their short set(about 65 minutes). The downside was they were not able to do as much of their "prog" material. Chris told me that their long set includes "Drink of Water" and "Mama Frog" and lasts for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Their harmonies and playing were incredibly tight. David has so much soul!!! I also got a very good appreciation for Joe's abilities. He is incredibly gifted with rhytmn and sense of timing. His vocals were remarkable. Burleigh did a great job on "And" friday night. His drums are the backbone of their sound. Chris was a maniac on the keys, especially Friday night.He doesn't miss a note. I joked with him on Saturday night about being subdued as compared to his previous night's performance. David's showmanship is remarkable. He knew how to work the audience. Saturday night's audience included a couple who had been married 50 years. David dedicated You're the Only Woman to them. I hope I'm still a rock'n roller at 70.David also thanked the gentleman(hey that's me) who flew in from Indiana. I was completely surprised and everyone knew who I was as I was wearing my bright red Indiana sweatshirt. Thanks David, the fans truly appreciate the band. The Cerritos Center is an amazing building. I got the full tour. It cost $65 million. It has different seatings depending on the occasion. I recommend it to anyone. The acoustics were fantastic!!! What a weekend!!! I also am a big America fan and enjoyed their sets. Rich told me that a live video & CD are in the works!!!!! Can't wait!!!!! I forgot to mention Tollack and Ricky. Tollack is a great keyboard player and harmonist. His vocals on Living On My Own were as close to Royce as you can get. Ricky was fantastic on percussion. He was a crowd favorite. I met his wife after the show and she said these were his first Ambrosia appearances. You sure couldn't tell it. What more can I say. Words can't describe the experience!!!! To all Ambrosia fans, go see them. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Tom meets The MEN!!!
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