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Bonnie: By 7:00 P.M. we were allowed into the theater area. We found a round table (for discussion). We perused the merchandise table which was a great place for gift shopping. Our adrenaline grew as the bewitching hour approached. We secured our seats at stage left, row two. Thank you again, Shane, for going online to purchase the tickets. They were absolutely perfect seats.
Shane: Don't mention it. Well...okay, okay...you can mention it.
Kimmi: Thanks.
Cindy: Not bad but there was one row ahead of us…so there is room for improvement!
Bonnie: Before the show, I had an opportunity to meet Janet Litterio, (one of the Forgotten Fifty). It was nice to meet someone I had heard so much about.
Shane: We also had the opportunity to meet Jan Beaudrie, who flew in all the way from the East coast to be at the show, for the first time as well. "Jan B" was also a member of last winter's "forgotten fifty". Besides contributing stories and pictures for the newsletter, Jan has been a great online friend, and Cindy and I particularly have enjoyed chatting with her and taking part in those goofy email marathon sessions that we tend to get into online every now and again. It was great to meet you in person, Jan! We also spotted the great ladies of Hercules Promotions selling merchandise, as well as Mike Bush, photographer extraordinarre. All of them are always a pleasure to talk to.
Cindy: It was great to connect with a lot of friends, old and new, this time.
Bonnie: I was anxious to use my newly repaired camera. Believe it or not, I had taken my Minolta with me on September 16th to photograph President Bush when he was in the Quad Cities. (It should also be noted that for anyone who cares, I have seen Governor/President Elect/President Bush more in the last two years than I have seen David Jones. What is wrong with that picture?)
Shane: Do you really want an answer to that question?
Cindy: Don’t ask if you don’t want to know….
Bonnie: My dear political and Monkees' friend, Diane Klosak, and I had second-row vantage points to the podium to see the President. Unfortunately, my camera died on the spot. At first I thought that it was a case of dead batteries. A couple weeks later, I realized it was more serious than that. I took my camera in to the Camera Corner on October 2nd. By October 29th, it had been returned to the camera store from the company, (wherever that was), with a $128 repaired shutter magnet. Understandably, all those years of Monkee photography wore out the mechanisms. To make a long story short...
Shane: Too late
Cindy: Way too late….
Kimmi: [LOL]
Bonnie: ...I was prepared with 800 speed film, batteries, and the Minolta camera to capture the moments that pass too quickly. According to tradition, at 8:00 P.M. on Saturday, November 2nd, the "Big Oldies 93.3 All-Star Band" assembled and performed the National Anthem with the audience. It was very patriotic, but I could not help from thinking, "Let's play ball!" The "All-Star Band" performed several songs including "Mr. Tambourine Man". Again, my thoughts wandered. "Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me." Where was our favorite tambourine player of all time?
Shane: I won't delve too far into the other acts, (as this IS a Monkees fan club after all), but the other performers are at least worth a note. The "all-stars" were basically a bunch of on-air personalities of, or people who work for, the radio station that sponsored that night's concert. For who they were and what they were, the band wasn't all that bad. A good opener for the evening's proceedings.
Bonnie: To further escalate our antici...
Shane: Say it!
Cindy: Too nice a job to rush!
Bonnie: ...pation of the real "All-Star Band", Felix Cavaliere's Rascals took command of the stage beginning at 8:25 P.M.
Shane: Felix, Felix, Felix....what happened to you? He looks like my dentist! Don't get me wrong, his vocals were great, his organ playing absolutely killer, (and I do love that Hammond organ in rock and roll music...almost as much as I like a killer horn section), but the years have just not been kind to him. He spent a good amount of time hiding behind his B-3 too, which was probably just as well. In some respects, he's almost the exact opposite of David when it comes to his stage show. Felix stood in one spot almost the whole time, didn't talk with the audience a great deal, and consequently really didn't establish much of a bond with the crowd. David, on the other hand...well, read on. It is somewhere in between these two individuals where the line of "musician" is crossed and the status of "entertainer" is attained.
Bonnie: They performed "I've Been Lonely Too Long", "Wait 'Til The Midnight Hour", "A Beautiful Morning", "Groovin'", "Just My Imagination", "People Got To Be Free", "Good Lovin'", "La Bamba", "Hey Bo Diddley" and "Purple Haze". Cindy corrected me.
Shane: She's pretty good at that.
Cindy: Thank you very much!
Bonnie: She said it was "Foxy Lady". In any event, during the Jimi Hendrix interpretation, Kimmi and Cindy started to chant, "We want Davy! We want Davy!" It was very funny amongst the four of us but perhaps not graciously understood or received by any of the Felix cats. It's too bad that David wasn't hangin' 'round. He would have got it; Davy always gets it.
Shane: Well, if I recall correctly, I believe the whole Jimi Hendrix bit was a part of an entire medley that Felix used to close his part of the show with, culminating in a final verse of "Good Lovin'". "Purple Haze" was definitely a part of that medley. The opening riff to that song is unmistakable. So much so that when it started, Cindy, Kimmi and I used that opportunity to pull the old "We Want Davy" gag that Micky uses in his concerts when he talks about Hendrix opening for the Monkees on the 1967 tour and launches into the first verse of the song. That's what that whole little episode stemmed from, Bonnie.
Cindy: Well they started with “Purple Haze” but finished with “Foxy Lady” but it really doesn’t matter because it had the same effect!
Bonnie: At approximately 9:35 P.M., the real "All-Star Band" was individually introduced and assumed their stage positions. It really spotlighted each band member and further mounted the anticipation of who the majority of us came to see. Although, I learned on this "detour" that Shane has a real appreciation for Aviva Maloney and Kimmi has a fond attraction to Dave Robicheau.
Kimmi: (I'm blushing!) I really hope that none of them read this! Robey, it's just a crush! Davy, you still da man!!
Shane: Hey, if you girls can drool over David, I can have somebody to drool over, too. And I can still recall that episode on the Ohio trip where Kimmi hit that invisible brick wall as she was running down the street toward the theater and spotted Robey.
Kimmi: It's not my fault that those damn things just pop up out of nowhere!
Cindy: So we saw!
Shane: The band introductions at the beginning of the show were something new that I had not seen before. Dave Alexander came out first, introduced himself, and started playing a little uptempo jive on his keyboards, and then the rest of the members came out one by one, (which, by the way, this time included the infamous "brass dancers" from the Monkee reunion tours of the past few years), introduced themselves, and joined in the tune until everyone was out. I particularly liked Aviva's introduction; she said something to the effect of, "Hi, how are y'all doing out there? I'm Aviva Maloney, and I play a little bit of everything." GRRRrrrrrrrrrr......
Bonnie: I know that Cindy missed the banjo player in the group, but I was there to see David! (I know that I'll pay for those comments later.)
Shane: and this time, seven dollars won't cover it!
Cindy: But a banjo adds so much to a pop concert don’cha think? Not to mention the player.
Bonnie: Following the introduction of introductions, an incredible smile graced David's face as he appeared on stage carrying our red roses. Collectively, we were pleased David had received our expression of thoughts and humbled he had chose to bring them on stage with him.
Photo by Janet Litterio
David wore a navy (I thought that it was gray until I saw my pictures) pin-striped "wedding" suit with a yellow shirt and (I believe race horse patterned) neck tie. It seems that David meant business, baby. David began his show with "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", "She Hangs Out", and "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)". Then, unique to his performance routine, David pulled up a speaker and sat down. Cindy and I had not seen David since June 17th, 2001. Interestingly, David began, "It's been a while since I've seen some of you and a lot has happened". He talked about delivering his new grandson. He also spoke about his career in "show biz" and reinterated, "Show biz is my life". I think that I have heard those words before in a Betty Davis movie. He continued with an "Oliver!" medley including "I'd Do Anything For You", then he sang "I Wanna Be Free" and "I'll Love You Forever". He talked about his horse, T Jones, with great pride and indicated that the horse would be competing at Churchill Downs on November 10th. Dave Alexander was then invited to do his Meatloaf impression, and Dave and Sandy Genarro did their "All In The Family"/Edith and Archie Bunker impersonations. They are very talented with their act. David continued with a sing-along of the "Brady Bunch" theme, "Girl", "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?", "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", "Daydream Believer", "Listen To The Band", and finally "I'm A Believer".
Shane: I don't think that I am telling tales out of school when I say that one can really tell when David is into his performance; when he is having a good time, and when he is not. A good indicator of that is how much he talks to the audience during the show. David is a great story teller--he loves to talk about his career in show biz, his family, his horses, and everything in between; when you get him going on a good night he's apt not to stop. This was one of those fortunate nights. He even told a lot of new jokes during the show that I had not heard before in his routine. Usually, while David is talking or singing, he is all over the stage, and it's hard to keep him in focus on a camera for more than three seconds at a time. This night however, David did something a little different in that, as Bonnie mentioned, he sat down on a monitor at the edge of the stage a couple different times and just talked with the audience. It really gave his show an intimate feel that I really enjoyed. Over the years, I have heard and read so much about these "Learning Annex" seminars that David has given from time to time. I kind of imagined that this was a little bit of what those "lectures" were like this evening. Unfortunately, however, there's always one in every crowd that tries to spoil the time for everyone else. Some lady in the audience yelled out and interrupted David's story about finding some old records of his mother's that he typically uses to introduce "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby". David just took it in stride, and in fact, did a little tap-dance routine while setting up the first verse of the song just to "tempt" this little honey's patience a bit further. It was a great show, and as always the time just passed way too quickly.
Cindy: I was certainly surprised when he pulled up the amp. This is more what the “Intimate” shows are like but I have never seen him do this at any show but those. It was very nice and had it not been for the rude woman in the audience I think he would have gone on for some time. I remember the first Lady Luck Show where he got off on a tangent and talked for some time. He didn’t sit down but rather paced rapidly while he talked. Even the band seemed a bit surprised by it and Wayne trying to be funny finally went and got a stool to sit on as he was tired of standing. This cracked the audience up and got David back on track that time.
Kimmi: Davy rocked!! I think that covers it for me. Oh, and Robey is still hot. Oh, yeah. And Loafy is still the coolest guy ever. Hmmmm...I think that covers it.
Bonnie: After the show, David greeted each and every individual and signed autographs, posed for pictures, etc. Always the entertainer, David accomodated requests and at the same time performed for those who had waited in line. One man had tried to take a picture of a woman with David. Unfortunately, the camera did not cooperate. It took a few extra minutes. Humorously, David kidded to the line of fans, "Go ahead and talk amongst yourselves", and indicated that it would just be a few more minutes. A few moments later, another woman had left her purse in front of him. Akin to an airport security man, David carefully picked up the purse and moved it along. He's a fun one to watch on and off the stage. Kimmi and Shane made up the caboose of the line. They had items they wanted David to autograph. They spoke briefly with him.
Cindy: I have always enjoyed just sitting and watching David interact with the people in line. Even then he was on and definitely putting on a show.
Shane: I had been saving a little something special for the next opportunity that I had to get David to autograph something. A few months ago, I happened to score a radio station airplay copy of the "Rock And Roll At The Movies" radio program that David hosted a few years ago on Ebay. It didn't cost me that much either, probably no more than 25 dollars. But it's this kind of stuff that I enjoy collecting the most--not necessarily because of it's collector's value or high pricetag, but because it's a little unique, and probably something that I figured David had not seen too many times in an autograph line before then. And I was right, too...we had a pleasant discussion about that show, and the fact that David had just gotten a phone call from the show's producer. David wondered aloud what he might have been calling about. Perhaps they want him to host another show??? It was a pleasure to be able to speak with Mr. Jones, as usual. He was very talkative and receptive to everybody in line, and nobody went away disappointed.
Bonnie: I thought that a picture of them with David might be a nice "souvenier". Shane said, "Bonnie wants a picture". Kimmi and Shane quickly posed with David. (See photo.) David is amazingly kind to pose for pictures over and over and over again. (His eyes are probably blind by the millions of flashes thanks to all of us.) I mouthed a "thank you" and that was that. I retired my camera after a long day. We finally found Kimmi's car after being disoriented as to our whereabouts in relationship to the car. Actually, we just wanted a last-minute "detour" of the Civic Center. By 12:30 A.M., we were in the car and headed back to the Quad Cities. We stopped at a rest area before we arrived back home about 2:15 A.M. This time, most of the lights were turned off and all was quiet in the Borgh house. I found Hannah asleep on the sofa. (The family room light was on, but the T.V. was off.) I picked up Hannah and said, "It's time for bed, honey." She wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "Mama!" I carried her upstairs and put her to bed in her room. After such a wonderful day, it was "pillow time" again.
Shane: There is precious little left in this tale to tell. After dropping Bonnie back off at her house in Bettendorf, the remaining three of us retired back at the hotel after what had been an exciting and fulfilling day. Sunday morning found Cindy and myself up and at 'em relatively early, as I needed to catch the first available bus back to Chicago in order to hopefully make a rather "iffy" connection to the only bus going back here to Oshkosh in time. Cindy and I had a little quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant, rousted Kimmi, got the car packed, and then the two of them dropped me off at the bus terminal so that Cindy and Kimmi could head back to their respective homes. My trip home couldn't have gone better if I had written it myself; the bus I needed showed up right on time, I made my connection going home, and what's even better, I didn't forget and leave my dirty laundry behind at the hotel this time, (as I had when the Gang got together back in March on what would have been the "Intimate Evening" concert weekend). As Cindy said when I called her on my cell phone in between busses in Chicago, this weekend was just meant to be. Everything went well, we saw a great show, spent some time with great friends--who could ask for more? Here's typically where I run the closing credits, but have heart, I'll be brief. Many thanks go out to all the people, new and old acquaintances and friends alike, that we met in Peoria--Jan B, Janet Litterio, the Hercules gals, Mike Bush; to my dear friends Cindy, Bonnie, Kimmi, Hannah, (and Craig, too), and the erstwhile Colleen, (who was with us in spirit), who make these get togethers so much fun, and of course to David and his band of "mixed nuts" who provide the soundtrack and the reason for it all. Peace and love to you all, and I hope it's not long before our next adventure!
Kimmi: Ditto!! Oh, and Davy rocked!! Hold on. I feel like I haven't said much. Hmmm....this trip seemed to be better than any of the others. As we go along, each road trip has been fun for it's own special reasons, but this one was different. Aunt Bonnie finally got to go with us for once. And it's always wonderful to spend time as a "family" with Mumsy, Shanie, Aunt Bonnie and Hannah. Sharing a room with Mumsy and having someone to torture, (don't you miss me?!), beating up Shanie and breaking the rules with Hannah! And shopping with Aunt Bonnie. When I'm an old lady, sitting on the porch in my rocking chair, missing the "good old days", you guys will be my happy thoughts! I love you guys! Okay, that's enough. Oh, and Davy rocks!
Cindy: Another night in the hotel with Kimmi! I seriously considered binding and gagging her and around 3 AM feigned sleep so that she would shut up! How much fun can one group take in one short weekend? It really is true that it is the journey, not the destination, that matters in life and I am blessed that these friends have chosen to take their journey with me. There are no people I would rather travel through life with. I love you all! So another journey comes to an end and we anticipate the next time we will all be together again!
It goes without saying that we say thanks to everyone we met or reunited with during this trip. But we thank David especially. He is the glue that holds us all together. He is the destination that takes us on this journey together. He has given us so many opportunities to make magic memories….just you and I.
Until next time…..