Rod’s show was really good Thursday night. Rod is an entertainer who has the crowd with him from the minute the curtain goes up until the end of the show! It was very fast moving , well rehearsed , very professional performance with no gaffs that were detected by me.
The venue held some 12,000 fans as configured for concerts and it appeared to be a sellout. There were a few empty seats / late arrivals while the warm-up group , Steve Winwood was performing . The hall soon filled and by 9:00, when Rod came on, the place was packed. A few seats at the side of the stage with poor sight lines were available , otherwise there were NO empty seats that I could see.Not that bad for NASCAR/ Bluegrass country on a Thursday night!
My reflections on the concert may sound a tad biased due to my connection to the lead Guitar player, but I will try to report it reasonably straight.
Emerson is a band member and as such plays for the group affect. When it is his time to solo , he does it , and then moves back to let the others do their thing. We are very proud of his work and happy for the opportunity he has been given. He is too!
Rod and group did a concert at Penn State [ Pennsylvania ] on the weekend and then the band was bussed down to Greensboro, NC , arriving there early Tuesday morning. Emerson had a couple days down time and drove over to our home in Hillsborough, NC to visit and enjoy some home cooking.
On early afternoon Thursday, we [ wife , sister-in-law, niece & husband ] drove the one hour trip to Greensboro to meet Emerson , who had preceded us there earlier.He was able to get the group into the Coliseum venue for the afternoon sound check .We all got to the sound check [ 4:00 to after 5:00 pm] with the hall empty and Emerson scored some back stage passes that allowed up to move freely about the auditorium. Parking and entrance to the facility was facilitated by those magic passes . It was like we were somebody?
We listened to & observed the check , and then , after 5:00pm , took a break and drove back to our motel area for an evening meal.After eating we got back to the auditorium by 7:15, in good time to hear The Steve Winwood group play their set. We were immediately reminded that the elderly , who didn’t grow up on a diet of ROCK , were in for an experience!
The NC Symphony and lilting melodies one can drop off to sleep to ……. it aint! This is where our hearing would have gone south had we not stuffed paper napkins in the ear canals ! Steve’s music has two levels of volume – loud or even louder. They are technically very good with some great solo work by both Steve and his lead guitar player. They played an hour and a half set of high energy music which I am too old to fully appreciate before Rod came on. [ old farts that we are ] As I am stuck in the 1920’s / 30’s Traditional Jazz era mode, admittedly, my opinions as a music critic are suspect.
At 9:00, when Rod walked on stage, the place went up for grabs. And this is North Carolina – Bubba country , no less!
What it must be like at a concert in the UK with the crowd on their feet , half plastered, and willing to go the other half before the evening is over? No wonder there are so many fans willing to travel the tour circuit. With the concerts located relatively close by, there would be no need to sober up!
We had purchased seats in the upper nosebleed section where the elderly can see all the action and not become part of it , and thus had a good view of Rod’s “act” and the audience reaction to same. We were way to distant for any thrown brassieres to reach the stage , thus [my disappointment registered ] there was no baring of the flesh anywhere around us , but I cannot attest to what came off down front. From the number of ladies dancing in place and out in the aisles , individually, and in small groups, I will hazard a guess that , the early 70’s concerts were really something to behold.
With the band’s sound level moderated so as to allow Rod to sing without blowing a vocal cord, we were able to pull the ear plugs and enjoy the evening. and an enjoyable evening it was! I cannot recite the set list , but they were familiar to most of the hard core fans in attendance. The lady seated next to me knew them all , and she wasn’t all that bad a singer either.
Daughter Ruby sang a solo number and then a duet with Rod. Her voice was strong and clear, spot on the note [ none of that distracting, noodling around, covering all the notes nearby].She is a beautiful, talented young woman and will probably have a successful career in her own right . The audience responded positively to her efforts.
Emerson warned us to beware of flying soccer balls [ you would say footballs ] that Rod kicks during the Hot Legs song. Rod can really kick the bloody things but they didn’t make it into the “cheap seats” so we could enjoy observing the scramble for them that went on down lower and up in the upper balconies . No holds barred………….. kids and old ladies be dammed…………. those balls are a desired memento and the ultimate owner was not decided until the scrum broke up.
Emerson must have mentioned to Rod that we were in attendance as he graciously acknowledged that “Emerson’s parents are in the audience”, asked if Emerson wanted to say anything [ probably thinking that he would decline the opportunity] . WRONG! E. took the dare. — [ you never give my kids a chance to talk to a crowd if you don’t want them to do it ].The band got a kick out of it as did we.
After the show, our group of five went back stage where Emerson had scored a small room, a bottle of wine and some beer. The crew was tearing down the set for a move to Atlanta and we got out of the way lest we should end up boxed and shipped. Those guys know what they are doing and are an un-sung members of the group. Were they to come out and take a bow , it would have to be before the show because they are working their asses off afterwards!
Though Rod was not available , we met several members of the band who dropped by to meet us and get some refreshment. I would like to think we were the draw but reality intrudes.They are talented performers on stage and warm , friendly , REAL people off. What a good group my son had fallen in with!
All told, it was a wonderful evening , the very best one that I have had in the last few years.I would like to have had the opportunity to thank Rod for giving my boy chance to live his dream and work with the best .Having read Rod’s biography, I know how much he wanted his father to be proud of his work . His dad had every reason to be very proud ! We too are proud of all three of our children’s accomplishments. We have always supported Emerson’s desire to pursue a career in music and are very thankful that he has been recognized for the talent that he has.
Thank you Rod !
Charles Swinford
Set List [Don’t worry Chuck, I will do this bit!]
This old heart of mine
Tonight’s the night
Having A Party
Rhythm of my heart
Some Guys have all the luck
Downtown Train
Forever young
First Cut is the deepest
Have I told you lately
Brighton Beach
Reason to Believe
Can’t Stop me now
Sweet Little Rock and Roller
Proud Mary
You’re in my heart
Hot Legs
Maggie May
Encore
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy