better--the crowd ROARS [this is better than the obligatory "Hello, Des Moines"..... they must know there were a lot of out-of-towners and road-warriors in the house]. Their drummer is Incredible--two guitarists
share the limelight & duties.
At 8:37pm, the Tr-iO hits the stage.
-I Hate My Frickin' ISP
-Play This Game
-Love of the Common Man
(Todd hits some sour notes during the first three songs. He
complains
about NO backlight & says he can't see. And he's right, there's NONE
behind
him. My friend Todd runs out to his car to get a lantern. He returns,
but
someone has turned on some recessed ceiling lights directly overhead.
The
stage here is small, it's not designed for rock show lighting)
-Fix Your Gaze
-Yer Fast (and I like It)
-Black and White
[the band is clicking now...lots of smiles. Their voices are in
fine
shape. Always great to hear Kaz's harmonies, and Trey is excellent too.
Great sound].
-Trapped
-#1 Lowest Common Denominator [yeah, it was Hendrix-like....someone on
this
list complained about it being too slow. It was killer. Todd hit the
poem &
improvised a tad]
-Hit Me Like A Train
-Hammer In My Heart
-Love in Action [not the :30-second wait that Chicago experienced for
the
ending. The crowd did clap at the break of silence, and :20 later, the
song
continued]
(after song, Todd banters with the crowd about the Iowa Sate Fair
being the largest in the nation, with "real" state fair exhibits.. "not
just
hot tubs, but the boar with the most teats..." he asks if the audience
is
filled with pork.)
-There Goes My Inspiration
-Couldn't I Just Tell You
(Kaz & Trey get a break.Todd goes acoustic)
-Cliche (Todd's voice is superb. The song is delicate, and at this point
I
realize PEOPLE are TALKING during the show...????...WHAT?!?!?! It's
mildly
loud and annoying)
(Todd comes out with his mini-me stringed instrument "What is that
thing that confuses and frightens me?" he asks for the crowd. He
explains
ukelele is hawaiian for "jumping flea" (?). Says that you get issued one
when you go to live in Hawaii.)
-Bang On The Drum (with the Lion Sleeps Tonight and its Hawaiian war chant-like "hunhh-hunhhh"'s)
[Kaz & Trey return refreshed. Grinning at Todd's Rudy-Vallee-esque performance] (Kaz picks ip his bass, Todd calls an Audible and Kaz switches to the other bass)
-Temporary Sanity [who said this was "boring"...it was great][the song is definitely somber in it's pointed observation of society's denial]
-Open My Eyes {GREAT! Kaz even played the bass like John Entwistle...funny}
-Buffalo Grass
-One World (must've caught the sound man napping...he missed the first
part
of Todd's solo. He'd been missing Kaz's vocals earlier in the show, but
hads
shaped up by the time the backlights were on)
10:12p-10:15p the crowd is standing and clapping.
1st encore:
-The Ikon (OUTSTANDING! This is progressive rock at its best. Kaz does a
bit
of a Stanley Clark style solo. Trey's solo is VERY GREAT. Five minutes
of
pure intensity. Better than ELP. They are in-sync and red hot)
-Surf Talks
10:25-10:28 crowd is on its feet again (and too many are leaving..."think he'll come back?" a guy asks me. We move up to the front where the sound is QUITE powerful. Wish I'd been there for the entire show--- to have been washed in the vibration and intensity of the music---you could FEEL IT)
2nd encore:
-Worldwide Epiphany
10:35p show ends. Todd Trey & Kaz do not meet with fans lined up outside. They are shuttled into a van and drive (assume to airport? hotel? ) On the way home, we seen the red van w/ California plates on I-80...I guess someone's gotta drive it to Kansas City...)
A very great show. Excellent to see Todd playing guitar. He is riveting.
Kaz's vocals are always complimentary. And Trey is a great addition to the Tr-iO. They had fun. They were clicking. And the crowd was enthusiastic.
