The concert in Chicago in early June 1997



"Chicago! What a Fabulous show! I can't say much more about how great it
was because everyone else has used up all the adjectives :), but here's a
view from the vicinity of Brad's feet...

I could rave on for pages - I have never had more fun at a concert!
- but I will limit myself to just a few highlights...
The show opened, as you already know, with Neverland, and most of the
front row was singing along. :-) It was really cool to be where I could
hear the crowd singing as well as the band. They only did three songs
from Neverland, (NYT and FAOA were the other two) but the crowd response
was great for all of them.

Brad's solo: WOW!! I had, without a doubt, the Best seat in the house!
I have always wanted to see him play some of this stuff and I was not
disappointed. He played a lot of really cool licks that I don't have
names for, but I did recognize the Fireworks (listen to the solo in
ROA97). You guitar players that think you've got the intro to Rumours
down - keep practicing! Brad played that "keyboard-sounding stuff"
(note the use of the technical term here [g]) for at least two minutes before
he started Rumours and it was wonderful! I have always loved that intro
and, now that I've seen him play it, I am even more impressed!
I am dying to hear the next solo album.

Jeff's solo: I can't be quite as eloquent here because I was on the
wrong side to see most of it, but it *sounded* fantastic! I wish I had
thanked Jeff for coming over to "my" side to play Mountain Cathedral; I
love that song and it is so cool to watch him play it! (BTW - I have an
entire page of things I am kicking myself for forgetting to say/ask after
the show. >:o(( Email me for the list and you can throw in a few kicks
of your own! "I need a Slap to force my brain to breathe...")

Funniest Moment: From my perspective, it was when Jack and Brad got to
playing with Brad's microphone. Jack kept pulling it down to sing into
it and then Brad would have to pull it back up. All this while they were
ripping through, umm, some-song-early-in-the-set. After a few rounds,
Jack slapped the mike so that it pointed at the stage. Big mistake -
'cause now it was his turn to sing! So, Jack drops down to sing from
the floor and, when he does, he breaks the plug for his bass off inside
the guitar! Too clever for his own good, Jack is. [G]

Biggest Disappointment: No Slap Like Being Born. Just my luck,
they dropped my favorite song for this show. :( But, judging from
what I've been reading, all those words have not been getting across
to the audience real well, so I guess I'll just wait until next time.

Wait a minute, maybe the funniest moment was at the end of the show after
the bow. You know how Jack always jumps up when they come back up?
Well, his best buddy, Kelly, sorta grabbed him behind the knee and left
him hanging up there while Jeff bailed from the other side! [G] Then,
when Kelly put him down, Jack grabbed him and pulled him - well, not down
exactly, but over at least - like he was gonna punch him. It was great
to see them horsing around and having fun doing this show. Everyone
seemed to be having a great time on stage, all night long.

There's a lot more, but I'm sure that you all have lives. :)
For those of you still waiting to see Night Ranger: it is definitely
worth the wait!!

Whoo hoo!"

- Kelly Fitzpatrick



Thanks for the awesome review, Kelly!