Thanks for the reviews, sounds like two fairly different opinions on this one. I'd hate to think that John is getting tired from this gruelsome tour schedule. It sounded like the concerts in San Francisco had two sets (40 and 80 minutes) and now it is winding down to just over an hour and a half. I caught 'em the night before Ann Arbor at the Cubby Bear in Chicago. Although at first I was pretty excited that they were coming to a relatively small bar, it turned out to be just a horrible venue. There were about a couple hundred seats set up on the dance floor, but I unfortunately got there just after they had filled and sat on a bar stool set up on the periphery (between the "dance floor" and the area where people wait in line to get drinks). The worst things about this seat was that there was a pole blocking my view of Dennis Chambers, and the stage was set up very wierdly so that McLaughlin was almost always faced the other way. When they first burst onto the stage and eased into Thelonius Melodius, John seemed sort of uneasy and confused about this set-up and the emotions of the crowd. He was shaking his fingers alot too (it seemed pretty cold in there with the doors opening and closing). I began hating this bar when the crowd of people standing behind me wouldnt stop talking even during the most intense parts of the show. I knew that I really hated this bar when the waitresses kept coming by offering specialty Valentines drinks and jello shots. Having seen Joshua Redman lock in with his drummer Brian Blades the night before (about the best drummer I'd seen until Chambers), I was even more exciting to be brought up to the level that the Free Spirits would take me. Granted, McLaughlin is McLaughlin, the wizard, but Chambers and DeFrancesco proved to be two of the most talented musicians i'd ever seen and the trio was really well seasoned and exemplified incredible musicianship. After playing together for the past couple years it even seemed like I could hear McLaughlin riffs and rhythmic techniques in the way Chambers soloed. The Chicago crowd at least got into the straightforward blues jams, but other than that was lame-o. Fortunately I'll be making the road trip back to the Chicago area tomorrow for the Schaumburg, show (440 seat theater). Hopefully they won't be too worn out by then.

Andy

Partial songlist:
1. Thelonious Melodius
2. Hijacked
3. Sing Softly of the Blues (theme from One World?)
4. Encuentros
5. Little Miss Valley
6. (unknown)
7. Vukovar (theme from Marine Hymn)
8. (unknown, 5/8 time with 7/8 drum solo) (Vital Transformation riff)
Encore - When Love Is Far Away