Big Blue Sky

In his remarks, Mike Campbell mentions Rottnest, which is an island off the coast. It's where these super-adorable little fuzzy animals (quokkas) live, which you might've seen bouncing around & photobombing tourists' photos. ❤️❤️❤️ And winning hearts effortlessly on social media. 

Oh, about Free Fallin', well, moment I saw the Rickenbacker appear on stage & I lost it. I was transfixed. So I remember everything about how Mike played it & created that fzmous sound. But i guess I missed out on remembering most of the singing.
Quite a lot of us, well, me & lots of people near us, stood to show  respect, holding phones flashlights up. So it was like Pentecostal moment (no snakes, though, haha). Or that moment as parade passes by when the crowd spontaneously takes off their hats, or salutes, or throws flowers, or whatever.  Did notice Mike looked down at his Rick for the song, though, rather than into audience.
Anyway, you asked, so hope that answers your question. :-)

Oh, 100% wonderful. Everything just marvellous - music, guitars, crowd supporting their musicians, musicians playing their hearts out. Fleetwood Mac (tonight) are really sensational musicians. I take back any snark I may ever have thought. People who were there for them seemed to love every moment. Everything was golden and the energy just kept building, one fantastic thing creating another.
Mike Campbell exceeded expectations. Chinner was busy passing guitars. Oh, boy, so many beautiful guitars and Mike sure bent those strings. He even put base of guitar on ground and ran slide up and down strings. It was like, hey, why not? And it sounded sensational! He was in the middle of some songs building building the momentum. The others are dancing around & Mike's so precise, keeps playing, absolutely not distracted, building the song. Centre of the storm, but he's actually feeding that increasingly wild storm, you know?
Neil Finn being there created that elusive home-ground advantage. (Even if he's technically from NZ.) We sang along, shone lights from mobile phones. Neil said: "hello Sydney" (roar of welcome), sang verse with people joining in, says "I can hear your Sydney", another verse with all these flickering lights appearing, then "Oh... I can see you Sydney". Beautiful.
Black Magic Woman and Oh Well, Good lord, Mike and Neil melted all our faces. 
Like I say, magic, just golden. No photos, sorry, not sorry, my phone was firmly off & we just focused on the concert. Respect! 
 
 

Nice photo 
Well, I hope you have a good time and enjoy Mike's guitar stylings while everyone else accompanies him. 

Spike has long been one of my favorite songs and despite having seen Tom over 10 times since 87 he never played it live on a tour I saw.   

So the above guitar strap went for $1325!  Wow, a few others went for less but were not as easily identifiable as Mikes stuff.  
 
I was lucky enough to win one of the sets of Mike's guitar pics that appear to be used to play guitar.  Nothing indicates they are stage played etc but they do show more wear than 'new in box.' Cant wait for them to arrive! 
 
They are still a few auctions open, one is somewhat incredible; Marcie Campbell's Mike stage played 40th anniversary bracelet. 😎  2 days left and its over 900 already!   

8/13/19
The Animals
 

8/11/19
Chuck Berry
 

Now it's down the rabbit hole a little with Bruce.  This version of "Lost In The Flood" from the Live in NYC show.....best when played loud.  This one gives me chills...
 

Love the "Plantation" version with Stevie's harmonies, but there is one part after it modulates up that she can't quite reach.  That keeps it from being perfect, but she's still super hot (sorry, not sorry) and sounds great overall.  I do love the original version by the Searchers too, but I haven't heard any of those others. I was thinking Bruce had played this live, but I'm not finding it.  It seems like one the E Street Band would kill.  

It's probably just a typo for plaque. 
I got you this for Christmas... 

It's probably just a typo for plaque. 
I got you this for Christmas... 

I'm home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't get home til 10pm last night and was completely drained. It took all day to get checked out by different doctors, paper work and even had 3 more of the 5 drainage tubes removed (1 in arm And 4 in neck), 1 more tube to go, maybe tomorrow after I measure drainage amount 3 times today. That means another trip to Clev tomorrow and today I have to call 2 surgeons and make appt for next week and the 2nd surgeon in 2 weeks. Appt already scheduled for radiologist Aug 20th. I have a lot to do today (new meds and stuff), but I'll be back later with a better report, I just wanted to let you all know that I made it through the operation and am back home. TTYL.....................Nurk

On it. Looks like the picture is of a British Mosquito Bomber. Very fast but made entirely of wood. Bad for the pilot if hit by flak! Very interested! I'd bet Tom would have been interested as well while writing. Thanks for the reference. I'll definitely look into it. Live in a jet. So I get the urge to use the speed to get home. Do it weekly. Pretty sure I can sneak the shirt in on one of the trips.LOL

Just watched it . So absolutely cool! Can't thank you enough. All I know will see this. I can't believe I've never seen it before. Thank you. Its what happens when you get those wings. Always someone (Air Traffic Control) who brings you home on the worst of the trips. They always bring you home. Thank you!

I have to say. The Shephard. What a beautiful name for salvation for crews coming home "in the blind". Only the British could have come up with that. They are a beautiful people.

I'll concede that if you read deeply between the lines on that last verse about Sherman's march, you could glean that maybe that person holds racial grudges due to them blaming him being a screw up on the fact that he's "born a rebel". However, most people while racist in the south and in the north at that time, I don't think Tom was getting that deep into the southern conscious because as we see for the rest of the album and from the outtakes, their just takes on being a poor white kid in the south. Most southerners were not rich, slave owners, but they did benefit from the race based class system. You may be a poor white, but at least your not black. Again, though I think Tom is a great song writer, I don't ever think his lyrics at that deep where a subtext needs to be dug up. He's as straightforward of a songwriter you'll ever see and that was his strength.
Like I said, a better approach overall to the whole idea is Southern Rock Opera. If you like TPATH, then they are definitely in your musical wheel house. Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley get at the duality of the South. How they're branded as racist rednecks who are backwards, but how that's not who they are as a whole. How someone like George Wallace can define them for decades and that not be the real image of the south. Or how Wallace himself was considered for a time before his runs at governor to be a liberal judge and attorney and how by the time in the 1980s when he last served governor of Alabama he won 90% of the black vote. It's just a southern thing. Also, like Southern Accents, it does cover bits of Hood's own youth. 
If everyone remembers, Hood did write a great article about Tom after he died and he talked about how when Tom was playing a show in Alabama that he was at, that a drunken fight broke out and Tom chastised the crowd saying, "This shit's why I fucking left the South."

Saw this today on FB and thought some of you kids might be interested... 😎  curious what these will go for but I'm guessing I will be out bid.    great cause so thought I'd share.
 

Hey Big Blue Sky! Gotta say - you are the bomb! I'm gonna get one of those shirts! I've been a pilot for so long that I sometimes take it for granted. But I'll tell you this. The late night flights, say Ontario to El Paso are too awesome. I wish everyone could experience one from the cockpit. John Gillespie Magee Jr. wrote a poem called High Flight. He was a Canadian Air Force pilot killed in a mid air over England in 1941. He's been an inspiration to me my whole career. You might like it.  And , I have to admit, the painted girl means a lot to me. Couldn't say exactly why. I don't think we ever met. Just something. I'll keep at that one. If I ever do find out- won't tell. I really enjoy and appreciate your input. Thanks much! Look foreward to the next info exchange. Take care!

I keep hearing people say that's Southern Rock Opera's good album - will check it out. Oh, another messed-up relationship song summed up in the title = Paul Kelly's What Makes A Sweet Guy Turn So Mean? 
My nomination for songs about post-warfare conflict situations = Levon drumming & singing this masterpiece. 
 

Yes. Benmont explained his "first time" with Dylan in an interview.
 
It was Iovine who took him to the studio. They were recording "Caribbean Wind". Finally Dylan sent Iovine to his home. He didn't want that guy near him anymore. But Benmont stayed there.

We'll say a prayer for you tonight, Benny.  You got this.