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Your Concert Experiences

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Mike Joyce
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Re: Your Concert Experiences

Post by Mike Joyce »

I was there Cowpoke.
I managed to get a front row seat right on the end of the row. I wanted to go, to at least say,I saw him at the Festival Hall.
I think you are right, I felt Glen didn't seem as comfortable singing some of the newer material as he did the old favourites and not using his guitar skills made it feel that he was a little detached from the songs especially as he needed to rely more heavily on the prompters. I also felt Glen was a little unsure of the cues. (I.E when to come in after a solo etc). Having said that His performance stood up well and although it wasn't as polished as it had been it was still far better than other artists of the same generation. I have been to all of Glen's concerts since I became a fan in 1977 so I have seen Glen at his best and that was good enough for me.
I do recall when Glen sang Postcard from Paris at the Birmingham Symphony Hall on the good bye tour, That brought tears to my eyes because it was then that I realised the enormity of the loss that was about to befall me and all his fans.


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Cowpoke
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Re: Your Concert Experiences

Post by Cowpoke »

Glen Campbell in concert, Royal Festival Hall, London, October 18, 2008

(this is the report of the concert as I wrote it for a penpal of mine)

It all started quite nervous. My wife and I has miscalculated the time needed to get from our hotel
to the Royal Festival Hall so we ended up running thru the subways and on the stairs to get there in
time. Totally exhausted and sweating all over we reached the Hall, got our reservation tickets and
found our seats on the 4th row. We were there in time, but only just, because 5 minutes later Glen
appeared on stage.

He looked great in his white embroidered shirt, black trousers and cowboy boots. Some people in their
fifties look older than him!

He started with... "Gentle on my mind". He sounded nothing less than great from the start and did a
great electric solo. He got a great big round of applause after this first song and that set the tone
for the rest of the concert. Glen is really obviously very much loved by his UK audience and this
concert was no exception. He then did "Galveston" with another lyrical solo and then slowed the pace
a little with "By the Time I Get to Phoenix".

Then came "Sing" and "Angel Dream". I must say right away that I have mixed feelings about the new
songs. He obviously enjoys his new songs immensely and he sings them with great feeling. But I really
wish he would play guitar on some of them as well. That would lift those songs from just very good to
brilliant in my opinion.

Any way, then came "True Grit" (acoustic guitar!) and he told a little about John Wayne. He did make
a comment that his voice was a bit hoarse (and told that when he first heard the word he thought they
meant horse; the audience was not really sure what to make of this anecdote, but he made a funny joke
out of that situation and everybody laughed) but I couldn't hear that at all. I thought he was in
fine, fine voice. That was evidenced by all kinds of tiny vocal trics he would do, for example at the
end of a song, using his falseto voice to great effect. More evidence of his undiminished vocal
skills was the next song: "Lovesick Blues". That sounded great, one of the many highlights for me.

Then came "Sadly Beautiful" (fine rendition and instrumentation by TJ on the keyboards) and after
that the first song by Debby: "Silver threads and golden needles". She got a big hand of applause as
well and after that Glen and Debby did "Let it be me", in - needless to say - absolutely perfect
harmony. Then came "Good Riddance" with solo's by Kenny on mandoline and Todd Youth on electric
guitar. Todd is a great guitar player but, as you can guess, I would rather hear Glen plays those
solo's. No offence to Todd of course. Glen praised him quite a lot during the concert.

Last song before the break was "Country Boy (You got your feet in LA)" and boy, do I like that song
done live. Not as part of a medley, just the whole song. The band really gets into a groove on that
song. Glen went into a brilliant guitar solo ("I'll play one") at the end and then walked of stage,
while the band played on a little more.

After the break he came back in a black shirt and started with "Try a little kindness". Another
hightlight, that song is just terrific for a live concert. Glen did a absolutely - there is no other
word of it - fearless guitar solo, running up and down the neck of his guitar, showing that his
guitar skills have only got better in time. Then came Wichita Lineman to immense crowd approval.
Then it was time for some other new songs and these really blew me away: "Walls" and "All I Want is
You". "Walls" really gives the band the opportunity to rock out. Gary and Todd (extended solo) did
some great stuff on this. And "All I want is you" sounds even better than the already brilliant
studio version. I also had the feeling Glen knew the lyrics of these songs almost by heart which gave
him the opportunity to really get "into" the songs, if you know what i mean.

All the while Glen was in great spirits, making jokes and and telling short stories. He does tend to
forget a little more now he's 72, but he can also make jokes about that. He told the story about "we
were so poor we had to watch tv by..." and then he asked the band: what was it? and the band shouted:
candlelight! He then added: you know I sometimes even forget who I am. For the last few minutes I
though my name was George. That had the audience roaring of course.

Next up was "It's only make believe". Glen said that Elvis should have done that song, it would have
been perfect for him and then proceeded to sing the first few lines in his finest Elvis imitation which everybody loved. "Don't pull you love/Then you can say me goodbye" was next (loved it) and then came "Classical gas" which received another very long ovation.
Glen at one point said he felt humbled by the way the audience treated him.

Debby then did "Many rivers to cross" really well and then she and her father did "All I have to do is dream". "Southern Nights" became "London Nights". Glen then told about Yoko Ono giving him the song "Grow old with me" which sounded beautiful and pure (with Todd doing another solo). Then came Rhinestone cowboy which everybody sang along. Glen thanked the audience and got a standing ovation of several minutes. He just had to come back after that (TJ said to Glen: let's do a Foo Fighters song) and they did "Times like these" which sounded really good. Another standing ovation followed and then Glen did "Jesus", remarking that he just had to do that song on the new album. Again, his rendition topped the already perfect album version. Then he said goodbye and the concert was over.

I stayed around for a little bit with my wife, had a drink and then walked into the London night, feeling lucky I finally had witnessed a real Glen Campbell concert!
Attachments
Glen Campbell, Royal Festival Hall, October 18, 2008
Glen Campbell, Royal Festival Hall, October 18, 2008
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Glen Campbell, Royal Festival Hall, October 18, 2008
Glen Campbell, Royal Festival Hall, October 18, 2008
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Glen Campbell, Royal Festival Hall, October 18, 2008
Glen Campbell, Royal Festival Hall, October 18, 2008
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Glen Campbell, Royal Festival Hall, October 18, 2008
Glen Campbell, Royal Festival Hall, October 18, 2008
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I'm a carefree, range ridin', driftin' cowpoke...
Phyllis
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Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 11:49 pm

Re: Your Concert Experiences

Post by Phyllis »

Gary, I attended the same two concerts that you did!
The Taft Theatre concert was so sad. I remember sitting in the audience silently praying that Glen make it through that concert. I was really proud of the audience though. They applauded and gave standing ovations and anything else they could think of to try to help Glen along the way. Even though this was one of the hardest events I have ever sat through I am glad that I attended. That was the night that I tried my best to say good-bye to Glen Campbell and thank him for all the entertainment he have me over the years. I'm sure everyone else in attendance was doing the same.

Phyllis


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Dee
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Re: Your Concert Experiences

Post by Dee »

Gary, thank you so much for sharing with us your Goodbye Tour concert experiences including set lists, descriptions and beautiful photos including close-ups of GC. We are so glad you had opportunity to see two of these concerts.
I was very surprised to learn that Glen performed “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” with Ashley and also "Kentucky Means Paradise". The Renfro Valley audience must have loved the surprise performance of "Kentucky". Do you remember if Glen also played guitar on this song?
Thanks again!
Dee


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Cowpoke
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Re: Your Concert Experiences

Post by Cowpoke »

Gary, welcome to the forum and thanks very much for posting these detailed concert experiences! I myself didn't get to see Glen during his Goodbye Tour, but reports like yours give me a real good idea of how it must have been for fans to be there. And since you visited both a concert at the beginning and near the end of the tour, you were able to witness the progression of Glen's disease. I am glad to hear the audience helped Glen through, during that second concert. I have the impression Glen usually had the most trouble at the beginning of the concert. Thanks also for including the setlists for both concerts. I forgot Glen did Walls at the beginning of the tour! It seems he relied more and more on the older songs as the tour progressed, with the exception of Any Trouble. He must have really loved to sing that song. Anyway, thanks very much for your posts!


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Gary
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Re: Your Concert Experiences

Post by Gary »

The Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour
Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio - November 11, 2012

Glen Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the summer of 2011. He began his Goodbye Tour that fall. My family and I went to see him in Renfro Valley, Kentucky that September at the beginning of the tour. On November 11, 2012, my family and I went to see him at the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio. Now nearing the end of the final tour of his legendary career, the effects of the disease were certainly more evident than fourteen months earlier. If it were not for this disease and the confusion that accompanies it and some understanding on our part, this could have been a disappointing concert.

My feeling was that through the first three numbers, as he struggled with words and teleprompters, the audience was not sure how to react. Then he sang, “Try a Little Kindness.” Maybe the message of the song resonated with the crowd as he received the first of many thunderous ovations. He chose to do “Didn’t We” a song written by Jimmy Webb. I remember him performing this song the first time I saw him in concert back in 1969. Bringing back even more memories was “Lovesick Blues.” Originally recorded for the album “Houston (I'm Comin' to See You)” in 1974; it was a song my dad used to sing. “Dueling Banjos” and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” with daughter Ashley, showed that Glen could still pick with the best of them. He ended the show with “Wichita Lineman” and another standing ovation. He returned for a three-song encore ending the evening with “A Better Place” and a final standing ovation as he walked off stage waving goodbye.

Gentle on My Mind
Galveston
By the Time I Get to Phoenix
Try a Little Kindness
Where’s the Playground Susie
Didn’t We
I Can’t Stop Loving You
True Grit
Lovesick Blues
Dueling Banjos (with daughter Ashley)
Foggy Mountain Breakdown (with daughter Ashley)
Any Trouble
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
Country Boy
Wichita Lineman

Encore:
Rhinestone Cowboy
Southern Nights
A Better Place
Taft Theatre - Cinn, OH [11-11-12]
Taft Theatre - Cinn, OH [11-11-12]
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Taft Theatre - Cinn, OH [11-11-12]
Taft Theatre - Cinn, OH [11-11-12]
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Taft Theatre - Cinn, OH [11-11-12]
Taft Theatre - Cinn, OH [11-11-12]
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Gary
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Re: Your Concert Experiences

Post by Gary »

The Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour
The Renfro Valley Entertainment Center, Renfro Valley, KY – September 17, 2011

Glen Campbell was awesome. He opened with Gentle on My Mind (reminiscent of the Good Time Hour) and closed with A Better Place from Ghost on the Canvas. In all, he did five songs from the Ghost on the Canvas album. In between, he performed many of his big hits and some surprises including Kentucky Means Paradise. It was a fun and memorable evening.

Gentle on My Mind
Galveston
By the Time I Get to Phoenix
Try a Little Kindness
Walls
Where’s the Playground Susie
Dreams of the Everyday Housewife
Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)
True Grit
Kentucky Means Paradise
Dueling Banjos (with daughter Ashley)
It’s Your Amazing Grace
Ghost on the Canvas
Any Trouble
It’s Only Make Believe
I Can’t Stop Loving You
Southern Nights
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
Wichita Lineman
Rhinestone Cowboy

Encore:
In My Arms
A Better Place
Renfro Valley, KY – September 17, 2011
Renfro Valley, KY – September 17, 2011
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Renfro Valley, KY – September 17, 2011
Renfro Valley, KY – September 17, 2011
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Renfro Valley, KY – September 17, 2011
Renfro Valley, KY – September 17, 2011
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Your Concert Experiences

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Tell us about the Glen Campbell concerts you attented. We want to know everything!


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