I wanted to wait to post my DE review until I had time to put my thoughts into some sort of coherent order. However, if I wait for thattime, the March shows will have come and gone and I still will not have written my review. So, I will just write as I think...a dangerous proposition. :-)

I have enjoyed reading the reviews from the other attendees and from those who have heard the MP3s. It is always interesting to read all the different opinions of the same material. These are my thoughts and opinions in no discernable order.

These Steintrips have three parts; the people, the place and the event around which the trip is organized. It was so good to see old friends again and to meet some new ones. Mike, his sister, and Jeff were new additions to our group. I did not get to spend much time with Mike and his sister, but we sat with Jeff at dinner one night and really enjoyed getting to know him. I hope he will begin to post some. It as also nice to get to know Emily's bf. He is a keeper.

Thanks to Justin for making the plans and seeing to the reservations for the trip. That is a necessary but often thankless job. Thanks also for all the 'little' things you do for us. There just didn't seem to be enough time to visit with everyone. I know if I start naming folks I will leave out someone, but it was so good to see Justin,Dave, Daphne :-), BMV, Brian, JJ, Rabe, Judi, the three vixen and their mates, Ron, Mike for one minute, and the ever lovely and gracious JD.

So..the people part was good.

The 'place' was NYC and it certainly lived up to expectations. I was able to see three Broadway plays and to have some fabulous food. The snow itself was quite an event for this Southerner. The last time it snowed at my home was five years ago and the flakes were so scarce that you could run between them and never get touched. :-)

So....the place was good.

The Dream Engine shows comprised the event. I thoroughly enjoyed them both. For those of you who are not familiar with Joe's Pub, it is a very small facility attached to the public theater complex. Feel free to correct me because I am not very good at measurements, but I would say that the room was maybe 40 feet wide by maybe 40 or 50 feel long. If you stood with your back against the wall at the front, the stage was in the far left back corner. It was maybe 12' X 12' X 3' tall. There was a door on the left side of the stage with a curtain where the performers entered and exited. On this tiny stage was a piano played by Steve Margoshes, a keyboard, a drum kit, two guitarists, and at times five singers.

The room was divided into three parts from front to back. The left strip was maybe 12' wide. The part not taken up by the stage was made up of tables and chairs placed in a horseshoe shape. This is where we usually sit. Those sitting up by the stage could literally reach out and touch the performers. The middle strip was raised a couple of steps and consisted of padded benches and banquettes facing the stage. One of these was Jim's. The right strip was a step or two up from that and had a bar about half way down the side and then tables and chairs to the back wall. This is where we sat the second night. This is a very intimate place.

Someone, BMV ?, said we were told last year that OTT was a work in progress and that DE still is also. This is true. The show is far from the polished final product that you would want to take on the road. I think that those of us who have been to these shows and who have heard the various MP3s are blessed to be able to watch and be a part of a show being born. It is like watching sausage being made....not always very pretty, but the end product is tasty. The actual music...the singers and the players were very good. Things looked awkward and not smooth at times, but on a stage that size and with that many people going off and on that was to be expected.

The new singer Adrienne Warren was very good. Her voice was suited to the music. She was pretty. I think that right now she maybe lacks a little confidence or that stage presence that everyone seems to be talking about. She reminds me a little of Patti Russo when she first started with Meat. It was like she was a little afraid to move and didn't know quite what to do with herself. I think Patti learned from Meat. Whatever you may think about him, he gives good show. Now when Patti comes on stage, she *owns* it.

Now granted, AW didn't have much stage to move around on, but she doesn't yet look comfortable. I think that will come and that she can become a great performer.

Elaine is just the consummate singer. I stand in amazement whenever she sings. They called her at lunch on Monday and told her that Bonnie could not sing that night and she would need to do Loving You. She nailed it. She was a little disappointed that she didn't get to sing IACBTMN because of time limits. I was too.

Nikki is still an excellent singer. She was relegated to a more back up position the first night, but sang TEOTH in Bonnie's absence the 2nd night. She really rocked out to it.

Rob...what can we say about Rob. Remember this is *my* opinion. I flat out love his voice. He is more and more loosening up and rocking out. The emotion is there. He gave one hell of a performance both nights. He just gets better and better.

The new guy didn't do much for me. He could sing well and hit the notes. I don't know what exactly it was. He can sing the high notes but he doesn't have the high clear voice of Rory Dodd. I just don't know.

Alex Skolnick is so great! His guitar playing is enough reason to see the shows by itself.

Now the songs:

I like that it started with Bolero or Eternity. Good arrangement.

I actually liked Body although I know several folks didn't. Some of us talked with Steve Rinkoff after the show and Rabe asked him about Body saying it sounded like something from a disco. Steve said that the song did not sound like that on the CD. He said they were unable to bring everything to JP that they had in the studio but that they wanted the audience to get a feel for the song. The Bova beat sounds like a heartbeat and gets you right into the song. I watched the drummer and he did begin to play a little ways into the song until the end so it will definitely not be a Bova percussion song.

I think this was the first time I could understand why those involved with a product are so against bootlegs etc. or against letting fans in on the process of arriving at the final product. We hear Meat on a gawdawful third or fourth generation boot at a live concert and make up our minds that the song is awful and his voice is awful and that he should probably just shoot himself because he has no hope. We hear a boot MP3 or even an in person song that is little more than a bare bones demo and decide that we don't like this or that.

I think Body is going to be a very good song in its final cut.

The more I hear Only when I Feel, the more I like it. I actually think it could be the hit of the bunch.

Speaking in Tongues is maybe a filler song as someone suggested. It is just a silly little song. Surf's Up is a much better boner song. Jeez, I would love to hear Rob sing that. :-)
Actually the title and the idea behind SiT suggest the possibility of a much better song. The lyrics seem a little mundane.

The Braver controversy. I did not like this at all. I was a little embarrassed for Rob reading the 'letter' to mama. It was hokey. For those of us who know Jim's works, it was a mishmash of lines. I do not like the new lyrics although some of my friends were quite taken with them. It is only fair to tell you that, especially the second night, the audience erupted into applause when the song was over. Maybe it would be a success; I don't know. I think it stood a much better chance of success by being a universal love song than an anti-war song. For me personally, it was a disappointment.

If this is supposed to be a themed show, I missed the theme. If it is that the future is not what it used to be and the world is going to hell in a handbasket, that doesn't seem like a very good theme for an entertainment show. Who would want to pay to see a show in order to be depressed?

There was talk of other venues...of taking the show to Denver, Vegas, and San Francisco. There was talk of symphonies…. all sorts of dreams and plans that may or may not come to fruition.

One of the neatest things for me was meeting Bob Kinkel after the show. You know that he is one of the leaders of TSO and one of the composers. He is planning to take Beethoven's Last Night on tour maybe next year, maybe with Rob, maybe with Patti.

My fantasy would be a TSO/Dream Engine fusion. There is already a huge TSO influence with Rob, Alex, and a couple of other band members. TSO has the name, money, and organization to really make the DE fly. TSO already seems to operate on the idea that the music is the most important thing. They have both an East and a West coast touring group. Both groups have excellent performers. How neat if Jim's music was the most important thing and there would be touring companies bringing the music to you.

Oh yes, it was great seeing Bonnie perform. She was truly a Steinman legend. She looked great and sang great. I had no idea how her voice would be, but it was just as it should be...hearing her sing TEOTH in person.

I read that some of the Mohegan Sun folks were disappointed in meeting Jim or in not meeting Jim after the way he was at MS shows. I think you folks may have had the experience of a lifetime. You met him in a relaxed setting with no time restraints when he was in a healthy period and in a talkative mood. This may well have been the one exception to the rule.

Jim looked frail, physically, at the shows. More than one of his group told us that he was working up a storm and was in a very creative period so maybe he has that comfort. He did not look well. I would imagine that he has good days and bad days as do most people who have suffered strokes and heart attacks.

Rabe presented him with a stuffed animal. Judi suggested that we go into a store where you could make up your own bear to see if we could find something Steinman-like. Rabe actually made the choices...found the bear, motorcycle jacket, jeans, sneakers, and shades. We looked for a long silver wig but couldn't find it. My only contribution was to note that the blue nosed bear was probably male while the pink nosed bear was female and to O.K. the sneaker choice. So Jim Steinbear was born. Jim seemed to be pleased with him and thanked Rabe. Jim's friend Don, later told Rabe that Jim really liked it.

So...the event was good.

Three out of three is excellent. :-)