Judi, J.J., and I are in the little internet cafe across the street from the hotel so I don't have much time, but I HAD to let you know a little bit about last night.

I have not felt this way about a show since I walked out of Tanz for the first time in
Vienna! Steve Rinkoff made the point last night that we needed to think out these shows as workshops where they are trying out new material with new performers in various ways to come up with the very best product in the end. This show was light years better than the February shows.

There was an energy level that was missing before and a quality of performance level was was elevated astronomically.

We had a real life drummer that was one HELL of a drummer...no synths here. The walls were shaking.

Alex Skolnick (sp?) is just the best guitarist I have heard play in a while. Gawd! He could make that guitar talk!

Steve Margoshes is without compare! The keyboardost whose name I forgot...Ben David? David Ben? something was awesome. Another guitarist whose name I do not remember but who was good.

Elaine absolutely blew everyone away. She and Rob did Loving You is a Dirty Job with a new much more rocking arrangement. I thought it was CD ready. They could have recorded last night, put it on a CD and I believe they would have a hit. It was perfect as it was.

Rob's Only When I Feel could not get any better. They have it right where it needs to be.

They have really found the sound! This was a much more rocking show...louder...better in every way.

Neil was given the first verse of objects which more or less fit the young boy voice he has, while Rob, the man, had the last part. This worked much better.

Elaine did It is all coming back to me. She owns that song. Celine should just write a letter of apology for singing it without the proper emotion and forever let Elaine be the only singer. If life was fair; if justice prevailed;, Elaine would be a star right now. Her voice, her movements, her intonation. All...prefection.

Bonnie came on to thunderous applause. She sang Total Eclipse. There was not one negative comment I could make about it.

Adrienne was marginally better than before. Her voice is really good and she seems to understand the passion etc, but she still basically stands in front on the microphone singing. I suppose what I am trying to say is that she is an excellent singer, but is not yet a good performer.
She needs to watch Elaine and Bonnie. When they are on the stage, they own the stage. They grab the audience and bring them along with them into the song.

I will try to write a more coherent review later.
This was one of those nights when everything came together for greatness to happen. Spontaneous applause erupted throughout. There were several times when someone would yell out Jim's name at the end of a song and the entire audience would rise en mass to give him a standing ovation. There was applause and yells etc as one performer or another outdid themselves during a song.

Jim was there and seemed to be feeling good. He was friendly and happy...as different from February and the show was different.

I don't know who should get the credit for the improvement....JIm, Steve Margoshes, or Steve Rinkoff, but someone did one hell of a job.

One negative thing...at least for me....they still did the screwed up version of Braver. I don't like the hokey letter reading at the beginning. I don't lie the politization of the lyrics. I don't like the change from a universal love song to an antiwar song. I do not like it Sam I am. I do not like it worth a damn. However, in honesty, I will have to report that the song got a standing O from much of the audience.

OY yes! The band did Ewigkeit..bolero...with the pounding drums and the wailing guitar and pounding piano. It was worth the trip to NYC to experience that one song. My lord, it was great!
Just record the damn thing and get us a CD Now!!

I know I am forgetting so much. On...Not Allowed to Love had Elaine as the lead. It was great. The lyrics fit as in a person who has a career and is trying to succeed and is not allowed to love because she cannot afford the distractions etc. It worked very well.

Rob Did Is nothing Sacred. Rob is just flat out fantastic. I'm sorry if some of you don't think it translates onto these amatuer boots recorded in terrible conditions with inferior sound equipment and crowd noise and unbalanced sounds from waht ever part of the venue the recorder is sitting. But hell, Morell, have I ever lied to you? Rob is Great!!!

My time is ruuning out so I have to close this. I wish I could grab every one of you and bring you to the show tonight. We are watching musical history in the making.

Thank you, Steve Margoshes
Thank you, Steve Rinkoff
Thank you most of all, Jim Steinman

Love to you all. More later Peeps