25 years of Bruce Hornsby

The best thing about being a Bruce Hornsby superfan is the chance I get to meet other Hornsby superfans, and the best place to do that is at Si Twining's website Bruuuce.com.

A while ago, Si was planning the site's big celebration of the 25th anniversary of "The Way it Is" album. 25 years!?! Yes, indeedy. He asked for submissions of stories and photos, any memories we wanted to share from 25 great years of music. Mine got a page of its own, and Emilyn is featured, too! (Just click on the image of the screen to read the story.)


For more stories from Si's excellent 25 years in review page (it's important for you all to know there are lots more people like me out there!), click here.

Bruce Hornsby, Part III: After the show

When the show was over, I grabbed Marc and Rosemary and we headed to the stage door, put our pass stickers on and waited. Before long, a guy who looks a lot like drummer Sonny Emory comes out, hugs this little redheaded woman who's standing next to us, then goes down to say hi to some other people he recognizes. Cooooooool.

A few minutes later, keyboardist John Thomas comes out and does the same exact thing. Hugs for the little redhead. Gladhanding with some people he recognizes. Cooooool. Marc, Rosemary and I are still just standing there, waiting for the door to open and to be escorted backstage.

We chat a little bit with this guy in a wheelchair, and his helpers... He's got a couple of CDs he brought for Bruce to sign.

Then, I look up and Bruce Hornsby himself comes out the door. Holy cow. Hugs for the little redheaded woman. By this time, I realize that this is my big shot, so I shake his hand and introduce myself... I say I'm the one who wrote the request about the new record ("play the whole damn thing"), he again expresses his desire to squeeze in plenty of old stuff. (The redheaded woman, who I found out was Rose, said it was a great request!) I tell Bruce that I saw him in 1987 at Jones Beach... "You remember that, right?" I say, tongue in cheek... He says, "Oh, yeah, I remember everything that happened 22 years ago..." I say: "Hey, did you see that little kid in the Cub jacket who was sitting next to Tony?" And he says, "La Russa, really? Did he see the kid?" And I explain that I'm pretty sure neither one of them noticed the other... He gets a kick out of that story, grabs my notepad and signs it (yes, spelling my name wrong).

Rosemary then yells, "You didn't play 'Madeline Rain'!" I try not to hang my head in mortification. I'm trying to make a big impression, and here I'm with this chick, who I don't even know, and she doesn't know it's "Mandolin Rain"??! But Bruce was gracious as all get-out, and he says, "You know, we were going to come out and do a second encore! But the bastards went and brought up the house music. So, we were going to play some more. Basically, we got screwed."

He moves along to the guy in the wheelchair... and the star of the show so warm and open, it's kind of like seeing an uncle at the holidays... Someone familiar but that you need to get reacquainted with. The guy in the wheelchair has obviously had a stroke... He's having a little trouble with his speech, but he says his name, and Bruce recognizes his name right away. "Oh, man... did you use to play with (name I can't remember) band? Back in Williamsburg?" And then it's like old home week with these two, and they're talking about bands and high school and how this guy went to school with Bruce's brother Bobby... "I'm going to tell Bobby I saw you! He won't believe it!" etc. I'm just hanging back, watching all these exchanges -- again, very warm and open and friendly.

So, he gladhands a little bit more, poses for a couple pictures. It seems like he knows nearly everyone. The crowd of about a dozen starts to thin out, and I ask one of the people left if they'll take a shot of me and Bruce, if he's willing. So, I say, "Will you stand for a picture, Bruce?" And he says, "Absolutely." Now, of course, this is a one-shot deal, and part of my pre-show obsessing was trying to make sure I looked decent in this photo! But, foiled again: I was too damn excited and am grinning like an idiot, double chin and all.

He's winding down with his little meet-and-greet, and I realize: I haven't been backstage at all! And I really don't need to go! I could have gone to see if La Russa was still there... say hi to Doug again, but I pretty much felt like I'd gotten what I came for. Then, the little redhead comes up to me: "What was your name again?" she says. Cooooool. This is the woman who got hugs from every band member! And she wants to know who I am? I introduce myself, and ask: "So, do you see Bruce in a lot of different cities?" She pulls out her iPhone and says, "Oh, yeah, this is me and Bruce in Vancouver..." etc. A real groupie! I mean, probably not in the classic sense. She's far from a bombshell. So, Rose and I chitchat for a little while longer, she heads for the bar, and I head home with a big smile, feeling like a real FOB -- Friend of Bruce.

Bruce Hornsby, Part II: The show

Bruce started off noodling on the piano... playing some folk song about Sadie, and that turned into "White Wheeled Limousine," which morphed into "Questions and Answers," then back to "White Wheeled Limousine" and "Long Black Veil." Then, "Circus on the Moon" and "The Low Country."

Then he read my request, in which I said: "The new record rocks, why not just play the whole damn thing?" He said my name and everything, then laughed and said he couldn't play all new stuff because there were people there to hear the old stuff. Then he talked about being a 10-time Grammy loser, and told that great story about his wife sitting next to Sting at the Grammys, which blended naturally into "The End of the Innocence." Next, "Tango King", in 9/8 time, which he said was very difficult to dance to (not for me!).

After that, he picked up the dulcimer and strummed "Shadow Hand" and "Prairie Dog Town." Next, the accordion for "Defenders of the Flag" (with a screaming guitar solo from my new friend Doug). After that came "Pete and Manny," which somehow morphed into "Barcelona Mona." Then, "Fields of Gray," which became "Where It's At." One of my favorite songs, "Sunflower Cat," came next, and blended into the old Bob Dylan song "It Takes a Train to Cry," with a good drum solo by Sonny Emory in there somewhere. Then came the song that pays the bills, which went all the way to No. 1 in December 1986: "The Way It Is."

It was so funny to watch the band, laughing and exchanging befuddled looks at all the changes Bruce was making. For my part, I was keeping up nicely, though my knees, feet and calves started to hurt a little after a while... Intermittently, there was another woman who came down to dance next to me... You would call her a hippie stoner, except she was like 22. Do they still have hippie stoners? Anyway, she thought I was "awwwesome."

Rosemary later would tell me that the young women with Tony La Russa kept elbowing him and gesturing toward me... Yikes. I hope there is no cell phone video of my performance!

For an encore, the band came out and did "Cyclone" off the new album... and thank goodness, because Bruce really was true to his word and seemed to be totally ignoring my request to play new stuff! Then came a pretty jaunty version of "The Valley Road."

And that was it!? No second encore!? Well... I would later learn why...

Next up, Part III: After the show

Bruce Hornsby, Part I: Before the show

Some people have heard this story... some haven't... some have told me they've heard it too many times! But it was really an exciting night, so I have to record it for posterity. Sorry!

Months ago, I got my ticket for Bruce Hornsby's show at the Pageant. I'd never been there, but it sounded like a great place for a show. Then, after looking at all of the great fans on Si Twining's Bruuuce.com site, I wondered if I couldn't arrange to meet Bruce after the show, maybe get a picture of him and me!

So, I e-mailed his office in Virginia and got a nice reply from Patti, his assistant. She arranged for me to have two backstage passes (sweet!) for after the show, but warned me that Bruce sometimes skips these meet-and-greet events. That's cool... I just wanted to give it a shot.

Concert night comes, and (obsessive as I am) I've got my shoulder bag and comfy shoes, for maximum mobility. I got there very early. Around the corner from the parking lot is Suite 100, part of the Pageant complex where they sell band T-shirts and stuff... So, I went in there right away and bought a Levitate tour T-shirt. (Bruce's band is the Noisemakers, so I almost bought Allen a kids' shirt that said "Noisemaker" on the back. I may still get him one online...)

Out of the shop I go, and I walk down the street a ways, still much too early for the doors to open. I pass by the window of a guitar store, Killer Vintage, and just happen to peek in... there sits Doug Derryberry, Noisemakers' guitarist! Well, I'm freaking out, a little vocally perhaps, and this guy standing next to me on the sidewalk says, "Really?" He and his girlfriend had just come out of the store, and they had no idea that the guy inside noodling on all the old guitars was "anybody." So, that's how I met Marc and Rosemary, who also had tickets to the show but knew, really, next to nothing about the band.

So, Rosemary drags us all back inside the shop, eager to chat up Doug, now that she knows he's with the band. She points me out and says what a huge fan I am... that I recognized him though they didn't... etc. She was really a trip, very vocal and outgoing. Great ice-breaker for me!

And there I was, sitting on a stool in Killer Vintage, chatting with Doug Derryberry like it's nothing at all, talking about the tour and different albums and which old guitars and amps sound great and just what exactly it's like to stand on stage with Bruce Hornsby and have absolutely no idea what he's going to do next. Bruce tends to take sharp left turns in the middle of songs, leaving even his own band bewildered. So far, a very cool start to my evening!

I tell Marc and Rosemary that I actually have two backstage passes, so I offer them one. I mean, it's just me, and I won't need both. This makes Marc nervous, because he'll be left out, but, again, he knows nothing at all about Bruce! Perhaps that made it more irksome when we got inside the theater, and I find out that Marc and Rosemary have much better seats than I do!! Harumph!

But these two were very cool, and they offered to let me stand on the floor in front of their slightly raised seats, which is what I wanted to do anyway. I really had no intention of staying in my own seat. Not when there's major music to be danced to!

(The opening band, St. Louis' own The Incurables, were pleasant enough, and it's worth noting that they sounded a lot like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, with better singing.)

So, the real show's ready to start. I'm in my spot in front of Marc and Rosemary, and the lights go down... in breezes Tony La Russa and his entourage... Cardinals manager, big friend of Bruce's. I guess he didn't want anyone to ask him why the team took such a dive in the playoffs, or why neither of their two best pitchers won the Cy Young. Tony and his party took some seats about 6 feet away from me, so they had an excellent view of me movin' and groovin' all night long. And I was nearly the only person out of their chair in the whole damn place. How could you sit still at a Hornsby show? Just wrong.

Next up, Part II: The show

Sick, drugged and unpaid

There's a reason February is the shortest month.

When I was in college, it was always April that we dreaded most. TONS of work in classes. But now that I'm a grown-up, I have to say it's February that is the toughest to endure.

I really don't remember what green leaves look like. This happens to me every year.

To top it all off, this year I've been sick all month. And then some. After three weeks of my cough, on Valentine's Day I was feeling better. Rode the bike a little. The next day I got some exercise at the pool. Then, on Monday, it all came crashing down, and I felt just as bad as ever.

That setback sent me to the doctor, who pronounced: "Bronchitis. Or early pneumonia." Cripes. So, I got Zithromax, a super-potent 5-day antibiotic, and Tussionex, a codeine cough syrup. So, I started taking them both, like a good patient. Well, I sure didn't like the way the antibiotics made me feel. It was even tougher to breathe sometimes, and I felt anxious... my heart often pounding.

I did some research online and found out that these are some of those "generally mild" side effects the drugmakers are compelled to warn us about! Good thing was, the course is only a few days, and I think it's out of my system now. I'm feeling much more like myself again. Coughing still? You betcha! But it's preferable to the hinky feelings I got on those meds! Next time, I'm asking for plain old bread-mold pills, thank you very much.

In amongst all this, the members of my union, the Newspaper Guild, voted in favor of Lee Enterprises' plan to furlough all union employees. It was a resounding vote in favor, actually. Myself, I voted no. The company refused to offer anything in return, such as an extension of our current contract, or a guarantee of no layoffs in exchange for the furlough. So, in effect, we volunteered to take a pay cut, and for our trouble, we can still be fired! Yay!

So, I have to take five days off, unpaid, in either March or April. This, in itself, is not bad, of course. I like not working. But, it's the principle of the thing. I requested 3 days in March and 2 in April, so we'll see how that works out. They want to do this all with no overtime, to which I say: Good luck with that! Just means we'll all be stretched to the breaking point while our colleagues are forced to stay home. Sheesh.

Anyhoo, March is right around the corner, and hope springs eternal, as they say! Without a doubt, I am looking forward to this spring more than ever. Bruce Hornsby was spotted at camp with Tony and the Redbirds in Jupiter, Fla. Grapefruit League games start today! The beach house is booked, Steve is getting the car serviced for the trip, and, thanks to Lee, I may have a few days off before vacation to get the house in tip-top shape. Life is beautiful! (Hack-cough-hack-hack. Somebody get me a Hall's!)

Rockin' on the river

Bruce Hornsby, live on the levee! Under the Arch and under the stars. And all free.

As you may know, Bruce sometimes takes requests from fliers and signs people put up on stage. So Emilyn and I each made one. But the show was really short, and he didn't play our songs. Rats. We even got down to the front row for a few songs! We met some nice guys who were waiting to hear "Fortunate Son." They got their wish!

The fireworks were quite a show, too. On our way out, we climbed to the top of the levee -- twice! And traffic was a total mess, but luckily, park rangers on Trek bikes with flashing lights were there to save the day.



Awesome show! A great mother-daughter night on the riverfront.

Bruce Hornsby, under the Arch

I was on the radio! (Almost . . .)

My friend Lisa called today and said Bruce Hornsby was going to be on NPR for an hour this afternoon, playing music and taking calls. I had to get in on that! So, I called the number, got through to DC, and the producer put me on hold! Neat! I got to listen to the whole show over the phone... They took one call, then another... Bruce played some music... They took one more call... One more song... and then it was over. Damn. But I almost got to talk to Bruce Hornsby. It's probably for the best. I probably would have made a fool out of myself anyway:

Jennie: "Hey, Bruce! Fan since '86! 14 years old, my formative years... Caught you at the Sheldon, with TLR... you schooled us all on Anton Webern. 12 tones, baby, yeah! Anyway, I've been thinking how 'Changes Made' is like the ultimate culmination of the styles of all your albums, from the delicate piano of 'Way It Is' through the hard-driving beats of 'Swing Face' -- and, just an aside, I liked 'Swing Face,' eventually... What do you think? Pretty astute of me, huh? Anyway, your music really makes your fans think, you know? It's thinking music for thinking people."

"Talk of the Nation" host: "Um, is there a question, caller?"

You get the idea. I think the producers sensed the train wreck coming and thought it best to just let me languish on hold.

Bruce Hornsby, live at the Sheldon

This is the part where it's all about me, me, me. Sorry, but no kids were present Sunday night when I went with my good friend Lisa Eisenhauer to see my musical hero, Bruce Hornsby, at the Sheldon Concert Hall in Grand Center. Man, is that place cool! I can't believe I'd never been there. Without a doubt, I'll be back. Steve and I may try to take in some bluegrass shows there. They say it's "acoustically perfect." And, for just a man and his piano, I'd have to say they're right.

http://sheldonconcerthall.org

Bruce was introduced by his pal, Cardinals' skipper Tony La Russa. The crowd gave Tony a standing-O... And he thanked them by saying, "It's good to see you all have such short memories..." That afternoon, the Cards got shellacked by the Cubs, 7-3. "I'll tell you, losing is bad," he said. "But losing to the Cubs is the worst."

So, that was funny. Lo and behold, right after Bruce comes out on stage, the usher shows Tony and his friends to their seats ... four rows in front
of us! And with him was Cardinals bench player Scott Spiezio (left). And an attractive young blonde, who we think was Scott's wife. She's a Playmate. (Later, at intermission, we had another sight-em in the lobby: Cards GM Walt Jocketty! As seen with Tony, at right. A star-studded event! But these are just pictures from the Web, I'm sad to say. I had no camera.)

So, the show was just Bruce and his piano. He said he does about five public solo shows a year, so this was a rare treat! Just as he sat down, somebody's cell phone went off... He said, loudly, "I hear a cell phone." Then, aside, laughingly, to the rest of the crowd, "Turn that damn thing off." We all went nuts. The phone owner must have been mortified! He played some notes that sounded like ringtones, then said it was a "dodecaphonic," or 12-tone, piece by Anton Webern. Wow, that was obscure, and he acknowledged that. Next time you have some time, Google ol' Anton. They say he encoded nuclear secrets in his music... Hmmm.

So, Bruce opened with "The Way It Is," which I think strayed into Mozart a little bit toward the middle. It was amazing. Then, he told us about the country club girls in his town getting "knocked up," so we knew it was time for "The Valley Road," which he played in a nice boogie-woogie style. Sometimes he plays it bluegrass. But either way, it's cool.

Next came "A Night on the Town," and that was neat because I noticed you could see his hands on the piano reflected in the polished wood wainscoting that is everywhere at the Sheldon. Next he played "The End of the Innocence," which he wrote with Don Henley... He joked that it was OK that it brought Henley all the fame, because he gets half the royalties anyway. During that piece, he mixed in a little of Song C, D, or F. I'm not sure which one it was.

He joked then about some Bob Dylan bootlegs, and said Tony was giving him moonshine backstage. Then he launched into "Hooray for Tom," which he said was Tony's favorite. He tweaked the lyrics a bit for the crowd. "Teach me long division, so I can figure out baseball stats. Batting average, fielding percentage and all that" became "... so I can figure out Cardinals stats. Pujols' batting average, Eckstein's fielding percentage and all that." It's a great song. Then he played a hilarious joke version, "Hooray for Tony," which he wrote for Tony's 60th birthday last year. I've got to find the lyrics for that... I think you can get the DVD of the whole party at mlb.com.

Then he joked again about playing bad hotel bars for bad hotel bar crowds. Ramadas and Sheratons. "Spider Fingers" is a song about that, and he broke into a disco medley whenever he thought he was losing the hotel crowd. "Shake Your Booty" and "Play that Funky Music, White Boy." It was hysterical.

Rounding out Act One was "The Dreaded Spoon," a nifty spoof of Bruce's dad and how he always used to steal the kids' desserts. I think that's coming out on the bluegrass CD with Ricky Skaggs.

At intermission we chatted with Nancy Miller, another friend from the Post, who had front row, center, seats. I told her I'd been listening to Bruce Hornsby since I was 14 -- 20 years! -- but yet she still didn't want to trade seats with us. I didn't understand that.

Bruce opened Act Two with another jab at the people who straggled in after intermission -- "Here come the drinkers!" -- and launched into "Country Doctor," another of my favorites. Then, with dispatch, came "Sticks and Stones," "Jacob's Ladder" and "Halcyon Days" (before which Bruce apologized that he couldn't sing as well as Sting). "Halcyon Days" bled into "Standing on the Moon," which was the lone Grateful Dead song of the evening. The Deadheads, by the way, cleaned up pretty nice for the Sheldon. They kept clamoring for Bruce to play more Dead tunes, but he put them in their place. "I already played a Grateful Dead song..." he said. "I came a long way..." And all the true Hornsby fans in the audience went wild! Yeah! Tell it, Bruce!

Lots of stuff from the "Halcyon Days" album. It's a great album. If you've actually
read this far, and you don't already own this album, buy it. Or you iPodders out
there, download some of it. Guest artists are Elton John, Sting and Eric Clapton. Every adult under 60 has to like at least one of those people, right?

Next, Bruce sang a new song, "The Low Country," which hasn't been recorded yet. It, too, was pretty funny. Then, a lady behind me yelled out "Rainbow's Cadillac!" And he played it right away. After that, he acknowledged selling out to corporate America, because Lowe's uses "Changes Made" as their new jingle. Next time you see a Lowe's commercial do listen for it. He said he'd even gotten some nasty e-mails. I say, gotta send Russell and Keith to college, right? He played that one, then added a funny new verse that he said was about "whoring for airplay." Neat.

People kept yelling out requests, which Bruce appreciated... So in short order came "I Will Walk With You," "Fields of Gray" and "Mandolin Rain," which he actually played twice. The new version, which is on the Skaggs record, sounds kind of dark and medieval. Can't wait to hear that on CD. Also, halfway through the first version, Bruce broke into a little "Scarborough Fair." Wild!

Then, Bruce left the stage, and we all called him back for an encore. I held out hope that he'd play "Resting Place," but instead he broke into "King of the Hill," which was almost as good! He played half that in the lotus position. He pacified the Deadheads a little by throwing in a little "Big Boss Man" in the middle. Then, he closed with the jazzy cover "We'll Be Together Again," after promising that he would be back to St. Louis soon. Can't wait!