18 Jan 2003, The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA
Warm up band #1 were in the vein of commercialesque rock/pop and the singer also played lead guitar. Although some folks didn't seem to care for them, I gave them points for having the guts to open for the Dregs (and what a credit to list on their resume'). Opening act #2 was "Agent 22", consisting of a Chapman stick player and drummer. Their sound was ethereal and 'space-y' (if you can call it that). One could mentally wander off somewhere on those tunes which might make a good backdrop for a sci-fi book/movie.
When I'd entered the Coach House, Skoots (the guitar tech), was restringing Dave's spanking new Ernie Ball bass and getting it ready for the gig. From what I could see in the dim lighting, it's a vibrant, metallic tangerine with bronze overtones - beautiful and it sounds fantastic! A huge thank you to the Road Crew for keeping things running smoothly for these shows--we appreciate it more than you guys will ever know!
T's solos during the first few tunes were 'in the dark' so to speak, due to the out-of-sync lighting spots. You could tell because he'd get really close to the keyboard to see, then look up and gesture at the lights (that all got sorted out after a while).
On the other hand, Jerry's rig had some difficulties in the beginning but that just gave Steve a few extra minutes to introduce the band, tell anecdotes and crack jokes. He talked about 'the DVDs that sold out which was good for them but was bad for us (since we couldn't buy
any) which was good for them because they all sold'. Several people mentioned wanting to pick up some CDs and other merchandise but there weren't any available. When I asked TJ about it he said they had expected a FedEx shipment on Friday and then on Saturday but FedEx doesn't deliver on Sunday so they never got it.
Thank you to Norm for providing the set list: Good Intentions, Assembly Line, Goin' to Town, Odyssey, Brick Chicken (Jerry), Hereafter, Justice (T), Kat Food, Meeting of the Spirits (Mahavishnu), I'm Freaking Out, The Bash, Cruise Control; encore: Rod's drum solo, Shapes of Things and Take It Off The Top.
About half-way through the Dregs' set, Jeff Pevar (guitarist for Jazz is Dead) leaned over the railing of the upper floor just behind me and yelled out at the top of his lungs "HOLY SH--!! HOLY SH--!!!!" while grinning in that oh-so-familiar way we all do. I would venture to guess that he was completely blown away by what he was hearing.
The post show meet and greet was enjoyable, as always. T and Jerry had split early but I got to chat with Rod and Dave and say hello to Steve. I also talked with Jeff Pevar for a few minutes. It was a great show and a memorable time.