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Joined:
April 2002
Posts: 51
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas | For the GC fans out there and you know who you are.... Here are some random musings...
I am fortunate to live in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which is a stone's throw from Delight, which is very close to Nashville (AR), which is where GC had a 4th of July concert last night.
His various family members performed first and then he came on about 8:30 pm. Dressed in a casual Hawaiian style shirt with guitars on it and blue jeans and tennis shoes, he began with Gentle on My Mind. He played a natural spruce top Viper that he could not get tuned quite right and gave up after about 5 or 6 tunes. He then switched to his Fender Strat (can't say which model) and finished up with some Beach Boys tunes on a 12 string Hamer, which sounded just great.
For those who have lost track of Glen, he now performs occasionally in Branson at the Andy Williams theatre and does concerts such as the one last night. He's now 66 years old (!!), but I can tell you he has the same energy level that he always has had. He moved all over the stage and was clearly in control of the band, the sound, everything...
He had all of his family in the audience and he had two of his brothers and three of his sisters come out and sing with him. They all have great voices and great senses of humor. Clear, too, was the fact that they all loved each other. It's something you can see in their eyes and the way they respond to each other. One other thing on that. Towards the end of the concert, Glen was recognizing his family (of which there were many and who were sitting in bleachers on the left side of the stage) and there was one old fellow who began walking towards the edge of the stage,obviously confused. Since the stage was about five feet off the ground, he would have hurt himself if he had kept walking and had fallen. Glen was between songs and saw him and walked over and very gently took his arm and said " where ya going?" The old man looked at him and they began talking. This was Glen's oldest brother! He very quietly spoke to him and steered him back to the bleachers and the rest of the family. That sort of summed up the evening for me. Apart from the classic songs sung by an American treasure, here was this family gathering and celebrating and still taking care of each other. That moment was breathtaking.
One more thing and I'll quit. Maybe many people don't know it, but prior to his fame with Jim Webb songs, Glen was an LA session player. He played on many Beach Boys songs and even toured with them for a while. Point is, Glen is seriously underrated as a guitarist. His mastery of the instrument is phenomenal. He blazed with the Strat and the Hamer, and even did Classical Gas on the Viper. When his brothers and sisters came on stage he asked them what they'd like to sing. When they told him what song, he asked what key did they want it in. When they gave him the key, you could see the wheels turn in his head and he'd immediately blast off with a lead intro, rhythm and lead riffs that sounded like they were being done for a recording. I can tell you, too, this probably wasn't rehearsed. They were just doing old favorite songs that the family used to sing together. The guitar playing was phenomenal.
Ok, just one more thing. I went down there to Nashville with my camera and hoped just to get a few long distance shots with my tele. When I got there, it was just general seating at an outside stage in the city park. People had brought their lawn chairs and were scattered all over. I meandered up to the side of the stage and began taking some shots from about thirty feet away, which I thought was super. However, I got brave and with my big camera and bigger lens, I moved to center stage, about eight feet from Glen. Over the next 45 minutes I took about 30 shots and got some great pictures. The only people closer than me were the guys in the band. At one point I turned around to see who was behind me and to make sure i wan't blocking their view (I wasn't). There sat our Governor and his wife! So I was between the Gov and Glen. I was in pretty tall cotton as we say here!
All of that sort of sums up Arkansas. Small state, good people. Wish all you Glen fans could've been there!
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Morse Gist
Hot Springs | |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Morse
thanks for a killer review. I knew about Glen's session work and also feel his playing is underrated. | |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Morse:
There's a web page for Glen at
http://www.glencampbellshow.com
If you go to the forum area, you could post this review. Folks there would love to see it and some of the photos you took. If you don't want to do that, would you mind if I copy and pasted it there?
Paul | |
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Joined:
April 2002
Posts: 51
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas | Hi, Paul. Thanks for the idea. I'd be happy if you posted it at the GC site. Unfortunately, I am not digitized and was using film. I may see if a friend can scan the pics and send them that way.
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Morse | |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Morse
Super review! When I did a net search for GC Good Time Hour video tapes, I found some GC concert tapes for sale, so fans might try a net search if you want concert tapes. I taped a concert on PBS of Glen in the Dakotas, I think, with a symphony orchestra, and it was very much as you describe in your review, without the family involvement, but his daughter Debbie was there and sang with him. I play it a lot as he is as good as he ever was, maybe better.
Bailey | |
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Glen Campbell Concert