After a harrowing drive down from Santa Barbara in pre-Thanksgiving holiday traffic, and getting lost for a while, I finally reached the El Rey Theatre at nearly 7:30 pm. I was afraid I would be too late to get a good seat, because the show was supposed to start at 8:00, and people would already be let in. But when I walked up there was a line outside of about 30 people. We continued to wait until well after 8:20. Then the doors were opened and we were told they had been having sound problems inside. We were let into the lobby to wait some more. I made a quick trip to the restroom and when I came out they had opened the theatre doors, so I anxiously made my way inside and scanned the room. It was a dinner theatre type place with tables around the outside and rows of chairs in front of the stage. People were already filling in everywhere so I walked up the aisle to the front row and lo and behold there were actually two seats left. So I planted myself, excited about the fact that soon Duncan would be less than 6 feet from me.
The opening band was Hooverphonic, and they came on at nearly 9:00. But I enjoyed them thoroughly. Their vocalist Geike sort of sounds like a combination of Liz Fraser from Cocteau Twins and Bjork. After the Hooverphonic set was over and their gear had been removed, Duncan's guitarist Gerry Leonard came on and played a couple of songs for us.
As Gerry finished, the beginning strains of Rubbed Out filled the air, and finally Duncan made his entrance. He really rocked out as he played an extended introduction to Rubbed Out and set the pattern for the evening. We were treated to an extensive demonstration of his musicianship as well as his hard earned stage confidence and presence. His voice sounded incredible. And after each song we were treated to his beautiful smile. Next, he played She Runs Away, Alibi, In the Absence of Sun, and a touching version of A Body Goes Down. At one point people in the audience yelled "We love you Duncan", and he laughed and told them to shut up and then someone said, "Show us your booty Duncan" and he said "That's only for the late show." Then a guy yelled "Play Wishful Thinking" and he did, but I think that was coincidental. Then Duncan said "This is a song about how silly it is to try to be a rock star", and played Nothing Special. He took to the piano for Varying Degrees of Con-Artistry, then took up his guitar again for the rest of the show. That Says it All came next. Then Serena, which he again played with an extended introduction. And two people went right up to the stage and started dancing, but they were removed by security. I found that strange. I was very happy just to sit and watch Duncan in awe. After Serena, Duncan gave a shout out to some special guests in the audience, Rupert Hine his producer, and Bob Clearmountain who mixed the record, were in attendance, and he dedicated In Between to them. Then he played Barely Breathing, and he said that it's almost embarrassing for him to play it now, but someone yelled "You can do it Duncan" which I'm sure was very helpful. Then Duncan shook a mock scolding finger at us and said very slowly, "Bite Your Tongue" which drew cheers from the crowd as he launched into it. After this song he thanked us for coming and exited the stage to a standing ovation, and of course a few minutes later he re-appeared for the encore. He dedicated Home to all his friends in the SGI and he made sure to introduce his great band before finishing the set with House Full of Riches. Overall, a tremendous show!
