(click on cover image for larger version)

A Van-L CD-R Tree Production
Let Us Ramble Through The Midnight Fair
(Jones Beach Amphitheater, Wantagh, New York
June 14, 1999)

CDR 1

1. Inarticulate Speech of the Heart (instrumental) (4:32)
2. Moondance (5:42)
3. Back On Top (4:15)
4. In The Midnight (5:05)
5. It Fills You Up (with Dr. John) (4:33)
6. Goin' Down Geneva (5:32)
7. In The Afternoon / Joe Turner Sings / Don't You Make Me High / Get On Up, I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine (9:32)
8. For Mr. Thomas (4:00)
9. Cleaning Windows (4:06)

1. Georgia On My Mind (5:09)
2. Precious Time (3:32)
3. The Healing Game (4:32)
4. Reminds Me Of You (5:19)
5. Help Me (8:55)
6. Jackie Wilson Said (3:50)
7. Just Like A Woman (5:28)
8. Philosophers Stone / Didn't He Ramble (6:09)
9. Gloria / Who Do You Love? (6:30)

Front cover: Charles Blackman "Luna Park (Ferris Wheel)" 1951

Administration & Liners:
Tree administration for this tree was by the legendary Linda Beatty! Richard Batey was again the designer of some great jewel-case liners for this show.

Review of the concert:
A very similar, but very different experience from last night's Roseland gig. Once again the band started with a slow instrumental, the same as at Roseland, but with more intensity. Moondance followed, once again, a better version than last night. Throughout the set, the band was tighter, and even Van was more animated and seemed to have more energy. He was on stage more, I didn't see him smoke a cigarette, and only drank from paper cups, rather than the flask he was hitting last night. Even so, my wife commented that he looked ill.

The set was similar to last night, with a few changes. This was the first time I heard Just Like A Woman. It was one of the best non-Dylan versions I have heard, but not the definitive version that some other listers called it a while back. Van's harp playing was much sharper than last night, and he seemed in a better mood. This surprised me, since last nights crowd appeared to be a knowledgeable one while tonight's was much much larger and more dilettantish (from where I was sitting anyway.)

Although the sky was threatening all afternoon, the rain started falling into a couple songs into the set. It became heaviest during Goin' Down Geneva (GDG for those who prefer abbreviations). The heavier it got the more intense Van seemed to become. Tonight's version killed last nights, and I thought las night's was excellent. I think Van liked seeing us get wet. Or maybe it was all those umbrellas keeping time to the music.

As I said, I thought the set had more intensity than last night (as difficult as it seems) although I thought the intensity began to flag during Georgia. Then a decent Philosopher's Stone, Van consults with John Scott, the band breaks into GLORIA, once again not as good as last night, walks off the stage and the light goes up. (Don Oral)

Van Tree Policy:
Please respect the efforts and the wishes of the dedicated bands of volunteers who put countless hours of time and energy into producing and treeing these rare live performances: please do not offer any of these tree volumes for sale.

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