It was good to see Glenn play live again, but we anxiously await some new material before year's end, 2 years is a long time to wait and with it he can play solo to a growing audience that is out there just waiting for him to appear in their hometown, whether it be America, Europe or Asia. In the mean time, it's great that he's getting out and playing to show the world what a talent he is, we can't wait for the upcoming Denver shows.....see you all there!

THURSDAY, MAY 14th, 1998 - PALOOKAVILLE - SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA When we heard that Glenn was rumored to make an appearance with Keith Emerson & Marc Bonilla for two San Francisco Bay Area shows we were in disbelief ! We knew Glenn was in Europe touring - could it really happen or would Keith come out and say due to conflicting touring schedules Glenn could not make it ? As we drove over to Santa Cruz it seemed strange that we were driving to see him perform, usually we have to catch a plane, train and more!

We entered and checked out the club, it reminded us a little of "The Zodiac" in Oxford, England where saw Glenn play during the '96 "Addiction" tour, it's a little bigger but the same concept. After going to the bar and getting something to eat, we went outside via the back-door to the parking lot to get some air, waiting for the support band (well, a one-man band to be precise - Pat McCormick!) to finish up, when a passenger van pulled in. David saw Glenn sitting up front and was I relieved, we hadn't made a wasted journey, we yelled out to Glenn, he immediately recognized us and came over for a chat before entering the club. I got up from my chair and gave him a hug; he looked GREAT dressed all in black. I welcomed him to the Bay Area and he told us that he would be doing "only 5 songs tonight" and that Keith just called him last weekend when he was in Zurich, Switzerland and asked him to come do the gigs. We talked a little longer, and then he had to go. For you ladies out there, he was wearing the same 'outfit' he wore at the "Billboard Live" show in LA, black coat, black shirt, but this time no jeans - black trousers with boots to match. And to cap it off.....a cool pair of black shades!

We went inside and found a spot to the right of the stage, it was great because most of Keith's fans were on the opposite side (in front of his grand piano and keyboards), it was less crowded where we were, good for some picture taking ya know ! The lights dimmed and out came Marc Bonilla and his band, Dragon Choir. He opened with "After Burner", the sound was a lot better than in LA at "Billboard Live". Marc played a few more of his songs then Keith Emerson came out and joined in, the crowd roared - I had forgotten how popular ELP are in the Bay Area.

They jammed on some of Keith's ELP and Marc's material for about 40 minutes or so. After "White Noise" finished, Keith introduced Glenn to the audience as "The Voice". Glenn opened with "Whiter Shade of Pale" a very nice version I might add, the crowd went crazy. Then came "Cover Me" from Addiction, that really got the crowd going. "Dreams" (from the Allman Brothers) was next, I think he enjoys singing that - it gives him (and us) a chance to dance around a bit! He left the stage for a few minutes while "Tarkus" started then came in to do fill-ins; it's weird to hear him sing ELP "songs" !

Overall, we thought Keith & Marc's performance was 100% better than when we saw them in Los Angeles this past January, and special mention to the DragonChoir who were tighter than tight, a great improvement. On to Glenn's performance, although good, I think he was suffering from jet lag, he seemed less enthusiastic than past performances, and can you blame him? I was a little disappointed that "Middle Of A Dream" and "I Don't Want To Live That Way Again" were absent from the set list, but I guess it was Keith Emerson's gig this time around, not Glenn or Marc's.

We had a great time and were so happy to see him play so close to home.

Friday night's set list was as follows:
After Burner, Irish, Hoe Down, Nut Rocker, Close To Home, Honky Tonk Train Blues, Creole Dance, White Noise, Whiter Shade of Pale, Cover Me, Dreams, Tarkus, (Encore) Fanfare/Rondo

FRIDAY, MAY 15th, 1998 - MARITIME HALL - SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA We got into San Francisco about 7:30pm Friday night, we had a tough time finding the Maritime Hall. Once there, we found a line was already forming down the steps to street level, primarily ELP fans. I was pleased that Glenn would finally get some further exposure here in the States.

As we walked in I noticed a sign posted "Subject to Search" - David & I were a little nervous because we had our camera in tow. We walked right in, no questions asked. The venue was weird, you had to walk up 3 flights of stairs to get to the main room where the stage and bar were. The place holds about 1500 people, but only about 400-500 showed. It reminded us a little of "The Bluebird" in Denver, including the balcony! There was also on each side of the walls, two huge video screens displaying the Maritime logo and a pyschadelia display!

After a few drinks patiently waiting for the opening band (Rook, bloody awful) to finish the set, David & I headed for the front of the stage to get a good camera angle! We had only taken 10 pictures in Santa Cruz (because a security guard told us to "watch it, not shoot it"), tonight we needed to get a whole role!

The lights went down and out came Marc Bonilla and Dragon Choir; he opened again with "After Burner". The set was almost the same with the exception of "American Madator" being added. Again the band were tight and in great form. And of course Glenn surprised us with a set change instead of playing "Dreams" after "Cover Me" it was held for the encore. His performance was better than in Santa Cruz he got to stretch out and get a little funky for the crowd especially during "Dreams". He looked rested and more himself tonight. He said "this is the first time in the 90's I've played in San Francisco and think it's a beautiful city now that I can appreciate it". I knew the last time he was here was in the early 80's with Hughes/Thrall, sure wish we could have seen them - a friend of mine was lucky enough to go, she told me it was awesome.

Friday night's set list was as follows:
After Burner, Irish, Hoe Down, Nut Rocker, Close To Home, Honky Tonk Train Blues, Creole Dance, White Noise, Whiter Shade of Pale, Cover Me, Dreams, Tarkus, (Encore) Fanfare/Rondo