.: I am three days into the NYC trip. Weather has been very warm and humid. .: On Thursday, 17 August 2006, I went with friends to the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater to see the Michael McDonald/Steely Dan show, aka the Steelyard “Sugartooth” McDan – The Man … The Legend … The Tour. The concert was amazing – the Jones Beach Theater is an outdoor amphitheatre on the beach in Wantaugh NY, on the south shore of Long Island. It was a clear night, the temperature was warm, the music outstanding.
Michael McDonald opened the show with a full band, and played an assortment of his solo tunes, a couple from his recent Motown songbook, and his killer Doobie Brothers songs, including It Keeps You Running, You Belong to Me, What A Fool Believes, Minute by Minute, and Takin’ It To The Streets. The intro to Takin’ It To The Streets featured a long piano/organ shuffle between McDonald and his keyboardist, John Deaderick. After some brilliant pianistics, McDonald began the opening chords to Takin’, and the crowd roared its approval. Read more »
Posted in Music, On The Road on August 8th 2006 by Randy Reichardt
.: Things are about to get hectic again. Tomorrow night I’ll be on site at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, helping to set up and configure the Performer Hospitality area backstage. The festival runs from Thursday until Sunday evening. My brother Chris and friend Tony are arriving on Thursday to attend the festival, and will be staying at my home during that time. Chris is also volunteering again, for the first time joining me on the Performer Hospitality crew.
On Tuesday, 15 August 2006, two days after the festival ends, I fly to NYC to spend a week holidays there. Among other things, I plan to see the Steely Dan/Michael McDonald show at Jones Beach on the 17th, and living legend Les Paul at the Iridium Jazz Club on the 21st. I had planned to see Alex Chilton and The Box Tops at the Seaport Music Festival on the 18th, but according to the NYTimes, “The Box Tops with Alex Chilton have canceled their tour dates because the band’s bassist, Bill Cunningham, has had a medical emergency. The band was to have played a free show at South Street Seaport on Aug. 18.” Bummer. Instead, the New York Dolls are performing in their place. Other activities are planned and others will evolve each day.
Three days after I return, my parents, their neighbour Lynn, and her two children will descend upon my home for three nights, as part of a Winnipeg-Calgary-Edmonton-Winnipeg trip. Then, suddenly, it will be September. As always, we will ask – where did the summer go? Oh, and I have new glasses.
Posted in On The Road on July 26th 2006 by Randy Reichardt
.: The Winnipeg trip is nearing its end, and I’ve had a great time so far. Other than having to deal with hot and muggy weather, it’s been eight days packed with activity. I reached Winnipeg around 0030 hrs on Wednesday, 19 July 2006, after a long drive from Edmonton. I arrived late in the day because upon leaving Edmonton in the morning, I realized I’d forgotten a few items, and had to drive back to my house to get them. (A day later in Winnipeg I realized I forgot even more stuff, which had to be shipped Priority Courier to me by a friend, to whom I am deeply indebted!) I was pretty much a vegetable the first couple of days here, and on Thursday evening, did the family thing. My folks and I attended a Reichardt Family picnic at St Vital Park. A couple cousins from out of town were there as well – Ian from Dallas TX, and Kathleen and her family from Simcoe ON. Before we left, we had a group photo taken by someone passing by. Afterwards, we visited cousins on my mom’s side of the family for a couple hours before heading home.
On Friday, I attended Part 1 of the WPC Class of ’71 High School Reunion. This included a visit to the high school where a brief open house was held, followed by a classic Winnipeg social at the local community club. On Saturday, Steve George and I paid our annual visit to Chester Cuthbert, well-respected Winnipeg book collector who will turn 94 in October. It’s always great to drop by and catch up with Chester, who is still in good health and reading actively. In the mid-1970s during my sf heydays with the local Winnipeg fan group, we spent many a Saturday afternoon at Chester’s discussing sf, fanzines, and the like.
Saturday night was the pig roast and bonfire with the high school gang. We had the dinner at the local church hall in Oakbank MB, just east of Winnipeg, and followed that with a bonfire at the home of Barb and Doug Zawada two blocks away. Barb was in the 1971 class. This was another great evening with old friends, and this time around, a few classmates attended who had passed on the previous two events, in 1996 (25 years) and 2003 (when we turned 50.) This included my dear friends Barry and Liz Zilkie, neither of whom I’d seen since the mid-70s. We spent much time catching up, and I know I will stay in touch with these amazing people. The day before Liz and Barry left Winnipeg, we met at The Forks, where Barry and I took lessons on riding Segways – what a blast!
Subsequent to the Segway experience we headed to Assiniboine Park (aka City Park) for lunch and a stroll about the Conservatory follwed by a walk about the Assiniboine Park Zoo until the heat and time overtook us.
On Monday night I moved across town to Mike and Susan’s house, and upon arrival, Mike and Steve took me on one of their now-legendary bike rides, as documented since 2004 at Bike With Mike. About halfway through our ~25.5 km ride we stopped to refuel on water and Gatorade before returning to Mike’s house.
On Tuesday night it was over to Steve’s for a bbq with Steve and his family and Mike and Susan. This is a tradition whenever I am in town, and was a good time as always. Tonight (Thurs) I am off to my parents’ place for dinner, and then back to Mike’s to pack up for the trip tomorrow. Then in two weeks, NYC…
Posted in On The Road on July 17th 2006 by Randy Reichardt
.: I am driving to Winnipeg tomorrow for a 10-day visit, including a high school reunion event next weekend. I’ll be staying with my folks for part of the time, and with friends otherwise. It will be hot and muggy while I’m there; thankfully, both locations where I will be staying have a/c. I’m looking forward to seeing the Usual Suspects, including my parents. My father’s lymphoma has apparently returned, so please keep him in your prayers, if I may be so bold to ask such things.
The car is packed except for guitar and bicycle. Yes, for the first time ever I will drive to Winnipeg with bike rack on the back of my car, with mountain bike attached. I plan to drive the Yellowhead straight through to Winnipeg, and upon return, take Highway 1 to Regina, the mind-numbing drive to Saskatoon, and return on the Yellowhead to Edmonton from there.
.: Instead of being on the ground in Edmonton, I am in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Explanation: The flight this morning from Baltimore to Minneapolis was delayed almost two hours, apparently because a nail was discovered in one of the tires in the landing gear. We were placed on a different jet, a Boeing 757, which remained parked at the gate for 90 minutes after all the passengers had boarded. The late departure resulted in me missing my connecting flight to Edmonton, leaving me here for another 10 hours. I cannot articulate here how angry I was as this developed. This is the third time in the last four round trips I have taken where I have missed a connecting flight.
I am at my cousin Janet’s house in Prior Lake, a suburb of Mpls. I called her from the airport to tell her what had happened, and that I was essentially stranded at the airport. Janet drove to the Mpls airport and took me back to her house, where she and her husband Steve are celebrating Father’s Day with their two sons, two daughters-in-law, three grandchildren, and Steve’s father and stepmother. We just finished eating burgers and salad, and it is nice to relax and visit with everyone here. Considering the alternative, which was to hang out at the airport for ten hours, this is a much better way to spend the afternoon, which is with family, as Janet said. I owe my cousin Big Time for this – thanks, Janet, for saving the day.
