Riders in the Sky and Cathey in Escondido California 19,1998 Photos here Show #3828 Brian and I got to the Center for Performing Arts in Escondido at a little before 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. concert. We had been in north San Diego county at a Woody (surf station wagon, not Paul) show at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas and then had an early dinner, so it was a nice, leisurely afternoon. The air was slightly crisp, with just a hint of autumn and the skies were clear. The venue is new (a few years old) and beautiful! It was built in an existing park, so has mature sycamores and oaks around it and through the grounds. There are offices and a museum/gallery, as well as the concert hall. The same gentleman I met in Glendale last spring was manning the Mercantile, although the pickings were very sparse - apparently they were cleaned out in Lodi the night before. Anyway, we chatted a bit, and he said that they had been talking about the internet market for old Riders pics and whatnot - apparently there is quite a market out there. I told him that the Cyberpals really didn't discuss that very much that I knew of. Anyway, we were let into the theater about 7:35 for an 8:00 show and our seats were smack dab in the middle of the theater. We were 16 rows back and so in the center that my point of view was actually between Woody and the Ranger. The place was PACKED!!! As far as I could tell, it was a sell-out. A lot of the folks came dressed up like cowboys. Actually, in Escondido, there are a lot of cowboys, so they weren't just "in costume" -- they were dressed in their best boots and hats, silver belt buckles and dusters. I saw no empty seats, either in the main area or in the balconies, and the box seats to the sides were full, too. The acoustics were perfect. After a little introduction by Michelle Prosser, the Director of Development of the Center, the guys bounded out and launched into Texas Plains. In order, the bill was: Texas Plains That's How the Yodel was Born Wahoo (here, Slim alluded to his to-be baby) Tumblin' Tumbleweeds (spontaneous applause when people recognized it) Palindrome (some new palindromes here, but I don't remember them, drat!) Farr Away Stomp (that's the instrumental with animal noises) La Malaguena (RD characterized it it as a "codependent dysfunctional love song", Slim said they ALL were) Sious City Sue The Andrew Lloyd Webber Parody (I'm sure some of the older folks in the audience wet their pants on that one) Hoop Dee Do Lie Still Little Dogies Rawhide (with the Bowlin' Bowlin' Bowlin' words, too - of course, RD found out that there were many more trail drivers than bowlers in the group - there are a lot of avocadoes to round up out here) (here, Slim said that any song could be improved by doing that (whistle) HYAAH! sound, so Doug said, "Oh, yeah?" and broke into: When You Wish Upon a Star whereupon Too Slim went (whistle) HYAAH!!. Kind of incongruous, but fun. Cowboy Camp Meeting Amber Eyes Arms of My Love Always Drink Upstream from the Herd One More Ride Intermission -- Back in the Saddle Again Ghost Riders in the Sky Cherokee Texas Sand (Joey sang that - it was the first time I really heard his voice, separate from the others. Nice!) Songs from the British Isles - i.e. Annie Laurie (RD), and then some Celtic fiddle music - one I didn't recognize, and one I think was the Irish Washerwoman. Then we had QUESTIONS. I asked the first one: I understand that your faces are on ads for mobile homes throughout the Midwest (at this point, Woody asked me to phrase it in the form of a question, Ha!), can we expect to see your faces on other products as well, for example, milk cartons? RD said his mother thought he'd been missing for years! I almost won the tape. But Woody spied someone up in a balcony and he asked, "What's an 8-track?" So he won it. I saw it after the show - boy, is it old! The illustration shows them impossibly young, and there's no date on it. Maybe it was recorded before history. Then they asked for requests, and did everything at once. They did Surfin' USA almost all the way through. That really pleased Bri, because he is a HUGE Brian Wilson fan (designed his webpage, and designs the Brian Wilson newsletter, Breakaway, too). Cool Water Reincarnation (directed at Woody, who looked properly dismayed at the comparison) Some REALLY FAST accordion stuff by Joey. Woody did his rope tricks (some worked, some didn't) to RD's humming of "Getting Sentimental Over You") Then he did the Chicken Dance and Slim did his Varmint Dance. Slim spoke a short tribute to Roy Rogers and they did a medley of his tunes: Pecos Bill, Blue Shadows on the Trail, Old Santa Fe, Don't Fence Me In, Along the Navajo Trail. They closed. STANDING OVATION!!! NOBODY LEFT!! CHEERING!! WHOOPING!! WHISTLING!!! They came back and sang: You Are My Sunshine Then RD sotto voce'd something to Slim, and they all came to the front of the stage, in front of their speakers. RD said they wanted to test the acoustics of this beautiful theater (he said it was the most beautiful they'd played in this year), and they started "He Walks with the Wild and Lonely". You could hear a pin drop in the theater - no one coughed, no one even BREATHED. It was a very touching, intimate moment. Then it was over. But not quite. A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE got in line to get autographs and to chat. I was about in the middle. No pictures, though, except for one adorable little girl, about seven, blonde with her hair in french braids and a cowgirl outfit on, complete with fringed boots, who got a photo with the Ranger. He was definitely HER idol. when I got to the table they were sitting, (left to right, RD, Slim, Joey and Woody), I gave the card to Doug and told him what it was. He said he would share it with the rest of the guys. He signed my Riders in the Sky book that I bought from the concession stand, and even spelled my name right. He's such a gentleman! I spoke to Slim next, and asked him about that little patch of whiskers he now has beneath his lower lip. He said it was "kinda" new. Looks neat. If you'll pardon, looks real sexy. I don't really remember talking to Joey much, other than to shake hands and say thanks for the great show, but I did speak to Woody. I told him he looked great, he said he felt great, and then we spoke about the Cyberpals! He asked if I had had anything to do with him getting his rope bag. I said I didn't, that that was some of the other folks in the group, and he said that the Cyberpals are sure a group of nice folks, and asked especially about Bobbie and Donnaj. He also asked if Donna Norris was a Cyberpal, and I said I didn't recognize the name - do any of you folks? So then we left, I drove because I was so wired, Bri slept, we got home about midnight, and I dreamed all night of Riders in the Sky. Incredible concert. Just incredible. Cathey