The First Signing

Here's the story that goes with the signing of my DF Volume I Songbook.   I had been frequently checking the schedule for a concert date in Phoenix and as the Jan 23, 1998 Anaheim concert grew closer I decided I had better take advantage of it. I continued to call the Freedman Forum on almost a daily basis because if my wife and I were going to fly to Anaheim, I wanted to get good seats. I had seen Dan many times before, one time being at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix - In the Round - Acoustic Solo - Just as it would be in Anaheim. My daily calls paid off - Third Row on the aisle. I then called to make plane/hotel/rental car reservations. It was the most expensive concert I've ever been to with all added in - - - WORTH EVERY PENNY!   The concert was beautiful. Dan's sense of humor abounded as did his musical sensationalism. Someone yelled out 'UNPLUGGED' and Dan did not hesitate to show the man 'No - This is unplugged.' He unplugged his acoustic from the amplifier and strummed - of course it could barely be heard. Dan then said 'This is why I chose to call it the "SOLO ACOUSTIC" tour instead of unplugged'. It is hard now to remember all that happened back in January but I remember him talking of composing a song while sitting at the piano in his Mother's home watching the sun rise. He then played "To The Morning". I hope I am remembering correctly. Dan accepted flowers from some in the audience. I have never seen Dan sign autographs before but I brought my Dan Fogelberg - Volume 1 songbook just in case. After the concert my wife and I went around back where his limo was waiting. There were a few loyal fans hanging around for one last glimpse, maybe a chance for an autograph. One of the security personnel came out and I started talking to him. I asked which door Dan would come out. He said he wasn't sure. I explained my dilemma and that I had never seen Dan sign autographs for his fans before. The man told me that Dan was inside signing for the VIP's as we spoke. I asked the man if he could get my book signed. He said he knew a VIP and could do it for me. He asked me my name and then disappeared inside with my book. Time seemed to stand still as I waited. After what seemed like forever, and a few comments from my wife, the man returned with my book. There on the cover it was - - To Brett - Dan Fogelberg. Other fans gathered around to see and I felt bad for them. Soon after Dan came out and climbed in the limo - gone. I felt lucky and thankful. I've been a fan since I was first turned on to Dan - 20 something years ago. I have had the songbook bound and laminated so it will last as I open it on a regular basis to play my 12 String - Every time I do I am taken back to that wonderful night in Anaheim - - Thanks Dan!

       You can purchase this and other Dan Fogelberg songbooks (unsigned) at:
  Amazon or Stagepass as well as others listed on the Miscellaneous Page

The Second Signing

It was an evening just like any other evening, changing clothes in the bathroom of a gas station in Southern California.  Actually, we had arrived near The Grove approximately an hour before the show... ...not enough time to find Sandi's friends house and make it back before the show started... ...so we changed at the gas station.  Sandi was glad they had an electrical outlet in there so she could plug in her curling iron.

We arrived at The Grove about a half hour prior to the show.  I had brought copies of my sketches of Dan, to give to him, plus my Home Free/Souvenirs Songbook for signing.  I only had the copies because I had given the originals to Kim and Sylvia for helping me get back to Indiana to see Dan at the Belterra Casino last year.  I explained this on the back of the sketches I had brought with me.

We found our seats and I looked around for Yvonne and family but did not see them.  Thanks for the tickets Yvonne!  Sorry we never hooked up... ...I was looking forward to meeting you and yours.

I then started hunting down management.  Security person one called security person two who said to get in contact with Susan.  They did and she came over to talk to me.  I explained who I was, about wanting to give the sketches to Dan, and about wanting to get the song book signed.  She said she would take them and put them in his dressing room with a note of instructions. 

I returned to my seat where my lovely lady had already made friends with those nearby.  One couple had stated they had found out about the concert being at The Grove from finding Ever On.... ...by the way, that evening at The Grove marked the two year anniversary of Ever On being a web site.  

The house lights went low and the band started coming on stage to the accompaniment of applause.  "Ladies and Gentleman, Please Welcome Dan Fogelberg".  The stage lights came on and Dan stepped to the microphone (No wooden chair, no little wooden table with a cup on it) wearing a tan sport coat, white button up collarless shirt and brown BOOTS.  No sandals this go round... ...I liked the boots much better.

Dan was also sporting a huge shiner to his right eye.  He said he had banged his head with his guitar.  I'm still trying to figure out how to give yourself a black eye with your guitar... ...so that I can avoid doing it.

They started off with Dan on guitar while they played "Magic Every Moment", and being with Sandi at this concert was special.  Dang it was great to have her there to wrap my arms around.  Dan's voice sounded great... ...it was gonna be a magical evening.

Next up he moved to the piano as they performed "Heart Hotels", always a favorite of mine.  "...And rooms filled with reckless pride..."  Always a reminder that there is no room in a relationship to be prideful.  It doesn't matter who is right, it matters what is right... ...I'm still trying to learn this... ...it is not easy and I ask forgiveness from those with whom I've closed my soul to in the past and would not try to look from their viewpoint or even more so, Christ's viewpoint.

He then moved back to the guitar and center stage for "Hard To Say" and those haunting and truthful lines... "...It's hard to walk away from love, It may never come again...".  I pray I never walk that lonely road again.

He stayed with guitar on the next song as well... ...can't remember if it was the same one... ...it seemed like every time I'd blink my eyes he'd be handed a different guitar. (Okay Brett, quit coveting.)  The song started of with an instrumental piece and I had no idea what he was going to play... ...then it flowed into "Changing Horses". 

Looking farther than you'll ever hope to see 
Takes you places you don't know 
Search for someone you can't ever hope to be 
And still you go Oh, still you go

Those are the feelings I had as I wrote the song "Oh, That I Might See".

He handed off the guitar and moved back to the piano for a song he said that he had never been able to play it in concert the way it was recorded before, so thanks to the band, for the first time he was able to do it.  "To The Morning".  It was more than beautiful.  I believe he wrote this at age eighteen, sitting at the piano in his parents home, watching the sun rise.

And it's going to be a day
There is really no way to say no to the morning
Yes it's going to be a day
There is really nothing left to say but come on morning

I try to think of this when my anxiety gets to me and tries to keep me from facing the day.

He stayed at the piano and played "Run For The Roses" ~ always beautiful.  He then moved back to the guitar (not sure which one) and jammed "Morning Sky".

Ooh, and it makes me stop and wonder why 
People give their hearts and turn around and say goodbye

Wouldn't it be nice to know from the beginning.  It sure would save a lot of broken hearts.  But as Garth Brooks (Dan was one of Garth's influences musically as he grew) put it in his song "The Dance":

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance 
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain 
But I'd of had to miss the dance

Next up was my favorite waltz of all time... ..."The Reach"...

And the morning will blow away as the waves crash and fall 
And The Reach like a siren sings as she beckons and calls 
As the coastline recedes from view and the seas swell and roll 
I will take from The Reach all that she has to teach 
To the depths of my soul 

Sometimes we spend so much time hurrying/scurrying along on this planet Earth that we don't stop long enough to smell the roses.  After the concert I told Sandi that we should have got up and waltzed in the hallway, still in view of the stage but not blocking the view of others... ...dang I wish I would have thought of it as it was being played.

...I just remembered the Simon & Garfunkel song; "59th Street Bridge Song"

Slow down, you move too fast, 
You've got to make the morning last 
Just kickin' down the cobble-stones, 
Lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy, Feeling groovy 
Hello lamp-post, what's you knowin', 
I come to watch the flowers growin' 
Ain't you got no rhymes for me, 
Do-it-do-do-do, feelin' groovy Feeling groovy 
I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep 
I'm dabbled and drowsy and ready to sleep 
Let the morning time drop all its pebbles on me 
Life I love you, all is groovy

My hope is that we can all slow down long enough to take from the reach all that she has to teach to the depths of our souls... ...wherever our special reach may be.

I can't remember for sure but I think after "The Reach", the band left the stage and they brought out "The Wooden Chair"  for Dan to go into the Solo Acoustic set starting with "Make Love Stay".

 And as stated in the other reviews, those plates crashed to the floor and Dan stated with a smile on his face" I probably asked for that."  and it brought laughter to the audience... ...he then finished the song.  

I asked Sandi how do we do it... ...I found out that she has about as much an idea how to make love stay a I do... ...who knows?

Somewhere along the line while Dan was handing off one guitar and being handed another I yelled out; "A Man, A Woman And A Duck".  I could see it brought a smile to his face but he made no comments on the subject

Still on guitar, he then went into another beautiful intro which leant no idea to what was going to be played... ...it was "Leader Of The Band"  which brought much applause from the audience.

At one point during his solo set I saw him tuning his guitar as well, but I didn't remember it being during a song.  And my thoughts on this re-tuning was possibly changing to an alternate tuning such as standard to double drop D or any other of the many various tunings that are available.  What I did covet was his ability to just quickly turn a couple of the knobs and have it where he wanted it... ...while I must dig out my tuner or use the one on my computer.

He then moved to the piano and again played another beautiful intro that led into "Same Old Lang Syne" ~ Yes, I still love to hear this song year after year, especially when he does a change up of how he starts it out.

Next up he brought the band back out and introduced them.  He spoke of the drummer, Joe Vitale, who co-wrote "Rocky Mountain Way" with Joe Walsh so they jammed that one real good.  It seemed kinda funny... ...Dan doing "Rocky Mountain Way" ~ took me back to The James Gang featuring Joe Walsh days.

He then said they were going to do a Firefall song as he introduced Mark Andes.  I yelled out "Cinderella" (My favorite Firefall song) and Dan smiled and said "No. Strange Way." and then they played "Strange Way".  I first heard of Firefall when I was in the Navy and one of my Navy buddies was from Boulder, Colorado, Firefall's hometown.  I had never seen Firefall so it was a treat to hear this song live.

They next played a really kickin' instrumental that either:

a) I didn't hear the name of it.
b) He didn't say the name of it.

They next went into a couple of blues tunes.  The first was a Robert Johnson number called "Walkin' Blues" I think.  I love to hear Dan sing the blues.  Robert McEntee kicked in some killer harmonica on this.

The second one Dan said they were going to do one by Mackinley Morganfield and nobody in the audience responded... ...until Dan said Muddy Waters as he is mostly known by... ...then everyone cheered and the band played "Blow Wind Blow".

After that they played a song that became my favorite for the evening... ..."Empty Cages"... ...I love to see Dan play that electric and I love this rockin' song of his.

Long before we come of age we yearn to leave the garden
And wrestle with a myth the hand of fate has faintly drawn
But somewhere on the way we feel our hearts begin to harden
And see just as we learn to turn around
The garden is gone

"Part Of The Plan" came up next... ...and one day we'll all understand...

They all left the stage as the crowd roared for more and continued to do so until they came back.  And then he sang it... ..."There's A Place In The World For A Gambler".  And on the last verse he tried to get us to do the "Let It Shine" without him singing and he kept saying "LOUDER!" so I let loose.  I even sang it that other way he does it where he goes up high and then down through the scales.  When I did it, Dan looked over my direction with a bit of a surprised yet happy look on his face.  And Sandi said other's in the audience looked over my direction when I did it as well.  I asked her if he/they were looking my direction because it was bad or good... ...she said it was because I did it well.  I hope so... ...oh well, I'll never see those people again anyway.  One thing missing from this song was the lighters... ...no lighters being swayed to the song... ...it's okay... ...they could have had all the lights out and it still would not have taken away the joy of hearing this song.

His 2nd encore he brought out his wife and introduced her.  I believe, if my memory, or lack thereof, serves me correctly, Dan spoke of the passing of George Harrison.  Then they played a Beatles tune, "If I Needed Someone" with Jeanne providing background vocals and tambourine.

And then they were gone... 

Sandi was able to talk one of the security dudes to give us the photocopied page of passes.

I tracked down Susan and she ushered us off to a side room where we were to wait for either the band members to come through or Mario to bring my signed songbook.  We saw some of the band members leaving through the lobby and we walked up to them, chatted a bit and had them sign the pass page. 

A little later a woman came in and talked to this other group of people and said for them to follow her backstage.  I followed too.  Sandi waited back in the other room.  I talked with a couple more band members, got their autographs on the pass page and looked around for Dan.  Jeanne was a few feet away talking with the group I had followed but Dan was not in sight.  There was a room off to the side of where Jeanne was standing... ...I imagine that Dan was probably in there.

Another man came up and asked what I was doing and I told him I was waiting for Mario to bring me the signed book.  He said he would track him down but asked me to wait right outside the door as I had no backstage pass.  I waited on the stage and Sandi came and joined me.  We shuffled from this spot to that spot as we waited so not to be in the way of the roadies.

Finally the man came out and handed me my book... ...signed by Dan.  I had left a black marker for him to sign it with but it was signed in gold... ...which showed up better than the black would.  Either he had a gold marker or everything he touches turns to Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum.  

We could have waited around on stage to see if Dan would come out soon but we decided to call it a night... ...knowing how when Dan leaves he usually keeps on trucking straight to his ride without stopping.

We left through the back of the stage where we saw a crowd gathered outside of a fenced in area.  I stopped long enough to show the autograph and then we left.

A beautiful evening with beautiful company...

"Carpe Diem"

Brett

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