The Sun Theatre - Anaheim, California - 2001
 
It was a short but sweet night at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim on 7/11/01. I had front row seats, on the piano side, which were just perfect. Dan looked great, and a bit more dressed up than usual in a tan and black shirt, tan jacket, black slacks and the fisherman’s sandals with black socks. He looked really fine! What a beautiful man he is after all these years. 

The evening started with Part of the Plan - quite a switch for Dan as this is usually one of the ending songs. Go Down Easy was next, and what a pretty rendition as I haven’t heard this song for years. My album of High Country Snows never made it to CD. When Dan went to the piano he started to really warm up. He told a story of a recent trip to Paris where he went to the Louvre and saw Delacroix’s portrait of Chopin. It was so remarkable to him since he had this book of Chopin’s Nocturnes on his piano forever and it had a picture of this portrait on the cover. This led to a series of artist jokes. Dan played Paris Nocturne and it was sparkling perfection. What a treat to hear that beautiful piano piece without accompaniment. The version on Twin Sons is great but hearing him play it solo was breathtaking. Dan played Bones from the Sky, a nice treat that we haven’t heard in some time and it was very pretty.

Make Love Stay seemed a bit more emotional and sexy than usual and then he dedicated Road Beneath My Wheels to Johnny Lee. He then did a bunch of guitar work, including Buckaroos Midnight Ramble, which he dedicated to Chet Atkins. Longer was lovely and Dan’s guitar playing was just exceptional that night, or maybe it was just because I was so close up and could see all the hand movements so clearly. Leader of the Band was great as usual but Same Old Lang Syne was especially lovely that night and brought Dan a standing ovation. He told us (as he has before) yes, the story is true. But, he went on with more details. He was at his parent’s house in Peoria, Illinois. My husband and I cheered since he went to school in Peoria. Dan couldn’t believe that anyone else was really from there but then added, “good thing another one got out”. Anyways, he was making his parents Irish coffee and wanted to get some real whipped cream so he went out to the convenience store. He said that him being a creton and needing the real thing led to this song.

Unfortunately Dan did only one encore – Along the Road, which I haven’t heard him play in several years. It was very nice, and he played it standing. Then he simply said, in a very soft and sweet voice, “Good Night”. And that was that. Cut a bit short but mighty sweet. Dan left out “The Reach” which is one of my 3 favorite songs (The Last Nail and To the Morning are the others). When we left, my husband quickly snatched the playlist from the stage and The Reach was on it, but I guess Dan got too caught up in the guitar set and forgot or decided not to play it.

I have now seen Dan 18 times since 1978, and I just don’t tire of him. Like a very nice glass of Cabernet, he just keeps getting better. Here’s the playlist, direct from the sheet!

Part of the Plan
Go Down Easy
Hard to Say
Forefathers
Beggar’s Game
Paris Nocturne
Bones in the Sky
Don’t Lose Heart
Make Love Stay
Road Beneath My Wheels
The Reach – but he didn’t play it
Guitar Instrumental Set – included Buckaroos Midnight Ramble and Lazy Susan
Run for the Roses
Longer
Leader of the Band
Same Old Lang Syne
Encore: Along the Road

Tina