GKML Web Site

U.S. Tour '99

Boston, Massachusetts
August 30, 1999

Harbor Lights Pavillion

Hey, all!

Saw the GK last night in scenic Boston!

The weather was beautiful, and the music was great! The mixing was much, much better than it was last year. Tonino's guitar was clearly audible, and Nicholas' mike was not cranked up to the point of distortion. Also, the volume level was bearable, as opposed to last year, when all in my party wished for earplugs.

Tonino RULES!! His playing was easily the best I've seen in concert since maybe 1993. I've been afraid he's been slowing down with age, but apparently NOT. In fact, the reports I heard on the news about a six-alarm blaze in downtown Boston were apparently due to him being completely on fire... :) Unfortunately, he did not sit down for a solo instrumental with Negrito or Pacheco on cajon... I don't know why not. The instrumentals he did play were exceptional, however. I'm afraid, (so sue me!) that I can never keep the names of the instrumentals straight, so I can't say which ones he played.

In fact, I did not write down the playlist. It didn't seem to alter much from what I was expecting, based on your reports. It included several old favorites (Un Amor, A Tu Vera, Montana, Djobi Djoba, Bamboleo) plus a large number of new songs, presumably from the new album. (!)

As an interesting aside, when they started playing A Tu Vera, the last song of the regular set, a woman standing behind me had been screaming "Bamboleo! Bamboleo!" before almost every song. Tonino looked right at her, and started playing the into lick of Bamboleo... she almost fainted, and the El Maestro merged it beautifully into the beginning of A Tu Vera, which they then played! It was great! On a related note, A Tu Vera gets more and more elaborate every time they play it! (Which is fine by me). The opening line has changed from "A Tu Vera" to "A Tu Vera A Tu Vera A Tu Vera".

GREAT SEATS!! I had originally bought tickets around row 20 for the first night, row 22 for the second night. However, when the shows were rescheduled and rolled into one, I called really early to swap my tickets, and totally lucked out! We were right between Andre and Nicholas. Andre was trading thumbs up with me and my friend Eric (not in the GKML) and he seemed appreciative of my shirt. (La Quiero World Tour w/ their portrait on the front... don't see too many any more!! :) The lineup in full was Paul, Andre, Nicholas, Tonino, Patchai, Paco (yay!) and Canut. George was in back, and came up front a couple of times. Michael was not there, nor was anyone who might have been Patchai's son.

All of the singing was excellent, especially Nicholas. His voice was much stronger and clearer than when I saw them last year, not to mention much more passionate. Has anyone heard that he's stopped smoking as well? I could hear the difference in Canut's voice. In fact, the whole group looked thinner, younger, and more lively than they did last year. They were clearly having a better time. I wonder if it's because they have their families with them this time.

Which reminds me: I (Okay, my dad) heard from a roadie that the reason the concert was rescheduled was that they have their families with them. The GKs' visas are fine, but their families' visas all expire at the the end of August. Thus, they moved concerts around (Boston was originally Sept 10+11) to minimize time apart. The two concerts were rolled into one because Harborlights could only accomodate one date. I'm glad Harborlights (sorry... BankBoston Pavilion) was accomodating at all. If the GK had just cancelled I'd have been p*ssed!

Well, hope you enjoyed the latest installation of the GK Report.

-j


Hola mi amigos!! (with a special shout out to Jeremy & Joni!)

O.K. where do I start???? I experienced my first GK show last night and it blew my socks off!! I cannot wipe this silly grin off my face!!! I was in the aisle seat of the 12th row(Canut's side!) the view of the stage was fantastic and being on the end seat I was able to dance my butt off!!! Security kept telling not to dance in the aisle, but they eventually gave up ;)!! So I took that as a sign that I should make my way down to the stage to dance!! I am very free-spirited dancer and I got a couple of smiles from Paco & Canut!!! O.K. it gets better....... during the intermission my girlfriend and I were coming out of the ladies room and some security guy asked us if we would like to go back-stage after the show!!!!! He gave us each a after show back stage pass and told him to meet him at the back stage gates after the show!!! I was so excited, I was practically jumping out of my skin!! Anyway we went back stage and there was a little area set up under a tent with a few tables and chairs so my girlfriend & I sat down & waited to see what would happen next. Well all of a sudden Nicholas, Tonino and Patchai came out of a small building where their dressing rooms where. Well everyone started to go shake their hands and take photo's so my friend and I started to mingle around too! Well to try to make a long story short, I had bought a GK baseball cap and I ended up getting signatures from Nicolas, Tonino, Patchai, Pacheco( i love him!!), Canut, Georges & Titi on the brim off my hat!!!! We also took pictures with all of them (except Titi)!!! I speak a little Spanish and my friend is fluent so we were able to communicate very well!! They were all so nice( well to be honest Canut seemed like he'd rather be somewhere else) I asked Canut in Spanish if he wasn't feeling well or was he just tired and he told me he was just "pequito cansado". Oh I'm sorry , I forgot to tell you that we were invited to go into the building with their dressing rooms a little living room area and a small kitchen where there was a spread of food for the guys( that's where we talked to Canut!) We then saw Pacheco and asked him if he would sign our stuff and take a photo with us. He said "of course" and brought us to the little living room and he signed my cap and drew a little picture (of what looked like my shoes!) and said he was signing it from his heart!!!! My friend and I then sat on each side of him on the little couch to have a picture taken with him and he pulled us back to we were kind of like laying backwards like we were old friends!!! I can't wait to get the pictures so I can send them to Bob!!! I pray they all come out clearly!!! I'm so sorry that I'm rambling on, but I am so happy and excited I can't help it!!!! Oops, I almost forgot this one too, after Nicholas signed my hat, some girls asked to borrow my pen so I was standing next to him leaning on the railing (this was outside) and someone was trying to get by behind us and was yelling "excuse me, excuse me". Well Nicholas starts to mimic him and looks at me and laughs so I decide I'll mimic him in Spanish and then Nicholas laughs and mimics again (in I don't know what language!) so I laugh and finish it off in French!! I then really excused myself and left him to his other fans. I know this may all sound kind of lame to some of you that have met them many times, but it really was a huge thrill for me!!!!!

O.K. last story(I think ;)) and it may be the best one!!! Alright stay with me guys, we are now back in the building and we see Tonino again in the hall. My friend and I are getting ready to leave now and we tell Tonino again how wonderful the show was and that it was my first time, well he then looks at my girlfriend and asks her ......... if he were to ask us to go with them to the New York show the next night what would we do?????? My girlfriend was so shocked that she just laughed, PINCHED BOTH HIS CHEEKS!!! and told him that was too cute!!!! I'm sure he was just teasing us because he was cracking up laughing when we hugged him good-bye!!!! So we finally make our way out of the building saying our "ciaos & good-byes" and as we were walking back to the gates we passed Nicholas walking with a friend and when I said ciao to him he reached across his friend and squeezed my forearm with such a warm and sincere smile that it really touched my heart!! Well needless to say, last night was one of the most memorable of my life and I want to thank all you guys on the list for teaching me so much about the GK!! I really loved meeting Jeremy & Joni and I hope one day to be able to travel to a GK show and meet some of you other great people!!!!!

con amor & luz
Jeannine


All the Boston reviews have been wonderful. Here are a few postscripts:

  • This was the 5th Boston concert I have attended and our circle of friends attending gets larger every year.

  • A friend who grew up in Egypt recognized the melody in one of new instrumentals as a song that was popular in Egypt 30 years ago. He's very happy to see Arabic influences in GK music.

  • The general consensus is that the quality of the sound systems and mixing have steadily declined each year. From my first concert I will never forget the clarity of the songs, especially the ballads, the music floating out over the audience on a summer's evening. Now it seems the volume is cranked all the way up on every song. On numerous songs there was so much rhythm, you could hardly pick out the lead. Many vocals were not even picked up. GK's were painfully aware of sound system faults and were trying to adjust on the fly all night long. Especially painful with all the new music....it would have been great to hear it for the first time with better quality sound.

  • Fifth row, left side, fantastic seats, great energy from the performers when you're that close.

  • The crowd seems to change every year. The true fans are going bananas and on the other extreme folks are nailed to their chairs and appear to be enduring some sort of culture shock......and where is all the black leather???? Don't see much any more. 8^)

  • Can't get enough of these guys....already making plans for next year....hopefully the sound system will improve. Three new folks attended...all hooked!

Jack


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