Continuing along now with the second part of my Bunnymen adventure, now we move along with what took place at the first LA concert.

The show at the Observatory in Santa Anna was in every sense what highlighted for me just how amazing and stirring Ian and Will’s music can be. The show that night I would summarize with a single word: Grand. Ian’s voice sounded strong, vibrant and rich, Will’s guitar playing was mythical and the rest of the band were tight and spot on. Opening up the concert was the new song “Meteorites”, which is the first song from their latest album Meteorites. The lyrics being:

Hope… where is the hope in me?
Can it be found… among all the ghosts in me?
Smoke… choking the fire in me…
Will I be found… by someone close to me?

It’s simply uncanny how Mac’s lyrics have always managed to mirror what I have been going through during different segments of life. I am quite sure that this is one of the reasons why the Bunnymen have had such an appeal, for both the lyrics and instrumental sound of the music have a combined richness and cognitive effect with which I find myself drawn within their particular sonic tone and fitment, which I have always been one to connect with in terms of the lyrics that are a mix and rage of the intimately personable to metaphysically esoteric.

A further elaborating upon a more personal analysis of the lyrics/sound of their new album is something that I will save for a future endeavor.

Retuning to the show itself, it was during this first concert that I could just take in and fully luxuriate the band for what they were doing musically on stage. A few feet from me during the show was an old familiar face, that of Delvis, who is an old friend of Mac’s. We were shouting back and forth to one another and periodically giving one another high fives and fist pumps, as we were both caught up within the moment and were relishing the Bunnymen work their sonic brilliance.

After the concert, I went backstage and had time to just reconnect with Mac and to my pleasant surprise to finally meet his daughter, who joined him upon this tour, thus allowing her to see firsthand the vastness and richness of what this country has to offer in terms of its people and culture. I was rapid firing off memories of back when I was a roadie working for Mac and Will during the Electrafixion phase. I was sharing some of the more humorous stories with Mac’s daughter, who seemed to very much enjoy my recounting of these misadventures. Mac wondered how I could recall with such detail what took place some twenty years in the past, but it really is quite easy, for everything had such a lasting and deep impression upon me, that it was one of those “once in a lifetime” experiences.How could I not take it all in and hold it close to my heart? Saying goodbye till the Downtown LA show, Mac gave me two bars of white chocolate. A simple gesture, but one that hopefully gives you some insight into the genuine kindness and warmth that Mac has.

Coming down the backstage stairs, I spied Will standing there at the bottom. He looked up and greeted me with a “Hey Grizz!”. He asked if I was thirsty and offered a soda from a truck that was providing a multitude of assorted types of microbrewery sodas. So walking over to the truck, the kind gentleman who owned the food truck gave me an ice cold ginger soda. I was making out like a bandit with my two white chocolate bars and now ginger soda! After a short exchange of greetings, a cluster of fans calling to Will caught his attention, so that he outside to the parking lot through the back gate entrance, in order to chat and hang out with the fans who were on the other side of the gate. He spent a good fifteen minutes taking the time for pictures, signing autographs and just polietly listened to their sharing how much he and the music meant to them. Standing quietly off to the side, I just  observed the interchange taking place and thought how the inherent personalities of Mac and Will are so different, yet how they both are both gracious, genuine and kindhearted when it comes to their fans.

Being late and that I had to wake up early to teach the next morning, I had to take my leave. Saying goodbye to Will, I walked aways to where I had parked my truck. One of the security guards for the venue stopped me because he saw what appeared to be an open beer I had in my hand and he did not want me to get busted by the police officer, who was sitting in the car I had just walked by past. I just laughed and showed him the label of the ginger brew soda and said thanks for watching out for me. He grinned and shocked his head, saying that he thought I had big gonads walking by the police as I was taking a swig of my beer.

On the long drive back home, I was reflecting upon the events of the night. A collection of newly made memories playing through my mind, as I enjoyed one of the white chocolate bars Mac gave to me.

To be continued…

Link: YouTube Echo & The Bunnymen Meteorites Song