'Twas the weekend before Thanksgiving and all through the casino floor, not a bell was ringing, not a yell, not a roar.
The
only way a casino can be quiet is if no one is winning. Usually Mohegan
Sun is alive with sound, but those of us standing in line at The Wolf
Den, found it unnaturally quiet. I have no clue as to whether there is
any connection between what I will say next or not, but I want to relay
as much as I remember.
The
Wolf Den has changed. It is still free concerts where you stand in line
for a seat, but it has become a perk for the high rollers and not a
venue for fans of the performers. There are now so many reserved seats
for said high rollers that the chances of getting into a concert have
become slim to none. When Grand Funk Railroad performed, the line was
its usual massive “around the corner” length. Security staff let
everyone stand in line for five hours, knowing there were only ten seats
available for the show. It seems to me that common courtesy would have
paid off big time here. The people who never had a chance to get into
the show, could have been gambling, eating, shopping. In other words,
spending money. I do believe that is the end goal of any business. To
add insult to those who waited, the high rollers came walking past them
asking, “Who is playing tonight anyway?” They do not really care who it
is. They just reserve seats in case they get bored, lose money or want
to impress the people they are with.
Now
getting back to the weekend before Thanksgiving.
On Saturday night,
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone is playing. On Sunday, Gary
Puckett and The Union Gap is playing. A double hit for my friends and
me!
But also a double edged sword.
Not everyone can stand in line for long
periods of time. Due to medical reasons, my friends can’t. Also, the
aforesaid reserved seating doesn’t guarantee anyone in line a chance
inside no matter how long you stand waiting. I can still play Last Man
Standing so I volunteer to hold places for four people (the maximum
allowed) on both nights.
On Saturday, I get in line at 1:00 PM. On
Sunday, I get in line at 1:30 PM. I am first and second in line
respectively. If I don’t get in … nobody does. Really not that consoling.
I do have an inside seat on Saturday, but I want to be able to enjoy
these events WITH my friends, and so I stand for them. I do not know how
many available seats there were on Saturday, but on Sunday we found a
sensitive security person who told us that 36 seats were open. We had to
keep this a secret to protect jobs. We saw both shows.
I
would be very interested to hear the opinions of performers, concert
goers, theatre personnel and others on how they view this turn of
events. It may be surprising to many of you, but the performers who
have spoken up have NOT said, “I don’t care ... I get paid.” They DO care
about their fans’ welfare and well-being. Someday I will speak of Peter
Frampton’s performance at The Wolf Den.
Quite
honestly, the negative experience of waiting in line disappears when
the concerts start and I sit at my computer today telling you they were
well worth the wait!!
Peter Noone was recently awarded Casino
Entertainer of the Year, 2019, by the Las Vegas casino operators and
voters. Gary Puckett and The Union Gap attend his concert and The
Hermits come out to socialize with them before the show. They also get
to go backstage afterward. I think I will post the set lists for the
shows and add comments along the way.
1. Something Good
2. Wonderful World
3. Love Potion #9
4. Dandy
5. A Must to Avoid
6. Ring of Fire (sung by Johnny Cash)
7. Jezebel - WHOA
YEAH! I just don’t get to hear this
performed live as much as I would
like. The audience
comments afterward rated this as the hit of the
night.
8. Leanin’ on a Lamp
9. Sea Cruise
10. Daydream Believer - The salute to Davy Jones and The
Monkees
11. All
My Lovin' … in which Rich Spina is almost taken
away by an audience
member who is removing shirts, cds
and electrical tape from the stage.
12. Sleepy
Joe … the audience asked for this one and
received the reply “We don’t
know that one!” Not true.
Vance Brescia performs it with Peter in the
United
Kingdom, so the two of them did a short version.
13. Just A Little Bit Better
14. Silhouettes
15. Listen People
16. Bus Stop - another one that is not heard often. Some
told me they didn’t realize Herman’s Hermits recorded it
before The Hollies.
17. Because … a favorite song of mine, although not a
fave of Peter’s.
18.Glad All Over … a DC5 that IS one of Peter’s faves.
19. Hold On - Another YAY! Love this seldom heard song. 20. No Milk Today
21/22. Started out as End of the World, went to I’m Telling You Now, and then back to End of the World.
23. Jumpin’ Jack Flash (sung by Mick Jagger)
24. Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat
25. Mrs. Brown
26. Henry VIII
27. There’s a Kind of Hush
Gary
Puckett is a story teller set to music. His producer wanted cover songs
on The Union Gap albums, highlighted by a few original hits. So Gary
has many stories on why and how these songs were picked. Some are
personal favorites. Some were answers to questions like, “Who is your
favorite female singer?”
1. Gary’s video and instrumental introduction
2. Lady Willpower
3. Over You … Gary says, “I like to hear you guys sing. Sounds great!” Probably not, actually.
4. Kentucky Woman - cover from Neil Diamond
5. Lady Madonna … guess who originally recorded this one?
6. Don’t Give Into Him
7. Quinn the Eskimo … actually a tribute to Bob Dylan (who is from the same Minnesota town as Gary, but different time frames)
8. To Love Somebody … Bee Gees
9. Let’s Give Adam and Eve Another Chance
10. You Better Sit Down Kids … remembering Sonny Bono
11. Who Can I Turn To? ... from The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd
12. By The Time I Get to Phoenix … Glen Campbell and Gary were friends.
13.Kiss Me Good-bye … One of my favorite Petula Clark songs
14. This Girl is a Woman Now
15. Woman Woman
16. Home
17. Dixie / Battle
Hymn of the Republic … Tribute to Elvis who, when Gary said, “Hi Elvis.
I’m Gary Puckett,” replied, “Yeah man, I know.”
18. Happy Together tribute: Gary Lewis /Mark Lindsay / Chuck Negron /Turtles
19. Young Girl
Hermits: Vance Brescia
Rich Spina
Billy Sullivan
Dave Ferrara
Union Gap: Jamie Hillbolt
Woody Lingle
Mike Candito
Comments from the audience: Peter always puts on a good show, but this is the best I think I’ve seen.
Peter’s voice sounds better than I have heard before.
Peter’s voice sounds better than I have heard before.
Gary is still powerful.
Let’s bring The Union Gap back here!
These
are comments I heard randomly. My friends had really NICE things to
say. But you would tell me, “Of course they did ... they are YOUR friends.”
Maybe. I DO have good taste.
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
