A fan's Procol tour diary: West Coast

30 July 2003 : Al 'One-Eye' Edelist in San Francisco

Just the highlights tonight!

It's a full Fillmore as the show starts at 9:00.

Gary says, "So good to see you." A guy yells, "So good to see you, too!" Gary retorts, "Did you bring your wife?"

Grand Hotel comes early tonight. The crowd claps in rhythm to the last buildup prior to the guitar solo, which tends to be a European custom. Prolonged applause!

Geoff acknowledges us - the BtP/Paler group sitting on high in the balcony Stage Right - as Quite Rightly So begins, a song we'd been lobbying for. Massive applause!

Gary states his ongoing intro to Weisselklenzenacht "It took 36 years to write the tune for his follow-up to Repent Walpurgis."

Whaling Stories, imho, is as good as it can be played.

Gary starts playing My Girl and the band joins right in. Wow! He comments after first verse, "That was fun. We don't do that one," and then the band completes the whole song.

Best response to Shadow Boxed I have heard. I look around the room and it's rockin'!

Gary talks about driving to Vancouver on their day off for a non-smoking party, which get a slight raz from a pot-filled room.

The ending passage of Magdalene starts and Gary says to the band, "Let's change! Let's sing it."

Memorial Drive strikes me with great drums and guitar.

MAF and Matt are filming Mark on stage during the Whisky Train drum solo. Mark receives a massive reception. The solo is much different than last night with more cowbell. The band receives an extended applause.

Mark nails A Salty Dog again!

The crowd is clapping along during intro and center buildup of Simple Sister. Again a massive response.

As the band concludes the second set, they look very pleased. Gary has been in fine voice all night.

A four-minute ovation with clapping and stomping.

As the band returns for the encore, Geoff introduces Gary as "Gary Brooker, MBE."

Gary addresses the crowd by reminiscing how Procol Harum was invited to The Fillmore by Bill Graham in 1967. He also refers to the The Gathering of the Tribes: "Was anyone here?" A smattering of hands go up.

Then Gary reenacts the intro by doing a mock Bill Graham: "Ladies and Gentlemen, one of England's finest, Procol Harum."

As A Whiter Shade Of Pale is played, I will remember this night for the best response of the tour to "and the crowd called out for more."

MF caries the melody loudly, and the song concludes with a deafening crowd response.

Great use of white lights and the mirror ball (Tony has clarified that it is not a disco ball)

Amazing lead from Geoff during Repent Walpurgis. The song receives a majorly massive response.

After the show, 'Security' is not what I had hoped for: Hippies turned Nazis.

oe, the monocular one