Where do I possibly start?
The details of the set list have been covered in detail and I will dispense with the hour-by-hour account of my every move. I would much rather sit here and just reflect back on not only this past show but the past year in general....There have been quite a few personal changes in my life in the past year i.e. losing my job, going back to school to retrain for a new career and now looking to start a whole new advenure that is this life!
Last year, I found this site after being directed here from glennhughes.com if memory serves me correctly. I heard about the
Velvet Sessions show and quickly signed on..I had never seen Glenn in concert, let alone meet him and the whole atmosphere of the
Hard Rock Hotel promised to be a fabulous time...I had no idea just how incredible it would be...
First off, I would like to give a thunderous Las Vegas style standing ovation for our host with the most...
Lou Carrier!! As a general manger of a hotel, I know how busy he is..but he has gone out of his way to make all of us
GHCP's feel at home and he took a lot of time out of his VERY busy schedule to make both of these
Velvet Sessions a truly unforgettable experience!! And he is as big a fan as anyone here....he gets as much of a charge out of this as we do!! Lou...I will never forget your generosity and enthusiasm....You are the man!!
And let us not forget the couple behind the scenes that tirelessly keep this site the treasure trove of memorabilia and great people that it is....take a bow
David and Shirean Harrison!! Thank you both for all that you do to make all of us feel part of something that can't be bought anywhere..I raise my pint high to both of you!!
I am flashing back on a March evening last year, sitting with several new friends in the Velvet Lounge, sharing stories..and then he walked in...The man who has brought us all together here...I remember the butterflies in my stomach..thinking
"Oh my God..there he is..I've been listening to his music for 20 years..and he is here!" No rock star attitude here...He sat with us in the Lounge for the next 3 hours and made us feel at home and was so generous and funny....a raconteur supreme...He really appreciates what lengths we all go to in order to see him play...To
Glenn Hughes I say this; Thank you for showing us that the Man is ten times taller than any Myth! I am so honored to have made your acquaintance!
Which brings me to the next part of the tale...I was at the grocery store earlier and had to pick up a few things..you can buy tomato sauce..and detergent...and eggs...but you can't buy
CHEMISTRY!! The point of all this, you ask? Hold on..I'm getting there!
I have read several interviews with Glenn and he recounts how music industry people and rock mag writers have said something along the lines of
"Hey Glenn..why don't you work with *insert name of big name guitarist here*??" And that it really pisses him off...and rightly so, when you have the tremendous talent and partner in musical alchemy that is
JJ Marsh!! The night before this year's show, a group of us were in the Lounge talking with JJ. Somehow, the conversation got around to how this would be JJ's first proper gig in the US..JJ said something about people not knowing who he was, to which I replied;
"After tomorrow night, they will know who you are!" JJ was genuinely touched by that...what a huge talent he is and such a kind, funny spirit he is! And on that stage the following night, he DELIVERED!!! That's what is all about folks..you can't bottle the chemistry that Glenn, JJ, Chad Smith and Ed Roth displayed on that stage. Those who were there know what I am talking about!
To
Chad Smith and
Ed Roth..the Boss Beat and the Wizard Of The Keys...for adding your huge talents to the mix...You guys RULE!!!
And let us not forget the friends I have made and new acquaintances I have had the pleasure to make in the past year...Kenny and Carolyn,the dynamic duo of Chip and Todd,The four Marks, LA Mark, NY Mark, Texas Mark, English Mark, Chris Mazzeo, Vinnis, "Famous Mike", Kat, Fedor, John H, Danny and Christy, and so many others that escape me at the moment..but who will reappear in my brain the next day when I am washing the dishes..To Glenn's partners in musical mayhem last year; Gary Ferguson, Jeff Kollman and Dave "Rick James' Mary Jane is the greatest drug song ever written" Schulz....to the staff of the Hard Rock Hotel who do such an incerdible job...
And a final tip of the cap to the Lady In Red and fitness guru Tony Little....all I could think was;
"Dude..you look so much taller on TV!!" 
Yours In The Funk
Bill "Capt. Midnite" Redford
Linear Mode
