submitted by Sam Krall
Hey Turtle heads! I went to the Cleveland show last night, and it
was the best concert Harry has ever played! Don't get me wrong,
all his shows are great, but this one tops them all. I had ordered
my tickets through the fan club, and they got me the best seats in
the house! Front row, center!
The show started with the funkiest song I had ever heard. It featured
the horn section, with Ned Goold (tenor sax) starting off the rounds.
One by one they came up in front of me giving it their all! It was
like a private concert. The band then played one of their best songs
from the Star Turtle album, "How Do Ya'll Know?" Everyone was
dancing, even the people who couldn't dance were dancing. Harry then
sat down at his piano and talked about the Mardi Gras Indian Parade.
With a snare and a bass drum at his feet, a cow bell and a crash
cymbal on his piano, Harry took us to New Orleans. The parade was
a-coming! I've seen Harry keep rhythm on his piano before (kicking and
slapping), but not with actual percussion. He was doing it all,
playing drums, playing piano and singing at the same time! Now that's
rhythm, that's talent. I don't know if this was the first time he
had done this on stage, but he didn't do it in Detroit, I was there.
This was surely one of the many highlights of the evening.
One would think that being in the front row, you'd be able to remember
everything exactly. I tell you what, I was having so much fun, I didn't
pay too much attention to the order of the songs (please forgive me).
I didn't care, I was in the front row, and Harry was never more than
20 feet away from me the whole night! I do know that Harry picked up
a trumpet and played an amazing rendition of "America the Beautiful."
The crowd went wild, all the way up to the end. The band left the stage
and Harry grabbed his microphone, he stood right in front of me. I
couldn't let this opportunity pass me by, so I stood up to shake his
hand. He actually shook my hand, I couldn't help myself! By this
time, the rest of the front row had stood up reaching for Harry's hand.
He shook a few and then sat on the edge of the stage in front of a
girl two seats over from me. He started off talking about his afternoon
in Cleveland and then about the head coach of the New Orleans Saints
leaving. A girl in the front row yelled out "They suck anyway!" Harry
did not like that at all and started making comments about the girl's
mother. It was all in good fun.
Harry then asked us to get cozy and then sang "Someone to Love". The
rest of the night Harry played a few more cuts from the album, including
"Mind on the Matter", "Reason To Believe", and "Eyes of the Seeker"
(Harry on bass). The band also played "Whisper Your Name" and a Sly
and the Family Stone song, "Thank You" (Harry on drums).
Harry and the band returned to the stage for an encore. Harry started
on bass, switched to guitar, and then jumped on the piano, amazing.
After the show, I asked a roadie to grab the guitar pick that Harry was
using. We then went outside and waited 45 minutes for Harry to come out
to sign autographs. He signed everything: pictures, T-shirts, tickets,
album covers, and even my guitar pick. He even posed for a few pictures,
no flashes please.