THE DOORS 21st CENTURY performed at "Rain In The Desert" at Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, January 19, 2003
What an exciting night it was. The anticipation was clearly building as Doors fans began arriving at Palms Casino Resort. They were easy to spot in the hotel merchandise store near the guest elevators, where two designs of Dragonfly brand Doors shirts were prominently displayed at the front.
Sunday morning my friend David and I wandered into the 'Rain In The Desert' club and found the bustling activity of a stage being erected, lighting hoisted, equipment moving in ... a beehive of activity. We scoped out where we hoped to position ourselves during the show, said hi to Marco, and left. As we milled around the slot machines near the entrance and check-in area, we greeted Ray as he arrived, ran into bassist Angelo Barbera and Marlee walking around, and saw Doors 21st Century manager Tom Vitorino.
At 3:00 in the afternoon I decided to check out the vicinity of the club again, this time with Mark from Ohio. We lucked out: sound check was underway. We hung around outside and listened ... they sure sounded great!
Showtime was scheduled for 8:00, and the doors would open at 7:00. There were already a few folks lined up to get in at 3:30 when we walked by that hallway! Entry began promptly at 7:00 and we headed for the area we had hoped to secure: a raised dance floor area in the center of the club, but more importantly, it was level with the stage. The stage was probably 4 or 5 feet high, with an area between the stage and the dance floor where fans were packing in. The VIP ticket holders were sent to a semi-circle balcony area along the back of the room overlooking the entire crowd. That would not have been my preference, as it was farthest from the stage.
There was an introduction by an unidentified gentleman, and the young lion photo of Jim was projected on the overhead screens. At 8:20 p.m., Angelo and Stewart came onto the stage, dressed entirely in black. They were followed by Ray, Robby, and Ian as the crowd went wild. Ian was dressed in black jeans, black t-shirt, short black leather jacket, and sunglasses. Stewart's drums had 21st Century printed in smaller letters below the logo. This debuted a few nights earlier when they appeared on Jay Leno's 'Tonight' show.
Ray took his place at his Alesis keyboards, looking dapper as always in a dark jacket over a lime green and black knit shirt. Robby wore camouflage pants, topped by a leopard print long sleeve button front shirt. They launched right into Roadhouse Blues, getting the night off to a thrilling and kick-ass beginning.
Break On Through was the second song. I felt it got off to a rough, choppy start in the first few seconds, but they found their groove quickly, and Ian took command of that song. When it ended, Robby removed his leopard print shirt to reveal that he was wearing one of the new 21st Century Doors t-shirts that were for sale outside the main room. (There were two short-sleeved shirts, a baseball jersey in two color choices, and a baseball cap.)
When The Music's Over was next, a very powerful performance. Ray sang the first "NOW" as that song reached its climax. Love Me Two Times followed. I thought Alabama Song had a slightly different intro, (but I'm not sure I'm right about that) ... then right into Back Door Man.
There were several video screens usually projecting close-ups of the performance or psychedelic backdrops, but Five To One was accented by video of police riots, war scenes, Chairman Mao, etc., with No One Here Gets Out Alive interspersed between the cuts.
I looked at the people around me. We had chatted pre-show with some of them. Those who had been skeptical were now transfixed by the performances, smiling ear-to-ear, and giving enthusiastic thumbs up!!! A girl who told me she'd be moving out after the first two songs to another location, stood riveted in her spot and never left until the very end.
Ray introduced Stewart Copeland and Angelo Barbera. Ian remarked that none were needed for Ray and Robby. Ray said that they are working on a new album with new material that would be released later in the year. With that, they went into Strange Days with its new introduction and arrangement. A longer keyboard introduction led into Moonlight Drive, with Ray joining Ian on the outro vocals "going down, down, etc." ... and then Ian recited Horse Latitudes. Ray played a bit of boogie woogie after the "mute nostril agony" line.
Wild Child was next in the set. Ian really kicks it up in this song; his performance of this is always especially energetic and charismatic. The recitation of Ghost Song followed, with two native American Indians in ceremonial dress entering the stage dancing. When the performance transitioned into Hill Dwellers, Ian left the stage while Ray took over the vocals and the Indians continued dancing.
FINALLY we were treated to Light My Fire, always the ultimate crowd pleaser! Ian left the stage when the solos began, but he returned during Robby's marvelous highlight performance and crouched at the front of stage, shaking the hands of a few fans in front. When Ian resumed the vocals, he tossed in a little Bob Marley with "Get Up, Stand Up, Stand Up For Your Rights." The video projection behind this song was very psychedelic. It was 9:35 p.m., the band left their instruments and waved goodbye.
Doors 21st Century Manager Tom Vitorino came out to the microphone to ask if we wanted more ... HELL YES!!!! The encore started off with the sound of thunder, obviously signaling Riders On The Storm. Beautifully done! Maggie M'Gill followed, a pleasant surprise. Not a radio hit, not a song familiar to the masses ... but Doors fans love this bluesy rocker with that great line, "illegitimate son of a rock & roll star." When it ended, Stewart left his drums and came to the edge of the stage to slap and shake some hands, as did Robby. The rest of the band waved goodbye again and exited the stage.
Thankfully, Tom came back out again in response to the roaring audience. It was a no-brainer that these fans had not yet had their fill of Doors music, and they returned to the stage and went into Soul Kitchen. Ray and Robby were singing along with Ian on this one ... Ray began playing with his right foot and eventually stood up as he played... he was really jamming! Really, really enjoying himself!
At about 10:00 it was over for real. Ray and Robby and Ian and Stewart and Angelo all lined up on the stage and took several bows.
This was an amazing show. It was so wonderful to see Robby and Ray playing onstage together again. Ian is a riveting performer - sexy & energetic, intriguing to watch and fully capable of taking on the no-win job of Doors vocalist and front man.
The debate and arguments will continue ad nauseam about the merits of this new line-up. It is unlikely that John will ever sit behind drums with The Doors logo again, no matter how happy it would make me and millions of other fans. Apparently Robby and Ray want to play together and create new music together. They deserve to do whatever they want to with The Doors music. They knew this would be controversial; it was inevitable. I just hope they don't get discouraged or put off by the bitterness and hostility being voiced by some fans.
The transition is clearly underway, as evidenced by "21st Century" being added under The Doors logo on Stewart's drums, and tour t-shirts that incorporate the new name.
Fans not fortunate to have been born early enough to experience the original band should open their minds and accept that they have a second chance. The Doors were not just Jim. Ian is not Jim, but there is plenty of audio and video footage to fill that void. Ian is a hell of a live performer. He has paid dues.
There is no way to know how long or how far the 21st Century Doors will go with this. Sure, I'm biased; I am a long-time, die-hard fan of each and every Doors member. I grab every chance I get to see any one of those living legends perform, and I am never disappointed. Getting to see two at once is even better!!! I encourage everyone who has the opportunity to do the same.
by Ida
1/20/03
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LV Sun by Spencer Patterson: Updated Doors Survive Specter of Morrison -- January 20, 2003