St. George 1997

Newspaper advertisement for the concert

What a concert! After seeing the guys in Las Vegas Friday night I was anxious to see them again Saturday. St. George is a two hour drive north of Las Vegas on Interstate 15 (for those of you who aren't familiar with the southern Utah area). The concert was held in the Burns Arena of the Dixie Center which is part of the Dixie College campus. It is a fairly new facility that was packed by the time the show began. A group called Under The Gun (featuring Kenny Carter of the Guess Who) was supposed to be the opening act but at the last minute they cancelled. So the few people who arrived after the 8 pm starting time, missed a couple of America's opening numbers. But the entire arena was eventually packed and everyone was treated to a fantastic show. I'm guessing that there were several thousand screaming fans there that ranged in age from high school kids to long time fans (like me!).

Front row ticket stub

After the announcement was made that Under The Gun wouldn't be playing, America was announced and they began with the normal rendition of Riverside. Then Gerry announced that they had come ALL THE WAY from Las Vegas and so he hoped it was OK if they played all the songs they knew. That got a rousing cheer as the band started into Ventura Highway followed by You Can Do Magic and Don't Cross the River. The playlist had Old Man Took next but it was crossed out so they skipped that song.

Gerry put down his guitar and went to the piano for Daisy Jane, Mirror to Mirror, Another Try, and The Last Unicorn. I've only heard The Last Unicorn one other time in concert and it has quickly become one of my favorites. The other fans agreed as they cheered louder and louder after each song. One exciting anouncement was made by Gerry as he announced Mirror to Mirror. He started by saying that the song was from their last album but that it wouldn't be for long. He said that they were going to go into the recording studio this fall and begin working on a new album. I can't remember now who he said they would be working with, but Rick may be able to fill in that missing piece of information.

The actual playlist from the concert (compliments of Rooster)

Three Roses was next followed by an acoustic version of I Need You (I really liked it). Tin Man, Woman Tonight, and Sergeant Darkness were next. The playlist had Young Moon and Hope next but they were crossed out so the band didn't play those songs. I was really hoping that they would, but I'll have to catch them another time.

1997-98 t-shirt unveiled by Pete at this concert

Only In Your Heart received a thunderous applause and then California Dreamin' received a standing ovation. There are quite a few California students at Dixie College so they appreciated that song. Lonely People filled the airwaves next and hundreds of single girls stood up in the aisles dancing and singing along with the band. Gerry said that he couldn't believe there were that many lonely people (he had already mentioned that Pete "the t-shirt guy" and Willie "the drummer" were lonely). Green Monkey was next on the playlist (and it wasn't scratched out) but they didn't play it. I don't know if they forgot it or decided not to do it while they were on stage. Instead, they went on to Never Be Lonely, a lively version of Sandman which the audience really got into, and Sister Golden Hair which had them dancing in the aisles. The guys left after Sister Golden Hair while the audience stood and cheered for what seemed like an eternity. I'm sure the guys were enjoying the appreciation that the fans were showering upon them.

Waving goodbye as they receive a standing ovation

The cheering got even louder as the band came back on stage and Dewey thanked them by saying, "You sure know how to make a guy feel good. Just for that we'll play a couple more songs." California Revisited was the first of the duo and Horse With No Name was the finale. Security tried to keep the people from rushing toward the stage and dancing in the aisles but it didn't do any good. Everyone was totally into the music and there wasn't any stopping them. As the final strains of Horse With No Name ended, everyone in the arena came to their feet cheering, clapping, whistling, and yelling. As I said before, it was a fantastic show. The show in Las Vegas was good, but this one was great!

Dewey and Gerry wave one final time after the encore

The only complaint that I heard was that it ended too soon. I can appreciate that feeling. I'd like them to play all night so whenever it ends, it's too soon. But I'm grateful for the time that they did play and that I was able to be there to hear it.

An autographed picture that Gerry and Dewey gave me.