Dinner and a Show at the Grove of Anaheim
By Catherine A. Carr
HLN Today reporter
Anaheim, CA 14 September 2003 - Six o'clock in the evening, patrons arrived to dine on fine food and drinks before the main course performed at 8 pm. The appetizer was Paul Thorn who entertained the crowd with his singing and comedy. Afterwards, he autographed his collection of compact discs being sold at the merchandise kiosk.
The News' show opened with two cuts from the Plan B disc, "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "When I Write The Book," followed by "Heart of Rock and Roll." Out of Huey's curiosity, he polled the audience, as to who has seen the band (Group A) and who has not (Group B). Huey was impressed that Group B outnumbered Group A. Since the band was back in Southern California, they proceeded to play one of their early tunes, "Trouble in Paradise." Next was "Jacob's Ladder." The song "Plan B" introduced the horn section to the audience by allowing Marvin McFadden, Ron Stallings and Rob Sudduth to perform solos.
Huey informed Group B they were in for a real treat as he introduced the "rest" of the band just before the a cappella set:
Sean Hopper - keyboards and friends since "that OTHER band",
Johnny Colla - utility player; saxophone, guitar and Lucky Devil,
Bill Gibson - drummer, with the sweetest swing on the team and lowest handicap,
Stef Burns - lead guitar, "certifiable" fan favorite and plays as good as he wants to.
"60 Minute Man" and "(Everywhere) Pretty Girls" made up the a cappella set. The News added some fancy footwork during the horn solo.
A song not usually included in the show, "Crusin'" had assistance from local talent Melissa Kerry. "I Want A New Drug" was next in the line up to which Stef's guitar solo transitioned nicely to "Small World."
Huey then introduced the last member of The News - John Pierce. John acted like he was not ready. Huey improvised by apologizing for forgetting to introduce him when they were back home in San Francisco. He admitted he remembers John about every third show. John was dressed handsomely in his black outfit. The rest of the band was dressed casual, like the dining atmosphere. A couple of female fans wandered onto the stage, one of them hugging Huey. She made her way off stage before security stepped in. "If This Is It", "Heart and Soul", and "(But) It's Alright" made up the rest of the set.
Small groups on the edges of the venue were dancing around. Huey prompted the rest of the crowd to get up on their feet and dance.
"We're Not Here For A Long Time (But We're Here For A Good Time)" was the last song in the set. The encore consisted of "Do You Believe In Love", "Doing It All For My Baby" and "Working For A Living."
Huey Lewis and the News left the stage around 11pm, thanking all who attended the performance.
