Alan Rockman was privileged to get to go to the Cerritos CA concert, and sent this review for the website. Enjoy!! Sure wish I could have gone :)

I was fortunate to attend the October 12, 1996 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band concert in Cerritos, California. There was a festive atmosphere in the Cerritos air that night for both the band and their fans. This stop in Cerritos on their 30th anniversary tour was kind of a "return of the prodigal sons" show, for the majority of the band spent their formulative days in nearby Long Beach, and also spent their early years playing local southern California clubs such as the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach and The Ice House in Pasadena. The evening was made even more special by the addition of former NGDB member John McEuen, who with his String Wizardy ensemble opened the show (more 'bout that later...).

While waiting outside, I was fortunate to have met Jimmie Fadden's mother and sister(? hope I got that right, Doris) Doris Chavez, as well as some close family friends, and spent some time reminiscing with them about earlier NGDB shows. Jimmie's mom and sister are really great folks (more about Doris later).

The show opened with John McEuen and String Wizardy (which includes his son Jonathan on electric guitar) delivering about an hour's worth of fine bluegrass and folk music. The set included several tunes from the original "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" album.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band began their performance about an hour or so afterwards. They opened with Michael Nesmith's "Some of Shelley's Blues" from the "Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy" album. From then on, the song list was also follows:
House At Pooh Corner
I've Been Looking (a rousing, foot-stomping moment)
Maybe Baby
Cosmic Cowboy
Long Hard Road
Dance Little Jean
Stand A Little Rain

Two new songs were included in the set. They were Ibby's "Dry Thistle" (hope I got that right Ibby), a very catchy number about monkeys not wearing pants!!! and Jeff's "Going Back to Texas" (sic), an equally fine Tex-Mex country tune. I for one hope to hear more of these tunes. . . The show continued with;
God Bless the Broken Roads - featuring Bob and dedicated to his wife Gretchen
Rippling Waters
El Harpo
Fishing In The Dark
American Dream

At this point a little bit of electrifying magic (not "Make A Little Magic"- which wasn't performed) occurred when the band called on their old partner and friend John McEuen to join them onstage (this was their first reunion in over 10 years!). Together the NGDB and John performed an electrifying, hand-clapping set which featured:
High Horse
Santa Rosa (an old Kenny Loggins chestnut from the "Uncle Charlie" album)
Mr. Bojangles
Buy For Me The Rain - with a humourous prelude by Jeff recollecting how the band opened one night for Jack Benny and the next night for the Doors!

The band closed the show with:
Bayou Jubilee
Battle of New Orleans and chose "Diggy Diggy Lo" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" as their encores. Judging by the applause, the band probably could've played all night!

All in all, NGDB played as usual an excellent performance (I guess I'm being a bit biased here, but who cares), crisp, professional, etcetra. While hearing "Partners Brothers and Friends" and "Baby's Got A Hold On Me" would've been great, the set was filling as it was, and the rapport between the band and their audience was tight.

While waiting in the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts lobby, I was fortunate enough to encounter Doris (Jimmie's sister) and she took me backstage where I had brief chats with Jimmie, Jeff and Bob, and a slightly longer one with Ibby. (and for all of you old NGDB fans out there - it would be really special to see John back in the lineup; at least he seems amenable to playing with the band again)

A classy show by a class act...I'm looking forward to next year and a new album!

--Alan Rockman libdima@cerfnet.com

P.S. Christi, feel free to reproduce this on the net if you so desire.

P.S. Ibby - hope you liked the review. Not Robert Hilburn, but heck who cares.

P.S. and a special thank you to Joe and Doris Chavez for their kindness.

AR

Written by Alan Rockman, 1996; used with permission.

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