Breakfast In Spain - Roger Hodgson and Supertramp website

Roger Hodgson in San Diego, September 18, 2012

Text and photos: Miguel Angel Candela

En español a continuación

After the gig in Newport Beach on Sunday (see chronicle) we all went to San Diego on Monday, to rest and sightseen for a couple of days. The concert was on Tuesday night. I even went to the Hotel "Del Coronado" where I spent few days with Roger for a concert in 2002, to remember the old days ... Nice place, the hotel and the area remained the same, lol

Now 10 years later Roger returns to San Diego with a wonderful band. The venue, a luxury hotel in San Diego Bay, next to the Shelter Island marina, with the suites amidst a little tropical forest, which I affectionately called "the jungle" due to its foliage. Also pool, marine, outdoor auditorium, etc.. Pretty Caribbean flavour but in the city. Finally, something different :-)

As you can see in the pictures it's a great place (Humphreys Concerts by the Bay), and the stage quite large and impressive. Lot of celebrities have performed there over the years.

The auditorium was completely filled and the show was longer than that of Newport Beach.
Roger made some changes in the set list, specifically removed "London" and "Lord is it Mine", but added four themes:
- "Easy Does It" (Roger played solo, with the help of the whistles from the audience, very participatory as always)
- "A Soapbox Opera" (very powerful with the band)
- "Even in the Quietest Moments" (amazing theme, hypnotic, Roger solo with acoustic guitar 12-string)
- "Don't Leave Me Now". (Percussion is very impressive, mainly at the end)

This time the birthday congratulations to our friend Heather (in the pictures) who turned 18 that day, and she dressed according the occasion. Roger dedicated her favorite song (The Logical Song) The same Roger was kind enough to ask her about her favorite song after the soundcheck. So then we knew that Roger would surprise her during the show, lol. Surely she will never forget that special moment.

As often occurs at every concert, people started clapping, showing admiration for Roger, stand up, for a long time at the end of the epic "The Fool's Overture",  performed brilliantly, woooooooow. Roger said thanks, his hand over his heart, showing affection to the people, and he dedicated the next song, "Dreamer", to all dreamers, and he asked to the audience to approach to the stage to be close to him, despite the ban on Security all concert long, which eventually succumbed and joined the party ;-)

So the last numbers were a party, as always, lots of people jumping up and dancing next to the stage, a big smile from ear to ear: o)

Then there was photo session with Roger (meet & greet) with all the fans who want to wait.

For more info about the show itself and the band, on this tour, you can read my chronicle about the show in Albi last July.
Below you will find the thoughts from my californian friend Peter, with more details about the evening.

SET LIST / REPERTORIO

Take the Long Way Home
School
In Jeopardy
Lovers in the Wind
Breakfast in America
Lady
Easy Does It
Sister Moonshine
Rosie Had Everything Planned
A Soapbox Opera
The Logical Song

INTERMISSION / INTERMEDIO

Child of Vision
C'est le Bon
Death and a Zoo
If Everyone Was Listening
Even in the Quietest Moments
Don't Leave Me Now
Fool's Overture
Dreamer

****

Two of Us
Give a Little Bit  

ROGER HODGSON en San Diego, 18 Septiembre 2012

Tras el concierto en Newport Beach el domingo (ver crónica ) nos fuimos todos para San Diego el lunes, a descansar y visitar algo de la ciudad un par de dias. El concierto fué el martes por la noche. Incluso me acerqué por el Hotel Del Coronado donde estúve unos días con Roger en un concierto en el año 2002, para recordar viejos tiempos... ..el hotel y la zona siguen igual, jajaja

Ahora 10 años después Roger vuelve a San Diego con una magnifica banda. El lugar un hotel de lujo en la bahía de San Diego, junto a la marina de Shelter Island, con las suites distribuidas en medio de un bosque tropical, al que yo llamaba cariñosamente "la jungla" por su frondosidad. También piscina, marina, auditorio al aire libre, etc. Como si estuvieras en el Caribe pero junto a la ciudad. En fin, algo diferente :-)

Como podéis ver en las fotos es un sitio magnífico (Humpreys Concerts By the bay), y el escenario bastante grande y completo, por donde han pasado artistas de renombre internacional.

El Auditorio se llenó por completo y el show fué algo más largo que el de Newport Beach.  

Roger hizo unos cambios en el Set List, concretamente eliminó "London" y "Lord is it Mine", pero añadió cuatro temas:
- "Easy Does It" (la interpretó él solo con la ayuda de los silbidos de la gente, muy participativa como siempre)
- "A Soapbox Opera" (es un tema que gana mucha fuerza con la banda)
- "Even in the Quietest Moments" (increible tema, hipnótico, también lo interpretó solo con la acústica 12 cuerdas)
- "Don't Leave Me Now" (la percusión es muy impactante en la parte final sobre todo)

Como suele ocurrir siempre en todos los conciertos, la gente se puso rendida en pie aplaudiendo por largo rato al final de la épica "The fool's overture", interpretada magistralmente, guaaauuuuuu. Y tras agradecer el cariño de la gente, dedicó el siguiente tema, "Dreamer", a todos los soñadores, mientras decía al público que nos acercaramos todos al escenario para estar cerca de el, pese a la prohibición de los de Seguridad durante todo el concierto, que al final sucumbieron y se unieron a la fiesta ;-)

Así que los últimos temas fueron como siempre con la gente en pie saltando y bailando junto al escenario y con una gran sonrisa de oreja a oreja :o)

Luego hubo sesión de fotos con Roger (meet & greet) con todos los fans que quisieron esperar.

Para más info sobre el show en si que lleva en ésta gira, y la banda, podéis leer mi cronica del concierto de Albi del pasado Julio.
Os dejo a continuación con las reflexiones de mi amigo californiano Peter, con mas detalles sobre la velada.

MAC

Soundcheck / Prueba de sonido

What a place !  Venue: Humpreys hotel in Shelton Island

Young fans

Not so young fans, but young souls ....

Tour 2012 is still ongoing, but some dates for 2013 are already confirmed by Roger. Read more

La gira 2012 está aún en marcha, pero ya están confirmadas las primeras fechas para la gira 2013. Ver fechas

Reflection by Peter Rimel

What man leaves one of the world’s most popular bands at its commercial height to raise his kids for 17 years?  Such a man certainly has his priorities in order, and that man, Mr. Roger Hodgson, is the genius that was the legendary singer/songwriter/composer of the band Supertramp.  I was fortunate enough to have seen his two recent shows in Southern California at the Taste of Newport in Newport Beach, California, and at Humphreys By the Bay near San Diego, California.
 
The Breakfast in America tour is winding down for 2012.  It is Roger Hodgson’s first United States tour in 30+ years.  The Taste of Newport show was a déjà vu for me, for Roger’s last show (I still cling to the ticket stub from that show) with the famed band Supertramp was in 1983 at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, just miles away from the Taste of Newport site.  The real question is, was the 2012 Roger Hodgson the same as the 1979 Roger Hodgson, who was then singing the very same songs for the first time?  The answer, happily is NO!  Roger’s voice is BETTER than it ever was when he was with Supertramp. With all due respect, the 2012 band is tighter than was Supertramp in its heyday.   The songs, the true soundtrack of our lives, have really held up as the singing crowds enthusiastically showed.  I closed my eyes for a moment during the show and went back to 1979, for Roger’s voice is THAT GOOD.  His current band lineup includes Aaron Macdonald, an absolute up and coming star, on backing vocals, sax, keyboards, and a number of other instruments.  A ton of credit should be given, also, to Roger’s sound man, Howard Heckers.
 
Roger opened with his 1979 anthem, Take the Long Way Home, off the immensely popular Breakfast in America album.  He then went on to play many of his Supertramp classics such as School, Dreamer, the Logical Song, and the song everyone wants to hear, Give a Little Bit.  Anyone watching tv these days will see the commercial with Roger singing Give a Little Bit with a children’s choir.  Everyone sang and danced for 2 hours, forgetting about the bad economy and the pathetically boring "I am -----, and I approved this message” commercials in this election year.
 
But Roger is so much more than just his Supertramp songs.  He played several solo tunes, including Rosie had Everything Planned (actually from Supertramp’s second album), In Jeopardy, and Death and a Zoo.  The latter, a song from Roger’s most recent studio album, Open the Door, asks the question, "If you were a wild animal and should be caught, would you prefer death or life in a zoo?”   In a VintageRock.com interview after the Newport show, Roger stated that he loves playing his songs as much or more today than he ever did.  Judging by the crowd, that love showed through with flying colors.
 
At Humphreys, Roger actually dedicated a song to a young fan, Heather Wise, who turned 18 that day.  Clearly, Roger cares about his fans more than ever, reaching out to each and every fan as though that fan were the only person to whom he was singing.  He even welcomed the fans up to the stage for his encores, much to the chagrin of the security.
 
Roger’s career may be unorthodox and unique.  He admits as much.  However, he clearly took a book from the Chairman of the Board and did it "His way”.  And His way continues to delight millions of fans throughout the world.
 
Do NOT miss Roger Hodgson in concert.  I rarely guarantee anything, but I guarantee, with confidence, anyone’s happiness who purchases a ticket to Roger Hodgson.

Photo: Howard, Peter and MAC