From: Gary Wertz <gary_oly@...>
Subject: [undergroundfire2] Gotemba Concert 11 July 2009 [2 Attachments]
To: undergroundfire2@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2009, 11:44 PM

[Attachment(s) from Gary Wertz included below]

I attended the concert at Gotemba last evening, the concert was quite enjoyable.  Gotemba is Southeast of Tokyo and Kanagawa prefecture located in the NE part of Shiziouka Prefecture barely below Kanagawa Prefecture.  It is about 100 KM from Tokyo downtown (estimate).  The town sets at the southern base of MT. Fuji, there is a large premium outlet mall located in this city also no great bargains for us as Americans but they are for Japanese.  Near there is Fuji Raceway and Fujiko a big state of the art amusement park and the USMC Base Camp Fuji it is also a Japanese Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) base, the US Army from here at Camp Zama also uses this area for field training.  Please see attached photo of the Fuji view from town.  Mount Fuji was not visible yesterday because it was cloudy but not raining it was acutally fairly comfortable.  The hall Kaikan Shimaken Hall Shizouka Gotemba is about a half mile from the train station.  The accoustics in this hall are excellent, probably one of the best if not the best I've been to in Japan.  The hall seats around 1,500 with a balcony.  The concert was not sold out much to my suprise there were what appeared to be about 500 empty seats several on the lower floor, my seat was in the seventh row from the stage right center.  To my right the whole section in the row I was in was empty except for one couple.  The guys were quite relaxed and certainly not tired; Don said he got here on Tuesday, Leon a week ago today (Sunday) and Bob Spalding and Gerry McGee both arrived on Thursday.  The lighting in this hall is also excellent especially when they displayed a star studded sky on a black background behind the group.  Bob Spalding opened on lead for the first eight numbers two of those were medlies.  He was using his triple pick-up sunburst Aria Bob Spalding model, Don was playing an Aria VM sunburst guitar his back up was a new white with gold hardware and a dark pick guard, the bass played by both Gerry McGee and Bob Spalding was a white Ventures model matching Don's back up guitar.  Gerry McGee alternated between his Combat Gerry McGee modified tele (sunburst) and his Fender Gerry McGee Strat and of course the standard white sitar.  Leon's drums were a Canopus Silver Sparkle set.  Don was using his Canopus amp, Bob used a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 for guitar and a Roland Bass amp.  Couldn't tell what type of amp Gerry was using it was different because stage hands wheeled Bob Spalding's amp after he finished his lead set.  There were no vocals and Don didn't talk as much as he normally does during the show until toward the end. Here is the set list from The Ventures set list back stage and who played what:   Lead Bob Spalding: 1.  Walk Don't Run Medley; WDR, Perfidia, Lullaby of the Leaves, Bulldog, Blue Moon and WDR 2.  Driving Guitars 3.  Bumble Bee 4.  Surf Medley; Miserlou, Movin and Hurricane 5.  Blue Dawn 6.  Aoi Hoshikuzo (From the new Ventures play Yuzo Kayama CD) 7.  Wailin Lead switched to Don Wilson and background lead Gerry McGee 8.  Ghost Riders in the Sky Lead Gerry McGee 9. Medley on Sitar Kyoto Reflections on Palace Lake and Paint it Black 10.  Manchurian Beat also performed on Sitar (first time I've seen that but prefer guitar lead) 11.  Bondelero 12.  Slaughter on 10th Avenue 13.  Walk Don't Run 64 14.  Wipeout Break-  When the curtain rose there was no one on stage, then excerpts from Beloved Invaders, shots from the 70s, 80s and 90s (most came from the DVD portion of the GO CD/DVD) then as the DVD closed the following message appeared: "The 50th Anniversary Tour is dedicated to the memory of Bob Bogle." The guys had slipped on stage during the video nothing else was said about Bob Bogle and I didn't discuss that with Don back stage after the show either, I was not going to unless he brought it up. The second set opened with; 15. Telestar 16. Yozora No Hoshi 17.  Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In 18.  Black Sand Beach 19.  Strangers in Midosuji 20.  Kyoto Bojo 21.  Hokkaido Skies 22.  Classical Gas  (the previous two songs and this one were a semi accoustic set but only Gerry McGee played an accoustic guitar). 23.  Surfin USA 78 24.  Someday Sometime is from the accoustic rock album but was played with all electric solid body guitars 25.  Ginza Lights 26.  Penetration 27.  Hawaii Five Oh 28.  House of the Rising Sun -- Gerry did his normal stroll through the audience he got next to me and seemed suprised to see me there. 29.  Medley Diamond Head/Pipeline 30.  Caravan the normal close Suprisingly the guys didn't pause at the break and receive flowers and other items from attendees that was unusual because they do that customarily here in Japan, one couple in the front row did manage to hand Don a bouquet. Today the guys are travelling to their next concert site which is Toyama located across the country to the north about 250-300 KM away, see photo attached of that scenic city.  The next show I will attend will be Green Hall at Sagamihara City on 31 July, it is about 1 mile from my house.  I will likely be pretty tired at that one, I am flying back to DC a week from today and will get back to Japan on the 30th.   Gary Wertz

Attachment(s) from Gary Wertz

2 of 2 Photo(s)

MT. Fuji Gotemba City.bmp

Toyama Japan.bmp