"Colours Ablaze In The Evening" Part Seven - Seattle ZooTunes: Ending With Beauty & Power

This is the third of three photo posts from the Seattle ZooTunes show I am putting up here this morning. Since I have to leave to catch my plane very soon, I'm not going to be able to go on and on in my customary fashion, though I might edit some comments in later during my multi-hour layover. For now, suffice to say that for the first time in all of the pictures I have taken of Alan over the years, this feels like the closest any of those photos have come to showing Alan as I see him, the beauty and the power of the performer and the man - as well as the command and the vulnerability - so much so that I wonder if perhaps I should simply say "Done" and set the camera aside since I don't think there's much chance of doing it any better, given my skill level. Then again, maybe not.  What if he decides on one (very) fine day to come out on stage without his pants? Or minus any other articles of clothing? That could open up a whole new world - of photographic possibilities. I suppose I had better go ahead and pack the camera, just to be on the safe side.

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There was a long break between the last photos I took of Rover and this next one, which is from Helmethead. A venue security fellow had come along the front row right after Rover ended and told people he saw with cameras not to take pictures. No clue why he took so long to get around to saying that, but it was alright by me. I'd already taken quite a few photos, and some of those up on the stage were looking like they were having to reach down deep to keep this show on track, so it seemed a fitting time for support and appreciation - applause rather than apertures. From Straight To Hell up into Helmethead, I focused on clapping and cheering and appreciating. Though once Alan showed this sweet face (and assumed the position that you can see in the photo's full-size version down below), no way was I going to resist preserving the moment.

After a few songs had gone by after Rover and the no-cameras edicts, I noticed that some were continuing to take pictures anyway, some even still videoing entire songs, all right from the front row. Security Buddy came back over again to chastise a few of the disobedient ones, but when they kept it up anyway, I guess he gave it up. Other than my one Helmethead lapse, I managed to resist the urge all the way up to the end of Ordinary Day, when I was simply carried away by the beauty of the rays of the setting sun and the man upon whom those brilliant rays were shining.

By time for the encores, when they came out and began to sing Old Brown's Daughter (at their mics this time, full song too) the light was absolutely gorgeous, and since everyone else was doing it, I did too.

And these are from Excursion, a song that many longtime GBS fans always thought of as "Darrell's song"; altbough I know full well tha Excursion is actually Newfoundland's song, I must confess that I have my own tendency to think of Excursion these days as "Alan's song".

As much as I love these closeups, it really is difficult to edit out all the rest that is so good, especially this one, as a glance at the full-size version below will show.

One closeup from the final song of the show, Fortune.

 

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This is the full view of the moment from Helmethead that was so utterly irresistible. Alan had just pointed over at Murray, but if he wants me to look at Murray, this is not the position to make that result come about.

And this the full view of the sun setting on Alan Doyle at the end of the day.

Old Brown's Daughter, showing all the lovely parts that got edited out in the closeups.

And then Excursion, where the lovely parts become lovelier yet.

This is the one that was next to impossible to crop for a closeup since it was just perfect the way he already was.

Ending it all with Fortune.

Absolutely perfect final moments - the pick toss, and then the last goodbyes.

I should have put this up earlier, but what odds. They did not do Old Black Rum, and Straight To Hell was played where it is first listed.

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There really is one more thing I'd like to say about the ZooTunes show, so as soon as I get some time and a connection, I will come back and edit it into this entry, or if I don't find that time and connection, maybe I'll put it in the next entry after Ridgefield or Hyannis. That and fix any mess-ups I've left here. Right now, though, it's packing time for me.