The traffic around the theater was bad. After we finally parked and got inside it was about 7:55 p.m. My friend and I thought we made it just in time but it turns out we had plenty of time to spare. The show was scheduled to start at 8:00. Usually concerts don't start exactly on time but the lights didn't go down until about 8:45. So while waiting for the show to begin, we took the time to look at the merchandise for sale. Among the many items were T-shirts at $35.00, hats $25.00, and a bandana with the Doors’ logo (21st Century on there somewhere) at $12.00.

The crowd was a mixture of all ages. I saw a lot of parents bringing their kids, which was nice to see. Doors fans seem to be an eclectic bunch.

Finally at 8:45, the lights went down. There was a screen backdrop on the stage and the "Jim Morrison Tribute" poster appeared with the words Jim Morrison--Poet, 1943-1971. At this point Carl Orff’s orchestral “Carmina Burana: Introduction” (used in “The Doors” movie soundtrack) was played. I thought it was a bit over the top for an introduction. Then the band was introduced with "Ladies and gentlemen, from Los Angeles California...The Doors 21st Century" and out walked Robby Krieger, Ian Astbury, Ty Dennis(drummer), Angelo Barbera (bass player) and Ray Manzarek. They had a warm welcome. Everyone was on their feet and stayed there throughout most of the show.

Robby was wearing a camouflage jacket and pants with a t-shirt, Ray was wearing a jacket over a white print shirt and what looked like a yellow scarf once he took his jacket off. Ian was dressed all in black. Ty and Angelo wore black T's.

These songs were played in the following order:
“Roadhouse Blues”   (This got everyone dancing right away.)

“Break On Through”   (Ian sang "Dead Cats, Dead Rats.")

“When The Music's Over”   (A girl jumped up on stage and almost raped Ian before security took her off. Was she part of the show? --I'm not sure.)

“Love Me Two Times”

“Moonlight Drive”   (Robby's slide guitar was so cool.)

“Wild Child”   (This song really rocked!! Images of Native Americans were displayed on the screen along with clips from the “Wild Child” video. Ian followed with "Horse Latitudes.")

“Cops Talk”   (A new one. Afterwards, Ray mentioned there would likely be a new studio album out by the end of the year with the help of poets like Michael McClure, Henry Rollins and others.)

“Alabama Song/Whiskey Bar”   (Ray introduced the song by asking how drunk we all were. He held up his beer bottle and said he'd join us. He then suggested that if we had joints, now was the time to smoke 'em.)

“Backdoor Man”    (This was one of my favorites of the night. They showed video of an old blues singer who I'm guessing was Willie Dixon, the writer of the song.)

“Five To One”   (Great song. Ray got some things off his chest stating he was happy we won the war and proud of our troops but it was now time to be more concerned with employment and the economy. He also mentioned other things that brought a mixture of cheers and a few boos. Ray added that his comments were just his opinions.)

“Crystal Ship”

“People Are Strange”  Robby played his flamenco solo and they went into “Spanish Caravan.”

“Maggie M'Gill”

“L.A. Woman”   (This was definitely my favorite of the night. The “L.A. Woman” video was displayed on the backdrop screen mixed in with other images. Ian looked like he really enjoyed singing this one.)

“Light My Fire”   (Extended version.)

First Encore

“Riders On The Storm”

“Peace Frog”   (Ray asked the audience what we wanted to hear next and people starting yelling...then he said "I'd like some ‘Peace Frog’ too.”)

Second Encore

“Soul Kitchen”    (This was the final song. I had heard that, at this part of the show, a girl or two jumps on stage and begins to shed clothing. Well, a girl did jump on stage but the security guard went right after her. Could she have been part of the show enticing the audience to jump on stage? This is what happened at other shows in other cities. Ian told the guard not to come up but he did anyway. Ian tried holding him back and it looked like he was ready for a fight. Watching it reminded me of Jim on stage in New Haven. The security guard got the girl and others off the stage.)

The end of the night was signaled with the Doors’ logo on the screen. During all songs, psychedelic images were projected which was cool and during certain songs footage of Jim Morrison got the crowd going. At one point Ray integrated "Louie Louie" into a Doors tune. Sometimes he would sing backing Ian or sing parts of songs instead of Ian. Robby made a few comments throughout the night but it was too loud to hear what he said.

So, I finally saw an incarnation of The Doors which is something I always wanted to see. I wasn't sure what I'd feel once I was actually there at the show but into the second song I felt the incompleteness of it all. Original member, John Densmore, behind the drums would have been awesome and his presence was missed (not that Ty didn't do a good job). And while listening to the songs, Jim's absence was strongly felt. It gave me a sad feeling. Even so, they all put on a great rock show. If anything, I saw really talented musicians playing classic songs. But as far as feeling like I had had a religious experience (as original Doors concerts were often described) that didn’t happen. At times during the show I thought it must be hard for Ian knowing that he was under such scrutiny. However he seemed to be his comfortable self during the more rockin’ songs like “Wild Child.” I think he was doing a tribute to Jim and not trying to be Jim.