When we worked our way down to our seats I couldn't believe it...there sat Ray’s keyboard 15 feet in front of me! The excitement in the air was noticeable. Everyone around us was psyched! The guy behind me who came all the way from South Africa for this concert was really pumped. The couple next to us was too. You see, they had blown it in the sixties. She had a choice—Janis Joplin on Saturday or The Doors on Sunday. What a choice! They missed The Doors. Now 36 years later they were making up for that bad choice. 8:00, 8:15, 8:30, I know they are always late, but Come ON...I'm dying here!

A few brave souls try to stir Things up with a chant—DOORS, DOORS, DOORS…it doesn't seem to work. 8:40 out come the roadies again...more equipment checks...then…the lights go dim...on the backdrop behind the drums appears that famous poster "An American Poet"...the crowd roars with excitement. Now I'm cooking...I hear some stupid public service announcement...the house goes totally dark...."LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” I can see the band coming on stage. I'm so close! “FROM LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA...THE DOORS!!!" MAN, MY WHOLE BODY IS GOOSEBUMPS!!! bum ba bum ba bum ba bum...HERE WE GO!

“ROADHOUSE BLUES”...lights come up and there they are…so close I can literally touch Ian! From then on there was nothing but 2 1/2 hours of pure heaven. It may have been 2003 when we entered the Hard Rock but inside it was the 1960s all over again! I've read every review of every show since they have been back out playing again. I don't know if I've witnessed a transformation or everyone else was crazy, but this crap about Ian being his own man... forget about it! If he isn’t the closest thing to the Lizard King himself then I don't know who could be. All you had to do was close your eyes. Jeez, if that didn't sound like Jim, then nothing ever will. Hair, clothing, sounds, moves, voice...Ian blew me away! They played pretty much a standard set. They left out the "Ghost Song" for some reason although we did get to hear their latest, "Cops Talk." When Ray announced they were releasing an album at the end of the year the crowd roared in approval. On through the set they played, one song better than the next.

Ray and Robby jammed back and forth looking like they loved every second of it. “Peace Frog,” “Maggie M’Gill,” I knew what that meant... they were coming to the end...big finish. They said their good-byes. Hey, wait a minute! You can't be done yet! What about…? The crowd is SCREAMING then Ray returns. "OK, one more" he says. "Here's an old radio song. One, two, one, two, three." And off he goes down the keyboard with that riff that I’ve listened to a million times since that day when I was 10 years old and blasted it out on Mom's RCA for the first time. I can't believe it. I’ve heard this song for 36 years but never like this, live, right in front of me. I must have died and gone to heaven! Robby walks around the stage working that guitar like it’s part of his body. He seems transfixed —in another world—as if he is enjoying it as much as I am. Robby eases over in front of Ray. They play back and forth, feeding off each other as though it’s the first time they ever played for an audience. That was one of the best parts of this concert.