Written by Chris A
Photo of Phil by Steve A

Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, Orange County, CA – The Coach House is a dinner and show venue, with long tables extending up to the stage. The whole dinner vibe, and perhaps the Orange County laid back attitude, contributed to the Orange County show lacking the energy and drive of the San Diego and Los Angeles shows. In Orange County, CA, it was hard to tell if UFO was on or not. The sound was poor, the crowd stayed on the benches. We got up a few times and were told to sit down or not block the aisles. A good indication of how the band or at least Phil was feeling was that the band did not exit after its regular set and come back for the two encore numbers. Instead, Phil said he didn’t want to have to climb up the stairs and then come back again, in effect saying “so let’s just get it done now.” On the plus side, didn’t spot many jerks at the OC show. Everyone was well behaved. In fact, quite a few families attended. Almost seemed like a picnic. Some have commented on how much they enjoyed the OC show. One cannot imagine how they would have rated the San Diego and Los Angeles shows.

Just a day earlier, UFO had rocked the Brick By Brick in San Diego. The Brick is a dive. The misplaced bar cuts off half the floor space. Who designed this place? Having said that, the stage is also very small—about ten feet in depth--and UFO was on top of the crowd. The energy level was at a premium, and the crowd was alive at this beaten down venue. UFO blasted through their set with energy, conviction and power. As expected, the SITN tunes drove the crowd crazy, with “Rock Bottom” climaxing the regular set. Hats off to the boys for performing at this dark dungeon.

Los Angeles was the best show, by far. The crowd had a much younger look. With that, came a dangerous vibe. A few close to the stage had to “leave” based on the pressure felt from some thug-like creatures. Phil was at his best, his energy level seen from the onset with an especially powerful “Mother Mary”. Phil commented on the “smell” in the crowd, referring to the plant-like substance “from India” that filled the venue as the show progressed. The Key Club in Los Angeles has an efficient floor plan for a rock show. There is plenty of floor space in front of the stage and a balcony circles the stage, with dinner seating. Strikes a nice balance. The sound was perfect also, with “Baby Blue” melting the hearts of those who recognized the song. Phil finishes off “Baby Blue” with such emotion and warmth. He is amazing.

In fact, at all three shows, Phil was the showman, with some planned and impromptu humor. He was endearing and charming. But make no mistake about it. The old man is getting better with age, just needs a few more breaks to catch his breath and have a drink. That is where Vinnie comes in. As many have previously stated, he holds fast to the original solos, but when he veers off and gets creative, he maintains song integrity. You can tell he is very comfortable playing with the band. Andy blasted through the set and as much as Jason was integral to the band, Andy brings back the percussion power that makes UFO legendary.

The set list was the same at all three Southern California shows. From what was posted as the original list, Pushed, Heavenly Body and Let it Roll were missing. Is this the last of a UFO sighting in Southern California? We hope not, but if it is, the band went out in style.

Chris