Missing Persons 2003

February 15 - Saturday - Anaheim House of Blues

Los Angeles greeted me with 65 degree weather and a friend I hadn't seen in way too long. Brenda has been a Warren fan even longer than I have and was letting me stay with her. Not only are we both serious Warren fans, we're also big Lord Of The Rings fans as well, so we had plenty to talk about on our long ride from LAX to her Hollywood apartment.

The outfit I picked out for the shows worked really well - black leather pants & the black website tee that says "Everybody loves aural sex" with the URL on the back (I wore the tee, not the tank), plus the short black velvet jacket. We drove down to Anaheim, and when Color In Your Life got over, we put in Thanks 2 Frank & got giddy again. How did we go a year and a half without seeing our band and our boys?

For that is how it seemed to us. The 2001 reunion had been a special event, historic in a way, and we are properly respectful of the fact that Warren, Dale and Terry were all together again and did three awesome shows. But this was special to us in a different way. Joe and Wes have worked with Warren since the mid '90s, playing drums and bass in his solo shows. Not only that, they were part of the Duran Duran touring band with Warren (who was an equal member) during the late '90s, and between Brenda and myself, we went to a LOT of those shows. To us and the rest of the "zebra brigade" (Warren's fans), Warren, Joe & Wes are nicknamed the "holy trinity." So it was a shame that Terry wasn't part of this reunion, but if there has to be a substitute, you can do no better than Joe Travers.

Found Downtown Disney & parked, then went to the House of Blues. Found Will Call & they were completely cooperative and asked me where Warren wanted to have the meet & greet. They even asked for my copy of the list to photocopy as they couldn't read Warren's writing. Brenda & I talked to the stage manager briefly and then went to find Warren & see when he wanted to do it & where. That dressing room felt bigger this time - it took me a few minutes to realize it was because the huge coffee table that had been in the middle before (in 2001) was now in a corner of the room.

And, we both agreed, he looked tasty. Thinner than in 2001, but in a good way -less bulky & muscley, dressed in jeans and a sleeveless top, with a great tan. He gave us big hugs, said he was glad we could make it, and then he showed us the setlist. Of course we were all bouncy over "Face to Face" and "Dark & Dangerous Guy." Dale and Ronnie came in and said hi, and her kids were there, too. We got the meet & greet arrangements from him, and then back we went to Will Call to give them the instructions (8:15 on the upstairs balcony).

The meet & greet people were starting to show up, and here came Tom & Ramone & Erica, and a few others. Then we met up with Lisa & Cinamon & Mike. Brenda and I took off for Sephora - and Wes & Joe were in there with their girlfriends. Joe was like, "HEY, we're TWINS!!" pointing at my shirt. He opened his jacket - and he was also wearing a website "Everybody likes aural sex" shirt just like mine! And then he pointed at Wes & said, "and you've got his pants on!" because Wes had on leather pants similar to mine. I asked if Joe was going to wear the shirt for the show, and he said he was. The girlfriends were really nice. After a bit more shopping, we went back to Will Call to check & see if everyone had made it.

Back in the dressing room, it was starting to get festively crowded. Dale's manager, Richard, was there, with his wife, Storm, and Wes & Joe & their girlfriends, and Ronnie, and Victor (Snakemann, Dale's personal assistant & photographer, who was trying to sell everyone his cool homemade jewelry). The opening band, whoever they were, was playing by this time, and our only regret was that we weren’t sure we would get our usual front row spots in front of Warren, but it was so much fun to hang out with him that we didn't mind. Besides, we could console ourselves with the knowledge that if we wanted to, we could watch from the side of the stage off to his side. Dale brought in some of the members of A Flock of Seagulls and introduced them to everyone.

Warren's main problem was that he wanted to wear black leather pants, but the shoes that matched them were these boots that hurt his feet without socks. He didn't have any socks with him, and nobody had any extras. He told us that in Saigon, where he'd just been with Donna, everyone goes out, and then they come home to relax and go barefoot at home, and he lost his socks there. He had on the coolest long-sleeved silvery shirt, with his jeans, but then he took off his jeans & put on the black leather pants. Unfortunately, he didn't like the way the silver sneakers looked with them, even though we told him it looked really hot with the silver shirt & everything...but we also suggested that he do the encore totally shirtless. Because we're evil that way.

Then we started talking about the setlist. Dale was really set on not doing anything past 1982; meanwhile, "US Drag" wasn't on there & Warren wanted to do it. It's a very complicated song, and he & Terry were always famous for their interaction in it, so of course he wanted to try it with Joe. So he started looking for something to cross off and substitute "US Drag" (this show had to be shorter because they had a curfew), and he looked up at me really wickedly & said "I think I'll cross out 'Face to Face'." And then he laughed when we said no, and then he said, "or maybe 'Dark & Dangerous Guy'..." and we said no to that, too. I knew he wouldn't take out 'Face to Face', because it's not only my favorite, it's one of his as well.

We left the dressing room and went up to the meet & greet area to make sure everyone had made it up there, and everyone was really excited. Erica is only 17 and really wanted to meet Wes badly, so we went back to the dressing room to see if anyone else wanted to come up to the meet & greet. Wes agreed, and we led him up to the meet & greet area - Erica was so thrilled. He posed for pictures - and then here came Joe. Then we went down to see if Warren had gotten distracted or diverted, and he saw us and completely interrupted his conversation he was having and said "meet and greet, right now, gotta go!" and followed us around the hallways and up the stairs.

He started posing for pictures, and as soon as he was situated, I took off and scouted around the balcony to make sure there wasn't anyone else with the meet & greet passes who might be in the wrong place. Then I came back to take photos for people who posed with him. He was completely pleasant & funny, really psyched for the show. Thomas Nordegg was in the dressing room when we got back, and I hugged him & told him I was so glad he was finally working a Missing Persons show. I was like, "wow, how long has it been?" and he said, "1986...I think. Right?" So cute. I have missed Thomas.

By the time we got out to the audience area, front row was all taken up, but we got right behind them, and I was between two people & could see just as well as if I'd been in the front row. We were giddy at this point and holding onto each other, looking up at the spot and cheering as soon as they opened the curtain. Here he came - in his jeans & silver sneakers, LOFL. No socks showed up, I guess. And a new guitar we'd never seen!! A new 4 pound Parker Fly! Far out. Joe came out & sat down, grinning - he was still wearing our website shirt!

HOB Anaheim, Sat 2/15, stage time 8:45 PM - Setlist: Mental Hopscotch, Noticeable One, Words, Here & Now, None of Your Business, US Drag, Windows, Face To Face, I Like Boys, Walking In LA, No Way Out / ENCORE: Destination Unknown, Action Reaction

The show was incredible. Wes (bass) was newly installed up front on the other side of Dale, and shy, with new backup vocals he wasn't quite sure of. Ronnie (keyboards) was behind him. Joe (drums) blew away anyone's doubts that he could play this music. He's not Terry, but honestly, for this music, Terry's usual expertise was not really tapped as this is very conventional by his standards. And Joe nailed EVERYTHING, just like we knew he would when he almost had to play the Reunion 2001 shows. Every little thing that Missing Persons fans expect from thousands of listens to these songs, he did. Warren was totally tight, totally on, and totally in control.

Dale seemed to be having great fun. She forgot words, but she put on a show. Between songs, she started rambling and talking, and sometimes during Warren's guitar solos or if he talked (rarely), she would bend down & sign autographs for people in the front row. She thanked Warren & said that the first thing she ever sang on record was his name, which is true (in Joe's Garage). When she intro'd the backup band, she said Wes & Joe were "from Duran Duran," hehehe. As usual, I could hardly take my eyes off Warren, but I did manage to wave at Joe when he smiled at us.

The crowd went nuts for "US Drag," and Warren improvised right in the middle of it, standing still and moving his head from side to side with his eyes closed and playing just a little bit more with every run. Joe just watched him and followed along, without even needing any instruction, and even managed to do a drum solo with it. They did do "Face to Face" (Dale had a lyric sheet that she held while she sang), but not "Dark & Dangerous Guy." She totally messed up in "Walking In LA," and Warren started shaking his head, and she just turned and stared at him - and he took control, signaled to Wes & Joe, and they broke it down, played it in reggae a bit, and then started playing a disco version of it, and she started SPEAKING the words - it was so hot. When they did their "walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin'....walkin'" bit, Wes didn't sing any of it, and then he sang all of them. Oops.

After the encore was over, we went back to the dressing room. Warren was elated, grinning at Joe about how they'd done "US Drag." Joe was like, "yeah, I just watched you and held on, had no idea where you were going with it, but it all worked out." And then Warren looked at me and his eyes were GLOWING, and he said, "did you hear 'Walking In LA'? I f*cking got it on tape!" He was so happy. And Joe had told us at Sephora that they didn't get to rehearse at all, ever. That's talent.

Over on the couch, Wes was a little bummed out about some mistakes he'd made. Dale talked to everyone for a long time. We stayed a long time until almost everyone had left except for Warren, who was smoking cigarettes at this point. Brenda and I just stared at him in shock. Had to get the details for their morning show - he said it was at Hollywood High School football field at Sunset & Highland, at 10 AM. I told him I would get that posted tonight before I went to bed, and he said "rock on" When we left, Cinamon, Mike & Lisa were waiting for us outside, and Lisa showed us the videos & pictures she'd gotten. They stayed a bit to try to see everyone when they came out, and Brenda & I decided to go ahead & go home. Stopped to get a yummy soft cinnamon & sugar pretzel & root beer, and I think that is where I lost my cell phone. Oh well. We got out to the car, shared the pretzel and blasted Thanks 2 Frank all the way back. Downtown LA is so pretty at night. When we got back to the apartment, we checked our email, and I posted the Nike event time & location on the website and a few other places.

February 16 - Sunday - Run Hit Wonder Race Show & Sunset House of Blues

The race participants had the coolest shirts!! Red shirts, with the names of the bands on the back, and god we wanted one, but they were official race shirts that were only available to contestants. People were handing out race stickers, and I got one of those.

Nike Run Hit Wonder Race Finish Line, Hollywood High School football field, Sun 2/16, 9:30 AM (this one may not be in order): Mental Hopscotch, Words, I Like Boys, None of Your Business, Destination Unknown, Here & Now, Walking in L.A.

This was an outdoor show, and in the morning, but everyone onstage seemed fired up and full of energy. We got right up to within a few feet of the stage, took some pictures, etc. I'd never seen them play out in the sunshine before, and it was quite nice to see. Really, really, REALLY loud, too. Their final song was the one Nike had licensed for the race, "Walking in L.A." and the crowd really liked it! This was a general public crowd, teenagers & all, and they were really digging it!

After they were done, people were crowding around both corners of the back of the stage, waiting for autographs, and we left them to it. Instead, we went to the front of the stage and yelled up at Joe, who looked over at us and waved. Warren got done and took off with a quick wave to us. Then Wes came out from the back area, loaded down with so much stuff he could barely carry it. He had his bass case (luckily it has wheels and handles) and two bags, two tee-shirts, a jacket, his camera, and a box of shoes (earlier that morning, Nike gave everyone in the band 2 pairs of shoes and a jacket and god knows what else). People were asking him to sign things & pose for pictures, so we held his stuff because the football field grass was muddy from the rain they'd had on Thursday. They were playing all kinds of really cool 80's songs over the loudspeakers, and they sounded so good...and then they played "Hungry Like The Wolf." Cinamon and I looked at each other and at Wes and burst into explosive laughter, and Wes rolled his eyes, groaned, and said, "oh GOD, just shoot me now."

We helped him carry his stuff a couple of blocks to his parking garage, and I commented to Wes that he'd done better with his Walking In LA "walkin's" today. He said he almost had it figured out but he just couldn't get it, pointing out that in the Reunion 2001 shows, Terry had sung them, and they hadn't had any rehearsals this time. I told him which ones he was supposed to sing. Once we got his stuff loaded into his van, he gave me and Cinamon his two tee-shirts - they are grey and have the bands named on the front, and on the back, instead of a contestant's number like on the red shirts, it had printed in big black letters: "ROADIE." We thought this was hysterically funny, and sort of true as well, since we'd helped Wes lug his equipment.

Later that afternoon, Brenda & I went to the soundcheck. The Sunset House of Blues is really cool. We parked in back, just wandered in and stood around while the staff was busy moving chairs & dishes, etc. Warren got there just after we did, and this time he had Donna with him and introduced her to us. She is really pretty, and so sweet. She went over to sit on the other side of the room with some other people, but Brenda & I wanted to stay on Warren's side to watch him. Tom and Ramone were there, and we hung out with them a little while, waiting for soundcheck to start.

I was mainly pre-occupied with finding the stage manager (Zander) and setting up the pre-show and aftershow. He was really cool, said we couldn't do a pre-show because there was no place to have it, but that we could do an aftershow in the second floor balcony area. Warren and Ronnie were the only ones there at first, and they did the usual soundcheck stuff, where the sound men at the house desk asked for different things to be tested, etc. Then Wes & his girlfriend showed up, and she took some photos while he went up on the stage. Another HOB employee came around with yellow All-Access stickers for the band and all of us that were there & on the list for it. Brenda and I stood up by this railing to stay out of the way & still be able to see very well - not very far away from him at all.

For a while, it was Warren, Wes and a drummer that was employed by the house to run soundchecks - Warren played all kinds of stuff, mostly his own parts of the MP songs. It's really cool to hear them & get that headrush when you figure out what song they are - you don't normally hear the songs broken down that way. It was so great to stand there and watch as he worked and got in that zone. He was indisputably in charge, even telling the house sound guys what to do and what he wanted. Then he started playing "Ass Man" (one of his solo songs), and Wes joined in, and I thought Brenda was going to squeeze my hand right off. We were totally goony fan girls, permagrinning away, as much as we could without making any noise, squealing, cheering, clapping or yelling out "Orgasmatron!" (me) or "Canarsie Daiquiri!" (her) - somehow we managed not to do this. They worked on "Face to Face" a bit.

The only thing lacking was that it was the house drummer on the stage instead of our Joe, but finally Joe showed up, took over, and immediately agreed with Warren that the snare drum wasn't audible at all. Then Dale showed up, and they really got to work & did parts of songs. Dale's microphone was shorting out, and she shook it & said it wasn't acceptable and she wanted a new one. They had a lot of trouble getting Ronnie's levels right. Warren never really did get satisfied with it & griped a bit at the house staff, but finally he said they were done. We told him we were leaving & told him we could have an aftershow meet & greet, and when & where, and he said that would be fine. Brenda & I were walking on air when we left there to get dinner.

Went back to the venue, and it was starting to fill up, so we headed up to the dressing room. There weren't many people in there besides the band & girlfriends & kids, and we got water & hung out a while. Warren came in and enthusiastically asked if we were ready, and of course we were. Donna seemed shyly excited as well - this was to be the first time she would see Warren perform onstage. They had a full buffet set out for dinner, but we had just eaten & were too excited to eat anyway.

Went back down, and then it was time for the lovely show...

HOB Sunset, Sun 2/16 stage time 10 PM: Mental Hopscotch, Noticeable One, Words, Here & Now, None of Your Business, Dark and Dangerous Guy (partial), US Drag, Windows, Face to Face, I Like Boys, Throw Money, No Way Out, Walking In LA / ENCORE: Destination Unknown, Action Reaction

I liked having the barrier, because it was fun to hold onto it while dancing. Tonight's improv song was "Destination Unknown" - Dale messed up, and Warren took everyone out but him and Joe, and then he started chanting along with it - it was surreal. After a minute or so of this, with just one nod to the rest of them, they slammed back into the normal version of the song and she found the words, didn't mess up at all. BTW, Brenda and I have jokingly decided that the truth is this: "Words" was recorded incorrectly. It must have been, because Dale always sings it differently, but consistently differently. And they did "Dark & Dangerous Guy" - until Dale totally lost it and quit, and Warren just held his hand up with his fingers spread and pushed up, and everyone stopped. We cheered for them anyway. The funniest part was that when they did "Walking in L.A.", Wes did his stuff perfectly! and then he looked over where he knew we would be and flashed the biggest smile!

They didn't talk much tonight, but Warren said something about how great it was to be back on the Sunset Strip like they'd been before, "Twenty-two, twenty-three years ago, and we're still here! This is great!" he said. They also did "Throw Money." The show ended again with "Action, Reaction" - that seems to be the pattern, along with always opening the show with "Mental Hopscotch." I'm not sure but I think every show Missing Persons has ever done has started with that song. They did SUCH a great job!

After they were done, we went up to the second floor balcony to make sure all the meet & greet people were there, and then we went back to the dressing room. Donna loved the show and was really excited. Warren wasn't in there yet because he was busy dealing with settling their payment somewhere else, so we hung out & chatted with people. It got really smoky and crowded. Across the hall from the dressing room door was the Foundation Room, and some people had special wristbands for that. Our people had different wristbands for the meet & greet and had been herded into this closed off room on the second floor balcony. The guard showed me a shortcut, going outside onto this balcony and down a set of stairs. Then Wes said he needed to load up his equipment but could stop in the meet & greet briefly if I wanted him to, and I had to wait forever while he and Dahlia talked to people, but finally he followed me down, and then Joe came down.

Back up in the dressing room, Warren had been sucked into a conversation, but he handed me some money and told me to go find Wes & give it to him. Once I was back upstairs, Warren came down with me for the meet & greet. Everyone was really happy to see him, and he posed for photos, talked to people, etc.

After a while, Warren decided it was time to leave, and we all went down to the parking lot. There were fans out there waiting for him, and he signed stuff and chatted. We were totally exhausted but stuck around to watch the valet bring his Porsche around - god it is gorgeous and sleek, black with a black leather interior. Hot damn.

February 17 - Monday - Dinner at Warren's restaurant - Via Veneto

On Monday night, my friends Dawn & Dan came with me to Warren's Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, Via Veneto. The food was excellent! Warren's partners were both there (Mario & Fabry), and one of them was our waiter. We started off with arugula salad that was crisped, with some kind of cheese and Portobello mushrooms, and that was just divine. Then we had a ravioli plate - part of it was salmon ravioli & part was asparagus ravioli, with a cream sauce - those were equally divine. The entrees came out - I had veal porcini, and it came with these tasty little roasted potatoes & some spinach. Back toward the bathroom, there's a hallway with some of Warren's Duran Duran memorabilia in it. He has Simon's award for Arena for some reason, his own award for Notorious, the Walk of Fame plaque & framed photo, and a platinum, multi-country award for TWA. We got our desserts to go - mine was pineapple sorbet served in a cute little pineapple shell.