And now, if you are still interested in the more specific experiences of this humble reviewer, read on, as

I must admit, I faced some difficulty actually GETTING to a Dels concert, but that's probably because I live in a sparsely populated area of northern New Mexico. The closest places the band was performing were Denver and Boulder, CO. Unfortunately, I couldn't get away for both shows so I drove up for the show in Boulder, to be held at the Fox theatre. I was sure that, once I got close enough to get reception on my car radio, there would be some sort of promotional interview on a radio station. So I tuned in, and on KBCO, the Boulder station, I heard an unmistakably Dels accent!! Allright!! I turned it up, and the station announcer said, "hey guys, thanks for stopping by." "Goodbye."

Fortunately, my luck improved. After driving 425 miles, I made it to downtown Boulder and walked right into the (still-unlocked) doors of the Fox. There in the lobby were several other Dels fans!! We had a great time chatting about the band, and the show they had seen the previous night in Denver. As Dels fans are wont to do, they said things like "they were awesome." "they rocked." "they blew our minds." One of the women in the group had baked lasagna for the band members. That was a great idea. A friend of mine toured in a band for several years and he said that, after an extended stretch of time on the road, what you want is a home-cooked meal. So remember that, fans, take our boys some chow!

It was still two hours until show time, and folk were milling about, and I heard strong scots accents coming from the corner. I looked up and there was ANDY! Talking to QUINNER! So I asked Quinner if he could give the band a letter I had written for them, and he quite kindly did. By this time Andy had disappeared.

Time passed, and the club began to fill up. The opening act, Josh Clayton-Felt, opened right on time. His playing and singing were quite good, his affect friendly and professional. I really LIKED him! He seemed to please the crowd, though perhaps some of the "roll to me" folk (mentioned frequently and derisively in other reviews. I won't repeat the complaints here but must say I know what they're about) were wondering why such a wall-of-sound guitarist was opening for Del Amitri.

After what seemed like a long break but in fact was normal set-up time, the Dels came onstage. For those of you who keep track of these things, Justin was wearing black velvet/gold embossed pants, and a black leather jacket. Iain had on a way-cool orange (most people can't wear that color) retro-fabric long shirt, and black jeans. John, the new guitarist, wore Wranglers, a t-shirt, vest, and boots. He looked quite good, being in the Wild West and all. I couldn't see Ashley's outfit behind the drums. I remember Andy's shirt because, I must say, it seemed incongruous; a wild paisley-type fabric with a VERY '70s collar and cuffs. Seemed incongruous to me because his personality strikes me as quiet (almost, dare I say, timid?), and here's this WILD shirt. Quite cute.

OK- Let me get this out of the way. They rocked they were awesome they blew my mind they played a bunch of my favorite songs. Would that I had written down what precisely they played. (Check other reviews on this website from April of 96, that's pretty much the list.) The sound system was NOT good, Iain and John were signaling to each other, trying to compensate. The guitars were too loud, the mikes were too low, and things were a mess for the first two or three songs. Either they cleared up the problems or my hearing adjusted.

Many funny jokes were made. Boulder, CO, one of the crunchiest-granola spots in the entire USofA, is a great foil for our boozing, campy, partying Scots. The Boulder city ordinance against smoking cigarettes (yes, even in BARS) was mentioned. Justin said, "That seems a little draconian to me." (Yes, he really said that, DRACONIAN, but then this is the man who quoted Tennyson on Waking Hours.) "I mean, most of MY relatives DIED of cancer, and it still seems harsh. Of course, in Scotland we don't have a sitdown like you do here, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. We just gather round the table and smoke." Leans against the mike, pretends to suck a cigarette. "Smoke up sonny, it's good for you." He turned to Iain and asked some kind of question, to which Iain said, directly into the microphone "uhunuhahhah...haha?" and the band all laughed. Sorry, Iain, we love you, but you gotta speak more clearly! Of course, he has certainly taught his guitar to talk, so that will have to satisfy we ugly Americans. AND, I have seen it with my own eyes, the man can chew gum, sing, play the guitar, and smoke a cigarette, ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

Justin drank beer on stage and said, "our usual complaint with American beer is that it's not strong enough. Here the altitude is supposed to make you drunk faster, but then we heard that you get used to it. So - we're not moving."

Such was the crowd in Boulder that they even clapped at that! Del Amitri is quite popular there. Throughout the show folks sang along, clapped wildly, shouted requests. Of course, there were the usual overwhelming number of more or less annoying, gyrating college-age girls, there were quite a few older "roll to me" pop types, and then there were the 30-something non-descript folk of both sexes who were actually LISTENING to the show.

None of the groups, I imagine, went away disappointed. The band played for about an hour and a half, three encores, and then the militia of the Fox theatre attempted to start shoving people out the door. Actually, I have many complaints about that place, not only that you CAN'T SMOKE A CIGARETTE but also that the people who run the joint treat their patrons and customers like shit. For instance, the people I had met before the show had driven from Denver and had brought their daughter and her friend, neither of whom was 21 (more like 18 or 19). I heard the club manager giving them a lecture that lasted at least 5 minutes. "IF I SEE YOU TOUCH A DRINK, I'LL KICK YOU ALL OUT, IF I EVEN THINK YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT TOUCHING A DRINK I'LL KICK YOU OUT, AFTER THE SHOW I'M GOING TO SMELL YOUR BREATH..." blahblahblah and after all this she turned to me and confiscated my backpack!! I'm not too sure why she did that, it's not like I could steal any ASHTRAYS OR ANYTHING!

Somehow several of us managed to avoid the militia after the show, and sure enough the band came out from the backstage area. Justin signed many autographs, and promised to read the letter I had written them (Thanks, Quinner, for your speedy mail delivery!). I had quite a pleasant conversation with John. We discussed many things, including his son Beau, his impressions of touring, and Regis Philbin.

Well, the band adjourned to a bar/pool hall, and we were invited. It was so great! I walked over with Andy and discussed whether or not I should go buy more cigarettes, as I had run out. "Well," I said, "Iain smokes." "He smokes" said Andy, "but he doesn't have cigarettes. It's ONE thing to smoke. It's ANOTHER thing to carry them on your person." (I suppose he could have just said, "IT'S ANOTHER THING TO PAY FOR THEM YOURSELF, LADY! DEL AMITRI JUST SMOKES OPs (OTHER PEOPLE'S)!" Anyway, it was all said in his charming accent, the last word was pronounced sort of "pearrrsun", and I have repeated that line many times since.)

We spent about two hours at the bar but it seemed like such a shorter time than that. I talked to Justin about feminism and the movie "braveheart", I talked to Andy about playing the piano and Scotland, I talked to John about my family. They were all SO kind and SO gracious. I didn't get a chance to talk to Iain, and I didn't see Ashley there. Maybe next time. If the band performs within 500 miles of where I live, I'll be there! And next time, I'll remember to steal a guitar pick.