Gayle Snyder Great gig! I haven't got much to add...the previous reviews encapsulated the magic of the evening! I did get to meet MK and it was amazing! He seemed very relaxed, very pleasant. I did hug him (with his permission, of course). It was the least I could do, to thank him for the many years of his wonderful music...

You have probably already seen the setlist and read feedback from the forum about other personal experiences during this remarkably special evening in Maine. I just want to say again that I was amazed at how easily chatty MK was both onstage and off. (I think I heard him talk more onstage on Wednesday night than at the TOTAL number of concerts I've attended throughout the years. He was genuinely warm, just delighted at how the show turned out and very happy to share that with the people who spoke to him afterwards. I didn't ask for a hug, and I didn't get a keepsake or a kiss. But I was able to personally talk with him. I told him how much I loved the show and he said how enjoyable it was to do it. I wanted to ask him something unique, that no one else likely had posed to him that evening. I think I nearly blew his socks off (American expression) when I asked him if he raced at Goodwood this year. He was utterly amazed that I even knew about it. He said no. Then he waited a moment and with a big smile he said, "But, I did race at Lemans". Then I returned the huge smile and said, "Yes, coming in ninth was fantastic". And I got another beaming smile back at me! I ran into him again a while later downstairs when he was talking with some of the Opera House people. It was also great meeting Guy, Richard and Glenn. I asked Guy if he'd be reporting the event on his website and he said 'absolutely' but I'd never thought it would be so quick. It was also truly wonderful to meet more of the forum/people. Before leaving Maine yesterday, I made Nomad and Harvey (HHH4 both promise that we would get together some dreary winter day or evening to reminisce about our collective experiences and bring back some very warm memories. (I did post this on the mi casa, su casa thread.) Please, anyone on the forum or on the T Roadie list who is coming through the Boston area - whether it be for business (I guess most of us work to support our MK habit!) or pleasure - let me know in advance. I am always delighted to meet MK afficianados! One other thing. At one point during the show, MK was talking about the guitar that Richard was holding. He asked Richard to take it off and show it to everyone. Apparently, it was very unique due to the neck shape. Not being technically oriented about specific guitars (although I do know the steel national!),I was curious, and wrote to Richard about this. Here is his reply: "Hi Emily, Thanks for coming to the Boothbay gig, it was very special for a very good cause. Thanks too for getting a copy of the Rainy Decade, it's very much appreciated. The guitar Mark spoke off is a National Hawaiian guitar and it has a square neck, because it is played Hawaiian style with a bar and not fretted with the fingers. In fact, the strings are raised about a half inch above the finger board. This creates quite a bit of tension on the neck and they are quite thick, hence the square shape for strength. Richard." A couple of afterthoughts I think one of the reasons this event worked so well for MK was not only the size of the Opera House but the general ambience of the locale. I thought Boothbay Harbor was right out of the movie Local Hero. I'm from the New England area and have visited many coastal villages but, Boothbay Harbor and, of course, the knowledge that MK was there, made it all the more resonant. I believe he felt right at home. I was staying at a beautiful inn across the harbor from the Opera House. I awoke very early on Thursday AM, made some coffee, bundled up and then walked across the road to the water. There were huge flat rocks and small tidal pools. With the exception of the water lapping against the rocks you could hear a pin drop. I just kept re-playing the Local Hero theme (my all-time favorite MK song) in my head as I walked on the rocks and looked to the Opera House. For just a split second, I wished I'd brought my IPOD with me so I could actually listen to the soundtrack. And then I realized that I didn't need it. Emily from Boston

Well, I attended the show in Boothbay. My wife and I met at least one other person from the T-road list and I expect hat there are many more. We had the premium tickets. Yes, Mark and band did make an appearance at the post-show party. It was very interesting since Mark was immediately surrounded by the most "enthusiastic" fans which he appeared to handle with grace and style. I snapped a few photos since I was just a few feet away and he really seemed to be enjoying himself. Glenn, Richard and Guy had their own followings but they stayed MUCH longer so it was easy to step in and chat with them. How terrific of the group to just hang out and hear from the fans. It would have been nice to have a bit more control so Mark might have been able to hang out more. Only 100 of the 600 people had premium seats. The show itself was spectacular. As you can see from the set list it was extremely unique. If you have the bootlegs and see lots of MK concerts, this was a special treat as he went to some deep cuts on his solo albums. His playing was as skilled as ever and the greatness of the band really came through. The sound was perfect, you could understand every word and Richard's playing came right through. Kudos to Guy for his backing vocals as well. It was not a rock n roll evening, nor did the audience give a standing ovation very often. But, the applause and cheers were lengthy and loud! Richard looked especially relaxed as he would cross his legs and smile broadly while playing. We were in row 2, which was VERY close to the stage. It was like a folk evening, with Mark talking often between songs. Although the songs were vastly different from other concerts, he still changed guitars with every song. Glenn was there for Mark but Richard had to retrieve his own. It was not an acoustic set, it was more like the "One Take Radio Session" CD. I've been to dozens of shows since 1985, and this was the top. I still like the high energy shows, but the intimacy of this performance was unbeatable. Since it was not part of a tour, you could tell how special it was. I did not detect a bad chord or missed cue all night. The thing I would remind us fans is that these performers are not gods, they are merely very talented at the thing they do. It was sort of sad to watch people crowd around the performers... I guess they get used it. You know what it looks like... the awkward moment when a fan moves into the space between them and the performer ? There is a hesitant gaze between the parties as they await a hand gesture or some verbal cue to begin. One by one this awkward moment continued. Fortunately, except for those surrounding Mark, most fans waited for things to clear a bit. One woman was so intent on crafting a personal note to Mark, that she missed him entirely as he worked his way around the room. She could be overhead several times chewing Richard's and Guy's ear about how much money she wasted. This was a charity event after all, not a meet-and-greet. Guy gingerly advised her to check out his website and to send him the note she had addressed to, "Mr. Knopfler".