souvenirs

EPHEMERA

Here are some mementos from past tours.

As reminders of songs performed at the concerts, I kept these song lists:

Pittsburgh (8/22/93)was the last gig on the '93 tour on one long, hot day. The band played a small rave bar in the wharf area, so grungy and nondescript it faded into the rest of the block. Dudu Zulu was gone then and Derek De Beer was still drummer. I pulled this sheet from the stage after the concert (not an easy task, with all the duct tape holding it down). If you look closely, you can spot the prints from Johnny's Hi-Tops. This was the place that put on the marquee, "Tonight Johnny Klegg". Maybe they didn't have a "C" in the box?

This Portland (8/9/96) sheet was the last one onstage and out of my reach, but a generous chap snagged it for me. No footprints on this one, though. Note the deletions and changes in the song lineup, cutting the performance time somewhat from the projected 90 minutes.

These are the ticket stubs for the November 27, 1990 concert in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. This was a tough concert to get tickets for and attend since my ability to order tickets in French is limited ;-). Fortunately, our patient ticket seller knew a "little bit of English", so we made it happen.

Not only was it a long haul to Quebec from Chicago, it was the dead of winter. We ran into snowstorms and below-freezing temperatures. The concert was great though; Johnny's between-song patter was in French, and they performed a song I'd never heard before or since. But... one tune on the new cd (Ya Vuka Inkunzi) does sound vaguely familiar...

Two days later on the 29th we were in Guelph for the show at the University. I can't remember much about it now, but I do recall it being held in the cafeteria or student union. The small breakdown stage was only about waist-high, and Dudu Zulu and Johnny seemed within arm's reach. This show was also memorable because it was the first we'd attended at a relatively small venue, and the only one to date on a University campus.

Here's a photo of the front of Toad's Place in New Haven, Connecticut, taken on 7/16/96. That sign in the window was the same one originally used the first time Juluka played there, which was in (I think they said) 1986! Look again at Johnny's name and the new concert date they were added by simply patching the old sign! It's not surprising the management held on to it the rest of the bar is a virtual rock 'n roll museum, the walls covered with autographed photos of hundreds of performers, and glass cases displaying stage passes and musical paraphernalia everywhere else.

Some of you might recognize the photo used on the poster from the liner notes or record sleeve of the original 1982 Scatterlings album. Sipho and Johnny performed together then as Juluka, and reunited in '96 under the same name. The other band members in the photo have long since gone their separate ways.

I'm sure Toad's never dreamt they'd be digging that old piece of cardboard out of mothballs for a second go-round. We asked if they'd be needing it again, but they decided they'd hold on to it for another ten years, just in case.

A little over a week later (the 28th) we were at the Barrymore Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. We stayed after the show, and Johnny seemed pleased to mingle with his fans. He was kind enough to sign our ticket stubs.

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by!

talkingleaves MMVI