At the end of July, we headed to Sacramento to see a concert.  Since we were only going for two nights, I did some calculations.  Based upon the time and distance, it worked out better financially to take the Hybrid and stay in a hotel.  That way we were able to stay closer to the venue.  We went to see The Police!  This was part of their farewell tour.  No longer would there be The Police so I thought I had better get some tickets.  The concert was at the Sleeptrain Ampitheatre in Wheatland, CA.  That is about 20 miles north of Sacramento.  This is a fantastic place for a concert.  A nice slope with grass along the top edge.  We were in the section just up from the close section but the view was still great.  The sound was just as good.  We were in the first row of the section so there was no one in front of us.  Elvis Costello was the opening act and Sting joined him for backup on Alison.  I really enjoyed seeing all the old guys, Sting even had a beard.

I have been a fan of The Police for many years and have enjoyed Sting’s work but in a different way.  I like the earlier Police sound with a hard edge.  As Sting evolved so did his music and the Police’s which probably precipitated the breakups.  I think Sting is a very good lyrics writer, his music lags behind.  However the next week we went to another concert to see a group that is the other way around.

We went to Paso Robles to go to the Mid-State Fair.  They ALWAYS have good acts performing there.  This time they had Steely Dan, my favorite group.  If they are close, I will go to the concert.  We did take the trailer this time since it was a bit closer and we chose to stay at the Wine Country RV park.  We have had good luck staying there over the years.  However, this one was a bit different.  When I made reservations I was not told we were going to get the ‘fair special’.  It was special alright, special for the RV park.  It was over $60/night due to the fair!  That was not even in a ‘premium’ spot.  The premiums are pull-through.  Ours was a back-in and had a concrete pad.  The lesser spots, which were full, have dirt for the pad.  We had a difficult time getting the truck to fit into the spot also.  When we were leaving we were prepared to turn in front of the clubhouse (to the west of it) and follow a motorhome out.  Some employee emphatically motioned us to go around the clubhouse, even though no one was coming and the motorhome was there also.  Oh well, I think we will reassess our visits to this RV park in the future.  I would rather drive further and stay somewhere else, like Redondo Vista.

Regarding Steely Dan, I feel they are the best that I have heard musically.  I love their intracacies in their music and the fun they have.  Lyrically they could do a bit better and sometime Donald Fagen doesn’t have the pure voice to carry it.  I always thought it would be good to have Boz Scaggs singing lead for them, who, ironically, was at the Mid-State Fair also but we did not see him.

But wait, there is one more concert to discuss in a future entry.