GREGORY PAGE - LIVE AT LESTAT'S, SAN DIEGO, CA, MAY 28, 2004

 GREGORY PAGE 

LIVE AT LESTAT'S 
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 
MAY 28, 2004 

RECENTLY PULLED UP FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE COBWEBBED ARCHIVES IS THIS LITTLE GEM: A LIVE SET BY CROONING SINGER-SONGWRITER GREGORY PAGE.  THIS PERFORMANCE WAS RECORDED LIVE AT LESTAT'S WEST, THE MUSIC VENUE ATTACHED TO LESTAT'S COFFEEHOUSE, LOCATED ON THE CORNER OF ADAMS AVENUE AND FELTON STREET IN THE NORMAL HEIGHTS DISTRICT OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (THE BIG CLASSIC NEON NORMAL HEIGHTS SIGN HANGS OVER THAT SAME INTERSECTION).  

THE FAMOUS NORMAL HEIGHTS SIGN, LESTAT'S CAN BE SEEN ON THE BOTTOM LEFT 

THIS SET CONSISTED OF SIXTEEN SONGS FROM THE ALBUMS "THE ROMANTIC ADVENTURES OF HARRY," "FARE THEE WELL" (AKA "THE JOHN DOE SESSIONS"), "MUSIC FOR MORTALS," "AND I LOOK UP," "LOVE MADE ME DRUNK," AND "HAPPINESS IS BEING ALONE."  THERE IS ALSO WHAT IS ASSUMED TO BE A FRENCH INSTRUMENTAL.  "MY FRENCH ISN'T VERY GOOD," PAGE STATES AFTER PLAYING THE SONG.  ONE CAN REALLY GET A FEEL OF THE INCREDIBLE TALENT AS A SONGWRITER AND A PERFORMER THAT GREGORY PAGE POSSESSES ON THIS RECORDING.  IT'S A STRANGE DUALITY TO HEAR SUCH SOMBER COMPOSITIONS THAT CONVEY BITTERSWEET EMOTION, OF REGRET, INFATUATION AND LOSS, OVER A BACKDROP OF SKILLED, SMOOTH JAZZY ACOUSTIC GUITAR, INTERSPERSED WITH GREGORY'S NATURAL, CASUAL HUMOR.  

THIS RECORDING WAS SNAGGED OFF THE WEB AT LEAST FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, FROM WHERE IS LOST TO MEMORY.  IT WAS BURNED TO A CD-R AND PUT IN A CD BOOK AND STASHED AWAY, WHERE IT SAT UNTOUCHED FOR YEARS.  THE TRACKS WERE RIPPED TO MP3 AT 320 KBPS.  THE RECORDING WAS VERY QUIET, PARTICULARLY THE GUITAR PLAYING, WITH THE VOLUME ON THE VOCALS SPIKING UP PRETTY HIGH IN CONTRAST, SO THE TRACKS WERE SEQUENCED TOGETHER INTO A SINGLE FILE, AND COMPRESSION WAS APPLIED AND VOLUME BOOSTED, AND THE TRACKS WERE SPLIT BACK UP AGAIN.  ONE OR TWO OF THE TRACKS MAY HAVE THE WRONG TITLE, BUT THE BEST ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO RESEARCH AND GET AS ACCURATE OF A SETLIST AS POSSIBLE.  

IF YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF IN THE NORTH PARK AREA OF SAN DIEGO, MAKE YOUR WAY OVER TO LESTAT'S COFFEEHOUSE, THEY MAKE A PRETTY GOOD MOCHA LATTE.  

TRACKLIST: 

1. THE LAST TRAIN 

2. THOUGHT YOU WERE BRILLIANT 

3. GOODNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT 

4. FARE THEE WELL 

5. WALKING IN THE PARK 

6. CEE CEE RIDER 

7. ROSES IN THE SAND 

8. ONLY A BROKEN HEART 

9. IN THE END 

10. FOREVER AND NEVER 

11. FRENCH INSTRUMENTAL 

12. I CAME HOME / MEMORIES WILL FADE 

13. STARS ABOVE YOU 

14. TROUBLED SKIES 

15. LOVE MADE ME DRUNK 

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GREGORY PAGE - LIVE AT LESTAT'S SAN DIEGO 2004