File Under: A Prarie Home Companion, a summary

First and foremost the show was great, even better than listening to it next to the campfire with a beer. Though, I shall have to listen to it again on the radio, to hear all the stuff I missed while people were laughing or clapping.

The Venue: The Bangor Civic Center is a frackin pigsty. We were up in the Stadium seating on the right. The floors were sticky, the walls and beams, and duct work were all covered in thick dust. The beam immediately behind my seat had, what appeared to be chili dog remnants, on it. Can someone please donate a pressure washer to them?

The Show: It was all I expected, minus Guy Noir (Ellyn was bummed too). Garrison came out to warm up the crowd about 5:45. He was witty and lead us in a fine rendition of "You are My Sunshine." He was quite adept at making all the right Maine jokes to keep the crowd with him, he continued in that vein through out the evening. It was, also, neat to watch the way he directed the music and the rest show, with hand gestures and glances. They worked with the kind of efficiency and shorthand that only comes from working together for a long time.

The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band were a pleasure. When I asked Ellyn what her favorite part of the evening was, she said the music, and I can see her point. However, to me, live music is much more accessible than a live radio theater performance. So, I would have to go with the stories and incomparable skills of Fred Newman, the sound effects man.

I had years of suspicion confirmed last night. Mr. Keillor goes off script to mess with Fred. GK made continual efforts to crack him up. It reminds me of Carrol Burnett show, and the way Tim Conway would try to break the others. Once, Garrison realized that espresso machines and spray whipped cream were wreaking havoc on Fred, suddenly everything seemed to involve them. What a blast.

The guests for the evening were Maxine Kumin (pronounced like human, GK found out he had been pronouncing it wrong for 12 years, oops) and David Mallet. Maxine's poems were beautiful and funny. Poetry, like Shakespeare, just plays better when read out loud. David and his band were most enjoyable as well. We all sang along to "The Garden Song."

We rounded out the broadcast with an even better rendition of "You Are My Sunshine," and a standing ovation from the crowd. A good time was had by all.

If you would like to hear the show, it should be available on Monday on their archives.