[disclaimer - this is a long post]
Hi all,
  Well, I just walked in the door from the State College, PA, show.   All in
all, it was a terrific day.
  I arrived in State College at noon to find that the Connells weren't
scheduled to start until 2:05.  My friend and I decided to get a bite to eat.
 I suggested one restaurant, but she wanted to eat at the Gingerbread Man.
 I'm glad she did.  As we were walking towards the door to enter, I noticed
someone familiar in front of us pointing at my Fun and Games T-shirt.  It was
Mike Connell.  As it turned out, we followed him and George into the
restaurant.  I initially only talked briefly with George about his solo album
and the new album, but talked with Mike for several minutes.  What was
interesting was when we talked about the success of ' 74-' 75 in Europe.  He
said that but for that success, the band might have broken up.  We also
talked about past shows I had seen them at.  He had a great memory of all the
venues.
  Later, I ran into George when leaving the restroom.  I mentioned to him
what Mike said about breaking up.  He said that was an accurate reflection of
what Mike was feeling at the time, but that they had already started working
on the new album when ' 74- '75 made it big, so they would not have broken up
the band regardless.  We also talked about the new album.  I told him I
thought it was their most intricate, sophisticated album yet.  He agreed, and
said it was good having Tim Harper there telling them what to do when
recording it (his words were "It was good having him tell us to sit down and
shut up, or to start playing.").  We talked about the show conflicting with
the PSU-USC football game, and he said the band was a little worried no one
would be around to see them play.  He said when they heard about the game,
they chalked it up to the typical Connells bad luck.
  I was a bit concerned when I went outside to see the band playing before
the Connells (I can't even remember the name)- there were about 30 to 50
people watching them, with lots of people walking by ignoring the band.  The
band finished, and many of the people there left.
  The Connells started about 20 minutes later, and suddenly - people appeared
(perhaps the local station was announcing the starting times of the bands?).
 It wasn't a huge crowd, but respectable.  I'm a poor judge of numbers, but
I'd say a couple hundred stretched the length of the street.  Maybe Sarah can
correct me.  Also, unlike the prior band, people walking by seemed to stop
and stay to listen.
  They opened with Fifth Fret, and ended with Slackjawed.  In between, they
played, not necessarily in this order, Maybe, Any, Let it Go, New Boy, 74-75,
Doin' You, Fun and Games, Motel, and Try.  It was a short set, but they only
had 45 minutes.  They were very tight, although the speakers (which they
shared with all the bands) were fuzzier at times than what I'm used to from a
Connells show.  I thought the new stuff sounded great.  I thought the new
stuff, especially Fifth Fret, was much closer in sound to the album than
their past work.  Talking with Doug after the show, he said that was because
the producer of the new album has been their sound man at live shows for
several years, and knows more than anyone what the album should sound like to
mirror the live sound.
  Doug also mentioned the upcoming video for Fifth Fret, and said it was a
hilarious spoof of Deliverance.  When I asked about a possible video
compilation, he said "Geez, I hope not," because there are only about 2 other
Connells videos he even wants people to know about.  He talked about the
success of 74-75, too, and said he has a friend who calls him "Hasselhoff"
since David Hasselhoff (Baywatch) is popular in Europe, too.  While talking
with Doug, I met Sarah from this mailing list.  Since she was there for the
conversation with Doug and David, maybe she can fill in some more detail
(like Doug's story about the cab driver giving them a hard time over 74-75,
or all the lipsyncing they had to do surrounded by fake mushrooms on some
goofy European TV shows).
  The only members of the band who weren't around to chat with were Peele and
Steve.  The guys I did talk with were very nice.  My friend, who didn't know
the band before today, was amazed at how genuinely interested they were to
talk with everyone.  They weren't in a rush to finish the conversation, but
kept it going themselves.
  Well, I know this was long-winded.  Hope I didn't bore anyone.
 
             Jamie