No matter how many times I may see this band play, these gentlmen (and woman) blow me away. The
Casual Viewin Pop Exprience is no exception.
Kristi arrived on Friday afternoon, and the two of us got revved at an early start. We chased bunnies around
campus and wandered downtown until it was showtime on Saturday night. It was fantastic to finally see Paloma
live after having heard the material for so long. It almost seemed odd that I could sing along to their tunes as well
as any 54.40 song. Even now, I can't get Oooh Ma out of my head. Coco sounds fantasic as ever. When the boys
came out for the main set, even the slightly aged, and slower Victoria crowd couldn't help but go a little nuts. The
set these days is pretty well standard, but only because it is paced so well. They play for 2 hours, and it sure doesn't
feel like it. It may be the end of the tour, and they may just want to go home, but the guys were giving it everything
they had. For those who haven't caught a show, some personal highlights were One Gun and You The One. One Gun
was put together in an incredible arrangement allowing Phil to just take off with some absolutely amazing Miles Davis
moments on the trumpet.
Finally with You The One, I didn't have to feel strange about dancing in public. The crowd was really into the Ocean
Pearl chorus at the encore. Sunbeam and I held it going the whole way, with Neil even starting back, perfectly in time. I love that 54.40 can
still give me chills. I think it's the subtleties that are making this tour so much fun: Like the unmistakable "casual viewin,
causual viewin" loop of Peter Gabriel's Broadway Melody of 1974 playing as they stroll on stage. Even how Coco's vocal
scats change every night. And never forget how Bob Kemmis is filling out the sound, and thouroughly enjoying this gig in the process.

The next morning, Sunny and I were feeling a little off. Though later I was able to attribute my condition to the
consumption of beer the night before, a very sober Kristi became a very ill Kristi. She headed home to Vancouver for
recovery, while I continued up to Nanaimo by my lonesome. The Port Theatre is always a great venue, and with the band's
families stopped over, the guys tried their best to have some fun with it. Neil even asked to have the lights turned out and
the crowd snapped their fingers to simulate the BC "rain" he'd missed when touring out east. Even if an injured Phil was
having a rough night, his solo during One Gun gave me chills for a second night running. Brad came by that night to tell
me he's "the only one who cares" (tongue planted firmly in cheek, of course). Even the venue coffee was pretty decent that
night.Kudos to the 54.40 crew for working so hard and running such a well-oiled machine. But especially a huge thanks to
Boink and the guys for being so great to us.
Signing off until the Commodore shows on Friday. Yay!
Cheers!
Mya B(ean) aka: Beck, The Dancing Bee, Super Fan & "That girl with the hair website)