Topic: Glen Campbell has Alzheimers...

[MCRider]

have my ticket for 25th oct , liverpool phil .   will let you know how it goes

How was the concert? I've been reading good things.

He is coming to French Lick, Indiana (a resort town) on Decenber 16th. About 2.5 hours from here. We've got tickets!

[simon#42]

sorry MCRider its not only glen who has a bad memory ,  before i start i will say that i have never really been a huge glen campbell fan . i do watch a lot of live music and the tickets came up just after i had been reading this thread , so i thought this sounds interesting ,why not .  the first shock was just how many fans he has over here [ all concerts sold out immediately ] and just how passionate they are [ he received a 5 minute ovation just for walking on stage ] the second shock was just how many of the songs i actually did know , most of them !   . the atmosphere was fantastic and while his voice did waver occasionally his guitar playing was superb . there where a couple of signs of the Alzheimer's , while he could play the older stuff perfectly he had to be reminded where to put the capo on the neck of the guitar and he didnt play on the newer stuff at all . somehow this just seemed to make the show better ,  i left feeling a little sad i hadnt been able to see him in his prime but very very glad i had seen him at all .  in short a great concert by a great artist , if anyone is offered tickets grab them with both hands

will be interested to know what you think after dec 16   MCRider

[MCRider]

Thanks Simon. I've been scouring the internet for concert reviews and they are all similar to yours. Some have speculated that with the short term memory being the first to go, he is having more problem with that than the long term memory.

I read one interview where Glen said he liked playing in the UK, the Liverpool Theater (name escapes me) was his all time favorite.

Wichita Lineman is in a list of the most played songs of the millennium and while many covered it, I'm sure Glen added to that count significantly, probably played it hundreds of times a year for over 40 years. So its stuck in the long term memory.

Glad you enjoyed the show, I'm looking forward to it. I think there is only one date left after the Indiana show.   

Its hard to find a recording of his guitar solos. All the LPs/CDs are the 2.5 to 3.5 minute "hit" versions. Some nice stuff on YouTube. For my money he could skip alot of the lyrics and just play.

[simon#42]

liverpool must love glen campbell as well , before the concert i was having a meal in a restaurant near the philharmonic when a ticket tout i know spotted me and asked if i had any spare tickets , when i said no he offered me 10 times what i paid for my pair [ about $1200 ] . must have been some demand for them if he could sell them at a profit within an hour !

[MCRider]

Dang!   

[MRieck]

Wichita Lineman

A simple but voice melodic tune that required emotion and the right voice. I don't know if Campbell was made for it or the song was made for him. Either way it worked out well. Dementia is a tough thing....I live with it everyday (and no...it's not me ).

[Retro Rocket]

Wichita Lineman

. Dementia is a tough thing....I live with it everyday (and no...it's not me ).

So thats not why you have forgotten about the billet twin cam head for the 750's.....

[MRieck]

Wichita Lineman

. Dementia is a tough thing....I live with it everyday (and no...it's not me ).

So thats not why you have forgotten about the billet twin cam head for the 750's.....

That's on purpose Mick.

[MCRider]

At the Royal Festival Hall, London Oct 22nd. I'm guessing this is where you were Simon?
Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman - Royal Festival Hall, London - October 2011

He never plays that solo the same way twice.

Bittersweet.      

Bootleg vids of the tour starting to show up.

[simon#42]

no i was in liverpool , your right though he played it different there !

i think there was some professional filming at some of the concerts , will watch out for them and let you know

[MCRider]

no i was in liverpool , your right though he played it different there !

i think there was some professional filming at some of the concerts , will watch out for them and let you know

I just saw the UK schedule. I didn't know he played so many venues in the UK.

Yes I was thinking it would be a huge, think of a word, tragedy, if they didn't make a record of the tour.

I've read a new reference to "Glen Heads", a rip of Dead Heads. I fancy myself as one of each. The Dead had a great tour movie.  Hard to see the connection maybe, but that's where i am.

Thanks.

[MCRider]

Turns out his second to last concert is to be in French Lick Casino, French Lick IN. About 2.5 hours from here. We've got tickets. (Don't know if i posted that already). Going tomorrow.  He played Nashville TN Nov 30.
Gentle On My Mind--LIVE from Nashville

Well received. Since we bot our tickets a month ago or so, they've added about 15 more shows into 2012. Go Glen, sing and play till they have to carry you out!

[MCRider]

Just got back from the concert in French Lick, IN. Went really well. Opened with the band Instant People. Made up of the three (of many) Campbell siblings, and a few others. Then they stepped back and became the backup band for Glen Campbell, adding Glen's keyboardist of 35 years, also referred to as the music director. After Glen's opening number, he went into what appeared to be an impromptu ad lib about playing "Back Home Again in Indiana". The rest of the band didn't seem to know what he was doing. But after he sang the first line and took off on the guitar they jumped in and he hummed the rest to a finish. Crowd was appreciative. If it was planned, it was a pretty good job.

He was obviously under the weather with a croup in his voice he complained about, but said "we're gonna do this anyway". A few obvious missteps but if you weren't looking for it, you might not ever know.  Once again the solo on Wichita Lineman was unlike any I've ever heard, he never seems to do the same one twice. And he played some solos on songs I wouldn't have expected.

Although short, one of the most spirited versions of "Dueling Banjos" with his daughter, I've heard.

At the bow at the end, arms around each other, he was just glowing with a broad grin. Having a great time.  What else could one ask for?   

[simon#42]

well im glad you enjoyed it , you've been talking about it for months and i was really hoping you wouldn't be disappointed .

[mycb750k6]

MCRider, now you've got watching Glen Campbell youtube videos. So sad!! "These days" by Jackson Brown would be my favorite. 'Part Timers disease - GC'

[MCRider]

MCRider, now you've got watching Glen Campbell youtube videos. So sad!! "These days" by Jackson Brown would be my favorite. 'Part Timers disease - GC'

Yes, his version is as good as it comes, and I really like Jackson Brown and Greg Allman. He changed the lyric a tad to suit him.

And haunting under the circumstances.

Reply #8 above.

[MCRider]

I just heard Glen on the Dennis Miller Radio Show. He was definitely letting Dennis lead the talk, with simple answers and good natured chuckles. Short and sweet with lots of plugs (from Dennis) about the Grammy Show.

Glen will be honored with a lifetime Grammy at this weekends Grammy show. Its said he will perform as well.

His most recent album Ghost On the Canvas was named a top 10 album for the year by USA Today. Was number 6 on the charts but has slid slowly to 73. Its not for everyone, but certainly is different and memorable. I bought it and it grows on you. But not the same as his earlier work.

The GoodBye Tour has dates extended clear to June! If this keeps up it will become a year long event.

I read a comment by someone who was upset the family was parading him around the country trying to cash in on the pity. I can't see that at all. I read that one of the best therapies for the patient is to let them do the things that keep them engaged and give them pleasure. And from what i can see, Glen is having a f---ing ball!

[faux fiddy]

I'm really disappointed I missed him in Branson and or Ruidosa Springs. Could have made one of those if I'd hadn't been preoccupied.

[MCRider]

This may be my final post on the subject. Feb 12th Glen got a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. He actually got on stage and sung Rhinestone Cowboy. Missed a few phrases, but the crowd was into it, and if you didn't know the song, you'd never know.

(An interesting irony, if that's the proper use of the word. The BeachBoys did a reunion that night on the Grammys. They sang Good Vibrations. No mention was made of the fact that Glen Campbell did guitar work on the original, as part of "the Wrecking Crew"  and sang Brian Wilson's part on tour with the BB when Brian was unable to.)

When he was done, amidst the crowd noise and the fading to commercial, I heard him say, "Where do I go now, or should I just shut up?"  It was said in a mirthful way, but indicates he is relying on others to get around. I guess the takeaway is to not take our mortality for granted. Its said his father once told him, "You might as well smile".
You Might As Well Smile - Glen Campbell

But he's sure having fun. His album is still charting on BillBoard, and he's got at least 18 more dates on his GoodBye Tour.

Go Glenn!        

[Duke McDukiedook]

Wichita Lineman

A simple but voice melodic tune that required emotion and the right voice. I don't know if Campbell was made for it or the song was made for him. Either way it worked out well. Dementia is a tough thing....I live with it everyday (and no...it's not me ).

The meters did a decent cover on the Struttin' Album.

[simon#42]

gomez did a brilliant version .

[Don R]

I've heard music stimulates the part of your brain that can bring some clarity to alzheimers patients. Good for him and his family.
I like the saying, we'll be friends until we're old and senile, then we we'll be new friends.

[Accolay]

I didn't know much about Glen Campbell until I heard this great interview with him and about him last September on NPR. The clip is at the top:

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/03/140149733/glen-campbell-forget-me-not

[Damfino]

Rumor was that John Wayne hand picked Campbell for the part of Texas Ranger in True Grit..

That is discussed in this interview that aired on CBS's 'Sunday Morning' program this morning. (I suspect it originally aired earlier this year, though.) If you haven't seen it Ron, here it is.

Glen Campbell's Final Tour - CBS Sunday Morning

[MCRider]

Yeah, I'd seen it but thanks for the refresher. Sigh. 

Glen is still on tour, a year after I thought he might be through. Booked through the end of the year i think.