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The Singles Tour - Tour Blog

Oakland, CA (Oakland Arena)
author: Daniel Barassi (Webmaster)
date posted: December 11, 1998

Drove up from Los Angeles to Oakland to catch the show (special thank you to the California Highway Patrol for the speeding ticket). I arrived at the Pan Pacific Hotel (San Francisco), and got to meet Jody (finally!). She gave me all the necessary passes for that night's show. After killing some time in SF, my friend and I proceeded to the Oakland Arena.

We got there just in time to hear Martin, Peter and Christian doing their soundcheck. They were going throught their final rehearsals for the KROQ Acoustic Christmas performance the next day. In a 14,000+ seat arena, to be the only ones in the venue (besides the crew) to be witness to this was something that pretty much left me speechless. They performed Sister Of Night, A Question Of Lust, and an instrumental version of Enjoy The Silence (David was not present at the sound check). All three tracks (plus a quick jam session on the old Fats Domino classic "Blueberry Hill") were "acoustic" versions, with Peter on piano, Christian on drums, and Martin on his electric guitar.

I didn't get much of a chance to see Stabbing Westward. I was backstage getting all the camera equipment ready, watching the "Meet & Greet", and receiving my final instructions from Jody. But, I did get to see their equipment on stage before the show. Mr. Bendy, and some of his relatives, took position on Stabbing's mic stand, keyboard and drum kit.

The actual DM performance was fantastic! The Oakland crowd was extremely loud. A very energized performance (see pictures). After the show, a huge amount of people crammed into the band hospitality area for the aftershow party. After the party, the band flew to Los Angeles. As for me, I drove back home to Los Angeles (obeying the speed limit this time). :)

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