Convention summary

[Peter Byrne Manchester <PMANCHESTER@ccmail.sunysb.edu>]

       The day's events began at 1:10 with TRS played loud, accompanied by 
flashing strobes and clouds of stage smoke.  After the song, the lift in the 
center of the stage rose with Dave, Lisa, Peter, and Chris, who greeted us, 
announced that Kate would show up to introduce TLTC&TC, and ran down some of 
the countries from which conventioners had come:  Japan, Finland, Australia, 
Sweden, France, Israel, Italy, Canada, and last mentioned, the US--and in 
that connection, a passing reference to "some love-hounds" being in 
attendance.  It was announced that the profits for the day would be for the 
benefit of the Great Ormund Street Children's Hospital.

       The first two videos were the trailer for TLTC&TC, and a short 
documentary on the work of the Children's Hospital.  (It was about at this 
point that the group of us sitting on the steps of the lower level, just left 
of stage center and precisely at the focal point of the ceiling speakers' 
midrange horns and treble drivers, perceived that the audio volume was not 
just loud but punishing, and began scrabbling for wads of paper to stuff in 
our ears.  Kleenex worked for me.)

       Following those videos, the first live performance took place.  This 
was an interpretive dance for MoP by Marcus Echo, from France.  It was in a 
style related to Kate's choreography for "The Man With the Child in his Eyes" 
and "Moving":  seated on stage, at the entrance to a circle of candles, 
composed mostly of arm and upper body gestures.  I found it teetering between 
precious and very affecting, with the latter prevailing in the end because of 
the dancer's real attunement to the song.

       This was followed by a 40 minute compilation of rare (some not so 
rare) videos:  a lip-synch of HoL with Paddy and the band, at the end of 
which the male accompanist from Kate's video entered and the two of them 
danced as in the video; the "Rocket Man" b&w video; "Delius"; what looked 
like an early study for "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake" for the 
Tour; a "Hammer Horror" very much like the Hammersmith show, except with Kate 
lip-synching the vocal; a fascinating live "Room for the Life" from the 
camera that was following Kate at the Hammersmith show, using what looked 
like the big stage `egg' familiar from "Them Heavy People," except seen from 
the other side, where it was lined with red satin, with Kate reclining in it 
as though in bed; "Warm Room" from the same camera, Kate at the piano; a 
totally great "Coffee Homeground"; "Symphony in Blue" with Kate at the piano; 
"The Kick Inside" from Die Eftelung video; an unfamiliar "Running Up That 
Hill," lip-synched with the whole band on a metal-framed stage; "Reaching 
Out" made into a video with clips from HoL, TD, TBS, L&A, Babooshka, SiG, 
TSW, CB, EtM, WH, Breathing, and TGaT.

       Live performances followed.  My notes here, scribbled in the dark (or 
worse than dark; darkness interrupted by colored strobe) read "Connai Ailey". 
This was a person who soloed with electric guitar, strumming the chords to 
Roy Harper's "Another Day."  That was it; just an `instrumental'.  He did 
follow the changes all the way through, for what it's worth.

       At 2:30 there came the first break.  This is when Andy and I went 
searching for food, found ourselves stranded on the third level when the 
first boxes of posters and pamphlets from the KBC and HG treasuries were 
being spilled onstage to the groping fans below us.  Andy saw something rare 
spilling out over to the right:  "Oh, that's really rare, that's worth 
something!" he exclaimed in dismay.  "It's not rare any more," I pointed out 
to console him.

       Soon intermission was over and live performances resumed with Glen 
Vickers doing RutH on guitar in a sort of a shuffle, and a second song that I 
didn't recognize.  Del Palmer was spotted arriving backstage.  This was 
followed with a "by popular demand" playing of the 1979 Christmas special 
(with Peter Gabriel's "Here Comes the Flood" edited out), during which Andy 
caught some well-deserved Zs.

       Live music returned with Phil and Barbie--"Lonely Planet"--doing two 
songs; my notes only record "The Big Sky," with the comment "phrasing ok."  
Then the sheets for the Quiz were distributed, and the love-hounds group 
began the discussion about how to organize themselves that I have previously 
reported.  While people were organizing themselves into teams, the very 
wicked and entertaining video by Paul Thomas, "The Pink Mules," was 
perpetrated.  This was followed by one of the high points for me, the Mike 
Winter Group dance interpretation of "Ken":  2 men, 4 women, in unisex 
business dress, performing with wit, energy, and precision.

       There was a short lull.  Then the Top Forty from the Homeground poll 
of Convention ticket buyers, each of whom were asked to name their top ten 
all time favorate KB tunes, was announced.  Numbers 40-21 were read out, but 
for the Top 20, a compilation video was played, with each song getting more 
and more complete play as we approached Number One.  This was EXTREMELY well 
done, with lots of very rare material from TV appearances used to supplement 
the official videos of songs that had videos in the first place.  I took down 
the Top Twenty list, but Peter F-M specifically said "don't bother making 
notes, this list will be published in Homeground," and I regard myself as 
justly placed on notice and won't transcribe it.  Suffice to say that, 
considering just the Top Ten, 4 come from HoL, and 2 each from TKI, TSW, and 
TRS.

       Somewhere in here the actual Quiz was administered; perhaps right 
after the countdown?  Anyway, the next Event was the appearance of Paddy Bush 
about 5:50, raised up by the center stage lift, playing a soulful line on a 
huge wooden recorder-like instrument that must have been ten feet tall.  He 
set that aside, took up a rectangular guitar that someone said was Madagaskar 
and sang "The Rain," communicating a joy that gave me deep insight into where 
Kate Bush isoming from.  He was then joined by Colin Lloyd Tucker of 
Skyscraping, singing a song whose real title I have not looked up yet, but 
which I noted down as "We're the Scribblers."

       They were followed by "Rare Flowers," two yo:
ung women, one on 
electronic keyboard, the other the singer.  They first did "The Red Shoes."  
IED, who had not heretofore manifested himself, materialized and wrote on my 
note sheet "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS REALLY HAPPENIN' TO US!"  I concur.  It 
was amazing.  They followed with "Wuthering Heights," which was fresh in our 
ears because of its--let me say `prominent'--place in the Top Twenty 
countdown.  I shall say that this was ill-advised, and leave it at that.

       Another intermission followed, after which Del Palmer joined Dave 
onstage for the auction.  I have already commented on the very humane conduct 
of this event, to which Del contributed so much with his composure and warm 
intelligence.  For the record:
       A little Red Shoes box:                          #110
       The While Label pressing of TRS                   250
       A call sheet from the film                         50
       The CDR for MoP                                   140
       A promo for MoP                                    45
       A signed Shoebox for TRS                          150
       One of two existing CDRs for TRS                  600
       A US lithograph of the TRS poster                 130
       An invitation to the TRS release party             40
       A USA TRS teeshirt                                 30
       USA badges for TRS                                 15, 20
       CDR of TRS (the single release)(Del did it)       150
       Del's backstage pass for Comic Reliefe             20
       Del's backstage pass for the BPI 10 Feb 86         20
       Promo Canadian CD for SiL                          20
       Actual frames from the cutting of the film        130, 100
       RBG tracksheet                                     70
       Del's Tour program from 1979                      140
This last was the single most likely of all the items auctioned to acquire a 
collector's item value far beyond its auctioned price.  It was a real gift 
for Del to give it over for the auction, and an even greater generosity for 
him to let it go for the bid that was accepted.

       The results of the Quiz were then announced, with the now well known 
fact that the Norfolk Alchemists won, with no other team even in sight in the 
running.

       There followed playings of two new KB contributions:  her vocal for 
"Sexual Healing" from the forthcoming Davy Spillane album (sorry, but as this 
was playing I found myself commenting "this is so lame!"); and her 
contribution to the Gershwin album, "The Man I Love," which I found totally 
compelling.  Together with "Home for Christmas," this latest effort by Kate 
in a 40s mode strikes me as SO successful that I would urge her to take the 
hint and do a whole album of Big Band Era covers.  Sinead was not up to it; 
Kate is.

       There followed the full unedited tape of an interview Kate did for 
Canadian TV, where the interviewer was a little inarticulate but Kate gave 
him the benefit of the doubt and had more to say than in any of the other 
interviews I've read from the TRS release promo appearances.  It ended with 
the video for RBG, during which Hippodrome security people unobstrusively 
took up positions around the stage.

       When the video ended, at about 8:38pm, the riser in the center of the 
stage lifted Kate Bush herself into our view, and All Rose.  As mentioned, 
Kate drew one last raffle ticket, spoke of how happy she was to see us all, 
hoped we would like the film, looked forward to seeing us again.

       The film then played, and with that the formal program ended.  Comment 
on the film is a thread of its own, to which I will not now contribute.

       I will say this.  At one point when she was there among us, Kate said 
something to the effect that she had not yet recovered from the urgency and 
effort of completing "The Line, the Cross, & the Curve" six months ago.  I 
very much agree with the comments (I am not in an editor now where I can dig 
up and credit the author) that it is too bad that she didn't throw herself 
with the same abandon into "The Ninth Wave," which really was a coherent 
concept grouping of songs.  But focusing just on her effort this past fall-- 
to get herself again into dancing shape, to deal with practical emergencies 
involving timeframes and budgets--I was deeply touched by her willingness to 
come out and appear for us at this Convention.  I registered Kate as deeply 
desiring to back away from her public career right now.  She was far enough 
from fighting trim that it must have been a big concession for her to appear 
for us.  She wore the manish tuxedo she has used a lot recently, with its 
ample trousers and draping jacket, and used no artifices to hide from the 
unforgiving stage light her coming up on 36 as a woman who likes her smoke 
and chocolate.  Perhaps there is even more going on for her than we are aware 
of.

       We love this woman for her work, and she extends herself to meet us. 
This is all very rare and wonderful, so let us prize the friendships that we 
make around her.

............................................................................
                                                            Peter Manchester
       "Eat the Music!"                        pmanchester@ccmail.sunysb.edu
                                                    72020.366@compuserve.com