Just before we left, Jules had got on the Internet and reserved tickets, which was just as well, because when we arrived at the venue, somewhere in Alphabet City, with a good half hour to spare, we were told it was sold out. "That's alright, we've got tickets", we said, and were advised to wait in the upstairs bar. I scanned the room, and saw the man himself sitting in a corner reading a magazine. He looked up, saw me, and got to his feet with a look of absolute delight on his face, which deepened as he saw Jules coming up behind me. We were caught up in a bear hug and a torrent of words which he used to express his joy and surprise at seeing us there, and we sat down at his table where he introduced us to his girlfriend telling her how we had been regulars at his shows in Britain over the last few years. We told him how we had meant to surprise him, and he told us how the surprise had worked, and how pleased he was to see us. He introduced us to some of the members of the other band on the bill, 'the best heavy metal tribute band to (80s soft rockers) Air Supply in the Tri State Area', Hair Supply, again emphasizing that we were fans of his who had come all the way from Europe to see him, impressing them with this fact mightily. After a while, they all left us to get ready for the show, and when the doors were opened, it was our turn to be surprised as Mo had apparently taken the time to ensure that we had front row seats.

Hair Supply were on first, and they rocked the place. They had brought a camera crew to record their antics for posterity, and our enthusiastic response to their set has now been preserved on video. anonypooh took some pictures, which can be admired in her journal, if you want to get an idea of what their show was like.

Contrary to usual practice when Mo comes over to the UK and it's just him on his own with his accordeon and (occasionally) keyboard, this time he came accompanied by his full band. He did introduce them, but I'm afraid I've forgotten their names. Apart from one new song from a rock opera he may or may not be writing, all the songs in the set were songs we were familiar with, although obviously, with a full band behind him, the arrangements were different. Needless to say, we had a fantastic time. After the show, we talked to him again, and he said that if we had time and weren't too busy, he'd like to do lunch or dinner some time. At the time, we took it for a politeness, but oh how wrong we were!

(tbc)