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The pictures that go with this article are, RIGHT HERE ! ! !
And There are pictures of Cyberpals donnaj and Bobbie, THIS A WAY ! ! !
For the older CYBERPAL reviews of RITS shows, LOOK HERE ! ! !
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Subj: RITS in Utah review **** Date: 18 Aug 1997 16:08:15 EDT**** From: Mooey gal@aol.com****

I KISSED WOODY PAUL!!

It was too, too real! I was posin' with him for a pic after the show...and the gal takin' the pic said I should do another, so I decided to be silly and pucker up 'as if' to kiss his cheek...he noticed and leaned in so I actually kissed him on the cheek! (It's the Cowboy Way!) The gal said the pic didn't take, so we did it again! wowowow! sighhhhh. (Gotta remember to thank his wife...)

August 15, 1997, Layton, Utah, Kenley Amphitheatre

The usual success story with the Riders In The Sky in top form Friday night, Cyber-SaddlePals!!!!! You'da thot I dreamed that harmony up that I 'herd'!

If you don't mind takin' an afternoon to read this, here's the play by play:

Well, it was the perfect temperature and almost a fool moon when the show got off to a late start with Robin Arnold, (cousin 14 times removed from singer Eddy Arnold) a great local cowboy singer that could be compared with the likes of Don Edwards and Ian Tyson (he even sang some of their songs!) as the headliner... then the Riders sauntered on out and gave a little toss of cellophane in their faux campfire (complete with plastic armadillo), the only electric instrument they own, and fired us up with a lively twirl of Texas Plains!

Of course, they had to do Why Does The Cowboy Yodel to give us all a raucus and kept us lively with the Bob Wills classic (Oh me, oh my) Miss Molly.( well, I'm Miss Moo, and I'm in love with you!). The ecstasy of their harmony truly came out with Tumbling Tumbleweeds. I've never 'herd' them do it better!

Palindrome was a real success with Too Slim really spinnin' our minds frontwards and backwards along with Woody (as a lady) and Ranger Doug: Welcome Mr. Palindrome, "Maam?", What's your name? "Madaam, I'm Adam". I didn't see a horse come in...how'd you get here? "A Toyota". Sounds lik you have a sinus problem? "Tons O' Snot". Would you like a drink? "In it ram a martini". Would you like something to eat? "Go hang a salami. I'm a lasagna hog". How about dessert? "Yo, Banana boy!" I've had enough--reach for the sky! "Draw O Coward"...........!

After we recovered from palindromes, we went South of the Border with their smooth mexican tongue and all they way back up to Iowa with Sioux City Sue. Ranger Doug did a marvelous job with The Night Riding Song.

Rawhiiiiiiiide! was a hoot! I snuck up front to take a pic....of course I was immediately spotted by Ranger Doug and Too Slim who puffed up and started posing hysterically and I was taking their pics upside down and sideways trying to keep up! It was too, too funny! (of course, I blushed all the way back to my bedroll seat on the grass!).

They did the most beautiful rendition of Cowboy Camp Meeting, a cowboy gospel. I wished I would have snuck up for a pic of that, but I was so awed, I didn't moove! Or, should I say, I was mooooooved! Ranger Doug then did one of his beautiful solo love songs, Time to Ride for the Dawn. Naturally, Woody followed with, sigh, The Arms of My Love. Next, they gave Too Slim a turn for some more comedy with Always Drink Upstream From The Herd. (I herd ya on that!) I didn't think of a stoopid enuf '?' for the 8 track until after the concert. If I was brave and quick enuf, I might have asked "Is Ranger Doug related to Red Green?" (slap me). In fact, nobody really asked stupifying questions......but 82 yr old Ralph asked the guys if they get along well offstage. They made a few cracks (like 'separate hotel rooms'!) and decided Ralph should have it! Everybody cheered for Ralph, especially since he still owns an 8 track tape player! I took a pic of Too Slim holding the tape, he caught me clicking......and gave a bodacious grin...after I clicked, of course! So goofy! I love it.......Woody really had us goin' with his various and many failed, on purpose he said, rope tricks.

They took requested songs, in which they did their famous routine of trying to do them all at once with Too Slim hankerin' out surfin' tunes for the finish. But, they did do these perfectly in their entirety:..Ridin' Down The Canyon, Cattle Call (one of my favorites!) Ghost Riders In The Sky.. Then they stopped to give their sales pitch...noting that T-shirts and the like are the modern alternative to 'branding'. Following with some great fiddlin' and the famed varmint dancing, which led to the song When Payday Rolls Around. Of course, they tried to leave us with Happy Trails To You. However, we naturally insisted on an encore! They got goofy on us with Looney Toon song instrumentals and carried us out with You Are My Sunshine and Ranger Doug crooning the Bob Nolan ballad I Walk With the Wild and the Lonely.

Gosh, we craved more! And, I could never get enuf of Woody's fiddlin'! But it was gettin' purty late and we were all plenty mesmerized with their voices and their antics! Nothing like a cool August night in Utah with The Riders In The Sky! (Puttin' on the RITS!) Sigh.

ENCORE!!!!!

Conifer c)=D

(And to think, She almost missed all this)

Let's hear it for the Cowboy Way!

P.S. Speaking of the cowboy way....I forgot to tell the saga of my nearly missing the concert! I had left my ticket in the same place for 2 months. However, last time I dusted (ok, it was a couple weeks ago), I must have moooved it! Of course, an hour and a half before the concert I wanted to put it in my purse......it was gone! No ticket! gad! I tore up my house for an hour looking for it and still, NO TICKET! GASP! Where is Ranger Doug! Sherriff Drywall! Sidemeat! This was a job by Slocum and Charley, I was sure. I decided to head out to the concert anywho and take a chance. I hiked over a block, sweatin' and shakin' 'cause I wore myself out lookin' fer that ticket and real worried I wouldnt get in at all (it was sold out). When I got to the gate, I gasped to the old feller takin' tickets that I had lost mine and I wanted to buy another. He misunderstood and responded, "Well, we might have someone come with that situation, so maybe you can wait and someone might want your ticket". Do what??? After a pause, I realized he didn't mean what I meant....so I gasped again.."No! I lost MY ticket and I'll be happy to buy another if there are any left!"....'Oh!", He said. "Well, I got a ticket somebody left they couldn't use, so you can just have it." YEAH! I was saved! I told 'im thanks and "that's the Cowboy Way!" He gave a chuckle and I gave a sigh!

Happy trails are here again!