Diana Ross
Fox Theater
St. Louis, MO
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Section Balcony 03, Row A, Seat 125
$67.50
A lot of the music that I love comes from the time period before I was born or when I was too young to appreciate it. I learned a lot from listening to classic rock radio or delving into albums and CDs, reading books about the era, or listening to older fans. I wasn't exposed to Motown this way. I never went out of my way to listen to these recordings, but I know a lot of Supremes songs, just by picking them up through popular culture.
When a St. Louis show was announced for Diana Ross' retrospective tour, I was curious. She is legendary, and this would be a good opportunity to see her. I actually do have one of her albums. One of the nice things about being known as a record collector is the donations...people give me records they no longer have use for. One coworker gave An Evening With Diana Ross on LP a few years ago. Roy and I listened to it before the tickets went on sale to see if we really wanted to go. Plus, the show was at the Fox Theater, which is always nice.
We got tickets in the pre-sale, front row of the lower balcony, center section. These were great seats. We had a full view of the stage, mostly full view of the large screen behind it, and also a good view of the fans sitting in the orchestra pit. We brought binoculars too. I normally find them distracting during concerts; I'd rather be bopping around to the music than sitting still to look through them. I thought this show would be more about observing the performance than really getting into the music, and there would be a lot to see. We had fun watching the crowd too - this was a dress-up occasion for a lot of people there.
The show was scheduled to start at 7:30pm, but it really started another fifteen minutes after that. No opening act. The band took the stage and started playing an instrumental. I counted - it was an 18 piece backing band: 4 piece horn section, 5 piece string section, guitar, bass, drums, percussion, keyboard, piano, and three backup singers. The stage was set up in different tiers, so we could see them all clearly. Diana Ross appeared via a lift on the back of the stage and then walked down some steps to the front.
It was a dramatic entrance. She wore a sparkly dress with a big chartreuse wrap. I only mention her clothing because it was a big part of the show. Diana Ross changed into 4 other sparkly dresses in different colors throughout the concert. For all the concerts I've been to over the years, I've never gone to a big pop show with costume changes. It certainly gave us something to look at throughout the show. I used the binoculars the most when she made her entrances. Every time I looked at the legend close-up, she was smiling as she was singing.
The first couple songs didn't do much for me. I didn't think the sound was very good. Diana Ross' vocals were buried in the mix. I hoped the whole show wouldn't be like this. The third song Reflections was the first to really pull me in to the music. I wasn't familiar with it before the show, but it had that snappy Motown beat and harmonies that I expected from a show like this. The first portion of the show also contained songs You Can't Hurry Love, Stop in the Name of Love, and Love Child. It really was cool to watch live such an iconic moment of Diana Ross holding up her hand for "Stop" like the Supremes used to do. That is real musical history there.
Ross left the stage during Love Child to change her gown. The band kept playing and went into a cuban-sounding jam. I liked that quite a bit.
The next portion of the show featured more disco-sounding songs. I had heard I'm Coming Out and My House before, but they're not really in my musical world. Thankfully, during these songs, there was more visually going on. The screen showed pictures of the Supremes and other scenes from Ross' past. She invited a couple fans up to dance with her. One little girl was smiling so big, I didn't need the binoculars to see it. She also played Ease on Down the Road, which I remember from watching The Wiz on TV when I was little.
My favorite part of the show was the next part. Diana Ross sang a few jazzier songs. The backing vocalists weren't used and only some of the band members stayed on stage, so it was a less full mix. I think these songs highlighted her voice the best. There wasn't so much aural competition.
There were other songs later on that I knew like the theme from the movie Mahogany, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Endless Love. There were a few that I knew but didn't associate with Diana Ross: Why Do Fools Fall in Love and (ugh) I Will Survive. I turned to Roy during that one and said "Disco still sucks". Roy pointed out that at least it was being playing with real instruments.
Diana Ross refered to this herself. She didn't say much during the show and didn't do much to introduce her songs. But before the encore, she mentioned that this was "real music" and introduced her entire backing band. I wonder how it is for a pop singer who has been active so long. She's probably gone from being backed by an orchestra, to rock band instrumentation, to synthesizers and computers, and now back to live musicians. I don't know if she plays any music herself or always got to choose who was playing with her, but hopefully, she can tour with the sound she wants now at this point in her career.
(I do have to admit, I once saw Brian Wilson on his SMiLE tour play with a similar sized backing band. It remains the best sound I've ever heard at a concert. Every instrument could be heard distinctly, but blended together well. The sound here wasn't nearly that good. After the first couple songs, I didn't feel like I was lost in the mix at least.)
I didn't know the songs from the encore. Diana Ross came out in my favorite of her costumes, sweatpants, a zipped up sweatshirt, and sneakers. She told us she was leaving when this song was over, and she was dressed for it. There were a few songs I would have liked to hear that she didn't play: I Hear a Symphony, Baby Love, You Keep Me Hanging On. The show had a great presentation, great production values, and it was a lot of fun. Plus, it ran for just over an hour and a half. It was over around 9:20pm, and we got home well before 10pm on a Sunday night. It is so nice going to a concert and not having to recover from a late night.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
State of Independence
Jon Anderson and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra
Liza Grossman, Music Director
Severance Hall
Cleveland, OH
Monday, May 24, 2010
Section 200, Row A, Seat 210
$42
Jon Anderson had just finished the first song in the world premiere of his new four-piece suite. Roy turned to me and said "Wow." We had managed to not only get seats in the front row, but directly in front of Jon. Jon was looking for audience reaction and saw our exchange. "Wow?", Jon made eye contact with Roy and mouthed this to him. Roy smiled and gave our hero a thumbs-up.
This is the second time we've seen Jon after his illness in 2008. We saw his first show back, last year in California. I wanted to be there to show my support for Jon. He's been doing more one-man shows, but this was something different. He was playing with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra in Cleveland, playing his songs with a full orchestra and choir. We saw him with the Youth Orchestra once before, in 2004. It remains one of my favorite concert experiences, and we jumped at the chance to go to this one.
The trip itself took a couple changes. The show was on a Monday, and we originally booked a flight coming in on Sunday night. The venue and our hotel were in the University Circle area of Cleveland, home to colleges and a number of museums. We'd have time to be tourists. Then, I found out the finale of Lost would be airing that Sunday night, and I had to watch that live. We changed our flight to fly out Monday morning. It led to two late nights of entertainment and two early mornings of flights. Plus, our flight on Monday was delayed, so we got even less time to sightsee in Cleveland.
We got together with my friend Jerry and his new girlfriend Vicki at the hotel, and then we went to dinner at a place next door to catch up and get acquainted. The venue was a classy one this time, the home of the Cleveland Orchestra. Jon deserves it; he should aways get to play places this nice. It was just a short walk from the hotel. I bought a bottle of water to smuggle into the auditorium. We didn't even see the merchandise or the artwork on display.
I jokingly told Jerry and Vicki that Roy's and my seats were "right in front of Jon". I didn't realize it until we found that seats that we were, indeed, right in front of his microphone stand. Jon's wife Jane had a seat in the second row right behind Roy. I've had seats in the front row for Jon before, but never quite this close. He was set up right by the edge of the stage. Standing up, we could have touched his microphone stand. I stood up and waved to Jerry, so he could see exactly where I was sitting.
The show got off to a wonderful start with Starship Trooper and Long Distance Runaround. Trooper was reworked somewhat. I looked back to see if Jane was going to stand up to applaud. I followed her lead and gave Trooper a standing ovation. We all applauded for a long time. There was another ovation for Long Distance Runaround.
In Jon's solo shows, he's only been doing the Life Seeker part of Starship Trooper, changing it almost to a verse-chorus-verse structure. The orchestra played that part, but also the instrumental Wurm. I wondered if he dropped the "Loneliness is a power that we possess" lyrics because they were Chris Squire's. Later on, Jerry pointed out that he also left out the "you and you may follow" part. His voice may not be strong enough to hold the note on "follow".
Regardless, the orchestra sounded wonderful and Jon sounded even wonderful-er. This concert hall is built for acoustics and the orchestra just washed over us towards the finale of Starship Trooper. Jon sounded and looked much stronger than he had last year. We had a small speaker near us carrying Jon's voice and guitar and the choir. I joked later on that this was the "QPR mix", since we could hear Jon's guitar high in the mix.
Jon did a couple more unreleased songs, some that I recognized from other shows, some that I heard for the first time this night. The song Big Buddha (which used to be called This Is or The Buddha Song) sounded particularly good with the choir. We heard probably the best version of the song Show Me that I've heard, but I still wasn't sure we needed to hear it again.
The big deal in the first half of the set was the premiere of the four-song set. Jon had written it for orchestra and choir, so we were going to hear it exactly as conceived. The four parts were Children Yet to Come, Earth Singing, Breathing, and Love is All. Roy's reaction might have been "Wow", but for me, the performance could have been better. Jon was reading the lyrics right off his lyric sheet, and sometimes he sang towards the lyrics rather than into the microphone. He told the audience he was so excited by the musicians on stage that he wasn't paying enough attention to his own part. I want to hear it again before making any judgements.
During intermission, Jerry and Vicki came up to our seats and compared notes. This was Vicki's first time seeing Jon live, and what a show to see. Roy pointed out some of the musicians who looked like they were really enjoying performing this music. (I had eyes only for Jon.) If anything the second half of the show was even more impressive than the first.
Someone named "Warciple" took this picture and posted it online. He kindly gave me permission to use it in the blog. It looks like this was taken during the intermission. You can see me standing right in front of my seat with my back to the stage, in the bottom right corner of the photo.The second set opened with a beautiful And You And I. It had more magic than the version done by the current line-up of Yes. I've enjoyed almost all of the shows I've seen by the new line-up, but this just highlighted what they are missing. Some years ago, I would have said I was tired of hearing this song live, but then I fell in love with it over again.
The next new song was called Earth and Peace, and it was my favorite of the new pieces. I think Jon's singing was really great, showing off that beautiful voice.
The high point of the whole show was State of Independence. Liza Grossman, the conductor and music director, asked to give the introduction. She mentioned how great this song was at the previous Contemporary Youth Orchestra and how the theme of independence relating to the youth orchestra and this performance. The event was named "State of Independence". It was a great performance. Liza also gave Jon a queue during the song. Jon held his microphone up to the lead violinist for a short solo during the song. And afterward, Jon looked over at Roy, and gave Roy a thumb's up! He knew this was a great one.
The only nitpick I had with it was that Jon got some of the lyrics wrong. It's hard when I'm singing along with Jon and suddenly, I'm not in sync anymore. It pulls me out of the song. (This happened with Owner of a Lonely Heart in the first half too.) Still, this sounds powerful with the orchestra behind him.
We heard some other great songs too. Your Move/All Good People, Roundabout, Change We Must, Soon. Jon told us to sing along, but not to stand up, because we were in such a fancy venue. I was bopping along in my seat to Roundabout. There were multiple cameramen out there, filming this for eventual release. I noticed one of the cameras aimed at our row while I was singing and dancing in my seat. I tried not to react to it. I wonder if I'll end up in the final release?!
The encore was additional versions of Starship Trooper and State of Independence. It was great hearing them again. I guess for a classical thing like this with all the arrangements needing to be written out and everything needing to be rehearsed, they can't have "extra" songs to play during the encore. Jon got the words right this time, but Roy thinks the violin solo was better during the first performance.
We met up with Jerry and Vicki again. Vicki says she understands us following Jon and Yes around now. We talked for quite a while, and then I remembered I wanted to buy a t-shirt and a poster. I was sure that the merchandise booth would be closed by now, but Roy told me to check anyway. I was happy to be wrong! I made my purchases.
I've been able to meet Jon Anderson at a number of his shows. Sometimes he does meet-and-greet after the show, and sometimes he talks to fans waiting outside. This was a big building, and we had no idea where to wait or how long it would be. I felt like I lost an opportunity here, but I agreed that it was fruitless to hang around. We all walked back to the hotel and hung out in the lounge for another hour. Jerry showed us his iPad. We talked about this show, other shows we had seen, and how lucky we were to be part of this world.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Men with Sticks in Chicago
Stick Men
Opening Act: The E-Mics
Martyrs'
Chicago, IL
Saturday, May 15, 2010
General Admission
$25
Even if you've never heard of Tony Levin, without a doubt, you have heard his music. He's played bass for Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Paul Simon, in addition to being the long-time bass player in King Crimson. He's the best known player of an instrument called the Chapman Stick, a guitar/bass hybrid where each finger can play notes independently, like on a piano. Tony's current project features the Stick. His band is called Stick Men, with Tony and another musician on Stick and Pat Mastelotto from King Crimson on drums.
Stick Men weren't coming to St. Louis, but they were playing Chicago on a Saturday. Roy and I could drive up and back without taking any time off from work. The show was at Martyrs, and I've had some bad experiences there in the past. The club could get hot, no air movement, and quite smoky. I haven't been back since Illinois banned smoking, so maybe it would be better now.
Martyrs is so laid-back. Usually at a club for a general admission show, people will line up outside, wait until the doors open, and then file to a position by the stage. Martyrs is open as a bar earlier in the day, so their doors are always open. We got in around 6 and walked right in. They said someone would come around and check for tickets later. The opening band was still sound-checking. we sat down near the bar for a while. I wanted the space by the stage right in front of Tony, but I didn't want to be in anyone's way. There were some other fans there already. When everyone cleared off the stage, we walked over to our spot and stood... for the next six hours.
We were the only two people standing there, still some hours before the show was going to start. We saw Tony Levin walk into the club. He talked to a couple fans. Then he walked right over to us to say hi. Roy was wearing his Papa Bear Records t-shirt, for the record company that Tony owns. Tony noticed it and said he liked the t-shirt. I think that's why he stopped for a little longer, instead of just walking by. He told us he has almost sold out of the original run of those shirts. (Roy's had his for at least a dozen years.) Roy got to tell him that he enjoys Tony's website and blog and reads it often. Tony said he was heading upstairs to update it now.
My favorite types of general admission shows are the ones where there's a standing-room-only pit in front of the stage with seating further behind it. Especially for older bands, most of the people who get there early will vie for the seats, leaving the front of the stage for me. It takes the pressure off. Roy said Martyrs was this type of venue. I didn't think so, since there was only a row of seats by the back and a couple tables off to the side. But he was right; all those seats were filled before the front row was.
People started filling in. The merchandise booth was opened. Roy and I didn't end up buying a t-shirt, but I wanted to buy the new Stick Men CD. The band would hang out after the show to sign autographs; I knew I'd be buying this, so I didn't bring anything else to get signed.
But the copies of the new CD were already signed. I asked if they had any copies that weren't signed. The guy standing next to me quipped that the signatures would rub off easily. I explained that I was hoping to get this signed after the show. It was at the next comment that I realized I was talking to the "other" Stick player in the band, Michael Bernier. He said they signed them all in advance to cut down on doing so many autographs after the show, but they'd sign anything. I told him I was looking forward to the performance.
I really liked the opening band The E-Mics. It was two guys on guitar and vocals. Nice harmonies, nice guitar work. One of the musicians uses a saxophone for one song to change the sound up. The harmonies really made it work, it came across as a full sound, much more than if either of them were performing alone. Apparently, they opened for Adrian Belew in Chicago, and one of the band members was learning Three of a Perfect Pair. He played a measure of it on guitar a couple times. I think I liked this duo more than Stick Men.
I've been to three very different types of concerts this month. There was a pop band decades after their peak in popularity, struggling to play newer material when fans want to hear the old stuff. There's the soon-to-be classic alternative band, still at their peak, with an arena full of fans, and this band can play anything. Most of the fans know every song. Stick Men is something else entirely. It's a small crowd, all there on faith that we'll like the music given Levin and Mastelotto's other work. Stick Men have one album out, which came out a week ago, and they're playing the whole thing. This is really, really alternative.
The opening song was familiar, a reworked version of my favorite King Crimson song Indiscipline. It went on as an instrumental for so long, I wondered if they weren't doing the spoken word lyrics. Michael Bernier did the vocals. I think it's hard to judge, because this isn't being sung but spoken, but I thought he came across as mimicing Adrian Belew's delivery.
The next few songs were all unfamiliar ones. The real treat of this concert was seeing some of my favorite musicians so close. Pat Mastelotto had his drum kit at stage center, at the same level as the other musicians. Usually, his drum is on a riser further back on the stage. We could see everything he was playing, both the drums and the percussion work.
The show was divided into two 45 minute sets and an encore. It was in the second set that the stillness of the air began to bother me. It wasn't hot really, but it got uncomfortable. Smells just did not dissipate. Roy thought it smelled like a skunk at one point, but I think it was b.o. from people sweating. This place has some overhead fans, I don't know why they weren't using them. I got restless. I could see the songs listed out on Tony's setlist. There was an improvisation that went seemlessy into one of the new songs. In fact, all of the songs were unfamiliar after Indiscipline until the last song of the main set. They did a cover of Red, a King Crimson song from before either Levin or Mastelotto joined the band.
The encore was a special treat. Stick Men did an arrangement of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. This piece is best known to Yes fans as the classical piece that starts off most Yes concerts. There's a Pavlovian response of anticipation and excitement. Roy and I chose this as our processional music at our wedding. I have to admit, I'm not too familiar with the Suite other than the finale. But when Tony Levin played that melody that I know so well, I got chills.
After the show, I asked Roy to reach over on stage and grab Tony's setlist. We took seats by the bar and some drunk guy wandered up to us. I recognized him. He tried to squeeze in between Roy and me during the show and I wouldn't let him. He rambled on about how we need to go to Winnipeg and how Lincoln Avenue (where Martyrs is located) isn't where it's at. This went on and on. Finally, I told him I needed to talk to my husband. He stopped talking, but still stood there. Privately, I said. Finally, he left us alone. We could have walked away, but I didn't want to give up our seats.
Levin came out to talk to fans and sign autographs. Mastelotto was taking apart his drum set, but walked over to the edge of the stage to sign autographs. They both signed my newly purloined setlist. Some bands give them away after the show. I wonder if other bands mind taking these things. Tony Levin said it was a good idea to get it, so he was fine with it. Roy told him we drove up from St. Louis, and Tony wished us a safe drive back. Roy got to tell Pat Mastelotto how much we enjoyed watching him play. He thanked Roy and walked over to shake his hand.
I'm not sure I would travel up to Chicago to see this band again. I talked about this experience with a coworker who is not a rock music fan or concert-goer. He didn't have any assumptions and asked me some insiteful questions and wondered if it was because it was unfamiliar music. I don't think so. I go to a lot of concerts and festivals where there's music I don't know. I even liked the opening act E-Mics, and I had never heard of them before. I just don't love Stick Men's sound. I don't dislike it and I enjoyed seeing these musicians in concert. I'd see them again locally. This was a quick trip - we arrived in time for deep-dish pizza dinner and went to the show. We didn't do any Chicago-touristy things, so it was all about the concert.
However, when you add in giving up a whole weekend and sitting in a car for five hours each day, it wasn't worth it for me. I don't think that makes me any less of a Tony Levin fan. He works with a lot of different projects, and there are some I like more than others. I'm glad I got a chance to see this one, so I don't feel like I've been left out. For the next tour, I can make an informed decision.
Opening Act: The E-Mics
Martyrs'
Chicago, IL
Saturday, May 15, 2010
General Admission
$25
Even if you've never heard of Tony Levin, without a doubt, you have heard his music. He's played bass for Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Paul Simon, in addition to being the long-time bass player in King Crimson. He's the best known player of an instrument called the Chapman Stick, a guitar/bass hybrid where each finger can play notes independently, like on a piano. Tony's current project features the Stick. His band is called Stick Men, with Tony and another musician on Stick and Pat Mastelotto from King Crimson on drums.
Stick Men weren't coming to St. Louis, but they were playing Chicago on a Saturday. Roy and I could drive up and back without taking any time off from work. The show was at Martyrs, and I've had some bad experiences there in the past. The club could get hot, no air movement, and quite smoky. I haven't been back since Illinois banned smoking, so maybe it would be better now.
Martyrs is so laid-back. Usually at a club for a general admission show, people will line up outside, wait until the doors open, and then file to a position by the stage. Martyrs is open as a bar earlier in the day, so their doors are always open. We got in around 6 and walked right in. They said someone would come around and check for tickets later. The opening band was still sound-checking. we sat down near the bar for a while. I wanted the space by the stage right in front of Tony, but I didn't want to be in anyone's way. There were some other fans there already. When everyone cleared off the stage, we walked over to our spot and stood... for the next six hours.
We were the only two people standing there, still some hours before the show was going to start. We saw Tony Levin walk into the club. He talked to a couple fans. Then he walked right over to us to say hi. Roy was wearing his Papa Bear Records t-shirt, for the record company that Tony owns. Tony noticed it and said he liked the t-shirt. I think that's why he stopped for a little longer, instead of just walking by. He told us he has almost sold out of the original run of those shirts. (Roy's had his for at least a dozen years.) Roy got to tell him that he enjoys Tony's website and blog and reads it often. Tony said he was heading upstairs to update it now.
My favorite types of general admission shows are the ones where there's a standing-room-only pit in front of the stage with seating further behind it. Especially for older bands, most of the people who get there early will vie for the seats, leaving the front of the stage for me. It takes the pressure off. Roy said Martyrs was this type of venue. I didn't think so, since there was only a row of seats by the back and a couple tables off to the side. But he was right; all those seats were filled before the front row was.
People started filling in. The merchandise booth was opened. Roy and I didn't end up buying a t-shirt, but I wanted to buy the new Stick Men CD. The band would hang out after the show to sign autographs; I knew I'd be buying this, so I didn't bring anything else to get signed.
But the copies of the new CD were already signed. I asked if they had any copies that weren't signed. The guy standing next to me quipped that the signatures would rub off easily. I explained that I was hoping to get this signed after the show. It was at the next comment that I realized I was talking to the "other" Stick player in the band, Michael Bernier. He said they signed them all in advance to cut down on doing so many autographs after the show, but they'd sign anything. I told him I was looking forward to the performance.
I really liked the opening band The E-Mics. It was two guys on guitar and vocals. Nice harmonies, nice guitar work. One of the musicians uses a saxophone for one song to change the sound up. The harmonies really made it work, it came across as a full sound, much more than if either of them were performing alone. Apparently, they opened for Adrian Belew in Chicago, and one of the band members was learning Three of a Perfect Pair. He played a measure of it on guitar a couple times. I think I liked this duo more than Stick Men.
I've been to three very different types of concerts this month. There was a pop band decades after their peak in popularity, struggling to play newer material when fans want to hear the old stuff. There's the soon-to-be classic alternative band, still at their peak, with an arena full of fans, and this band can play anything. Most of the fans know every song. Stick Men is something else entirely. It's a small crowd, all there on faith that we'll like the music given Levin and Mastelotto's other work. Stick Men have one album out, which came out a week ago, and they're playing the whole thing. This is really, really alternative.
The opening song was familiar, a reworked version of my favorite King Crimson song Indiscipline. It went on as an instrumental for so long, I wondered if they weren't doing the spoken word lyrics. Michael Bernier did the vocals. I think it's hard to judge, because this isn't being sung but spoken, but I thought he came across as mimicing Adrian Belew's delivery.
The next few songs were all unfamiliar ones. The real treat of this concert was seeing some of my favorite musicians so close. Pat Mastelotto had his drum kit at stage center, at the same level as the other musicians. Usually, his drum is on a riser further back on the stage. We could see everything he was playing, both the drums and the percussion work.
The show was divided into two 45 minute sets and an encore. It was in the second set that the stillness of the air began to bother me. It wasn't hot really, but it got uncomfortable. Smells just did not dissipate. Roy thought it smelled like a skunk at one point, but I think it was b.o. from people sweating. This place has some overhead fans, I don't know why they weren't using them. I got restless. I could see the songs listed out on Tony's setlist. There was an improvisation that went seemlessy into one of the new songs. In fact, all of the songs were unfamiliar after Indiscipline until the last song of the main set. They did a cover of Red, a King Crimson song from before either Levin or Mastelotto joined the band.
The encore was a special treat. Stick Men did an arrangement of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. This piece is best known to Yes fans as the classical piece that starts off most Yes concerts. There's a Pavlovian response of anticipation and excitement. Roy and I chose this as our processional music at our wedding. I have to admit, I'm not too familiar with the Suite other than the finale. But when Tony Levin played that melody that I know so well, I got chills.
After the show, I asked Roy to reach over on stage and grab Tony's setlist. We took seats by the bar and some drunk guy wandered up to us. I recognized him. He tried to squeeze in between Roy and me during the show and I wouldn't let him. He rambled on about how we need to go to Winnipeg and how Lincoln Avenue (where Martyrs is located) isn't where it's at. This went on and on. Finally, I told him I needed to talk to my husband. He stopped talking, but still stood there. Privately, I said. Finally, he left us alone. We could have walked away, but I didn't want to give up our seats.
Levin came out to talk to fans and sign autographs. Mastelotto was taking apart his drum set, but walked over to the edge of the stage to sign autographs. They both signed my newly purloined setlist. Some bands give them away after the show. I wonder if other bands mind taking these things. Tony Levin said it was a good idea to get it, so he was fine with it. Roy told him we drove up from St. Louis, and Tony wished us a safe drive back. Roy got to tell Pat Mastelotto how much we enjoyed watching him play. He thanked Roy and walked over to shake his hand.
I'm not sure I would travel up to Chicago to see this band again. I talked about this experience with a coworker who is not a rock music fan or concert-goer. He didn't have any assumptions and asked me some insiteful questions and wondered if it was because it was unfamiliar music. I don't think so. I go to a lot of concerts and festivals where there's music I don't know. I even liked the opening act E-Mics, and I had never heard of them before. I just don't love Stick Men's sound. I don't dislike it and I enjoyed seeing these musicians in concert. I'd see them again locally. This was a quick trip - we arrived in time for deep-dish pizza dinner and went to the show. We didn't do any Chicago-touristy things, so it was all about the concert.
However, when you add in giving up a whole weekend and sitting in a car for five hours each day, it wasn't worth it for me. I don't think that makes me any less of a Tony Levin fan. He works with a lot of different projects, and there are some I like more than others. I'm glad I got a chance to see this one, so I don't feel like I've been left out. For the next tour, I can make an informed decision.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Rising Above with Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Scottrade Center
St. Louis, MO
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Section 102, Row G, Seat 17
$66.50
I graduated high school in 1992, so my senior year coincided with the Seattle grunge scene breakthrough. I was aware of it that year, but slow to catch on. On April 10, 1992, the very same night when Pearl Jam played the Trocadero in Philly, I was at the Skid Row concert at the Spectrum. I bought a few albums from Seattle bands, and I saw Soundgarden and Alice in Chains that school year.
I really became a Pearl Jam fan in college. I was 19 and getting more and more into Yes and other bands from the 1970s progressive rock era. I was excited about this music and other bands that I listened to when I was younger faded away. But I bought Pearl Jam's second album Vs. on midnight on the day of its release, and I listened to it a lot. Songs like Daughter and rearviewmirror resonated with me. Some of those lyrics could have been about me, putting my relationship with my family and a betrayed friendship into perspective. I bought a few more albums, but I never got to see them in college.
Seeing them now is nostalgic for me, a gift to my 19-year-old self. I knew that this is not a band that needs nostalgia. They've been active creating new music all along. I figured I'd know a handful of songs that they'd play, and the rest would be unfamiliar.
Roy didn't want to go to this concert. I think it's funny that sometimes I can go to a concert by myself and it doesn't bother me in the least. Other times, I feel like an outcast for no longer having a local group of friends to go with. I think it comes down to how well I know the music or what type of crowd I'm expecting. I asked around, and I couldn't find anyone else interested. I could buy two tickets and continue my search, or accept it and buy a single ticket. I didn't want to keep asking around. It was fine at the show, as I brought a magazine to read beforehand and I talked to some of the people in my row.
I ended up with a really good seat. I didn't want to be on the floor. I bought my ticket during the presale, and I got a seat in the first tier of seats, about seven rows up. I was in line with about the 15th row on the floor. It was a great viewing angle. Sometimes shows have video screens or a backdrop that can't be seen if your seat has a side-view of the stage. I like it better to be a section further back.
The opening act Band of Horses was a nice surprise. I had never heard of them before. They sounded nothing like Pearl Jam, but had a laid-back sound with a country-folk influence to their songs. I liked their harmonies and their use of piano.
Pearl Jam came on and opened with four songs in a row that I didn't recognize. The fifth song was Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town from Vs. I remembered all the words to this one. I sang along to "Hello. My god, it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return" and so did the rest of the audience. I got a big smile on my face. I knew a few more songs during the main set, and most of the encore songs. I heard the songs I really wanted to hear, Daughter and rearviewmirror. But I didn't get to hear other songs in the "would be nice to hear" category like Who You Are and Black. A fair trade-off.
I watched singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder for most of the show. So impressed with his performance. I think he's a fascinating artist, and I got to see him connect with the audience without being cheesy or over-the-top. He got us cheering without ever saying anything that didn't sound like he was chatting with us. One of my favorite moments, visually, of the show was Vedder holding his guitar over his head up to a spotlight. Light reflected off of it into the audience. I watched as he'd move his guitar a little and the reflected light would hit another section of the arena and then another. I wonder if he does that at every show. I'm amazed to read that he's 45 years old. That's how old my favorite singer Jon Anderson was the first time I saw him in concert, but Vedder still seems youthful.
The band didn't need a stage show to keep our attention. The backdrop was a cloth that had typewriter keys on it. In the center were the letters P E A R L J A M. The lights would shine on different letters and highlight them. I was close enough to be able to see and recognize all the band members, but not close enough to see their facial expressions. A close up video feed would have been nice, but it wasn't necessary.
Pearl Jam is a band that takes a stand on a lot of social and environmental issues. At this show, it was lessening the use of plastic water bottles. We clashed there, because I usually buy a bottled water at concerts. The concession lady told me the bottled waters were not allowed into the auditorium, so what they were doing was selling the waters, but pouring them into a plastic cup, which we were allowed to bring in. Two plastic drink holders is worse than one! To make it worse, the cup was a flimsy thing that had no lid. I imagined myself spilling it before I even got to my seat. I bought a large soda for $7 that was also plastic, but came with a lid. Of course, it's easy to find holes in the band's philosophy, places where they might look hypocritical. My big environmental deal is smoking, forcing me to breathe your carcinogenic waste. Eddie Vedder smoked on-stage, and even made it part of the show, in a non-smoking building. We can't all be perfect.
The concert lasted about two and a half hours, but it never dragged, even with me knowing so few of their songs. It was well-paced, with their mix of songs that sound like classic rock, heavier stuff, and quieter singalongs. It didn't go on too late either. The concert started at 7:30, and Pearl Jam took the stage around 8:30. The show was over by 11. For the final encore, the house lights came on. That maybe gave me another burst of energy, along with their cover of The Who's Baba O'Riley.
The final song of the night was Yellow Ledbetter. Eddie Vedder played tambourine, and he was hitting two tambourines against each other, then tossing them out to the audience. There was a roadie keeping him with a running supply of tambourines. Vedder stood on the far end of the stage to sing, and then walked into the audience. The song ended with him sitting on his monitors at the edge of the stage, having a drink. A roadie brought over a cigarette, and Eddie Vedder drank and smoke and hung out with the crowd listening to the end of the song.
I was talking to a coworker the day after the show. Now I've seen Pearl Jam, so I can check them off the list. But this show has stayed with me for the last week. I think I will see them again if they come back to St. Louis. And I'll be sure to check out their latest album, so I know more of their material.
Scottrade Center
St. Louis, MO
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Section 102, Row G, Seat 17
$66.50
I graduated high school in 1992, so my senior year coincided with the Seattle grunge scene breakthrough. I was aware of it that year, but slow to catch on. On April 10, 1992, the very same night when Pearl Jam played the Trocadero in Philly, I was at the Skid Row concert at the Spectrum. I bought a few albums from Seattle bands, and I saw Soundgarden and Alice in Chains that school year.
I really became a Pearl Jam fan in college. I was 19 and getting more and more into Yes and other bands from the 1970s progressive rock era. I was excited about this music and other bands that I listened to when I was younger faded away. But I bought Pearl Jam's second album Vs. on midnight on the day of its release, and I listened to it a lot. Songs like Daughter and rearviewmirror resonated with me. Some of those lyrics could have been about me, putting my relationship with my family and a betrayed friendship into perspective. I bought a few more albums, but I never got to see them in college.
Seeing them now is nostalgic for me, a gift to my 19-year-old self. I knew that this is not a band that needs nostalgia. They've been active creating new music all along. I figured I'd know a handful of songs that they'd play, and the rest would be unfamiliar.
Roy didn't want to go to this concert. I think it's funny that sometimes I can go to a concert by myself and it doesn't bother me in the least. Other times, I feel like an outcast for no longer having a local group of friends to go with. I think it comes down to how well I know the music or what type of crowd I'm expecting. I asked around, and I couldn't find anyone else interested. I could buy two tickets and continue my search, or accept it and buy a single ticket. I didn't want to keep asking around. It was fine at the show, as I brought a magazine to read beforehand and I talked to some of the people in my row.
I ended up with a really good seat. I didn't want to be on the floor. I bought my ticket during the presale, and I got a seat in the first tier of seats, about seven rows up. I was in line with about the 15th row on the floor. It was a great viewing angle. Sometimes shows have video screens or a backdrop that can't be seen if your seat has a side-view of the stage. I like it better to be a section further back.
The opening act Band of Horses was a nice surprise. I had never heard of them before. They sounded nothing like Pearl Jam, but had a laid-back sound with a country-folk influence to their songs. I liked their harmonies and their use of piano.
Pearl Jam came on and opened with four songs in a row that I didn't recognize. The fifth song was Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town from Vs. I remembered all the words to this one. I sang along to "Hello. My god, it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return" and so did the rest of the audience. I got a big smile on my face. I knew a few more songs during the main set, and most of the encore songs. I heard the songs I really wanted to hear, Daughter and rearviewmirror. But I didn't get to hear other songs in the "would be nice to hear" category like Who You Are and Black. A fair trade-off.
I watched singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder for most of the show. So impressed with his performance. I think he's a fascinating artist, and I got to see him connect with the audience without being cheesy or over-the-top. He got us cheering without ever saying anything that didn't sound like he was chatting with us. One of my favorite moments, visually, of the show was Vedder holding his guitar over his head up to a spotlight. Light reflected off of it into the audience. I watched as he'd move his guitar a little and the reflected light would hit another section of the arena and then another. I wonder if he does that at every show. I'm amazed to read that he's 45 years old. That's how old my favorite singer Jon Anderson was the first time I saw him in concert, but Vedder still seems youthful.
The band didn't need a stage show to keep our attention. The backdrop was a cloth that had typewriter keys on it. In the center were the letters P E A R L J A M. The lights would shine on different letters and highlight them. I was close enough to be able to see and recognize all the band members, but not close enough to see their facial expressions. A close up video feed would have been nice, but it wasn't necessary.
Pearl Jam is a band that takes a stand on a lot of social and environmental issues. At this show, it was lessening the use of plastic water bottles. We clashed there, because I usually buy a bottled water at concerts. The concession lady told me the bottled waters were not allowed into the auditorium, so what they were doing was selling the waters, but pouring them into a plastic cup, which we were allowed to bring in. Two plastic drink holders is worse than one! To make it worse, the cup was a flimsy thing that had no lid. I imagined myself spilling it before I even got to my seat. I bought a large soda for $7 that was also plastic, but came with a lid. Of course, it's easy to find holes in the band's philosophy, places where they might look hypocritical. My big environmental deal is smoking, forcing me to breathe your carcinogenic waste. Eddie Vedder smoked on-stage, and even made it part of the show, in a non-smoking building. We can't all be perfect.
The concert lasted about two and a half hours, but it never dragged, even with me knowing so few of their songs. It was well-paced, with their mix of songs that sound like classic rock, heavier stuff, and quieter singalongs. It didn't go on too late either. The concert started at 7:30, and Pearl Jam took the stage around 8:30. The show was over by 11. For the final encore, the house lights came on. That maybe gave me another burst of energy, along with their cover of The Who's Baba O'Riley.
The final song of the night was Yellow Ledbetter. Eddie Vedder played tambourine, and he was hitting two tambourines against each other, then tossing them out to the audience. There was a roadie keeping him with a running supply of tambourines. Vedder stood on the far end of the stage to sing, and then walked into the audience. The song ended with him sitting on his monitors at the edge of the stage, having a drink. A roadie brought over a cigarette, and Eddie Vedder drank and smoke and hung out with the crowd listening to the end of the song.
I was talking to a coworker the day after the show. Now I've seen Pearl Jam, so I can check them off the list. But this show has stayed with me for the last week. I think I will see them again if they come back to St. Louis. And I'll be sure to check out their latest album, so I know more of their material.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Walk Like a Bangle
The Bangles
Opening Act: Sick of Sarah
The Pageant
St. Louis, MO
Sunday, May 2, 2010
General Admission
$25
I didn't pay much attention to The Bangles in the 1980s. I knew their break-through singles Manic Monday and Walk Like an Egyptian, but that was a year before I really got interested in music. And I didn't care at all about ballads when Eternal Flame became a big hit.
One easy way to get my attention now is to have some connection to Yes. The Bangles' singer guitarist Susanna Hoffs is a self-professed Yes fan. She did a cover of Yes' I've Seen All Good People on an album of covers with Matthew Sweet. She even recorded the song with Steve Howe. I listen to this whole album often, and Roy and I also like an earlier volume they did of cover songs from the 1960s. I've become a fan of Susanna Hoffs, and that gave me new interest in The Bangles.
I heard The Bangles were coming to the Pageant, a concert venue in my neighborhood, just a half-mile from my home. I didn't rush out to buy tickets, but I made a note of the date. If we weren't too busy that day, it might be fun. I knew about five songs of theirs, so I figured I'd know about a third of their set. On the good side, the show was non-smoking. On the bad side, there were no reserved seats. I have this thing about needing a spot with a good sight-line at concerts. I'm short, so I can't see over most other people. I like getting to general admission shows early, waiting in line to get my pick of seats. Roy was interested in this show, but not enough to invest hours waiting in line.
The day of the show, I was running errands all morning and early afternoon. I'd have to make an early dinner if we were going to the show. We could have easily blown it off, except for this turn of events: I got home to find out our neighbors invited us over for a party they were having. I was tired, but Roy and I went down. I ended up playing a Wii dance game, dancing to a Beach Boys song. It was fun, and it put me in the mood to go to a concert and dance to the live music.
Our timeline was off from my original plan. We blew off waiting in line for good seats. The show started at 8. We weren't ready to leave home until 7:15, after dinner. We walked over, got tickets, and walked right up to the front row.
I knew the show hadn't sold too well; I read on-line that the Pageant wouldn't be opening the balcony for this show. Roy and I were hoping that there'd still be seats available, or if not, we could stand along the wall and hope for a good view. If we couldn't find a good spot, we'd just leave. Tickets weren't that expensive. When we got there, most of the seats were already taken. But we've noticed at shows that skew to an older crowd, almost everyone heads to the seats, and leaves the standing-room-only pit in front of the stage empty. There were maybe 10 people standing in the front row, so we joined them. Roy mentioned that if we had waited in line all those hours, this would pretty much be the spot I wanted anyway. We got there 15 minutes before the opening act started.
The opening act was called Sick of Sarah. Unfortunately, the sound quality during their set was just awful. We could hear the drums and bass, far-away sounding vocals. The guitar player was standing right in front of us, but I could not hear what she was playing. The band had a lot of energy and put on a good live presentation. Roy wandered back to the sound board, to see how different it sounded there. Not much better. Sometimes the front rows can get bad sound because the main speakers are above us, pushing the sound further back. We hear the on-stage monitors and get a weird mix. I don't know what was causing it this time. I hoped the Bangles would be better. The opening act played for half an hour.
I like the idea that the Bangles were taking a young group on tour to give them exposure, like bands used to do before the package tours became so popular. It feels like so many bands charge a fortune for concert tickets on the basis of nostalgia, and the return is that they have to offer up nostalgia, delivering songs that every one knows, by every band. With a band playing a small venue, with $25 tickets, the show becomes less of an "event" and more of a real concert by an active touring band. There's a freedom to play lesser known songs and bring unknown acts with them.
The Bangles came on stage right at nine. They opened with their cover of Hazy Shade of Winter, a Simon and Garfunkel song. For me, it was a great opening because it's so lively and it's the only song where I could sing along for the whole song, knowing all the words. The sound was much better than the opening band's. We could hear every instrument and the vocals clearly. The only thing I had trouble with was catching everything the band members said to the audience.
There were three microphones set up in front. Vicki Peterson stood stage center, Susanna Hoffs was stage left, close to where we were standing. For a few songs, Debbi Peterson left the drumset to play guitar; she took the position on stage right. This was not a real personality-driven band for me. Roy asked me earlier if I could name all the band members. I could, but I didn't know which Peterson sister was Debbi and which was Vicki. It turned out that Roy didn't know it was Susanna Hoffs standing closest to us; he refered to her as "the other guitarist" after the show. They all took turns singing, with Debbi sometimes singing while playing drums, and sometimes by the front of the stage. There were only three original members of the band. They were joined by a bassist and keyboard player.
This was just a really fun, well-performed, enjoyable show. I told Roy that it felt like the band stripped off the 80's production sheen from their music. It came across as power pop with great vocal harmonies. The covers they played only reinforced this - a Big Star song in memory of Alex Chilton, the Nazz's Open My Eyes (which Roy and I both thought was going to be Can't Explain from the Who), a snippet of the Who's Magic Bus during the encores. There was another song that used the bassline of The Beatles' Taxman. I don't know if that was a cover or not.
There was one song that I didn't think sounded well. They performed to a backing track for one song, so Debbi Peterson could play guitar. The pre-recorded drums were too loud and seemed to clash with what the band was playing, rather than support it. Either I got used to it, or they fixed the volume issue, because it got better as it got on.
Roy was particularly impressed with Vicki Peterson's guitar playing. He said it reminded him of The Moody Blues' Justin Hayward's very melodic playing.
The Bangles played one unreleased song, from their upcoming album. Vicki Peterson asked the audience to indulge them this one song. I hate that it's come to this. Why is there this dividing line, where songs of a certain vintage are acceptable, and new songs suck? Every song was new at one point, and we used to like them. Did it come with radio deciding to stop playing the new songs from older bands? Or too many artists with new material that wasn't that interesting, too middle-of-the-road. I asked Roy if, when he saw Yes the first time, just before the Relayer album was released, if they meekly asked the audience if they would indulge them playing Sound Chaser? Or did they just open with it? Roy said they slammed the audience with it. Of course, I didn't know half the material the Bangles played at this show, and the new song fit right in stylistically, so I wouldn't have noticed it was new.
For the encore, The Bangles invited Sick of Sarah back on stage to sing and dance. They did In Your Room. The final encore was Walk Like an Egyptian, played to a backing track. Susanna Hoffs had two pre-teen girls sitting off to the side of the stage. Roy heard her say these were her nieces. They came out and danced along for this song. Some of the Sick of Sarah musicians clowned around did the dance from the video in back of the stage. The bandmembers really looked like they enjoying themselves throughout the show. We were too.
The show ended at 10:30pm. I've had good luck meeting some of the musicians who play at the Pageant in the past. I know what exit they use to get on the tour bus after the show. I brought my copy of Susanna Hoff and Matthew Sweet's Under the Covers CD, and we waited. It gets to be late, and we want to go home, but we've already waited all this time, it's bound to be soon. We saw people with backstage passes leave. We saw the young nieces leave, and the backing musicians.
There was a new wrinkle in waiting for autographs. Since the last time we were at the Pageant, a new hotel opened a few store-fronts away. The band could come out of any door and walk over without a big production. That's just what happened. Everyone else left from the usual door in back, but the Bangles walked out front. One of the Pageant employees told us they'd already left. I didn't know whether to trust him or not, but someone from the opening act confirmed it. It was around midnight. We walked home. If I had gone home right after the concert, I wouldn't have gotten to sleep too late. This extra hour and a half of waiting was another matter. I called work and left a message that I'd be in late. I gave myself too little sleep and still got in late, but it's balanced by the happy memories of a good concert. I'm really glad we went.
Opening Act: Sick of Sarah
The Pageant
St. Louis, MO
Sunday, May 2, 2010
General Admission
$25
I didn't pay much attention to The Bangles in the 1980s. I knew their break-through singles Manic Monday and Walk Like an Egyptian, but that was a year before I really got interested in music. And I didn't care at all about ballads when Eternal Flame became a big hit.
One easy way to get my attention now is to have some connection to Yes. The Bangles' singer guitarist Susanna Hoffs is a self-professed Yes fan. She did a cover of Yes' I've Seen All Good People on an album of covers with Matthew Sweet. She even recorded the song with Steve Howe. I listen to this whole album often, and Roy and I also like an earlier volume they did of cover songs from the 1960s. I've become a fan of Susanna Hoffs, and that gave me new interest in The Bangles.
I heard The Bangles were coming to the Pageant, a concert venue in my neighborhood, just a half-mile from my home. I didn't rush out to buy tickets, but I made a note of the date. If we weren't too busy that day, it might be fun. I knew about five songs of theirs, so I figured I'd know about a third of their set. On the good side, the show was non-smoking. On the bad side, there were no reserved seats. I have this thing about needing a spot with a good sight-line at concerts. I'm short, so I can't see over most other people. I like getting to general admission shows early, waiting in line to get my pick of seats. Roy was interested in this show, but not enough to invest hours waiting in line.
The day of the show, I was running errands all morning and early afternoon. I'd have to make an early dinner if we were going to the show. We could have easily blown it off, except for this turn of events: I got home to find out our neighbors invited us over for a party they were having. I was tired, but Roy and I went down. I ended up playing a Wii dance game, dancing to a Beach Boys song. It was fun, and it put me in the mood to go to a concert and dance to the live music.
Our timeline was off from my original plan. We blew off waiting in line for good seats. The show started at 8. We weren't ready to leave home until 7:15, after dinner. We walked over, got tickets, and walked right up to the front row.
I knew the show hadn't sold too well; I read on-line that the Pageant wouldn't be opening the balcony for this show. Roy and I were hoping that there'd still be seats available, or if not, we could stand along the wall and hope for a good view. If we couldn't find a good spot, we'd just leave. Tickets weren't that expensive. When we got there, most of the seats were already taken. But we've noticed at shows that skew to an older crowd, almost everyone heads to the seats, and leaves the standing-room-only pit in front of the stage empty. There were maybe 10 people standing in the front row, so we joined them. Roy mentioned that if we had waited in line all those hours, this would pretty much be the spot I wanted anyway. We got there 15 minutes before the opening act started.
The opening act was called Sick of Sarah. Unfortunately, the sound quality during their set was just awful. We could hear the drums and bass, far-away sounding vocals. The guitar player was standing right in front of us, but I could not hear what she was playing. The band had a lot of energy and put on a good live presentation. Roy wandered back to the sound board, to see how different it sounded there. Not much better. Sometimes the front rows can get bad sound because the main speakers are above us, pushing the sound further back. We hear the on-stage monitors and get a weird mix. I don't know what was causing it this time. I hoped the Bangles would be better. The opening act played for half an hour.
I like the idea that the Bangles were taking a young group on tour to give them exposure, like bands used to do before the package tours became so popular. It feels like so many bands charge a fortune for concert tickets on the basis of nostalgia, and the return is that they have to offer up nostalgia, delivering songs that every one knows, by every band. With a band playing a small venue, with $25 tickets, the show becomes less of an "event" and more of a real concert by an active touring band. There's a freedom to play lesser known songs and bring unknown acts with them.
The Bangles came on stage right at nine. They opened with their cover of Hazy Shade of Winter, a Simon and Garfunkel song. For me, it was a great opening because it's so lively and it's the only song where I could sing along for the whole song, knowing all the words. The sound was much better than the opening band's. We could hear every instrument and the vocals clearly. The only thing I had trouble with was catching everything the band members said to the audience.
There were three microphones set up in front. Vicki Peterson stood stage center, Susanna Hoffs was stage left, close to where we were standing. For a few songs, Debbi Peterson left the drumset to play guitar; she took the position on stage right. This was not a real personality-driven band for me. Roy asked me earlier if I could name all the band members. I could, but I didn't know which Peterson sister was Debbi and which was Vicki. It turned out that Roy didn't know it was Susanna Hoffs standing closest to us; he refered to her as "the other guitarist" after the show. They all took turns singing, with Debbi sometimes singing while playing drums, and sometimes by the front of the stage. There were only three original members of the band. They were joined by a bassist and keyboard player.
This was just a really fun, well-performed, enjoyable show. I told Roy that it felt like the band stripped off the 80's production sheen from their music. It came across as power pop with great vocal harmonies. The covers they played only reinforced this - a Big Star song in memory of Alex Chilton, the Nazz's Open My Eyes (which Roy and I both thought was going to be Can't Explain from the Who), a snippet of the Who's Magic Bus during the encores. There was another song that used the bassline of The Beatles' Taxman. I don't know if that was a cover or not.
There was one song that I didn't think sounded well. They performed to a backing track for one song, so Debbi Peterson could play guitar. The pre-recorded drums were too loud and seemed to clash with what the band was playing, rather than support it. Either I got used to it, or they fixed the volume issue, because it got better as it got on.
Roy was particularly impressed with Vicki Peterson's guitar playing. He said it reminded him of The Moody Blues' Justin Hayward's very melodic playing.
The Bangles played one unreleased song, from their upcoming album. Vicki Peterson asked the audience to indulge them this one song. I hate that it's come to this. Why is there this dividing line, where songs of a certain vintage are acceptable, and new songs suck? Every song was new at one point, and we used to like them. Did it come with radio deciding to stop playing the new songs from older bands? Or too many artists with new material that wasn't that interesting, too middle-of-the-road. I asked Roy if, when he saw Yes the first time, just before the Relayer album was released, if they meekly asked the audience if they would indulge them playing Sound Chaser? Or did they just open with it? Roy said they slammed the audience with it. Of course, I didn't know half the material the Bangles played at this show, and the new song fit right in stylistically, so I wouldn't have noticed it was new.
For the encore, The Bangles invited Sick of Sarah back on stage to sing and dance. They did In Your Room. The final encore was Walk Like an Egyptian, played to a backing track. Susanna Hoffs had two pre-teen girls sitting off to the side of the stage. Roy heard her say these were her nieces. They came out and danced along for this song. Some of the Sick of Sarah musicians clowned around did the dance from the video in back of the stage. The bandmembers really looked like they enjoying themselves throughout the show. We were too.
The show ended at 10:30pm. I've had good luck meeting some of the musicians who play at the Pageant in the past. I know what exit they use to get on the tour bus after the show. I brought my copy of Susanna Hoff and Matthew Sweet's Under the Covers CD, and we waited. It gets to be late, and we want to go home, but we've already waited all this time, it's bound to be soon. We saw people with backstage passes leave. We saw the young nieces leave, and the backing musicians.
There was a new wrinkle in waiting for autographs. Since the last time we were at the Pageant, a new hotel opened a few store-fronts away. The band could come out of any door and walk over without a big production. That's just what happened. Everyone else left from the usual door in back, but the Bangles walked out front. One of the Pageant employees told us they'd already left. I didn't know whether to trust him or not, but someone from the opening act confirmed it. It was around midnight. We walked home. If I had gone home right after the concert, I wouldn't have gotten to sleep too late. This extra hour and a half of waiting was another matter. I called work and left a message that I'd be in late. I gave myself too little sleep and still got in late, but it's balanced by the happy memories of a good concert. I'm really glad we went.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
California Guitar Trio at Blueberry Hill
California Guitar Trio
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
General Admission
On the Guest List! :-)
Roy and I have a tradition at California Guitar Trio shows. Years ago, their volunteer coordinator asked if I could work at their merchandise table. We've been doing that at every CGT show I've attended in St. Louis since then. I think this was our fifth time. We got together with a friend for dinner before the show, and then went down to the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill to set up the merchandise before the doors opened.
Seeing the show from behind the scenes like this gives it a different feeling than most other concerts I attend. I get to interact with a lot of other fans, and also with people new to CGT. Their enthusiasm is a lot of fun to see. I've seen CGT so many times, I always enjoy the music, but the surprise of "wow, these guys are really good!" is over for me. But I get to experience it anyway by talking to other audience members.
There was already a short line by the door when Roy, Ralph, and I finished dinner. The band was already setting up: We saw them guys enter the restaurant from the back and load in their equipment. Hideyo walked out front to take a picture of the marquee. I always feel a little weird just opening the door to the Duck Room and walking downstairs. I don't have any credentials with me other than a printed out e-mail from Bert Lams. I didn't even have a specified time when I needed to be there, but in the past, they'd asked for me to be there a half hour before the doors opened. The door that led down to the Duck Room was unlocked, and staff were going in and out. There was one employee at the door. I told him we were working the merchandise table, and he let us go in, no proof needed.
The band had just finished their soundcheck, and were about to go out to eat. Roy and I live real close by, so we recommended a few places. They wouldn't be back by the time the doors opened. Bert told me he had already inventoried the CDs for sale. I've done this before, so I knew to unpack them and how to display them on the table. I didn't have any change yet, but I'd get that from the band when they got back from dinner.
I like being in this position. The band were selling their best-of compilation, Bert Lams' solo album, a new DVD, and pre-selling a copy of the night's concert. That gave me something to talk about with everyone who approached the merchandise table. "The band is recording tonight's show and you can buy a copy of it now." It's much better than waiting for them to ask a question and it helped to break the ice. We sold a few copies before the show. It wasn't too busy, so Roy hung out with Ralph. I'd work the table during the first half of the show, both of us during the intermission. I'd grab Roy's seat for the second half, and then we'd both be back there for after the show.
The attendence seemed down from the last time they played here, fewer than a hundred people. I don't think the word got out about this show. Blueberry Hill listed it on the advertising and on their marquee. The band was even able to do a TV appearance for it. But I sent an e-mail to several friends a few days before the show, and none of them knew about it. There are so many places where you can connect with the band, their mailing list, Facebook, the Yahoo group. I saw a mention of the show on their mailing list, but the show was added to their itinerary without much fanfare. I think the band would be better off if they sent monthly reminders of shows to all of these places, rather than having us check their website. I missed a show they did in St. Louis a few years ago for this same reason.
The band came back from dinner. I've worked most closely with Bert on the merchandise. He came back over to finish getting me set up. He offered to get me something to drink, but Roy already took care of me. Then Bert pulled over a chair for me. (There was limited seating, not enough for all the people attending the concert, so I felt weird about taking a chair. But if the band thinks it's okay, it's okay for me too. I ended up standing most of the time anyway, so I could make eye-contact easier with people. During the show, I needed to stand to see the stage anyway. But it was a very nice gesture.)
Bert and I talked for a little bit then. The band stayed at a hotel by the Arch. There's not much downtown and Bert liked the Delmar Loop area more than that location. I told him about Laclede's Landing, just north of the Arch. It's nice to walk around there, even if it is mostly bars. But they had to leave at 8:30 the next morning to drive to the next day's show, so they wouldn't have time anyway. No roadies, no driver. I don't envy them for their lifestyle.
One fan approached Bert while we were talking. He works at KDHX and wanted to find CGT a more appropriate venue to play in St. Louis and help promote the shows. Bert gave him a couple CDs. I see what the guy means. The Duck Room is so convenient for me, and Blueberry Hill is a hangout for Roy and me. But at a quiet show like this, you can hear the cash registers and talking over the music. It can't be fun for the people who have to stand either.
The band opened up doing a circulation piece. This is something they do at every show - play a melody with each band member playing the next note. It shows off how well they listen to each other, getting the timing just right. There were a few classic instrumentals they covered - Walk Don't Run and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. In the second set, they did Classical Gas.
I watched the first set from behind the merchandise table. I've sat further away from the stage than this at other CGT concerts, so I didn't feel all that removed from the music. It was nice having all this space to myself. It gave me a good view of the audience too.
There were two younger guys standing by the far wall, being loud. One guy was on his cell phone for most of the time. People were turning around and glaring at them, hoping they'd quiet down. This lasted through most of the first set. I wondered if I should walk over to them and ask them to keep it down, since I was sort of a staff person that night. I didn't. Other people moved their chairs or found another place to stand. Finally, one of the loud people came over to buy a CD. I suggested the live CD, and I wanted to say that he'd be able to hear what he was missing live. I didn't do that either. He was unfamiliar with the band and thought this would be a different type of concert. He bought Highlights and then they left. They got even louder as they walked up the stairs. I was glad they left.
I enjoyed the show more after that. The next song was CGT's cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. I sang along. Last time, they played this song at the end of their set, when I was sitting up front and Roy was in back with the merch. Ralph remembered that he and I sang along together. Roy said I should have been up there this time. He's a better singer than I am, but I know the words better.
We switched over merchandise duty during the intermission. I took the front row seat next to Ralph. The songs with the biggest reaction during the second set were a cover of Pink Floyd's Echoes and a Beethoven piece. Something happened that I'd never seen at a CGT show. Usually, only Paul Richards does the stage announcements. He's the only native English speaker in the band, and I guess he's the most comfortable with it. This time, all three band members spoke to introduce songs.
Paul said the definition of an intellectual is someone who doesn't think of the Lone Ranger when they hear the last song, the William Tell Overture. Guess I'm not an intellectual then! Towards the end of the show, Paul talked about the new DVD they had for sale (we sold a lot more copies after that). He also thanked everyone involved with the show. He thanked Roy and me by name, which was really sweet. I wasn't sure whether to include this bit, but he pronounced my name wrong. It should have been such a happy moment, but it was frustrating. I didn't say anything to him later about it.
Roy and I continued to sell CDs after the show. The band came out to burn copies of the newly recorded show and to sign autographs. Roy moved away, but I was still standing back there taking money from a few people. It was interesting seeing this meet and greet from the band's side behind the table. Bert told me they'd be giving me a copy of the live CD. I also saw him pull out a DVD, open it, and have the band sign it. I figured that was going to be for me as well, and I thanked him when he handed it to me.
The crowd was beginning to thin out. This show was an hour later than the last one they played here, starting at 9 instead of 8. It was now close to midnight instead of 11-ish, and I was tired. Bert told me not to worry about counting the money or tallying how many CDs were sold. He'd do it later. There were still a couple people hanging on talking to the band. We said goodbye to Bert. Paul ended up excusing himself so he could come over and talk to us. He gave both Roy and me a hug and told us to keep in touch.
Ralph had been waiting for us. The three of us walked upstairs and outside and said our goodbyes as well. I hadn't seen Ralph since the Yes show at the Pageant in 2008. We shouldn't wait this long to see each other, but I'm glad the concert gave us the push to get together.
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
General Admission
On the Guest List! :-)
Roy and I have a tradition at California Guitar Trio shows. Years ago, their volunteer coordinator asked if I could work at their merchandise table. We've been doing that at every CGT show I've attended in St. Louis since then. I think this was our fifth time. We got together with a friend for dinner before the show, and then went down to the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill to set up the merchandise before the doors opened.
Seeing the show from behind the scenes like this gives it a different feeling than most other concerts I attend. I get to interact with a lot of other fans, and also with people new to CGT. Their enthusiasm is a lot of fun to see. I've seen CGT so many times, I always enjoy the music, but the surprise of "wow, these guys are really good!" is over for me. But I get to experience it anyway by talking to other audience members.
There was already a short line by the door when Roy, Ralph, and I finished dinner. The band was already setting up: We saw them guys enter the restaurant from the back and load in their equipment. Hideyo walked out front to take a picture of the marquee. I always feel a little weird just opening the door to the Duck Room and walking downstairs. I don't have any credentials with me other than a printed out e-mail from Bert Lams. I didn't even have a specified time when I needed to be there, but in the past, they'd asked for me to be there a half hour before the doors opened. The door that led down to the Duck Room was unlocked, and staff were going in and out. There was one employee at the door. I told him we were working the merchandise table, and he let us go in, no proof needed.
The band had just finished their soundcheck, and were about to go out to eat. Roy and I live real close by, so we recommended a few places. They wouldn't be back by the time the doors opened. Bert told me he had already inventoried the CDs for sale. I've done this before, so I knew to unpack them and how to display them on the table. I didn't have any change yet, but I'd get that from the band when they got back from dinner.
I like being in this position. The band were selling their best-of compilation, Bert Lams' solo album, a new DVD, and pre-selling a copy of the night's concert. That gave me something to talk about with everyone who approached the merchandise table. "The band is recording tonight's show and you can buy a copy of it now." It's much better than waiting for them to ask a question and it helped to break the ice. We sold a few copies before the show. It wasn't too busy, so Roy hung out with Ralph. I'd work the table during the first half of the show, both of us during the intermission. I'd grab Roy's seat for the second half, and then we'd both be back there for after the show.
The attendence seemed down from the last time they played here, fewer than a hundred people. I don't think the word got out about this show. Blueberry Hill listed it on the advertising and on their marquee. The band was even able to do a TV appearance for it. But I sent an e-mail to several friends a few days before the show, and none of them knew about it. There are so many places where you can connect with the band, their mailing list, Facebook, the Yahoo group. I saw a mention of the show on their mailing list, but the show was added to their itinerary without much fanfare. I think the band would be better off if they sent monthly reminders of shows to all of these places, rather than having us check their website. I missed a show they did in St. Louis a few years ago for this same reason.
The band came back from dinner. I've worked most closely with Bert on the merchandise. He came back over to finish getting me set up. He offered to get me something to drink, but Roy already took care of me. Then Bert pulled over a chair for me. (There was limited seating, not enough for all the people attending the concert, so I felt weird about taking a chair. But if the band thinks it's okay, it's okay for me too. I ended up standing most of the time anyway, so I could make eye-contact easier with people. During the show, I needed to stand to see the stage anyway. But it was a very nice gesture.)
Bert and I talked for a little bit then. The band stayed at a hotel by the Arch. There's not much downtown and Bert liked the Delmar Loop area more than that location. I told him about Laclede's Landing, just north of the Arch. It's nice to walk around there, even if it is mostly bars. But they had to leave at 8:30 the next morning to drive to the next day's show, so they wouldn't have time anyway. No roadies, no driver. I don't envy them for their lifestyle.
One fan approached Bert while we were talking. He works at KDHX and wanted to find CGT a more appropriate venue to play in St. Louis and help promote the shows. Bert gave him a couple CDs. I see what the guy means. The Duck Room is so convenient for me, and Blueberry Hill is a hangout for Roy and me. But at a quiet show like this, you can hear the cash registers and talking over the music. It can't be fun for the people who have to stand either.
The band opened up doing a circulation piece. This is something they do at every show - play a melody with each band member playing the next note. It shows off how well they listen to each other, getting the timing just right. There were a few classic instrumentals they covered - Walk Don't Run and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. In the second set, they did Classical Gas.
I watched the first set from behind the merchandise table. I've sat further away from the stage than this at other CGT concerts, so I didn't feel all that removed from the music. It was nice having all this space to myself. It gave me a good view of the audience too.
There were two younger guys standing by the far wall, being loud. One guy was on his cell phone for most of the time. People were turning around and glaring at them, hoping they'd quiet down. This lasted through most of the first set. I wondered if I should walk over to them and ask them to keep it down, since I was sort of a staff person that night. I didn't. Other people moved their chairs or found another place to stand. Finally, one of the loud people came over to buy a CD. I suggested the live CD, and I wanted to say that he'd be able to hear what he was missing live. I didn't do that either. He was unfamiliar with the band and thought this would be a different type of concert. He bought Highlights and then they left. They got even louder as they walked up the stairs. I was glad they left.
I enjoyed the show more after that. The next song was CGT's cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. I sang along. Last time, they played this song at the end of their set, when I was sitting up front and Roy was in back with the merch. Ralph remembered that he and I sang along together. Roy said I should have been up there this time. He's a better singer than I am, but I know the words better.
We switched over merchandise duty during the intermission. I took the front row seat next to Ralph. The songs with the biggest reaction during the second set were a cover of Pink Floyd's Echoes and a Beethoven piece. Something happened that I'd never seen at a CGT show. Usually, only Paul Richards does the stage announcements. He's the only native English speaker in the band, and I guess he's the most comfortable with it. This time, all three band members spoke to introduce songs.
Paul said the definition of an intellectual is someone who doesn't think of the Lone Ranger when they hear the last song, the William Tell Overture. Guess I'm not an intellectual then! Towards the end of the show, Paul talked about the new DVD they had for sale (we sold a lot more copies after that). He also thanked everyone involved with the show. He thanked Roy and me by name, which was really sweet. I wasn't sure whether to include this bit, but he pronounced my name wrong. It should have been such a happy moment, but it was frustrating. I didn't say anything to him later about it.
Roy and I continued to sell CDs after the show. The band came out to burn copies of the newly recorded show and to sign autographs. Roy moved away, but I was still standing back there taking money from a few people. It was interesting seeing this meet and greet from the band's side behind the table. Bert told me they'd be giving me a copy of the live CD. I also saw him pull out a DVD, open it, and have the band sign it. I figured that was going to be for me as well, and I thanked him when he handed it to me.
The crowd was beginning to thin out. This show was an hour later than the last one they played here, starting at 9 instead of 8. It was now close to midnight instead of 11-ish, and I was tired. Bert told me not to worry about counting the money or tallying how many CDs were sold. He'd do it later. There were still a couple people hanging on talking to the band. We said goodbye to Bert. Paul ended up excusing himself so he could come over and talk to us. He gave both Roy and me a hug and told us to keep in touch.
Ralph had been waiting for us. The three of us walked upstairs and outside and said our goodbyes as well. I hadn't seen Ralph since the Yes show at the Pageant in 2008. We shouldn't wait this long to see each other, but I'm glad the concert gave us the push to get together.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Culture in Boca Raton
Yes
Sunset Cove Amphitheater
Boca Raton, FL
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Section C, Row 1, Seat 15
$80
I'm posting this on March 11th - my blog's third birthday!
Sunday in Boca Raton was the last show of this short tour. Roy wondered if they'd be doing anything different or fun, like we'd seen in previous end-of-tour shows. We were certainly doing this one in style. We would be in the front row again, with reserved seats this time, and we were attending the after-show meet and greet. I still wasn't sure of the point of this tour. They did about 20 shows, few different songs, playing some of the same cities they did previously. Working on new music seems like a better idea to me than potentially wearing out their welcome. Still, I can't miss chances to see my favorite band.
Roy and I drove down from Orlando on Sunday morning. We stopped in the town of Palm Beach for lunch and a walk along the beach.
We wanted to check into the hotel before the show. We missed some turns along the way, and it took longer than I wanted it to. We got to the hotel around 5:50, and the show started at 7. I was in a foul mood when I realized I wouldn't have time to rest up before the show. I was so worried about being late, I didn't even want to stop to grab something to eat first. I was right to want to be there early: it didn't take much time to get to the turn-off for the venue, but there was big backup getting to the parking lot. The only access was a long, single-lane road, with cars backed up all the way. I still needed to pick up our tickets from will call, and I was tempted to get out of the car and hike over. I found out that this traffic caused quite a few people to be late for the show.
Once we parked, things got better. There was no line to pick up our tickets, and the employees were friendly. We had a weird time getting tickets for this show, but it worked out great. By accident, Roy and I both bought tickets right when they went on sale. Roy got third row center, and I got the first row of a section off to the side. Ticketmaster had an auction for true front row center seats, complete with a parking pass and access to a meet and greet with the band. I planned to check it out near the end of the auction, but I forgot until it was too late. A month later, I happened to check how tickets were doing, and saw they had another auction going on with front row seats. There was no publicity for this. I won, with the minimum bid even. We were able to sell the extra sets of tickets. Now, we picked up our meet and greet passes and our tickets.
Roy stood in line to get pretzels while I found our seats. The front row was a good ten feet away from the stage. The security guard restricted access to this space to only the people sitting in this row. No one else could walk up to use it as an aisle or take close-up pictures during the show. Every group of two seats were tied together. I was the first one sitting in the row, so I shoved some of the other seats over a bit to give Roy and me an extra couple inches to ourselves. Even 20 minutes before the start of the show, the venue was not very full. Our seats were right in front of Oliver Wakeman's keyboards, just like the night before. According to the seating chart, I thought we'd be on Steve Howe's side, but the sections were in the reverse order.
Roy joined me. The venue was called Sunset Cove Amphitheater. We could easily see why. We stood up and turned around, facing the rest of the audience. I saw the most beautiful sunset I'd ever seen. Very vivid colors, unobstructed view. I was surprised more people weren't looking at it.
Just before the show was about to start, I looked around, and saw some friends of ours walking in. I hadn't seen Diana and Rick since we came to Florida for a Yes show in 2004. We hadn't reached out to any friends to meet up on this trip. We had a few minutes to catch up, and made plans to meet up afterward. They hadn't seen a show yet with this incarnation of the band and wanted to be surprised about the setlist. An usher came over to tell us the show would be starting soon and we needed to get to our seats.
I don't know how empty the rest of the amphitheater was. But when the show started, the four seats directly next to me and the four seats next to Roy were still empty. That's eight seats right in the front row. Later on, six of those seats were filled. I guess they were all stuck in the slow crawl to the parking lot.
Siberian Khatru was played with more energy than the night before. It set the tone for the night, happy and light-hearted. The sound was excellent. I don't know if Chris Squire saw us and recognized us or was just looking at the happy people bopping along to the music in the front row, but he looked over at us and even played his bass towards us for a little bit.
Chris really made me happy during his introduction to Tempus Fugit. He mentioned that this was the last show of their tour and that this is the 106th show this lineup has played. He acknowledged that people were still coming into the venue because of the traffic tie-up. Then he said they were going to do two songs from Drama tonight. Two! We were getting Machine Messiah back tonight! I applauded more for this than anything in the actual show. We got a shorter show in Orlando at Sea World the night before, but this one brought the Incredible Shrinking Setlist back to what I had seen the first night in Chicago. Still no South Side of the Sky though.
During Yours Is No Disgrace, the ushers brought out two chairs and placed them in front of the front row, off to my right. A woman sat down with a toddler. I knew that Chris and his wife had a baby over a year ago, and Roy wondered if this was Chris' family. I thought the little girl looked too big to be that age, but we found out later, she was. The baby sat on the chair, stood and danced a little, and then started crawling around. Chris looked down at her. This is one of my favorite songs of the night, and watching the little girl experience the concert distracted me, but it was fun to watch. They got up and left before the song was over. (The baby was wearing a lot of sound protection from the loud noise of the concert.)
I would not go to an outdoor concert in February at home in St. Louis, but I figured the people in Southern Florida knew what they were doing. After the sun set, I'd bet the temperature dipped into the 50s. I was wearing a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over it and cropped pants. I didn't notice it being that cold while the band was playing, but even bopping around in my seat, I didn't need to take the sweatshirt off. Benoit asked the audience how we were doing in the cold. He said it was warmer on stage. I saw Steve Howe frequently blow on his fingers, trying to keep them warm.
The one part of the setlist that changes from night to night is Steve's guitar solo. On this night, he played a solo piece called Second Initial and part of Vivaldi's Lute Concerto in D. The crowd was much quieter here than at the club-like atmosphere of the shows in Chicago, and Steve didn't have to berate the crowd for making too much noise. He was funny in talking to the audience, announcing the songs he played and what Yes was going to do next. The Vivaldi music was a bit of "culture, culture, culture," he repeated. "And here's culture from the 1980s" with Owner of a Lonely Heart.
I kept an eye on the rest of the front row. Would people rush up to the stage at the end? I didn't want to be left out. Benoit gestured for the audience to stand up partway through Roundabout. I saw a few people in the center left section walk up to the barricade by the stage. Ushers indicated for them to sit down, and then it seemed to be okay. Roy and I grabbed a spot. The sound was noticibly worse up by the stage, but it was fun being so close. When the band came back for the encore, Chris mentioned again that it was the last night of the tour. He named all of the road crew and thanked them for their work.
The encore was Starship Trooper. Benoit changed the lyric to "long winters colder than time can remember". During the instrumental final part of the song, he was playing a tambourine and walked towards our side of the stage. I could tell that he saw us. I waved, and he waved back. When the band did their final bows, Chris brought his baby daughter out on stage. He waved to the audience, and then she did a little wave. I don't know if Chris even saw it, because he took her arm and moved it to wave to the crowd. It was really cute.
There were many people with meet and greet access after the show. We were organized in lines based on what type of pass we had - real backstage passes, the auction winners, the premium packagers got t-shirts, and so on. There was some confusion about what we were getting. A woman came by and told us first that we'd get pictures with the band but no autographs. I hadn't brought a camera, and I was just glad to have another chance to talk to the band. Later on, it was decided we'd get autographs too, and the woman handed us a photo of Yes to get signed. We stood in line outside for a half an hour, until the band was ready for the meet and greets. That's when I noticed the cold. It would have been fine if I were dressed for it. I really felt bad for the guy wearing shorts and some women in flip flops. Some people in our group left, rather than wait a little bit longer to meet the band.
We were ushered into the meet and greet room. Alan, Chris, Oliver, and Steve were sitting at a table. Someone in line asked where Benoit was. He's being fashionably late, one of the band members replied. Benoit walked in and saw me. He walked over to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said hello, before walking over to the table. He sat between Alan and Chris. I heard Alan telling another fan that the tour lasted a month, but it felt like two, because of the snow and show cancellations.
I had a couple goals in speaking to the band this time. First was to find information about their next tour. My friend Greg spoke to a couple of band members at an earlier show and was trying to find out more information, when the shows would be and where, if they were hitting the midwest at all. I also had a question about comparing venues like this one to the all-standing shows at the House of Blues. Did the band notice the crowd being more energetic at the standing shows and where did they prefer playing?
I asked Alan the first question. He told me Yes would be playing in June and early July with Peter Frampton. Since the concert, this news has been announced on YesWorld. In Alan's words, "I have no idea where we'll be playing. I just get on the bus and show up." I'll find my way to a couple shows, no matter where they play.
Benoit surprised me by asking me a question, to confirm that I've been to four shows on this tour. He's keeping track?! That's really flattering! I confirmed it and said I've seen this lineup nine times total. The person in front of me was talking to Chris, so I asked Benoit my question about the venues. He said that yes, he noticed a difference without elaborating. I didn't have a chance to ask what they preferred before I had to move on.
I didn't have anything planned to say to Chris. I just blurted out, "You were awesome!" Chris didn't give an indication that he recognized me, but he joked back that his goal was to be awesome.
I smiled and nodded at Oliver, without saying anything. I told Steve that I thought his playing was great on Yours Is No Disgrace. Roy asked him if he felt his playing was affected by the cold temperatures.
I guess I wasn't paying attention to the rest of the people in line. We finished talking to the band, got my autographed promo picture, and headed back to the door. Alan White stood up and walked over to stop me. I then noticed that the other fans were in line again, presumably to get pictures with the band this time. I didn't have a camera with me anyway, and Alan said I probably already had pictures with the band. The woman who was organizing things said that our group wasn't getting pictures and we were done. I was glad that it wasn't too rushed.
Diana and Rick didn't have access to the meet and greets. They waited in their car in the parking lot for us. I called Diana's cell phone when we got out. Roy and I both got the autographed photo and a poster, so we gave our extra ones to Diana and Rick. It was almost 11pm on a Sunday night. We stopped at a few restaurants that were already closed before passing a Cheesecake Factory with cars in the parking lot. We ate there, catching up and reminiscing about the old days.
I was interested in getting their take on the show. This was their first time seeing this lineup, and I know for Roy and me, it took a show to get over missing Jon Anderson and to accept this version of the band for what it is. Also, Rick is a musician, and having more knowledge about music could make him more critical. But they both really enjoyed it, especially the Drama songs.
The next morning, Roy took me to Delray Beach, where his parents used to have a condo. We got out to walk in the downtown section before heading to the airport.
It's tough for me to objectively review a Yes concert. It's my favorite band, my favorite music, I'm expecting to love it. And there are so many things outside the band's performance that can add or detract from the show, distractions from people sitting around me, bad soundmix, my own mood. But there are a few changes I'd like for Yes to make on future tours:
I don't think opening with Siberian Khatru and I've Seen All Good People is working well. I know Khatru is the classic opener, and we're all conditioned to hear it after Firebird Suite ends. But the band has only occasionally been playing it with the energy it deserves. They should open with something that doesn't take half the song to warm up, Yours Is No Disgrace or Roundabout, maybe. Roy says Sound Chaser, like on the Relayer tour!
I think All Good People worked better in previous tours where they played it as the last song of the main set. People would stand up and dance to it, without the band prompting us. It works better that way, than with everyone just sitting and listening to it. As much as I want to hear more classics from the 1970s, I think this lineup would do a good job with It Can Happen.
Especially with the shortened set we'll have on this summer's tour, I don't want to wait half the show for it to "pick up" and come alive. I hope they make some change to the flow of the first half of the concert. I truly loved a number of these recent shows, and I will see multiple shows on each leg of every US tour. However, it's getting harder to get excited about so many short tours with basically the same set, even for me. I hope Yes freshens up the setlist soon.
Sunset Cove Amphitheater
Boca Raton, FL
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Section C, Row 1, Seat 15
$80
I'm posting this on March 11th - my blog's third birthday!
Sunday in Boca Raton was the last show of this short tour. Roy wondered if they'd be doing anything different or fun, like we'd seen in previous end-of-tour shows. We were certainly doing this one in style. We would be in the front row again, with reserved seats this time, and we were attending the after-show meet and greet. I still wasn't sure of the point of this tour. They did about 20 shows, few different songs, playing some of the same cities they did previously. Working on new music seems like a better idea to me than potentially wearing out their welcome. Still, I can't miss chances to see my favorite band.
Roy and I drove down from Orlando on Sunday morning. We stopped in the town of Palm Beach for lunch and a walk along the beach.
We wanted to check into the hotel before the show. We missed some turns along the way, and it took longer than I wanted it to. We got to the hotel around 5:50, and the show started at 7. I was in a foul mood when I realized I wouldn't have time to rest up before the show. I was so worried about being late, I didn't even want to stop to grab something to eat first. I was right to want to be there early: it didn't take much time to get to the turn-off for the venue, but there was big backup getting to the parking lot. The only access was a long, single-lane road, with cars backed up all the way. I still needed to pick up our tickets from will call, and I was tempted to get out of the car and hike over. I found out that this traffic caused quite a few people to be late for the show.
Once we parked, things got better. There was no line to pick up our tickets, and the employees were friendly. We had a weird time getting tickets for this show, but it worked out great. By accident, Roy and I both bought tickets right when they went on sale. Roy got third row center, and I got the first row of a section off to the side. Ticketmaster had an auction for true front row center seats, complete with a parking pass and access to a meet and greet with the band. I planned to check it out near the end of the auction, but I forgot until it was too late. A month later, I happened to check how tickets were doing, and saw they had another auction going on with front row seats. There was no publicity for this. I won, with the minimum bid even. We were able to sell the extra sets of tickets. Now, we picked up our meet and greet passes and our tickets.
Roy stood in line to get pretzels while I found our seats. The front row was a good ten feet away from the stage. The security guard restricted access to this space to only the people sitting in this row. No one else could walk up to use it as an aisle or take close-up pictures during the show. Every group of two seats were tied together. I was the first one sitting in the row, so I shoved some of the other seats over a bit to give Roy and me an extra couple inches to ourselves. Even 20 minutes before the start of the show, the venue was not very full. Our seats were right in front of Oliver Wakeman's keyboards, just like the night before. According to the seating chart, I thought we'd be on Steve Howe's side, but the sections were in the reverse order.
Roy joined me. The venue was called Sunset Cove Amphitheater. We could easily see why. We stood up and turned around, facing the rest of the audience. I saw the most beautiful sunset I'd ever seen. Very vivid colors, unobstructed view. I was surprised more people weren't looking at it.
Just before the show was about to start, I looked around, and saw some friends of ours walking in. I hadn't seen Diana and Rick since we came to Florida for a Yes show in 2004. We hadn't reached out to any friends to meet up on this trip. We had a few minutes to catch up, and made plans to meet up afterward. They hadn't seen a show yet with this incarnation of the band and wanted to be surprised about the setlist. An usher came over to tell us the show would be starting soon and we needed to get to our seats.
I don't know how empty the rest of the amphitheater was. But when the show started, the four seats directly next to me and the four seats next to Roy were still empty. That's eight seats right in the front row. Later on, six of those seats were filled. I guess they were all stuck in the slow crawl to the parking lot.
Siberian Khatru was played with more energy than the night before. It set the tone for the night, happy and light-hearted. The sound was excellent. I don't know if Chris Squire saw us and recognized us or was just looking at the happy people bopping along to the music in the front row, but he looked over at us and even played his bass towards us for a little bit.
Chris really made me happy during his introduction to Tempus Fugit. He mentioned that this was the last show of their tour and that this is the 106th show this lineup has played. He acknowledged that people were still coming into the venue because of the traffic tie-up. Then he said they were going to do two songs from Drama tonight. Two! We were getting Machine Messiah back tonight! I applauded more for this than anything in the actual show. We got a shorter show in Orlando at Sea World the night before, but this one brought the Incredible Shrinking Setlist back to what I had seen the first night in Chicago. Still no South Side of the Sky though.
During Yours Is No Disgrace, the ushers brought out two chairs and placed them in front of the front row, off to my right. A woman sat down with a toddler. I knew that Chris and his wife had a baby over a year ago, and Roy wondered if this was Chris' family. I thought the little girl looked too big to be that age, but we found out later, she was. The baby sat on the chair, stood and danced a little, and then started crawling around. Chris looked down at her. This is one of my favorite songs of the night, and watching the little girl experience the concert distracted me, but it was fun to watch. They got up and left before the song was over. (The baby was wearing a lot of sound protection from the loud noise of the concert.)
I would not go to an outdoor concert in February at home in St. Louis, but I figured the people in Southern Florida knew what they were doing. After the sun set, I'd bet the temperature dipped into the 50s. I was wearing a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over it and cropped pants. I didn't notice it being that cold while the band was playing, but even bopping around in my seat, I didn't need to take the sweatshirt off. Benoit asked the audience how we were doing in the cold. He said it was warmer on stage. I saw Steve Howe frequently blow on his fingers, trying to keep them warm.
The one part of the setlist that changes from night to night is Steve's guitar solo. On this night, he played a solo piece called Second Initial and part of Vivaldi's Lute Concerto in D. The crowd was much quieter here than at the club-like atmosphere of the shows in Chicago, and Steve didn't have to berate the crowd for making too much noise. He was funny in talking to the audience, announcing the songs he played and what Yes was going to do next. The Vivaldi music was a bit of "culture, culture, culture," he repeated. "And here's culture from the 1980s" with Owner of a Lonely Heart.
I kept an eye on the rest of the front row. Would people rush up to the stage at the end? I didn't want to be left out. Benoit gestured for the audience to stand up partway through Roundabout. I saw a few people in the center left section walk up to the barricade by the stage. Ushers indicated for them to sit down, and then it seemed to be okay. Roy and I grabbed a spot. The sound was noticibly worse up by the stage, but it was fun being so close. When the band came back for the encore, Chris mentioned again that it was the last night of the tour. He named all of the road crew and thanked them for their work.
The encore was Starship Trooper. Benoit changed the lyric to "long winters colder than time can remember". During the instrumental final part of the song, he was playing a tambourine and walked towards our side of the stage. I could tell that he saw us. I waved, and he waved back. When the band did their final bows, Chris brought his baby daughter out on stage. He waved to the audience, and then she did a little wave. I don't know if Chris even saw it, because he took her arm and moved it to wave to the crowd. It was really cute.
There were many people with meet and greet access after the show. We were organized in lines based on what type of pass we had - real backstage passes, the auction winners, the premium packagers got t-shirts, and so on. There was some confusion about what we were getting. A woman came by and told us first that we'd get pictures with the band but no autographs. I hadn't brought a camera, and I was just glad to have another chance to talk to the band. Later on, it was decided we'd get autographs too, and the woman handed us a photo of Yes to get signed. We stood in line outside for a half an hour, until the band was ready for the meet and greets. That's when I noticed the cold. It would have been fine if I were dressed for it. I really felt bad for the guy wearing shorts and some women in flip flops. Some people in our group left, rather than wait a little bit longer to meet the band.
We were ushered into the meet and greet room. Alan, Chris, Oliver, and Steve were sitting at a table. Someone in line asked where Benoit was. He's being fashionably late, one of the band members replied. Benoit walked in and saw me. He walked over to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said hello, before walking over to the table. He sat between Alan and Chris. I heard Alan telling another fan that the tour lasted a month, but it felt like two, because of the snow and show cancellations.
I had a couple goals in speaking to the band this time. First was to find information about their next tour. My friend Greg spoke to a couple of band members at an earlier show and was trying to find out more information, when the shows would be and where, if they were hitting the midwest at all. I also had a question about comparing venues like this one to the all-standing shows at the House of Blues. Did the band notice the crowd being more energetic at the standing shows and where did they prefer playing?
I asked Alan the first question. He told me Yes would be playing in June and early July with Peter Frampton. Since the concert, this news has been announced on YesWorld. In Alan's words, "I have no idea where we'll be playing. I just get on the bus and show up." I'll find my way to a couple shows, no matter where they play.
Benoit surprised me by asking me a question, to confirm that I've been to four shows on this tour. He's keeping track?! That's really flattering! I confirmed it and said I've seen this lineup nine times total. The person in front of me was talking to Chris, so I asked Benoit my question about the venues. He said that yes, he noticed a difference without elaborating. I didn't have a chance to ask what they preferred before I had to move on.
I didn't have anything planned to say to Chris. I just blurted out, "You were awesome!" Chris didn't give an indication that he recognized me, but he joked back that his goal was to be awesome.
I smiled and nodded at Oliver, without saying anything. I told Steve that I thought his playing was great on Yours Is No Disgrace. Roy asked him if he felt his playing was affected by the cold temperatures.
I guess I wasn't paying attention to the rest of the people in line. We finished talking to the band, got my autographed promo picture, and headed back to the door. Alan White stood up and walked over to stop me. I then noticed that the other fans were in line again, presumably to get pictures with the band this time. I didn't have a camera with me anyway, and Alan said I probably already had pictures with the band. The woman who was organizing things said that our group wasn't getting pictures and we were done. I was glad that it wasn't too rushed.
Diana and Rick didn't have access to the meet and greets. They waited in their car in the parking lot for us. I called Diana's cell phone when we got out. Roy and I both got the autographed photo and a poster, so we gave our extra ones to Diana and Rick. It was almost 11pm on a Sunday night. We stopped at a few restaurants that were already closed before passing a Cheesecake Factory with cars in the parking lot. We ate there, catching up and reminiscing about the old days.
I was interested in getting their take on the show. This was their first time seeing this lineup, and I know for Roy and me, it took a show to get over missing Jon Anderson and to accept this version of the band for what it is. Also, Rick is a musician, and having more knowledge about music could make him more critical. But they both really enjoyed it, especially the Drama songs.
The next morning, Roy took me to Delray Beach, where his parents used to have a condo. We got out to walk in the downtown section before heading to the airport.
It's tough for me to objectively review a Yes concert. It's my favorite band, my favorite music, I'm expecting to love it. And there are so many things outside the band's performance that can add or detract from the show, distractions from people sitting around me, bad soundmix, my own mood. But there are a few changes I'd like for Yes to make on future tours:
I don't think opening with Siberian Khatru and I've Seen All Good People is working well. I know Khatru is the classic opener, and we're all conditioned to hear it after Firebird Suite ends. But the band has only occasionally been playing it with the energy it deserves. They should open with something that doesn't take half the song to warm up, Yours Is No Disgrace or Roundabout, maybe. Roy says Sound Chaser, like on the Relayer tour!
I think All Good People worked better in previous tours where they played it as the last song of the main set. People would stand up and dance to it, without the band prompting us. It works better that way, than with everyone just sitting and listening to it. As much as I want to hear more classics from the 1970s, I think this lineup would do a good job with It Can Happen.
Especially with the shortened set we'll have on this summer's tour, I don't want to wait half the show for it to "pick up" and come alive. I hope they make some change to the flow of the first half of the concert. I truly loved a number of these recent shows, and I will see multiple shows on each leg of every US tour. However, it's getting harder to get excited about so many short tours with basically the same set, even for me. I hope Yes freshens up the setlist soon.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Fish at Sea World
Yes
Nautilus Theatre - Sea World
Orlando, FL
Saturday, February 27, 2010
General Admission
$128 (Sea World Admission + Bands Brew and BBQ VIP pass)
It's rained every time I've gone to Sea World. I thought about that when Yes booked a show there, and when Roy and I decided to attend. The forecast called for a high of 50-some degrees and a 40% chance of rain. I thought about times it's rained at recent outdoor Yes shows at Great Adventure and National Harbor near DC; the stages were open to the elements and the rain forced the band to play severely shortened sets. Friends described the shows as depressing. I also thought about the movie This is Spinal Tap, where the fictional band is playing a concert at an amusement park, billed as second to a puppet show. How bad was this show going to be?
I also remembered ProgDay a couple years ago, when it rained. ProgDay is held outdoors, and when it rained, most of the audience ran for shelter. But I was dressed for it, and stayed up by the stage. There were just a few of us remaining there, and it was kind of fun. Maybe the bad weather would keep everyone else out of the line, so I could be right by the stage. Maybe my enthusiasm, despite the weather, would buoy the band's spirits, regardless of a small crowd. I think it's happened before. I packed my raincoat and hoped for the best.
I didn't have to worry. Sea World stepped up and took care of us. With cold (for Florida) temperatures and on-and-off rain, they moved the concert to a back-up venue. The Nautilus Theatre was dry, warm, and offered really good sound. This was probably my best sound mix of this era of the band. I could even hear what Oliver Wakeman was playing. Sea World was very good to us.
The whole couple days surrounding the trip were nice. Roy and I chose the Florida shows partly because a trip to Florida is nice in winter, but also because the two shows were on a weekend. I try to conserve the time I take off from work. We could fly out Friday night, see the shows on Saturday and Sunday, and then fly home on Monday, only using one vacation day for two shows. But then, we're flying to Orlando, might as well work a half-day on Friday and book an afternoon flight to get into town early. By the time Friday rolled around, I was taking the whole extra day off from work.
Friday was a good day. Roy and I watched my car reach 100,000 miles on the odometer, bought some Hamentashen at Pratzel's Bakery for Purim, listened to some Yes and walked around the Loop. Nicer weather than we'd get the next day in Orlando. It was an easy flight, and we drove to Downtown Disney for dinner. I bought one souvenir - a Mickey Mouse themed reusable grocery bag for $3. The hotel was a nice mix of clean, inexpensive, and stylish. We saw a car at the hotel with a license plate of "125 Yes". We were in the right place!
On Saturday, we got to Sea World around 11AM. It was already raining. I brought my raincoat along in my backpack, but I didn't want to get it wet unless it was really bad out. The umbrella would do for the time being. We found out that the show had been moved indoors. I bought VIP passes for the show. The advertisements touted "reserved seats", but it really meant general admission seats within a reserved section, up front and center. The VIP thing also came with early entry to any of the rides and a free barbeque lunch. The concert was going to be at 4PM, and the doors were opening at 2pm.
I wanted to find the venue and scope out the situation first. We started walking there, but we found the Whale and Dolphin Theater just as a show was about to start, so we did that first. The Blue Horizons show was really good, with the highlight being the human dancers and divers, rather than the sea creatures. We got to the Nautilus Theater after that. There were already two people in line.
Roy and I each wanted to do different things. For me, the only thing that mattered was that Yes would be playing in a few hours, and the sooner I got in line, the better our seats would be. Roy didn't want to waste the opportunity of enjoying Sea World. This was a general admission show, but there would be seats. I felt that I could wait in line by myself and hold a seat for him. If I couldn't, we wouldn't be able to sit together, but he'd still be in the VIP section. We got lunch, and then Roy walked me back to the theater. I ended up being 5th in line. The people in line said that the other concerts in this series lasted only an hour. I hoped we'd get more than that.
The doors opened. The venue had metal benches for seats and a catwalk jutting out from the stage to the third row. The ushers led us down to the that third row and started seating people. The first people in line sat there, in the center of the row, right at the end of the catwalk. They looked happy. What about the front row? I walked up and asked the usher if I could sit there. The row was split in half by the catwalk. There were half a dozen actual seats towards the middle and then a shorter bench closer to the aisle. The usher didn't answer my question. Other people were filling in the third row. I needed to know quickly whether to try for these seats or take something else. Finally, she said I could sit on the bench there. I saved a spot next to me for Roy. Whew! Front row, in front of Oliver's keyboards.
I wonder if I'm pushy about asking for what I want or if other people are just following the usher's lead. All the seats around me are empty for a little while. It looks like the seats by the center are saved for some VIPs. A younger couple asked me if the seats on the bench are taken. I told them I was saving one for Roy, but the rest is free. Four people can sit there, but it was a tight fit. I chatted with them while we waited. Mark played in a Yes cover band and had seen them a number of times. He was very knowledgeable about their music. Starr was a good six inches shorter than even me. I was glad she got a seat up front; I know it's hard to see when everyone around is blocking the view. The conversation was a strain because of the loud country music playing. I could hear Starr fine, but Mark had a lower voice and was sitting further away. I had some trouble hearing him. Roy came in and found me. He filled me in on what he did at the park.
The show was introduced by some local TV weatherman. He addressed the recent tragedy, where a trainer was killed earlier in the week. I did feel a little weird about going to Sea World and having fun as if nothing had happened, but he said we needed to change the mood and this concert would help do it. This concert was free with admission to Sea World, so I'm sure Yes imagined a large crowd coming to see them. The bad weather kept a lot of people away. This venue only held a couple thousand people, and it wasn't full. I wonder how many people there attended who weren't already fans.
Yes came on stage. My first impression was the sound. I could clearly hear what Oliver was playing throughout Siberian Khatru. Usually, he's inaudable except for his lead parts. My second impression was one that I've had at all the Yes shows I've seen since Kansas City last year: this song doesn't take off until Steve's solo towards the end. It didn't help that Roy and I just listened to Yessongs the day before. Siberian Khatru has explosive energy on that live version. It didn't here.
During I've Seen All Good People, Benoit David walked out on the catwalk to sing. I wonder if they practiced on it at all during the sound check, or if it was a spur of the moment decision to make use of it? Later on, Chris Squire played bass from the catwalk during Starship Trooper. Great reaction from the audience.
The first stage announcement has been before the third song, Tempus Fugit. The band takes turns talking to the audience, and Chris changed up his usual spiel. He welcomed everyone to the special matinee performance at Sea World, did his usual intro of the new guys and Tempus Fugit, saying they'd be doing one song from Drama. (No Machine Messiah. Bummer!) People on the Yesfans site had been saying that the band should play Don't Kill the Whale in light of performing at Sea World. I don't know how serious they were. Chris added that for those of us in the audience that knew their music, there was one song the band wouldn't be doing, and that the statement was a private joke for Yesfans (or maybe it was Yes fans in general). I thought it was a fun way to acknowledge the requests for Don't Kill the Whale.
Roy's favorite song of the night was Yours Is No Disgrace. Steve Howe was great on that song, even doing a little call and response with the audience. Someone yelled during a pause in his solo. Steve must have liked it, because he paused again for the crowd to yell, and then a third time, with more people cheering. He tried doing it again during the next show in Boca Raton, but the audience didn't know they were supposed to participate. It was a unexpected cool moment here.
I was aware of the usual setlist and what songs Yes were skipping over. They dropped Onward, Astral Traveler, Steve Howe's solo. I don't know if they were only given a ninety minute set, but it worked well. All the songs that have a change of pace were dropped, and it was a tight rocking set of one amazing song after another.
I noticed more mistakes during this show than the ones last week in Chicago. The group of us on the bench - Mark, Starr, Roy and me - all looked over at each other every time we noticed one. It made it more fun, like we noticed our favorite band messing up rather than putting a damper on our mood. I can't remember what songs they were now, but Benoit was off on a note and Oliver played something wrong. Chris was late on a booming bass part of And You And I. I noticed Alan peering around his drum set to see Chris and get back on track. Steve didn't play anything obviously wrong, but he made a weird announcement before Owner of a Lonely Heart. He said the song was from the infamous 80s lineup from the great 90125, and they were going to play the title track. He must have meant lead track. Afterward, Roy joked that we did hear a new Yes song at this show - the infamous title track of 90125.
After seeing two standing room only shows in Chicago, I sat for this one. Benoit gestured for us to stand partway through Roundabout. We did, only to sit again during the encore. I wondered what would happen during Starship Trooper. Quite a few people were standing in the aisle to take pictures. There was a lot of space on the floor between our seats and the stage. Would they push their way into the front row? I had my coat and backpack sitting on the floor. We moved them out of the way, but it wasn't necessary. Security kept people out of our row. I stood back up towards the end of Starship Trooper and danced along.
I was really happy with this show. I need to take back every joke I made comparing this gig to Spinal Tap.
The weather was a lot better after the show. I hoped to meet the band. We tried to walk around the venue to see where they might exit, but the back was fenced off. Roy and I ended up seeing a couple more Sea World shows. We sat several rows up from the "soak zone" but I still got soaked. The park was closing, so we went back to the hotel so I could change clothes. At this point, I was ready for dinner and we ate at the Fridays near the hotel.
Nautilus Theatre - Sea World
Orlando, FL
Saturday, February 27, 2010
General Admission
$128 (Sea World Admission + Bands Brew and BBQ VIP pass)
It's rained every time I've gone to Sea World. I thought about that when Yes booked a show there, and when Roy and I decided to attend. The forecast called for a high of 50-some degrees and a 40% chance of rain. I thought about times it's rained at recent outdoor Yes shows at Great Adventure and National Harbor near DC; the stages were open to the elements and the rain forced the band to play severely shortened sets. Friends described the shows as depressing. I also thought about the movie This is Spinal Tap, where the fictional band is playing a concert at an amusement park, billed as second to a puppet show. How bad was this show going to be?
I also remembered ProgDay a couple years ago, when it rained. ProgDay is held outdoors, and when it rained, most of the audience ran for shelter. But I was dressed for it, and stayed up by the stage. There were just a few of us remaining there, and it was kind of fun. Maybe the bad weather would keep everyone else out of the line, so I could be right by the stage. Maybe my enthusiasm, despite the weather, would buoy the band's spirits, regardless of a small crowd. I think it's happened before. I packed my raincoat and hoped for the best.
I didn't have to worry. Sea World stepped up and took care of us. With cold (for Florida) temperatures and on-and-off rain, they moved the concert to a back-up venue. The Nautilus Theatre was dry, warm, and offered really good sound. This was probably my best sound mix of this era of the band. I could even hear what Oliver Wakeman was playing. Sea World was very good to us.
The whole couple days surrounding the trip were nice. Roy and I chose the Florida shows partly because a trip to Florida is nice in winter, but also because the two shows were on a weekend. I try to conserve the time I take off from work. We could fly out Friday night, see the shows on Saturday and Sunday, and then fly home on Monday, only using one vacation day for two shows. But then, we're flying to Orlando, might as well work a half-day on Friday and book an afternoon flight to get into town early. By the time Friday rolled around, I was taking the whole extra day off from work. Friday was a good day. Roy and I watched my car reach 100,000 miles on the odometer, bought some Hamentashen at Pratzel's Bakery for Purim, listened to some Yes and walked around the Loop. Nicer weather than we'd get the next day in Orlando. It was an easy flight, and we drove to Downtown Disney for dinner. I bought one souvenir - a Mickey Mouse themed reusable grocery bag for $3. The hotel was a nice mix of clean, inexpensive, and stylish. We saw a car at the hotel with a license plate of "125 Yes". We were in the right place!
On Saturday, we got to Sea World around 11AM. It was already raining. I brought my raincoat along in my backpack, but I didn't want to get it wet unless it was really bad out. The umbrella would do for the time being. We found out that the show had been moved indoors. I bought VIP passes for the show. The advertisements touted "reserved seats", but it really meant general admission seats within a reserved section, up front and center. The VIP thing also came with early entry to any of the rides and a free barbeque lunch. The concert was going to be at 4PM, and the doors were opening at 2pm.
I wanted to find the venue and scope out the situation first. We started walking there, but we found the Whale and Dolphin Theater just as a show was about to start, so we did that first. The Blue Horizons show was really good, with the highlight being the human dancers and divers, rather than the sea creatures. We got to the Nautilus Theater after that. There were already two people in line.
Roy and I each wanted to do different things. For me, the only thing that mattered was that Yes would be playing in a few hours, and the sooner I got in line, the better our seats would be. Roy didn't want to waste the opportunity of enjoying Sea World. This was a general admission show, but there would be seats. I felt that I could wait in line by myself and hold a seat for him. If I couldn't, we wouldn't be able to sit together, but he'd still be in the VIP section. We got lunch, and then Roy walked me back to the theater. I ended up being 5th in line. The people in line said that the other concerts in this series lasted only an hour. I hoped we'd get more than that.
The doors opened. The venue had metal benches for seats and a catwalk jutting out from the stage to the third row. The ushers led us down to the that third row and started seating people. The first people in line sat there, in the center of the row, right at the end of the catwalk. They looked happy. What about the front row? I walked up and asked the usher if I could sit there. The row was split in half by the catwalk. There were half a dozen actual seats towards the middle and then a shorter bench closer to the aisle. The usher didn't answer my question. Other people were filling in the third row. I needed to know quickly whether to try for these seats or take something else. Finally, she said I could sit on the bench there. I saved a spot next to me for Roy. Whew! Front row, in front of Oliver's keyboards.
I wonder if I'm pushy about asking for what I want or if other people are just following the usher's lead. All the seats around me are empty for a little while. It looks like the seats by the center are saved for some VIPs. A younger couple asked me if the seats on the bench are taken. I told them I was saving one for Roy, but the rest is free. Four people can sit there, but it was a tight fit. I chatted with them while we waited. Mark played in a Yes cover band and had seen them a number of times. He was very knowledgeable about their music. Starr was a good six inches shorter than even me. I was glad she got a seat up front; I know it's hard to see when everyone around is blocking the view. The conversation was a strain because of the loud country music playing. I could hear Starr fine, but Mark had a lower voice and was sitting further away. I had some trouble hearing him. Roy came in and found me. He filled me in on what he did at the park.
The show was introduced by some local TV weatherman. He addressed the recent tragedy, where a trainer was killed earlier in the week. I did feel a little weird about going to Sea World and having fun as if nothing had happened, but he said we needed to change the mood and this concert would help do it. This concert was free with admission to Sea World, so I'm sure Yes imagined a large crowd coming to see them. The bad weather kept a lot of people away. This venue only held a couple thousand people, and it wasn't full. I wonder how many people there attended who weren't already fans.
Yes came on stage. My first impression was the sound. I could clearly hear what Oliver was playing throughout Siberian Khatru. Usually, he's inaudable except for his lead parts. My second impression was one that I've had at all the Yes shows I've seen since Kansas City last year: this song doesn't take off until Steve's solo towards the end. It didn't help that Roy and I just listened to Yessongs the day before. Siberian Khatru has explosive energy on that live version. It didn't here.
During I've Seen All Good People, Benoit David walked out on the catwalk to sing. I wonder if they practiced on it at all during the sound check, or if it was a spur of the moment decision to make use of it? Later on, Chris Squire played bass from the catwalk during Starship Trooper. Great reaction from the audience.
The first stage announcement has been before the third song, Tempus Fugit. The band takes turns talking to the audience, and Chris changed up his usual spiel. He welcomed everyone to the special matinee performance at Sea World, did his usual intro of the new guys and Tempus Fugit, saying they'd be doing one song from Drama. (No Machine Messiah. Bummer!) People on the Yesfans site had been saying that the band should play Don't Kill the Whale in light of performing at Sea World. I don't know how serious they were. Chris added that for those of us in the audience that knew their music, there was one song the band wouldn't be doing, and that the statement was a private joke for Yesfans (or maybe it was Yes fans in general). I thought it was a fun way to acknowledge the requests for Don't Kill the Whale.
Roy's favorite song of the night was Yours Is No Disgrace. Steve Howe was great on that song, even doing a little call and response with the audience. Someone yelled during a pause in his solo. Steve must have liked it, because he paused again for the crowd to yell, and then a third time, with more people cheering. He tried doing it again during the next show in Boca Raton, but the audience didn't know they were supposed to participate. It was a unexpected cool moment here.
I was aware of the usual setlist and what songs Yes were skipping over. They dropped Onward, Astral Traveler, Steve Howe's solo. I don't know if they were only given a ninety minute set, but it worked well. All the songs that have a change of pace were dropped, and it was a tight rocking set of one amazing song after another.
I noticed more mistakes during this show than the ones last week in Chicago. The group of us on the bench - Mark, Starr, Roy and me - all looked over at each other every time we noticed one. It made it more fun, like we noticed our favorite band messing up rather than putting a damper on our mood. I can't remember what songs they were now, but Benoit was off on a note and Oliver played something wrong. Chris was late on a booming bass part of And You And I. I noticed Alan peering around his drum set to see Chris and get back on track. Steve didn't play anything obviously wrong, but he made a weird announcement before Owner of a Lonely Heart. He said the song was from the infamous 80s lineup from the great 90125, and they were going to play the title track. He must have meant lead track. Afterward, Roy joked that we did hear a new Yes song at this show - the infamous title track of 90125.
After seeing two standing room only shows in Chicago, I sat for this one. Benoit gestured for us to stand partway through Roundabout. We did, only to sit again during the encore. I wondered what would happen during Starship Trooper. Quite a few people were standing in the aisle to take pictures. There was a lot of space on the floor between our seats and the stage. Would they push their way into the front row? I had my coat and backpack sitting on the floor. We moved them out of the way, but it wasn't necessary. Security kept people out of our row. I stood back up towards the end of Starship Trooper and danced along.
I was really happy with this show. I need to take back every joke I made comparing this gig to Spinal Tap.
The weather was a lot better after the show. I hoped to meet the band. We tried to walk around the venue to see where they might exit, but the back was fenced off. Roy and I ended up seeing a couple more Sea World shows. We sat several rows up from the "soak zone" but I still got soaked. The park was closing, so we went back to the hotel so I could change clothes. At this point, I was ready for dinner and we ate at the Fridays near the hotel.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
House of Yes
Yes
House of Blues
Chicago, IL
Friday, February 19, 2010
General Admission / Dinner Package
$114.50
There's something about singing "Twenty-four before my love, you'll see, I'll be there with you" at a Yes concert and knowing that in twenty-four hours, I'll be seeing my favorite band again. (I've even changed the lyrics to forty-eight to make it work.) I saw Yes at the House of Blues in Chicago on Thursday night, and I'd get to see them there again on Friday. At the time the tour dates were announced, only Thursday was on the schedule. The Friday show was added later, quietly. Tickets went on sale before it was even listed on YesWorld.
For the Thursday night show, I bought a premium ticket package, which offered early entry into the general admission club. But since those tickets had gone on sale, House of Blues made a change. Their tickets were now on sale through Live Nation instead of Ticketmaster. And there was no mention of a premium package for either show. The only way I enjoy general admission standing shows is to be right by the stage, and I'm certainly willing to wait in line to get there. But if other people found out how to get premium seating and I was left out... I called the House of Blues and paid for a reserved stool. It was my fail-safe; if I couldn't stand in the front of the pit, I'd have a place to sit in a raised section giving me an unrestricted view. It cost $50 over the price of the concert ticket, but it also came with a $50 voucher at their restaurant.
For general admission shows like this, Roy and I usually have a late lunch before getting in line. That would have worked great time-wise on this trip, I'd eat at the House of Blues restaurant before getting in line. However, on Thursday, I had lunch-time lunch with an old friend. And on Friday, I needed to get some deep dish pizza. I ended up having a very early breakfast, lunch at 11, and "dinner" at 2-ish. I thought to myself that I'd be going from one meal to the next, but it worked out alright. Didn't eat a whole lot of pizza, and did do a whole lot of walking. I woke up by six each morning without an alarm, ready to see the city. I forgot to wear my pedometer, but I estimate I walked about seven miles on Thursday and five on Friday. That's not counting standing in line and standing during the shows.
Last time Roy and I were in Chicago, we ate at this pizza place Bacino's in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The main activity of my morning was walking back there, stopping at some shops along the way. I took a cab back to the hotel to take a nap, and then walked over to the House of Blues.
I asked the lady at the box office what to do about my seat. If I could get in early enough, I wanted a repeat of Thursday night, standing in the front row. She told me that the dinner package "trumped" the pass-the-line early entry, so I'd be able to enter first. Just in case, I got in the pass-the-line line. I was the only person in line for over an hour. Later on, an usher told me that the pass-the-line line was the place to be; we'd get in before the reserved seat people. I figured that most people with reserved seats wouldn't be trying for front row, and most people in the pass-the-line line would; better to be in front of them. I did find out that the Foundation Room VIPs trump everyone. When the doors opened, one guy was already standing by the stage.
On Thursday, I waited with a guy who was friendly, but kinda intense and too clever. Someone asked us if we knew where an employee was, and he answered that we were Experienced Concert Goers and could answer the guy's questions. I cringed at being included in that, but I was reminded of it in line on Friday. The premium package coordinator spoke with the box office trying to figure out why there were no people signed up for premium packages that night. I overheard and walked over to tell him about the switch to Live Nation, with no packages on sale for this show. I would've bought one too. And Yes' tour manager (who I also bumped into during breakfast and dinner) had a question about the venue setup. The box office attendant was busy, so he came over to ask me.
I saw a couple of the band members while I waited. Alan White walked in by himself. He asked me how I was doing, and I told him I planned to be in the same spot today as last night. He told me there was an entrance in back for the band members to come in privately, but he didn't know where it was.
Benoit David went into the restaurant by himself. When he left, he saw me waiting in line and talked to me on his way up to the club level. He asked if I was coming to the show this night. (What else would I be doing here?) He asked me where I lived and how far away it was from here. "Do you remember playing the Pageant in St. Louis? I live about a mile from there." Benoit replied that he remembered playing there, and that's where he met me. I'm always touched when musicians who must meet so many fans, remember something about me, and want to show off that they remember. I couldn't correct him that I first met him in Bloomington, the night before St. Louis. After that exchange, all I could do was turn to the people waiting in line behind me, and say that guy who was just talking to me was the new singer.
I was in line by the stairs. The line behind me looped around another hallway. People just walking over couldn't tell how many people were in line. It might have looked like I was standing there by myself. One couple sat on the steps, thinking they were first in line. My friend Kurt walked over and asked me to join him and his friends for dinner. Some other people didn't realize that everyone in this line had a pass-the-line voucher, not just them, and they couldn't waltz in in front of us. When the doors opened, there was one guy already there by the stage. I grabbed the spot right next to him, right where I was standing the night before.
The wait felt different this time around. People were friendly, but it didn't have the camaraderie of the night before. All the premium ticket package people stood together, and we were all big fans. It was also more crowded, like more people were pushed up against the barricade. There'd be less room to dance in this tight spot.
The concert started, and I was right in front of Chris Squire. The previous night, I was standing just inches away from where I was now, and I got such an interesting sound mix. Lots of bass, just sounding wonderful, and lots of guitar. I was basically standing in the same spot, but the mix was different this time. More balanced, where I could hear everyone, but muddier. Squire's bass didn't pop out as much.
Steve Howe seemed like he was in a bad mood. There were a couple guys with press passes taking photos. They stood in between the barricade and the stage. They both stood by Steve at one point during Siberian Khatru. He turned around and squatted down, the effect was sticking his butt in their cameras. I wasn't sure if I really saw that, but both Chris and Benoit were laughing. They must have seen it too. Later on, Steve kicked his leg toward one of the photographers, not close enough to actually kick him. He either needs to warn people not to crowd him or stand further back on the stage if this bothers him so much. At their closest, they were standing on the floor three feet below the stage level and their cameras were several feet away from him.
When Chris introduces Tempus Fugit, he's been saying they're going to do two songs from Drama. This night, he specifically said one song from Drama. I hoped this meant they were going to add back in South Side, but nope. One song shorter than the previous night. I missed Machine Messiah. It was a highlight on Thursday night, standing out even among a whole setlist of highlights.
On Yours Is No Disgrace, I noticed how Chris punctuates bars of Steve Howe's solo with a couple bass notes, making the guitar line sound more dramatic. The guy I was chatting with on my left turned out to be a whistler. High piercing whistle during the quiet part of And You And I. Chris made eye contact with me and gave me a big smile. I don't know if he heard the whistle and saw the annoyed look on my face, but I smiled back and felt much better. We shared another smile later on in the show.
Steve did To Be Over as his solo piece. I love that song and I love his version of it, and this was my first time seeing him play it live. After the song, Chris came out and introduced it as an excerpt of To Be Over from Relayer, the first time I've heard him (or Jon) talk about the songs in Steve's solo set. It was a nice moment. Unfortunately, there was some commotion in the audience by the stage during Steve's solo and he didn't look happy about the noise.
People standing in the front row were talking during Steve's solo, and Steve looked right at them and said "Thank you" sarcastically. Then, the incident happened. Some woman walked up behind me and touched me on the back. She said "Is he yours?", I guess referring to the whistler. She then walked by the other people in the front center section, touching or putting her arms around everyone. Whistler turned to me and told me to make sure I still had my wallet. I didn't think she was trying to pickpocket; she had her hand on the barricade and I think she wanted someone to let her stand in the front. People got loud trying to fend her off. She walked back to me, and put her arm around me. I told her to go away, and she walked back towards the bar. Something very similar happened a previous time I was at this venue, enough that I wonder if it was the same person. All the touchy-feely stuff was creepy.
All of this was going on when I was trying to listen to To Be Over. Steve couldn't tell what was causing the disruption, just that the people right in front of him were being loud. Steve normally introduces the next song, Owner of a Lonely Heart. This time, he told us we were being quieter in between songs than we were during his solo. The band went right into Owner.
This show didn't live up to the night before's. I don't know if it was the mix, the crowdedness, the cumulative effect of bad night's sleep the last two nights. I hesitate to say the band was playing with less energy. It could have been my frame of mind. I wasn't even paying attention as fully. A couple times I noticed that I lost my place in the song and had to listen to some of the lyrics before I could sing along. I wanted to relive the night before and I wasn't in the same place figuratively.
After Roundabout, Yes left the stage before the encore. Whistler whistled non-stop. One shrill sound after another, right by my ear. Did I mention I didn't need to wear earplugs during this show? I finally snapped: I elbowed him and told him to knock it off. At least he was nice about it and apologized. My poor ear hurt for a good hour afterward.
The concert ended, and I wasn't sure what to do. I wasn't pumped full of adrenaline, but I wasn't ready to go back to the hotel either. I'd normally hang out and try to meet the band, but I wasn't sure what entrance they'd use, and it didn't look like anyone else was waiting. And I'd just seen them so often. I called Kurt, and met up with him. Kurt and his friend Arlene were going to the bar at the Yes hotel, so I joined them. We hung out and talked for a while. They were both more cynical than I am about Yes' performance. I wonder what they would have thought if they'd seen Thursday's show instead. I'm glad I joined them. I did this trip by myself, but I found a good balance between alone time and socializing.
I finally slept well Friday night. It was lightly snowing on Saturday morning. I went out to breakfast and then took a cab to the bus stop. I have to admit, after dealing with airports for so many trips, it amazed me that I could leave my hotel 45 minutes before my departure. I got to the bus stop with plenty of time. The bus trip was non-eventful and went by quickly enough. (I have to mention somewhere that roundtrip to Chicago, I paid only $11.50 on Megabus!) Roy picked me up at Union Station. Even though I missed him, I am so glad I went on this trip.
House of Blues
Chicago, IL
Friday, February 19, 2010
General Admission / Dinner Package
$114.50
There's something about singing "Twenty-four before my love, you'll see, I'll be there with you" at a Yes concert and knowing that in twenty-four hours, I'll be seeing my favorite band again. (I've even changed the lyrics to forty-eight to make it work.) I saw Yes at the House of Blues in Chicago on Thursday night, and I'd get to see them there again on Friday. At the time the tour dates were announced, only Thursday was on the schedule. The Friday show was added later, quietly. Tickets went on sale before it was even listed on YesWorld.
For the Thursday night show, I bought a premium ticket package, which offered early entry into the general admission club. But since those tickets had gone on sale, House of Blues made a change. Their tickets were now on sale through Live Nation instead of Ticketmaster. And there was no mention of a premium package for either show. The only way I enjoy general admission standing shows is to be right by the stage, and I'm certainly willing to wait in line to get there. But if other people found out how to get premium seating and I was left out... I called the House of Blues and paid for a reserved stool. It was my fail-safe; if I couldn't stand in the front of the pit, I'd have a place to sit in a raised section giving me an unrestricted view. It cost $50 over the price of the concert ticket, but it also came with a $50 voucher at their restaurant.
For general admission shows like this, Roy and I usually have a late lunch before getting in line. That would have worked great time-wise on this trip, I'd eat at the House of Blues restaurant before getting in line. However, on Thursday, I had lunch-time lunch with an old friend. And on Friday, I needed to get some deep dish pizza. I ended up having a very early breakfast, lunch at 11, and "dinner" at 2-ish. I thought to myself that I'd be going from one meal to the next, but it worked out alright. Didn't eat a whole lot of pizza, and did do a whole lot of walking. I woke up by six each morning without an alarm, ready to see the city. I forgot to wear my pedometer, but I estimate I walked about seven miles on Thursday and five on Friday. That's not counting standing in line and standing during the shows.
Last time Roy and I were in Chicago, we ate at this pizza place Bacino's in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The main activity of my morning was walking back there, stopping at some shops along the way. I took a cab back to the hotel to take a nap, and then walked over to the House of Blues.
I asked the lady at the box office what to do about my seat. If I could get in early enough, I wanted a repeat of Thursday night, standing in the front row. She told me that the dinner package "trumped" the pass-the-line early entry, so I'd be able to enter first. Just in case, I got in the pass-the-line line. I was the only person in line for over an hour. Later on, an usher told me that the pass-the-line line was the place to be; we'd get in before the reserved seat people. I figured that most people with reserved seats wouldn't be trying for front row, and most people in the pass-the-line line would; better to be in front of them. I did find out that the Foundation Room VIPs trump everyone. When the doors opened, one guy was already standing by the stage.
On Thursday, I waited with a guy who was friendly, but kinda intense and too clever. Someone asked us if we knew where an employee was, and he answered that we were Experienced Concert Goers and could answer the guy's questions. I cringed at being included in that, but I was reminded of it in line on Friday. The premium package coordinator spoke with the box office trying to figure out why there were no people signed up for premium packages that night. I overheard and walked over to tell him about the switch to Live Nation, with no packages on sale for this show. I would've bought one too. And Yes' tour manager (who I also bumped into during breakfast and dinner) had a question about the venue setup. The box office attendant was busy, so he came over to ask me.
I saw a couple of the band members while I waited. Alan White walked in by himself. He asked me how I was doing, and I told him I planned to be in the same spot today as last night. He told me there was an entrance in back for the band members to come in privately, but he didn't know where it was.
Benoit David went into the restaurant by himself. When he left, he saw me waiting in line and talked to me on his way up to the club level. He asked if I was coming to the show this night. (What else would I be doing here?) He asked me where I lived and how far away it was from here. "Do you remember playing the Pageant in St. Louis? I live about a mile from there." Benoit replied that he remembered playing there, and that's where he met me. I'm always touched when musicians who must meet so many fans, remember something about me, and want to show off that they remember. I couldn't correct him that I first met him in Bloomington, the night before St. Louis. After that exchange, all I could do was turn to the people waiting in line behind me, and say that guy who was just talking to me was the new singer.
I was in line by the stairs. The line behind me looped around another hallway. People just walking over couldn't tell how many people were in line. It might have looked like I was standing there by myself. One couple sat on the steps, thinking they were first in line. My friend Kurt walked over and asked me to join him and his friends for dinner. Some other people didn't realize that everyone in this line had a pass-the-line voucher, not just them, and they couldn't waltz in in front of us. When the doors opened, there was one guy already there by the stage. I grabbed the spot right next to him, right where I was standing the night before.
The wait felt different this time around. People were friendly, but it didn't have the camaraderie of the night before. All the premium ticket package people stood together, and we were all big fans. It was also more crowded, like more people were pushed up against the barricade. There'd be less room to dance in this tight spot.
The concert started, and I was right in front of Chris Squire. The previous night, I was standing just inches away from where I was now, and I got such an interesting sound mix. Lots of bass, just sounding wonderful, and lots of guitar. I was basically standing in the same spot, but the mix was different this time. More balanced, where I could hear everyone, but muddier. Squire's bass didn't pop out as much.
Steve Howe seemed like he was in a bad mood. There were a couple guys with press passes taking photos. They stood in between the barricade and the stage. They both stood by Steve at one point during Siberian Khatru. He turned around and squatted down, the effect was sticking his butt in their cameras. I wasn't sure if I really saw that, but both Chris and Benoit were laughing. They must have seen it too. Later on, Steve kicked his leg toward one of the photographers, not close enough to actually kick him. He either needs to warn people not to crowd him or stand further back on the stage if this bothers him so much. At their closest, they were standing on the floor three feet below the stage level and their cameras were several feet away from him.
When Chris introduces Tempus Fugit, he's been saying they're going to do two songs from Drama. This night, he specifically said one song from Drama. I hoped this meant they were going to add back in South Side, but nope. One song shorter than the previous night. I missed Machine Messiah. It was a highlight on Thursday night, standing out even among a whole setlist of highlights.
On Yours Is No Disgrace, I noticed how Chris punctuates bars of Steve Howe's solo with a couple bass notes, making the guitar line sound more dramatic. The guy I was chatting with on my left turned out to be a whistler. High piercing whistle during the quiet part of And You And I. Chris made eye contact with me and gave me a big smile. I don't know if he heard the whistle and saw the annoyed look on my face, but I smiled back and felt much better. We shared another smile later on in the show.
Steve did To Be Over as his solo piece. I love that song and I love his version of it, and this was my first time seeing him play it live. After the song, Chris came out and introduced it as an excerpt of To Be Over from Relayer, the first time I've heard him (or Jon) talk about the songs in Steve's solo set. It was a nice moment. Unfortunately, there was some commotion in the audience by the stage during Steve's solo and he didn't look happy about the noise.
People standing in the front row were talking during Steve's solo, and Steve looked right at them and said "Thank you" sarcastically. Then, the incident happened. Some woman walked up behind me and touched me on the back. She said "Is he yours?", I guess referring to the whistler. She then walked by the other people in the front center section, touching or putting her arms around everyone. Whistler turned to me and told me to make sure I still had my wallet. I didn't think she was trying to pickpocket; she had her hand on the barricade and I think she wanted someone to let her stand in the front. People got loud trying to fend her off. She walked back to me, and put her arm around me. I told her to go away, and she walked back towards the bar. Something very similar happened a previous time I was at this venue, enough that I wonder if it was the same person. All the touchy-feely stuff was creepy.
All of this was going on when I was trying to listen to To Be Over. Steve couldn't tell what was causing the disruption, just that the people right in front of him were being loud. Steve normally introduces the next song, Owner of a Lonely Heart. This time, he told us we were being quieter in between songs than we were during his solo. The band went right into Owner.
This show didn't live up to the night before's. I don't know if it was the mix, the crowdedness, the cumulative effect of bad night's sleep the last two nights. I hesitate to say the band was playing with less energy. It could have been my frame of mind. I wasn't even paying attention as fully. A couple times I noticed that I lost my place in the song and had to listen to some of the lyrics before I could sing along. I wanted to relive the night before and I wasn't in the same place figuratively.
After Roundabout, Yes left the stage before the encore. Whistler whistled non-stop. One shrill sound after another, right by my ear. Did I mention I didn't need to wear earplugs during this show? I finally snapped: I elbowed him and told him to knock it off. At least he was nice about it and apologized. My poor ear hurt for a good hour afterward.
The concert ended, and I wasn't sure what to do. I wasn't pumped full of adrenaline, but I wasn't ready to go back to the hotel either. I'd normally hang out and try to meet the band, but I wasn't sure what entrance they'd use, and it didn't look like anyone else was waiting. And I'd just seen them so often. I called Kurt, and met up with him. Kurt and his friend Arlene were going to the bar at the Yes hotel, so I joined them. We hung out and talked for a while. They were both more cynical than I am about Yes' performance. I wonder what they would have thought if they'd seen Thursday's show instead. I'm glad I joined them. I did this trip by myself, but I found a good balance between alone time and socializing.
I finally slept well Friday night. It was lightly snowing on Saturday morning. I went out to breakfast and then took a cab to the bus stop. I have to admit, after dealing with airports for so many trips, it amazed me that I could leave my hotel 45 minutes before my departure. I got to the bus stop with plenty of time. The bus trip was non-eventful and went by quickly enough. (I have to mention somewhere that roundtrip to Chicago, I paid only $11.50 on Megabus!) Roy picked me up at Union Station. Even though I missed him, I am so glad I went on this trip.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Yes is at the House of Blues!
Yes
House of Blues
Chicago, IL
Thursday, February 18, 2010
General Admission / Premium Ticket
$184.50
When a new Yes tour is announced, Roy and I look at all the tour dates to see which shows will work for us. Are they doing a local show? What shows are on the weekends? How many concerts do we want to do? We decided on two concerts, and the two in Florida would make for a nice warm trip in February. It would have been enough, except for one thing. I love being able to stand and dance throughout a Yes concert, and they were playing a general admission, standing room only concert in Chicago. I'd get that opportunity. Roy didn't want to, so I made arrangements to go to Chicago myself.
The Chicago concert was on a Thursday. I'd have to take a day off from work that Friday to travel home. Just for fun, I decided to stay an extra day up there. I could do touristy stuff. I booked my hotel and transportation. And then, Yes added another show at the House of Blues in Chicago for Friday night. Suddenly, I'm going to four shows on this short tour.
I took the bus up to Chicago on Wednesday night. I got really lucky with the weather. Thursday was the warmest day in Chicago all year so far, great for walking around. I made plans to meet an acquaintance for lunch, and I planned to get to the House of Blues by three. I was doing so much of this trip by myself, so it was good to see Jen and do something social. We both relocated to the midwest, but were out of touch for fifteen years before finding each other on Facebook. I had a light lunch, because I'd be having "dinner" at the House of Blues not too long afterward.
This was a general admission show, and I had to be in the front row. I had to be. Seriously, I'm five foot two, and anyone standing in front of me would block my view and I wouldn't be able to see. But also, given the opportunity to see my favorite band in the front row, I had to go for it. Ticketmaster offered a premium ticket package with early entry, and I had to do that. The House of Blues offers "pass the line" entrance to anyone eating at their restaurant that day. Just in case something went wrong with the premium entry, I had to be in front of the "pass the line" line too.
It was actually a lot of fun waiting there. The band was staying at the hotel in the same complex as the House of Blues, and the band members were walking right into the lobby and up the stairs to the stage area. Another fan was waiting there, who I think I met at a previous show in Chicago. He and I talked for most of the time. I was standing there for three hours, and I only read two pages in my book.
I spoke to Benoit David, the singer for this lineup of the band. I was just walking out of the restaurant and I saw him in the lobby. I called out his name, and he recognized me and stopped. I told him I was getting in line for the show, and he asked me how early it was. It was 4pm. I find it charming when musicians I'm a fan of try to show not just that they remember me, but they remember something personal about me. The last few times I saw Yes, my friend Greg was also there. Greg has a blog about an imaginary jackalope, and he brings a small stuffed animal jackalope to concerts. Benoit remembered that and must have thought of us as together, and asked if I had the jackalope with me. Between his accent and me not expecting to hear that word, I had to ask him to repeat himself. Ah, that's what he's talking about. No, that belongs to a friend of mine. (Greg and I have only met on three occasions, but they've all been recent Yes shows, where Benoit has seen us hanging out.) The next morning, I sent Greg a message about this exchange, and he replied that I made his day.
Chris Squire walked down the steps and caused a big stir. One guy got to shake his hand, another took a picture with him. I just hung back and watched their interactions. Both fans were talking about how nice Chris was. Alan White walked in with Yes' tour manager; they were talking to each other and didn't see us. When Alan walked back down, he talked to our group. He said his feet were tired and he was going back to the hotel to watch a movie. I love seeing the band in a city where the hotels, restaurants, and concert are all close by. I hope they appreciated being able to get around easily too.
Shortly before the doors opened, the premium ticket people were all grouped together. There were two levels of premium tickets - ones that came with a meet and greet with the band and ones that didn't. I bought a meet and greet package for Yes' tour in 2004, but I didn't need to for this lineup. I can usually meet them after the show just by hanging out, and I am more concerned about the front row seat. We were all together, without really being in a line. There were about a dozen people there. Security people brought us to another staircase where we stood single file. I was halfway back in line, no longer first. Security led us up to the club level, and then it got confusing. The employee leading us up walked around the perimeter of the club around the back, and people followed him. But they walked right past the entrance to the pit, the quickest way to get to the front of the stage. Was I supposed to follow the people in front of me or use my instincts? I broke from the line and grabbed the front row center spot. Everyone walking behind me followed my lead.
My goal was to stand in the center one night and in front of Chris Squire the other night. But there was a curtain covering the stage, and I couldn't see where the microphone stands were. This would be my night to stand front and center, and I could judge where to stand to be in front of Chris the next night. I made a misjudgment though, which worked in my favor. Oliver Wakeman's keyboards took up a huge portion of the stage, in front and audience right. The rest of the front-line was squished into the remainder of the stage. By standing in the center, I ended up right by Chris.
The premium package people mostly got front row positions. One couple decided to stand in the center, in the second row behind me. The guys I waited with in the "pass the line" line were also able to get front row, near where Steve was on the far left. We weren't right up by the stage. There was a metal barricade a couple feet from the stage, leaving room for cameramen and security people between the audience and the band. More nice, unintended consequences. The barricade had a metal floor going back about two feet into the audience. The people in the front row could stand on it, but there wasn't quite enough room for two rows of people on it. The rest of the floor stood back, so they weren't partly standing on the metal and partly on the wood floor. It meant we weren't being crowded and shoved up front. The barricade was also a good height to lean on and rest my arms on it. I think the people who chose the second row position regretted it as the floor got crowded. We had an hour to wait before the show started, and we all chatted. Nice group of people, all big fans.
Around 8:15, the room darkened and Firebird Suite began to play on the loudspeakers. The curtains parted and there was Yes! Seats up by the stage are great for seeing the band, paying attention to details, interacting with the bandmembers; the only thing they're not great for is sound. The speakers are over our heads pushing the sound back. What I'm hearing is coming from the on-stage monitors. (The flip side is, I could be further back by the soundboard and surrounded by people talking or constantly adjusting my spot to try to see.) I had a seat once before at a Yes concert directly in front of Chris. All I heard was the bass all night. I was expecting the same thing from this position.
Chris Squire is my favorite bass player in the world and his melodic lead lines are one of the things I love most about Yes music. I could hear every note Squire played like it was turned up for a solo. His tone was beautiful. I got to hear every bassline highlighted and played right in front of me. I thought nothing would take my attention away from Chris, but Steve also had on-stage monitors and I could hear him clearly, particularly on the solos of Siberian Khatru and Yours Is No Disgrace.
I was in my happy place for the whole show. In the zone, in the present, the music had my rapt attention the entire time. I could barely hear the vocals, but I sung along, singing along with Chris' harmony parts whenever he was singing. Float your climb! He almost came in early on the vocals during Onward, but caught it. I felt the music rather than hearing it all. I wouldn't want this mix for every show, but it was fascinating to hear everything Chris played so clearly. I later wrote on Facebook that it's not the same band I fell in love with, the balance of delicate beauty versus power is off, but they rocked. And I danced along to that glorious bass for the whole show. I was thrilled.
Here's a few funny / interesting moments that I caught being up front:
There was a waitress making the rounds of the pit carrying a case of beer up over her head back and forth through the crowd. Chris said before he introduced Steve Howe's solo that he was wondering about that Bud Light case the woman was carrying. He said it looked like weight training. Someone in the crowd asked Chris if he wanted one. Someone tossed a can on stage during Machine Messiah. Chris saw it and laughed. During Owner of a Lonely Heart, Benoit moved to that part of the stage. He saw the can, and offered it to a couple people in front, and tossed it back to someone.
Steve Howe rotates the songs he does in his solo portion of the show. For this show, he did All's a Chord and Diary of a Man Who Vanished. Some people standing near him were talking during the songs. Steve announced what songs he had played, and then said "and I wish those talkers would vanish". Aside from this part, Steve looked like he was in a great mood. Steve was more animated than I've seen recently, even smiling a few times. As he came back on stage for the encore, he did the duck walk across the stage.
One song that particularly stood out was Machine Messiah. I had never seen Yes play in until this lineup formed. I thought during the performance that if some other band in a prog festival played a song that sounded like this, we'd all be going nuts for it. The instrumental parts of the song sound so Yes-sy and fit in so well. I'm glad they're doing it again. One thing different on this night's performance was that they didn't use dry ice to fill the stage. I was standing so close, I hoped to be able to play with it.
After the show ended, the band came to the front of the stage for their bows. One guy in the audience was hoping to get a setlist, and was pointing at it to Alan. Alan saw him, but didn't do anything. Just after the band left the stage and the curtains closed again, a roadie came out to hand the fan a setlist. I don't know if Alan asked him to or if he saw the exchange, but it was a nice thing to do.
Everyone who purchased the premium ticket package got a letter from the box office, saying to meet after the show by stage left. Most people were doing the meet and greet, and got black laminates. I hadn't spent the extra $100 to do that, but I was still getting a souvenir t-shirt and poster. I remembered reading that people buying the lesser package could also be "upgraded" to the meet and greet. We were all brought up to a little room where the meet and greet would be held. The coordinator calmly went through his list and distributed the t-shirts. I thought there were more people downstairs, but at this point there were three people with the lesser package. The coordinator said if we wanted, we could meet the band too! We'd have to wait until the meet and greet was over, and wait with the people with regular backstage passes. This was wonderful!
It wasn't coordinated very well. Just as the official meet and greet ended and those people left, someone turned off the lights. We were brought into the dark room. Oliver Wakeman and Alan White were there. Oliver tried to make the best of it, going to a part of the room with indirect lighting, and offered to do any autographs from there. I went over and asked him to sign my new poster. Alan waited for the lights to come on. At some point, Steve Howe walked by, but he looked like he was on his way out, so I didn't stop him.
Usually my ideal spot at concerts is one where I can be in front, but out of the way, in the aisle dancing. I don't get a great view of Alan White that way, but I did this night. And the reverse was true. After the light situation was fixed, Alan told me that he saw me dancing along. He said I knew the words better than he does. If this had been a different lineup of the band, I would have joked that I know the words better than Jon, but I didn't want to bring his name up now. I asked Alan to sign a couple CDs for me. I brought House of Yes: Live from the House of Blues and Magnification.
House of Yes has autographs from Roger Dean, Steve Howe, Alan White, and Chris Squire
Magnification has been signed by Alan White and Chris Squire
Chris Squire came out a little bit later. I told him his playing sounded wonderful. He also told me he watched me dancing during the show. Here are two of my idols, musicians whose talent I admire so much, and they both went out of their way to tell me they saw me enjoying the show. Speaking of which, someone on the Yesfans site wrote, "Seeing you dance has become part of the Yes concert ritual for me; you so echo the joy of the music."
I couldn't get cell phone reception inside, so I went outside to call Roy and tell him what just happened. Nights like this one are a gift, and I'm so glad I was able to take full advantage of it.
House of Blues
Chicago, IL
Thursday, February 18, 2010
General Admission / Premium Ticket
$184.50
When a new Yes tour is announced, Roy and I look at all the tour dates to see which shows will work for us. Are they doing a local show? What shows are on the weekends? How many concerts do we want to do? We decided on two concerts, and the two in Florida would make for a nice warm trip in February. It would have been enough, except for one thing. I love being able to stand and dance throughout a Yes concert, and they were playing a general admission, standing room only concert in Chicago. I'd get that opportunity. Roy didn't want to, so I made arrangements to go to Chicago myself.
The Chicago concert was on a Thursday. I'd have to take a day off from work that Friday to travel home. Just for fun, I decided to stay an extra day up there. I could do touristy stuff. I booked my hotel and transportation. And then, Yes added another show at the House of Blues in Chicago for Friday night. Suddenly, I'm going to four shows on this short tour.
I took the bus up to Chicago on Wednesday night. I got really lucky with the weather. Thursday was the warmest day in Chicago all year so far, great for walking around. I made plans to meet an acquaintance for lunch, and I planned to get to the House of Blues by three. I was doing so much of this trip by myself, so it was good to see Jen and do something social. We both relocated to the midwest, but were out of touch for fifteen years before finding each other on Facebook. I had a light lunch, because I'd be having "dinner" at the House of Blues not too long afterward.
This was a general admission show, and I had to be in the front row. I had to be. Seriously, I'm five foot two, and anyone standing in front of me would block my view and I wouldn't be able to see. But also, given the opportunity to see my favorite band in the front row, I had to go for it. Ticketmaster offered a premium ticket package with early entry, and I had to do that. The House of Blues offers "pass the line" entrance to anyone eating at their restaurant that day. Just in case something went wrong with the premium entry, I had to be in front of the "pass the line" line too.
It was actually a lot of fun waiting there. The band was staying at the hotel in the same complex as the House of Blues, and the band members were walking right into the lobby and up the stairs to the stage area. Another fan was waiting there, who I think I met at a previous show in Chicago. He and I talked for most of the time. I was standing there for three hours, and I only read two pages in my book.
I spoke to Benoit David, the singer for this lineup of the band. I was just walking out of the restaurant and I saw him in the lobby. I called out his name, and he recognized me and stopped. I told him I was getting in line for the show, and he asked me how early it was. It was 4pm. I find it charming when musicians I'm a fan of try to show not just that they remember me, but they remember something personal about me. The last few times I saw Yes, my friend Greg was also there. Greg has a blog about an imaginary jackalope, and he brings a small stuffed animal jackalope to concerts. Benoit remembered that and must have thought of us as together, and asked if I had the jackalope with me. Between his accent and me not expecting to hear that word, I had to ask him to repeat himself. Ah, that's what he's talking about. No, that belongs to a friend of mine. (Greg and I have only met on three occasions, but they've all been recent Yes shows, where Benoit has seen us hanging out.) The next morning, I sent Greg a message about this exchange, and he replied that I made his day.
Chris Squire walked down the steps and caused a big stir. One guy got to shake his hand, another took a picture with him. I just hung back and watched their interactions. Both fans were talking about how nice Chris was. Alan White walked in with Yes' tour manager; they were talking to each other and didn't see us. When Alan walked back down, he talked to our group. He said his feet were tired and he was going back to the hotel to watch a movie. I love seeing the band in a city where the hotels, restaurants, and concert are all close by. I hope they appreciated being able to get around easily too.
Shortly before the doors opened, the premium ticket people were all grouped together. There were two levels of premium tickets - ones that came with a meet and greet with the band and ones that didn't. I bought a meet and greet package for Yes' tour in 2004, but I didn't need to for this lineup. I can usually meet them after the show just by hanging out, and I am more concerned about the front row seat. We were all together, without really being in a line. There were about a dozen people there. Security people brought us to another staircase where we stood single file. I was halfway back in line, no longer first. Security led us up to the club level, and then it got confusing. The employee leading us up walked around the perimeter of the club around the back, and people followed him. But they walked right past the entrance to the pit, the quickest way to get to the front of the stage. Was I supposed to follow the people in front of me or use my instincts? I broke from the line and grabbed the front row center spot. Everyone walking behind me followed my lead.
My goal was to stand in the center one night and in front of Chris Squire the other night. But there was a curtain covering the stage, and I couldn't see where the microphone stands were. This would be my night to stand front and center, and I could judge where to stand to be in front of Chris the next night. I made a misjudgment though, which worked in my favor. Oliver Wakeman's keyboards took up a huge portion of the stage, in front and audience right. The rest of the front-line was squished into the remainder of the stage. By standing in the center, I ended up right by Chris.
The premium package people mostly got front row positions. One couple decided to stand in the center, in the second row behind me. The guys I waited with in the "pass the line" line were also able to get front row, near where Steve was on the far left. We weren't right up by the stage. There was a metal barricade a couple feet from the stage, leaving room for cameramen and security people between the audience and the band. More nice, unintended consequences. The barricade had a metal floor going back about two feet into the audience. The people in the front row could stand on it, but there wasn't quite enough room for two rows of people on it. The rest of the floor stood back, so they weren't partly standing on the metal and partly on the wood floor. It meant we weren't being crowded and shoved up front. The barricade was also a good height to lean on and rest my arms on it. I think the people who chose the second row position regretted it as the floor got crowded. We had an hour to wait before the show started, and we all chatted. Nice group of people, all big fans.
Around 8:15, the room darkened and Firebird Suite began to play on the loudspeakers. The curtains parted and there was Yes! Seats up by the stage are great for seeing the band, paying attention to details, interacting with the bandmembers; the only thing they're not great for is sound. The speakers are over our heads pushing the sound back. What I'm hearing is coming from the on-stage monitors. (The flip side is, I could be further back by the soundboard and surrounded by people talking or constantly adjusting my spot to try to see.) I had a seat once before at a Yes concert directly in front of Chris. All I heard was the bass all night. I was expecting the same thing from this position.
Chris Squire is my favorite bass player in the world and his melodic lead lines are one of the things I love most about Yes music. I could hear every note Squire played like it was turned up for a solo. His tone was beautiful. I got to hear every bassline highlighted and played right in front of me. I thought nothing would take my attention away from Chris, but Steve also had on-stage monitors and I could hear him clearly, particularly on the solos of Siberian Khatru and Yours Is No Disgrace.
I was in my happy place for the whole show. In the zone, in the present, the music had my rapt attention the entire time. I could barely hear the vocals, but I sung along, singing along with Chris' harmony parts whenever he was singing. Float your climb! He almost came in early on the vocals during Onward, but caught it. I felt the music rather than hearing it all. I wouldn't want this mix for every show, but it was fascinating to hear everything Chris played so clearly. I later wrote on Facebook that it's not the same band I fell in love with, the balance of delicate beauty versus power is off, but they rocked. And I danced along to that glorious bass for the whole show. I was thrilled.
Here's a few funny / interesting moments that I caught being up front:
There was a waitress making the rounds of the pit carrying a case of beer up over her head back and forth through the crowd. Chris said before he introduced Steve Howe's solo that he was wondering about that Bud Light case the woman was carrying. He said it looked like weight training. Someone in the crowd asked Chris if he wanted one. Someone tossed a can on stage during Machine Messiah. Chris saw it and laughed. During Owner of a Lonely Heart, Benoit moved to that part of the stage. He saw the can, and offered it to a couple people in front, and tossed it back to someone.
Steve Howe rotates the songs he does in his solo portion of the show. For this show, he did All's a Chord and Diary of a Man Who Vanished. Some people standing near him were talking during the songs. Steve announced what songs he had played, and then said "and I wish those talkers would vanish". Aside from this part, Steve looked like he was in a great mood. Steve was more animated than I've seen recently, even smiling a few times. As he came back on stage for the encore, he did the duck walk across the stage.
One song that particularly stood out was Machine Messiah. I had never seen Yes play in until this lineup formed. I thought during the performance that if some other band in a prog festival played a song that sounded like this, we'd all be going nuts for it. The instrumental parts of the song sound so Yes-sy and fit in so well. I'm glad they're doing it again. One thing different on this night's performance was that they didn't use dry ice to fill the stage. I was standing so close, I hoped to be able to play with it.
After the show ended, the band came to the front of the stage for their bows. One guy in the audience was hoping to get a setlist, and was pointing at it to Alan. Alan saw him, but didn't do anything. Just after the band left the stage and the curtains closed again, a roadie came out to hand the fan a setlist. I don't know if Alan asked him to or if he saw the exchange, but it was a nice thing to do.
Everyone who purchased the premium ticket package got a letter from the box office, saying to meet after the show by stage left. Most people were doing the meet and greet, and got black laminates. I hadn't spent the extra $100 to do that, but I was still getting a souvenir t-shirt and poster. I remembered reading that people buying the lesser package could also be "upgraded" to the meet and greet. We were all brought up to a little room where the meet and greet would be held. The coordinator calmly went through his list and distributed the t-shirts. I thought there were more people downstairs, but at this point there were three people with the lesser package. The coordinator said if we wanted, we could meet the band too! We'd have to wait until the meet and greet was over, and wait with the people with regular backstage passes. This was wonderful!
It wasn't coordinated very well. Just as the official meet and greet ended and those people left, someone turned off the lights. We were brought into the dark room. Oliver Wakeman and Alan White were there. Oliver tried to make the best of it, going to a part of the room with indirect lighting, and offered to do any autographs from there. I went over and asked him to sign my new poster. Alan waited for the lights to come on. At some point, Steve Howe walked by, but he looked like he was on his way out, so I didn't stop him.
Usually my ideal spot at concerts is one where I can be in front, but out of the way, in the aisle dancing. I don't get a great view of Alan White that way, but I did this night. And the reverse was true. After the light situation was fixed, Alan told me that he saw me dancing along. He said I knew the words better than he does. If this had been a different lineup of the band, I would have joked that I know the words better than Jon, but I didn't want to bring his name up now. I asked Alan to sign a couple CDs for me. I brought House of Yes: Live from the House of Blues and Magnification.
Chris Squire came out a little bit later. I told him his playing sounded wonderful. He also told me he watched me dancing during the show. Here are two of my idols, musicians whose talent I admire so much, and they both went out of their way to tell me they saw me enjoying the show. Speaking of which, someone on the Yesfans site wrote, "Seeing you dance has become part of the Yes concert ritual for me; you so echo the joy of the music."
I couldn't get cell phone reception inside, so I went outside to call Roy and tell him what just happened. Nights like this one are a gift, and I'm so glad I was able to take full advantage of it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)