Rockapella in Boston
Day 2
Friday, September 14, 2012
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| Maine Lobster Eggs Benedict |
The not-very-helpful concierge guy gave us a map and told us about the hotel shuttle. Dude, had you been more helpful, maybe we would have tipped you. When the shuttle arrived, he gave us a a few pointers about where we could be dropped off for different attractions, and he let us off at the Galleria. Liz ended up finding a dress at J Crew. She did not buy the bright pink skirt that looked cute on her, though. Then we found some achechapies at Ann Taylor that were Buy Two, Get 50% Off: I bought a necklace because I had left mine at home, and she got a cute ring with a bow on it. I also went on a shopping spree at VS, because I needed the right size of stuff. Also, there were shoes. Not at VS, but at Macy's. Liz needed shoes. So did I, but not for this particular trip. Still, I saw really cute brown ones, and couldn't resist. They ended up being a good deal, so I was happy even though I now needed to figure out how to pack them in my bag. It's all Liz's fault.
We thought that we'd be able to find the restaurant that the shuttle driver had recommended, but we ended up wandering around instead. We realized that we were close to MIT, so we decided to walk there, and then we could walk back to the hotel from there, too, because it was close by. We found the Co Op, which is a store that has a bunch of stuff with the college theme. I really liked a couple of shirts that were nerd-themed, but they didn't have anything MIT on them, so I didn't want them. I was curious about one shirt because it had a formula that I didn't understand. I tweeted a picture of it, but none of my friends responded. Ever. (Those of you that know about my experience at Texas A&M will find this next exchange a little bit familiar).
S: "Hi. I'm not from around here. What does this mean?"
Random store employee: "M.I.T."
S: "Oh, COOL! I need to get this."
OK, so it's not about stabbing frogs, but I still giggle at it. Liz and I then began to miraculously understand things on other shirts. She said, "We're getting smarter from just being here!" That feeling ended when we walked around the campus after a quick lunch and realized that we were likely in the company of geniuses. Liz reminded me, though, that at least for today, we had more money than them. Well, maybe *she* does. I liked the engravings of different scientists on the various buildings at the front of campus. I also liked that there were a few musicians jamming on the lawn.
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| A Building at MIT |
We didn't have much time, but needed to take showers because of our long walk. May I remind you that Liz runs half-marathons on a regular basis, and I do not? OK, so that's why it was long for me and "almost there" for her. So we quickly got pretty and took a cab to meet Jenn and KP at Rustic Kitchen, a place that I remembered fondly from another Pella trip.
OK, so Jenn thought that I had said "Rusty Chicken" because she's crazy. She had ordered the Chilled Seafood Tower (of Power), and ohmygoodness, it was quite the sight to behold, and everything was quite tasty. I had oysters for the first time! I've decided that I like oysters. For my entree, I ordered Carmelized Sea Scallops, which were on a corn, chive and sugar snap pea risotto. Everyone else ordered the same thing. I am the trendsetter! We were all full from the huge seafood appetizer, but managed to at least finish all of the scallops before we left. I also managed to polish off Liz's blood orange martini because she didn't finish it. Yeah, I had my own cocktail, which I don't remember. I think it was some kind of martini. Whatever. I drank it all. I had already planned out where we'd have dessert, so we hailed a cab (I'm APPARENTLY good at that now), and made our way to the Berklee Performance Center.
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| Seafood Tower at Rustic Kitchen |
The opening act was Berklee's own a cappella group, Pitch Slapped. They sang "Bright Lights and Big City", m-pact's "Live Life Without You" and "Takin' it To The Streets". I thought they had a nice sound, and all of the leads did a good job, especially the female lead, whom sang during the m-pact song. I liked her long high note. I also liked the intro to the Doobie Brothers song "Doo Be Doo Be" Hey! Doobie! I wish we could have seen all of their faces, but we couldn't from our vantage point, because they were in an arc at the front of the stage. My friends were not as impressed as I was, but they're not accustomed to listening to collegiate a cappella. Also, they're very loyal to Da Boyz. Jenn says this: "They're not Rockapella, and that makes me hate them....they're Suckapella". Oh, Jenn. That's why Rockapella stands above all the rest.
Then Rockapella took the stage, and all was well in the world of my posse.
Draggin' the Line
I got smiles from Steve and Scott, and that made me quite happy. I've missed those personal smiles so darn much! Nice harmonies, now that I'm paying attention to the actual song. I was just too excited to hear a new song back when we were in Napa, oh so long ago (for me, anyway).
She Used to Be My Girl / My Girl
Yay! New song! Scott does the lead-in, John and Geo sing lead for My Girl, and there is dancing! Happiness. Plus the smile from John made me even happier.
Scott then praised Pitch Slapped, saying "I've got to be careful when I say their name. Those college kids and their sassy names." He then talked some baseball, saying "Steve is a Red Sox fan (cheers from audience), and I'm from Tampa Bay." (Boos). "That's OK. You get some wins...two in a century." Them's fighting words in these parts, Scott! I don't go telling everyone there that I refuse to wear green in Celtic country, due to my Laker fandom.
They did their roll up to .Pretty Much You, and I beamed. I've been wanting them to do that song ever since I first heard it on Scott's "Tokyo Robots" CD. Liz had forgotten it, and was quite surprised by the "Obama says we just need hope and Oprah says we need Obama, but Mama says we need much more than that." I was grooving to the "Hey Hey Hey". Love that song!
Got To Get You Into My Life
I love watching them dance to that.
Just My Imagination/ Imagine
That was a long intro pause, Geo. I like that high note, John!
After the song, a woman got up and left. Scott said, "They hated this song. Maybe the Red Sox are winning." Then he said, "Three years ago, we had 3 guys audition for Rockapella and they all came to the Berklee show," saying it was an anniversary of sorts for Steve.
Cupid
Steve sang "Gonna find myself a honey" and looked at me! Hi, honey!
Hard Time
I thought that Scott was going to come down the steps, but he didn't. He smiled at Liz, though.
While the guys were getting their stools in position, Scott said that they have all kinds of new stuff. "John said to me, 'Scott, I want to do My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder', and here we are, six years later....
My Cherie Amour
Finally! A Stevie Wonder song! Steve smiled at me, too. I was very happy. Liz was very happy. We WHOOed loudly and high-fived each other of this brilliant accomplishment. John sang the lead, and it was quite lovely. Liz and I would both like to hear a Stevie song sung by Scott, too, so there's still hope that maybe they'll make her dream come true and Scott will arrange "As" and sing the lead. Oh, I know I ask for a lot. After the song, Scott said, "That was hard for us. I don't sing so good, so it's hard to concentrate on those high parts." So, um, didn't YOU arrange this? Silly man. Silly blond man.
Jeff informed us all that his first gig with Rockapella was in 1993 right here at Berklee, his alma mater. Scott: "1993? That was the year I was born." Scott then started to talk about records, describing what they looked at and such, ending with "You had to be there." We're all old with you! :)
Paper Doll
Scott smiled at me! He was wearing ankle high Nike socks, according to Liz. I think she has the same ones. You crazy athletes, wearing each other's clothes!
Rock the Boat
John almost lost his glasses during the spin. I didn't notice. The jackets were off, which meant it was time for some serious choreography.
Malibu Grand Prix
Steve stepped down right in front of the first row, started dancing at someone, and she danced right back at him. It was quite amusing. I don't know if she's a diehard fan or not.
Thunderball
Nice hair toss, Scott!
Bang
May I kiss you, please? Um, oops. Powerpoint error! The screen stopped showing the cool images and we giggled.
John talked about the upcoming "Motown and More" album, saying that he grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Temptations. I told Liz that John grew up in her house. John continued, "What I love about it is the raw human voice. There's nothing like it."
My Girl
So when they did the mash-up earlier, I thought that maybe they wouldn't sing this song later on in the show, and they'd think of another song to choose a girl from the audience. Nope. That was disappointing. John took Dave's girl, Kendy, from Worcester, whom is a Professor of Philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross. We all oohed and aahed. Scott said, "We put a lot of time in our audience, wondering why we do what we do." Her answer was, "Because." Love it! Then he asked her to sing Stand By Me with them, and she rocked it. She had a nice voice.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Cute of Kendy showing that she was choosing between the guys during "I'm the one you want." Great job, Kendy!
Then Geo took on Kevin-like qualities, and rambled. "I mean, do you even really know anything about Motown? There's something about Motown that y'all need to know. It's all about the woman." Then he proceeded to tell us that he was talking to himself, saying, "I want to sing like a woman," and the other part of his self said that he couldn't do it, and they argued. Isn't that one of the tests of sanity? Arguing with yourself? Anyway, he sang some I Will Always Love You to prove to himself that he could sing like a woman. Then he told us, "I'm really a bass. So stop singing like a girl. Be a bass. Ladies want to scream." So, you know, we screamed. "Too much of anything is too much", and he sang a bit of Barry White's Can't get enough of your love, baby. "Artists like that have been there for us to keep the legacy going. How do we keep a cappella going? First you'll never ever be able to be paid for your talent. The one thing that keeps a cappella going is these people that grab their friends and go home and sit in the living room and sing together. Don't worry about the money, only the music. That's what Motown is about. You go home and signal the world that this is skills alone." (So, Kendy, I think Geo wants your job).
Babygirl
I can't listen to this song without imagining my name being sung. :)
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Scott said, "We can't sing the song until we hear that phrase. We're like little doggies." Where in Beantown is Carmen Sandiego?
ENCORE
A Punk
Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Scott asked us all, "Would you like to hear another song? Yes, yes, we know one!"
Up On The Roof / Wonderful World
Steve forgot to step. I think that Scott needs to cut his hair. You know that I type that with love.
MEET AND GREET
OK, the last time I was at this venue, they only had an upstairs restroom. Now they also have one downstairs. Maybe it was just out of order last time. The meet and greet seemed to be half-organized, half-scattered. The guys standing in a row eventually just scattered around because it was just no use trying to get the others to stand with them. I have mixed feelings about these scattered kinds of M&Gs, so I was a little irritated, but oh well. Jenn needed air, and I asked her to hold on for a while, because we hadn't seen the guys in such a long time, and we didn't have a date for the next show. She was finally OK once she had some water. Jeff E had not left any Altoids at Will Call for us, and Scott and Steve didn't have any either. I don't know how we know about the S & S part. Did one of us ask?
KP talked to Fred, and got mad at Liz for leaving her there, which I thought is usually not a problem, but I guess KP wanted to make sure she was with us when we talked to the guys. But we want her to have whatever Fred time she wants, so I understand.
George was very happy to see all of us and gave me a huge hug. I think he hugged me more because Wendy wasn't there, and he needed more So Cal hug action when I relayed her message to say hello. I told him that he was too thin, and he said that he was about to eat a whole pizza all by himself that night. He's been playing golf for the last 6 months, so I guess he isn't doing P90X any more, now that he's all slim and trim.
John talked about how long he'd been trying to get Scott to arrange a Stevie Wonder song. Liz and I told him that we had been trying for 10 years.I told John that Scott had told me that he didn't feel worthy, and John said that he said that to him, too. He said that they will be singing "Brick House" pretty soon. COOL.
I talked to Steve's girlfriend Laurie for a while, and she hadn't seen him in a month because they were both performing. Steve is living in Nashville these days, getting a lot of gigs, and networking a lot. He told one of us (KP, maybe?) that they didn't have a lot of holiday shows lined up because last year's tour with the Boston Pops kind of broke up that momentum that they had. There was a violinist there from the Pops, and I wondered which guy she has a crush on because I think that way all the time. When Steve saw me at the M&G, I loudly called out to him, "FLIRTY!" and he gave me a big hug. Some people stared. Clearly, they don't read my blog.
Jeff talked to KP about math. He was happy and surprised that we all made the trek out to Boston to see them. He said that we should get seafood at Legal Seafood.
Scott talked to Jenn about Napa and Rrrancho Cucamonga, and about baseball with KP. He said that they have a new booking agent whom is based in L.A., and hopes that this means they would have more gigs in So Cal. YES, PLEASE! There are many people that miss you guys out here. We told him about dinner at Rustic Kitchen/Rusty Chicken, and that we'd be going to Finale for dessert. He said maybe he'd see us there, depending on what the guys want. Oh, that would be yummy with yumminess, but that didn't happen. Liz and I said to him, "FINALLY! TEN years we've been waiting!" He laughed at us. We applauded him for his wonderful arrangement, not only because it was awesome Scottiness, but also because we need to encourage him to arrange more Stevie Wonder songs.
We sadly said bye to them, but I'm glad that I got pictures with each of them. I'm also glad that I got a picture with Ross and MJ.
We hailed a cab, and talked about our plans for the next day. Jenn wanted to go to the place where Benjamin Franklin was buried. This confused our taxi driver. Probably because Ben Franklin is buried in Philadelphia. Um, I don't want to go to Philadelphia this weekend, thanks.
We arrived at Finale, and there wasn't much of a wait, which was good, because we were already drooling over the pastries in the display case. I ordered a Decaf Nutty Irishman, which was coffee made with Frangelico and Bailey's. We ordered a nine-piece dessert sampler, and it was delicious! It would have been delicious-er if the Pella had joined us, but I can't have everything I want, I guess. At least not all at the same time. KP and Jenn talked about how they could tell whenever the guys were giving stage love to me and Liz. Yeah, we're lucky girls. :) Anyway, for some reason, we ended up with 3 creme brulees in the sampler instead of the lemon thing that we had ordered. Also, there was no peanut butter pie. But we were still happy.
We bid good night to Jenn and KP, and took a cab back to our hotel, where we had more chocolate waiting for us from turn down service, and we also had Liz's lovely luggage.
Next up: Tourist Day
Then Rockapella took the stage, and all was well in the world of my posse.
Draggin' the Line
I got smiles from Steve and Scott, and that made me quite happy. I've missed those personal smiles so darn much! Nice harmonies, now that I'm paying attention to the actual song. I was just too excited to hear a new song back when we were in Napa, oh so long ago (for me, anyway).
She Used to Be My Girl / My Girl
Yay! New song! Scott does the lead-in, John and Geo sing lead for My Girl, and there is dancing! Happiness. Plus the smile from John made me even happier.
Scott then praised Pitch Slapped, saying "I've got to be careful when I say their name. Those college kids and their sassy names." He then talked some baseball, saying "Steve is a Red Sox fan (cheers from audience), and I'm from Tampa Bay." (Boos). "That's OK. You get some wins...two in a century." Them's fighting words in these parts, Scott! I don't go telling everyone there that I refuse to wear green in Celtic country, due to my Laker fandom.
They did their roll up to .Pretty Much You, and I beamed. I've been wanting them to do that song ever since I first heard it on Scott's "Tokyo Robots" CD. Liz had forgotten it, and was quite surprised by the "Obama says we just need hope and Oprah says we need Obama, but Mama says we need much more than that." I was grooving to the "Hey Hey Hey". Love that song!
Got To Get You Into My Life
I love watching them dance to that.
Just My Imagination/ Imagine
That was a long intro pause, Geo. I like that high note, John!
After the song, a woman got up and left. Scott said, "They hated this song. Maybe the Red Sox are winning." Then he said, "Three years ago, we had 3 guys audition for Rockapella and they all came to the Berklee show," saying it was an anniversary of sorts for Steve.
Cupid
Steve sang "Gonna find myself a honey" and looked at me! Hi, honey!
Hard Time
I thought that Scott was going to come down the steps, but he didn't. He smiled at Liz, though.
While the guys were getting their stools in position, Scott said that they have all kinds of new stuff. "John said to me, 'Scott, I want to do My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder', and here we are, six years later....
My Cherie Amour
Finally! A Stevie Wonder song! Steve smiled at me, too. I was very happy. Liz was very happy. We WHOOed loudly and high-fived each other of this brilliant accomplishment. John sang the lead, and it was quite lovely. Liz and I would both like to hear a Stevie song sung by Scott, too, so there's still hope that maybe they'll make her dream come true and Scott will arrange "As" and sing the lead. Oh, I know I ask for a lot. After the song, Scott said, "That was hard for us. I don't sing so good, so it's hard to concentrate on those high parts." So, um, didn't YOU arrange this? Silly man. Silly blond man.
Jeff informed us all that his first gig with Rockapella was in 1993 right here at Berklee, his alma mater. Scott: "1993? That was the year I was born." Scott then started to talk about records, describing what they looked at and such, ending with "You had to be there." We're all old with you! :)
Paper Doll
Scott smiled at me! He was wearing ankle high Nike socks, according to Liz. I think she has the same ones. You crazy athletes, wearing each other's clothes!
Rock the Boat
John almost lost his glasses during the spin. I didn't notice. The jackets were off, which meant it was time for some serious choreography.
Malibu Grand Prix
Steve stepped down right in front of the first row, started dancing at someone, and she danced right back at him. It was quite amusing. I don't know if she's a diehard fan or not.
Thunderball
Nice hair toss, Scott!
Bang
May I kiss you, please? Um, oops. Powerpoint error! The screen stopped showing the cool images and we giggled.
John talked about the upcoming "Motown and More" album, saying that he grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Temptations. I told Liz that John grew up in her house. John continued, "What I love about it is the raw human voice. There's nothing like it."
My Girl
So when they did the mash-up earlier, I thought that maybe they wouldn't sing this song later on in the show, and they'd think of another song to choose a girl from the audience. Nope. That was disappointing. John took Dave's girl, Kendy, from Worcester, whom is a Professor of Philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross. We all oohed and aahed. Scott said, "We put a lot of time in our audience, wondering why we do what we do." Her answer was, "Because." Love it! Then he asked her to sing Stand By Me with them, and she rocked it. She had a nice voice.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Cute of Kendy showing that she was choosing between the guys during "I'm the one you want." Great job, Kendy!
Then Geo took on Kevin-like qualities, and rambled. "I mean, do you even really know anything about Motown? There's something about Motown that y'all need to know. It's all about the woman." Then he proceeded to tell us that he was talking to himself, saying, "I want to sing like a woman," and the other part of his self said that he couldn't do it, and they argued. Isn't that one of the tests of sanity? Arguing with yourself? Anyway, he sang some I Will Always Love You to prove to himself that he could sing like a woman. Then he told us, "I'm really a bass. So stop singing like a girl. Be a bass. Ladies want to scream." So, you know, we screamed. "Too much of anything is too much", and he sang a bit of Barry White's Can't get enough of your love, baby. "Artists like that have been there for us to keep the legacy going. How do we keep a cappella going? First you'll never ever be able to be paid for your talent. The one thing that keeps a cappella going is these people that grab their friends and go home and sit in the living room and sing together. Don't worry about the money, only the music. That's what Motown is about. You go home and signal the world that this is skills alone." (So, Kendy, I think Geo wants your job).
Babygirl
I can't listen to this song without imagining my name being sung. :)
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Scott said, "We can't sing the song until we hear that phrase. We're like little doggies." Where in Beantown is Carmen Sandiego?
ENCORE
A Punk
Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Scott asked us all, "Would you like to hear another song? Yes, yes, we know one!"
Up On The Roof / Wonderful World
Steve forgot to step. I think that Scott needs to cut his hair. You know that I type that with love.
MEET AND GREET
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| Meeting and Greeting |
KP talked to Fred, and got mad at Liz for leaving her there, which I thought is usually not a problem, but I guess KP wanted to make sure she was with us when we talked to the guys. But we want her to have whatever Fred time she wants, so I understand.
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| Sher and Slim |
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| His Sherry Amour |
John talked about how long he'd been trying to get Scott to arrange a Stevie Wonder song. Liz and I told him that we had been trying for 10 years.I told John that Scott had told me that he didn't feel worthy, and John said that he said that to him, too. He said that they will be singing "Brick House" pretty soon. COOL.
I talked to Steve's girlfriend Laurie for a while, and she hadn't seen him in a month because they were both performing. Steve is living in Nashville these days, getting a lot of gigs, and networking a lot. He told one of us (KP, maybe?) that they didn't have a lot of holiday shows lined up because last year's tour with the Boston Pops kind of broke up that momentum that they had. There was a violinist there from the Pops, and I wondered which guy she has a crush on because I think that way all the time. When Steve saw me at the M&G, I loudly called out to him, "FLIRTY!" and he gave me a big hug. Some people stared. Clearly, they don't read my blog.
 |
| Flirty and Flirt |
Jeff talked to KP about math. He was happy and surprised that we all made the trek out to Boston to see them. He said that we should get seafood at Legal Seafood.
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| Sher & JT Meeting Cute |
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| Sher and Scottiness |
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| Sher, Ross & MJ |
We arrived at Finale, and there wasn't much of a wait, which was good, because we were already drooling over the pastries in the display case. I ordered a Decaf Nutty Irishman, which was coffee made with Frangelico and Bailey's. We ordered a nine-piece dessert sampler, and it was delicious! It would have been delicious-er if the Pella had joined us, but I can't have everything I want, I guess. At least not all at the same time. KP and Jenn talked about how they could tell whenever the guys were giving stage love to me and Liz. Yeah, we're lucky girls. :) Anyway, for some reason, we ended up with 3 creme brulees in the sampler instead of the lemon thing that we had ordered. Also, there was no peanut butter pie. But we were still happy.
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| A Tasty Toast to A Tasty Day |
We bid good night to Jenn and KP, and took a cab back to our hotel, where we had more chocolate waiting for us from turn down service, and we also had Liz's lovely luggage.
Next up: Tourist Day
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