Let It Be Everly

The Everly Set

Saturday, August 21, 2021
Scherr Forum Theatre
Thousand Oaks, CA

Bro, V, and I decided to have dinner somewhere near the venue, and we were disappointed that Umami Burger is no longer at that location.  So Bro found a Brazilian place that was not churrascaria, and we agreed to try that out.  They had a table available outside, and we were happy that we could sit there and observe other tables of patrons with their dogs.  One of them was a silver labrador retriever, which I had never seen one of before.  He and another dog, a husky mix, played a little bit with each other.  They were both adorable, and somehow Bro refrained from stealing one of them.  I wasn't able to get a good angle to take a surreptitious picture, so that y'all could see the adorableness.

Oh, and the food!  The food was quite yummy.  Moqueca is named for their specialty dish, which is a type of stew.  Due to food restrictions, I refrained from ordering that dish, but Bro and V really enjoyed theirs.  I had the Pastelzinhos (beef empanadas) and a side of Banana Frita.  We also ordered special cocktails.  I had a caipirinha, which was kind of like a mix between a margarita and a mojito, and I was happy.  We were all happy!  We would like to go back there again to try more stuff, like dessert!

A Toast to A Great Find!

Complementary toast with fixings. 
One of the fixings was spicy.  
I ate the eggplant one, which was not.

Moquecas with Shrimp

Moquecas with Seabass

Pastelzinhos 

Banana Frita

We then went to the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center, and after we parked, I had to get a look at the poster for the current season,  because look!

Looking forward to February!

The Scherr Forum Theatre is the smaller theatre located downstairs from the larger one where we saw "The Book of Mormon".  KP and Wanda were at their seats, and KP said that she had already seen Sean three times when she was in the lobby.  Their seats were front row house right, and our seats were front row house left.  Bro's seat was on the farthest left, and I'm glad he sat there because I wouldn't have liked to sit next to the wall. I guess they can't have an aisle there if the performers use that space as a walkway from the stage.  

I learned a lot about the Everlys during this show, but I didn't take any notes, so I won't be listing each song.  

• We probably wouldn't have The Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel as we know them without the Everly Bros, because both groups wanted to replicate the Everlys' tight harmonies.
• Jack does all of the rock 'n' roll moves because he is young and energetic, while Sean mostly stays stationary with his new hip.
• The guy in tonight's band playing the bass guitar, Jon Spurney, won three nights on Jeopardy!  I knew I had seen him somewhere before. 
• We do not know why one of the drums was just laying down on its side.
•  Drummer Nick Potters played the melodica.  APPARENTLY, V also has one that I don't think she's ever shown me.
• The Everlys had to sing right next to each other because of the microphone for so long that a lot of tension built between them and they didn't speak to each other for about 30 years.
• Sean and Jack changed costumes just for the last song.
• They performed their last song without mics, like Rockapella!  So nice to hear "Let It Be Me" that way.
• We asked why there was a guitar on stage that was never played.  Jack told us that it is there in case Sean breaks one of his strings, which happens often.

We talked to them at intermission when we bought our Everly Set CDs.  Sean seemed to remember me once I told him my name.  He said that when I had requested "Fliptop Twister" for a personal YouTube video during the height of the pandemic, he had to go over the song because it had been so long since he last performed it.  I had requested "Home", "Fliptop Twister", and "What A Wonderful World (That Would Be)", as a dedication to Bro, since SEan is his favorite Pella member.  We had tried to get him to do a house concert at Bro's house, but that didn't work out.  Maybe when things are less crazy and he has some time to stay around, we can do it.  

Afterward, they had a bit of a meet and greet, and JT's bro, Andy, was there, so KP asked  Andy to take our pictures.  Thank you, Andy!

TA-DA!

As per usual, we were among the last ones to leave.  It was great to see Sean again, and also great to be at a concert!  

The next morning, we learned that Don Everly had passed during the night.  I think that the Everly Set unknowingly played him a great send-off.  May you rest in peace, Mr. Everly.  Thank you for your music and for influencing so many people.  I also hope that your family, especially son Edan, stays strong.  He was very nice to us when we met him at the Frankie Avalon show.

Next show for me to see at this venue: ROCKAPELLA!!!!!

She Is Rich in Beauty

I went to the Walt Disney Concert Hall last week to watch Gustavo Dudamel conduct the L.A. Philharmonic for Sergei Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet".  This was my first concert to watch in the WDCH, and my ticket was only $20.00, so I was very excited!

I arrived early so that I could take the free tour of the hall, which is open to all ticketholders of the evening's show.  The guide showed us examples of Frank Gehry's different architectural decisions, such as his wanting to expose the structure as much as he could. 

All of the walls are curved, not straight.

 If you are able to walk up the five flights of stairs, you can also walk around outside the top of the hall.

 Lillian Disney loved gardens, and there is a garden that has been established as a State park, so anyone can enjoy it, not just concert goers.  The garden includes 6 types of trees, which all bloom at different times of the year so that whenever you visit, you'll see a tree with flowers in bloom. (One of the tour participants said that the lady who brought all of the trees to the hall saw trees in the gardens of people's homes, and asked if she could purchase them for the concert hall.)    There is a beautiful sculpture made of Delft porcelain called the "Lilly Rose".  Lillian and Walt collected items made of Delft porcelain. 

Closer look at the porcelain

Much of the architecture has elements of water / fish.

One of the only paintings in the hall,
with the blue as the Pacific Ocean

Fish shape above the third level walkway

After the tour, I ate a sandwich from one of the bars, and enjoyed a glass of Sauvignon Blanc as I listened to a talk about Prokofiev and the music being played tonight.

My seat was behind the orchestra, where the LA Master Chorale would normally sit during a performance.  I was really happy to get my seat because I'd be able to watch the maestro's facial expressions as he conducted the orchestra. 

   I was also in a great position to see the "french fry" pipes of the organ up close. 

 We were also behind the percussion section, so I could see some of the instruments that are normally blocked from view by the rest of the orchestra when you watch from the traditional vantage point.

Triangles of different sizes!

I was also in a great position to see the "french fry" pipes of the organ up close.  

I was in Orchestra Geek Heaven!  Even more so when the musicians took the stage, the concertmaster guided them to tune with each other, and Dudamel turned around to face them.  

I am familiar with some of the main themes of "Romeo and Juliet", although I had listened to it in its entirety.  I had also never seen the ballet (I've only seen "The Nutcracker").  The setting for this ballet was very interesting because the dancers didn't have a traditional-sized set, due to the orchestra taking up most of the stage.  The dancers also did not dance throughout the evening; instead, they danced through the major portions of the story, like the ball when R&J meet, the balcony scene, Romeo's fight with Mercutio, and the death scene.  (Oops!  SPOILERS!)  Rather than the traditional tutus and tights, the dancers wore more contemporary clothing, like flannel-looking outfits and modern street clothing, along with sneakers.  I figured it must be difficult to point one's toes in sneakers.  

At one point, the side doors opened, and a smaller ensemble played music from the wings of the stage.  Actually, I think it happened at two points, but I only noticed the music the second time.  I saw the doors open, and thought the dancers would enter the stage, but they didn't, so I guess that was the first time the small ensemble performed.  

An actual cameraman appeared on stage, and when he backed up into the wings, the dancers followed, and video was shown above me (behind the orchestra) and above the sound booth for us to see the dancers continue to dance in the backstage area.  It was amazing to see how they used the different areas of the WDCH for the dancing.  I was most impressed with the balcony scene, as Juliet led Romeo from behind my section into the garden where we had toured earlier. 

Where part of the pas de deux took place

The pas de deux was made even more gorgeous because of the beautiful natural scenery of the garden and the amazing architecture.  It was like the hall itself was a character in the ballet.  I loved it!  The death scene was appropriately performed by the dancers in the area below the stage as Romeo danced with a presumed-dead Juliet.  It was kind of odd but sad as she was lifted up like a rag doll.  Romeo brought her back to the stage and killed himself, then when Juliet woke up, she danced a beautiful solo and we got to see her facial expressions during bits of it, which was a nice touch.  

I recognized some of the musicians from seeing them perform at the Hollywood Bowl, like the trumpet soloist and the violin soloist from the John Williams concert.  I delighted in seeing the bow used in different ways, not just with the horsehair side, but also with the wood, as well as pizzicato.  I wished that I was the one playing all of those beautiful runs, difficult as they probably were.  I smiled when the percussionists got to play the triangle and the snare drum and the tympani...OK, every time they played.  

I was very aware that due to my seat almost straight across from the conductor, people in the audience could see me and it made me try to stay alert, even in the sleepy parts.  I was glad when the family seated next to me left at intermission because I don't know if they were aware of the people seeing us nor did they seem particularly educated about how long it takes to perform a ballet.  I wished that the women in front of me hadn't left because I needed to cover my legs lest I flash the audience if I uncrossed my ankles. This would have been OK had it not been hot due to the lights beamed on the orchestra. Whew, I was warm!

I had a wonderful time and look forward to the next time I get to experience a concert in the hall.  Maybe from a traditional view...but I'd be happy to see it from that same seat, too.   

Bravo!

“I have more care to stay than will to go.” -- Romeo, Romeo and Juliet

And Then The Giacchino Plays

We Have to Go Back: The LOST Concert 2018

John Anson Ford Theatre

Saturday, September 15, 2018

I had a tough work week, so I still needed to go into work on a Saturday because I missed a Friday deadline.  I then drove to the valley to meet up with Bro and the family.  Bro, V, and I went to Poquito Mas to pick up an early dinner, and ate at Bro's house before we made our way to Studio City.  We parked in a designated lot and took a shuttle to the Ford.  I picked up our tickets at will call, and we got in the long merchandise line, not even knowing what was for sale, but hoping that they were selling a shirt that we saw one of the staff wearing.

Yay!  All 3 of us got the shirt, which had the Dharma symbol on the left pocket area, with a music note in the middle.  We also got CDs of whatever season was available, which were autographed by Michael Giacchino.  They also had autographed pages of the score available for $100.00, but I didn't opt for one.  I was frustrated by the slowness of the snack shop folks, but I was happily able to get a bottle of hard apple cider upstairs near our seats.

All Dressed Up for some experiments

The stage was set against a background with palm trees, and it was a little balmy--a perfect atmosphere for the evening.  When we were in line to get merchandise earlier, we could hear the smoke monster sounds coming from speakers placed in the entrance area.  Up on the stage, there was a memorial with candles, and they used the church hymnal numbers, to keep in theme with the lottery numbers, too.  I love the way everything was set to get us in the mood!  

Stage

Memorial

A pre-show discussion took place, which started with Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindeloff, and Michael Giacchino. Then other people arrived one-by-one onto the stage, interrupting almost every audience member that had gone up to ask a question.  But they were OK with that.  Cast members that joined them:  Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Rebecca Mader (Charlotte), Andrea Gabriel (Nadia), and Daniel Dae Kim (Jin).  

Lindeloff, Giacchino, Cuse

Score with Dharma Symbol

Josh Joins

Full Panel

One gal asked the creators to promise there would be no remake; later, a guy asked if they could do a remake of the show.  I wondered if the first person was going to have fisticuffs with the other guy, because they were both quite passionate about the show, as are many fans.  

Andrea, Emilie, Rebecca

Rebecca, Michael, Josh

Josh, Daniel, Carlton

Between songs, if Giacchino himself wasn't talking, Cuseloff (one of the combined names for the duo) or the cast members spoke.  Carlton Cuse talked about the time they were on the sound stage to witness the recording of the music when some of the characters were leaving on the raft they built.  The musicians were reading the music for the first time (as most studio musicians do as part of their job description), Cuseloff was hearing it for the first time, and by the time the music ended, everyone in the room was in tears.  The musicians showed their approval by tapping their instruments.  This is the only series that has Giacchino's name in the scripts, mostly with the phrase "And the Giacchino Plays".  I love that they give this musical genius his due.

I thought it was interesting to hear the actors read the scripts, as they would both sides of the dialogue by themselves, but I loved more the descriptions of what they should be feeling at the time.  The descriptions had a bunch of f-bombs in them, stuff that certainly not be allowed to be spoken in network television, but they got their point across!  

Rebecca and Andrea also read letters that the writers thought the background characters might write when they put them in the bottles on the raft.  This was something they thought up when they had the first LOST concert in Hawaii.  OK, so THAT would have been the perfect place to watch this concert!  Wow.

This guy played for every episode of LOST

See the hymnal numbers on the left side?  108!

Some of the music was played without any film being shown, but there were montages during most of the music.  Unfortunately, the individual pieces were not listed in the program, and I don't remember any of the titles to list here.  It doesn't matter: the music is so beautiful that I cried during the first piece, and during a few other ones, like I did when I watched the series.  But at the end of the show, Giacchino asked if we had cried enough.  I'm pretty sure most of said "no".  He then played (and they showed) the last scene of the finale.  TEARS!!!!!  

For the encore, the orchestra also played another song from LOST, entitled "Tangled Web".  There was no film while they played because Giacchino wasn't sure that they'd have time to include it.  But they did!  Then they treated us to a piece of music they had just recently completed recording: a little taste of "A Bad Time at the Hotel Royale".  It was great!  I was looking forward to seeing the movie anyway, but the music elevated my anticipation for it.

After the show, it was a little too late in the evening for me to want to stay to meet the famous folks, and I was ready to leave.  Jeff G found us and said hi before he left.  Hi, Jeff!  The line to catch the shuttle back to our car didn't take very long, and we were back at Bro's house in no time, which was good, because I still needed to drive home.  

Thank you, Bro and V, for joining me!  Thank you to the creators, cast, the musicians (a few of whom were there to play music for every episode of LOST), and especially to Michael Giacchino for a wonderful show!  It makes me want to see the whole series all over again.

No, Thank YOU!

The Maestro, Indeed

John Williams: Maestro of the Movies

40th Anniversary Celebration!

Friday, August 31, 2018

Hollywood Bowl

Hollywood, CA

A couple of months ago, Rudy said that he was going to get tickets to this show and asked if I'd like to join in on the fun.  I said yes, but wasn't sure if we actually had tickets because I didn't hear from him after that.  Luckily for me, he did get the tickets, and told me earlier that week.  I put on the Superman shirt I got at this year's WonderCon, and got on the shuttle in Arcadia.  Why Superman?  Well, I couldn't decide on which of the twenty or so Star Wars shirts to wear, and then I realized I had a Superman shirt and decided to wear that instead, because "Superman: The Movie" is my favorite film score EVER, and guess who composed it?  JW himself. (Ooh, I just did a Google search, and that film is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and there will be limited screenings of it.  I hope I can go!).

Marquee Shot

Rudy and Brian were waiting for me when I got off of the bus, and I wanted to go to the Bowl store first so I could buy a shirt.  I also bought light sabers for the 3 of us because I couldn't bring my light saber umbrella.  Brian was in a wheelchair, so I learned the elevator route.  Our seats were supposed to be in the top tier, but the wheelchair wouldn't go up there.  We were asked if we'd like to be re-seated, and they found us seats which were closer and didn't require Brian to get out of his chair to use his crutches.  Well, that's nice!  We were seated next to a lady whom was very friendly and I now know that I can transport wine in a lighter container than a big old bottle.

David Newman conducted the first half of the show.  I love how he's unapologetically rumply.

The LA Phil played the Star-Spangled Banner.  Flags were still at half staff to honor the passing of US Senator John McCain.

Olympic Fanfare and Theme by John Williams
The US Army Herald Trumpets took the stage and I got all excited.  What a perfect song for them to perform!  Clips of various Olympic moments played on the screen, mostly highlights of recent years, of Olympians from different nations.

Torch Lighting

With Fireworks

The Magnificent Seven

"The Cave Sequence"  from Raiders of the Lost Ark by John Williams (with film)
I love this!

"A New Beginning" from Minority Report by John Williams
I recognized this music, but didn't realize it was from this movie until I read the program just now.

"Flight to Neverland" from Hook by John Williams
Clips from all kinds of flight were shown.  Was I the only one that cheered when they finally showed Robin Williams flying as Peter Pan?  Because that's THIS MUSIC, people!  Some people turned on their light sabers during the very brief Star Wars clips.

Celebrating the Bernstein Centennial - To Lenny by John Williams
Lots of different cues from Bernstein's work.  Nice.

Overture from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
Rudy asked me if JW wrote the score for WSS.  I later found out that he was the studio pianist for the film.  I love WSS, so I was really happy to see the clips from the film.

Suite from On the Waterfront by Leonard Bernstein
Ah, OK, now that I've read the program, this makes sense.  I wasn't sure what this piece was, although I was familiar with the music.  

<Intermission>

The Maestro himself took the stage, and said that he had been trying to convince his guest to come to this show for 40 years, and he finally succeeded.  He called Steven Spielberg to the stage.  

John Williams

Spielberg and Williams have been working together for 44 years!  Spielberg sat in a chair on the stage after introducing the next piece.

"With Malice Toward None'  from Lincoln by John Williams
Thomas Hooten, trumpet soloist

Rudy said that he has never seen "Lincoln", but wants to after hearing the music.  Yeah, that was a great film.  Beautiful job by Hooten. What are the odds that a trumpet players name would have the word "hoot" in it?  Hmmm...had it been "Tooten", I would have lost it.

Techniques of Film Scoring
Spielberg talked about his movies being nothing without Williams' scores.  To illustrate, we watched "The Circus Train Chase" scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade without the score.  (This was the start of the film, with River Phoenix playing the young Indiana Jones.)  So quiet!  Just "oofs" and sound effects of a train engine and fighting.  Spielberg made little comments while we watched, like "That's when Indiana got his whip" and "That's where Harrison has a real scar".  We then watched it again, this time with the orchestra playing the score, and it was just genius.  

OK, so you know what's cool?  When this was recorded in the sound studio, Brian was there (he was a PA for Spielberg back then).  We told him to wave at Steven.

"The Duel" from The Adventures of Tintin by John Williams
A montage of swordplay was shown, and I was happy every time they showed clips from "Princess Bride".  Yes, they showed lightsabers in this montage, too.  I was disappointed, though, that I didn't see anything from "The Goonies", although I guess there wasn't any sword fighting, just Sloth acting like a pirate on the ship.  Never mind.

Theme from Schindler's List By John Williams
Bing Wang, Violin Soloist

Gorgeous.  I'm pretty sure I saw tears on Spielberg's face from way up at my seat.

Spielberg: "I can direct bicycles to fly, but John's music truly makes them airborne."

Finale from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial by John Williams
We watched that whole thing, which starts with Elliott going to the van where E.T. is in the box, all the way to the end.  Because I hadn't cried enough during the evening, I guess.  If this music does nothing to your soul, you are dead inside.

Encore

"The Rebellion is Reborn" from "Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi" by John Williams
Theme from "Star Wars" by John Williams
"Imperial March" by John Williams  

They brought the herald trumpeters back, because you can't play that march without a bunch of trumpets.

Light saber time!  Lots and lots of light sabers. 

Light sabers behind us

Light sabers in front of us (including ours)

I pointed out one of the french horn players to Rudy because he looked like Barry of Rockapella.  Barry is from LA and played the french horn, you know.  It's possible that was him.  Not probable, but possible.

I said my goodbyes to Rudy, Brian, because I needed to hurry up and get on the shuttle.  Ooh, coach bus, nice and comfy.

That was a great evening. Thank you, Rudy, for getting the tickets!

Thank you, Steven Spielberg, for spending your time with all of us at the Bowl.

Thank you, John Williams, for the beautiful gift of music you've written and shared with the world.  You are truly the Maestro.

Those Martin Guys

Steve Martin & Martin Short

Pacific Amphitheatre

Costa Mesa, CA

Friday, July 20, 2018

I left work a little early so that I could take the Gold Line a little bit farther from home, to a station by Linda's work.  She drove us down to Costa Mesa to the Orange County fairgrounds, and we were able to park fairly close to the entrance to the amphitheatre.  We were hoping to get some "fair food" because our tickets included entrance to the fair, but couldn't find a way to get into the fair from the amphitheatre area.  We did get fair food by default anyway.  Linda was very irritated about people who cut in line.  Very.  I wanted to get a regular-sized corn dog, but they only had the foot-long available.  They also didn't have any normal-sized french fries, so we decided to order a brick of curly fries.  I did not finish any of my food.  Neither did Linda.  Not surprising.

So nutritious

I wanted an alcoholic beverage since I wouldn't be driving until I got back to my car at my station, so I got a Captain Morgan Island Punch, which they served from their tap.  Does that always come like that?  Or just at the fair?  Anyway, it was yummy and refreshing.   While we waited, I goofed around with Snapchat, so I could show y'all my drink.

The Snapchat shades
match my nails!

We ordered our tickets separately, and somebody must have gotten their tickets immediately after I bought mine, because Linda and I ended up not sitting together as we had tried to plan.  But the nice folks that had the seats offered to move, so Linda and I were able to sit together.  Yay!

We couldn't see the big screens very well from our vantage point, but at least we could see something.  I kind of looked at the screen that was downstage to see some stuff.  The amphitheatre folks need to fix that.

• The show opened with clips of each of them and the different characters they played.  I liked hearing people finish the sentences we all knew, like "two wild and crazy guys" and laughing.
• Martin and Short are hilarious together, especially when they're trying to one-up each other in their insults toward one another.
• They had 3 guys come up on stage and they taught them the Three Amigos salute.  After they taught them, they sang the Three Amigos song and pointed at the guys whenever they wanted them to salute.  They even had them sing "amigos" during the last verse.
• They met on the set of Three Amigos.  I thought they must have met some time before that, like on Saturday Night Live, but no.  Short was the only Amigo that hadn't done a feature film yet.
• They each had some time alone on stage with their own performances.  Martin Short told stories and sat on the piano and did fun stuff with the pianist.  He talked about performing when he was really young and was in an off off Broadway show in the 70s when Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar were the hit shows.  Let's just say that he ended up in a bodysuit and a big 'fro.  
• Steve Martin's part was playing the banjo, then he had the Steep Canyon Rangers join him on stage.  They are excellent!  I might need to see them in their own show.
• My favorite part of the Steep Canyon Rangers portion was their finale, "Auden's Train", wherein the fiddler, Nicky Sanders, was just incredible!  He was jumping around on stage as he played, and I said to Linda, "Now THAT'S a man that loves his job!"  Here is a video of a performance from 2014.  I don't know why the title graphic says "Orange Blossom Special" because it's not.  It borrows from it, though.  Because it's a train!   I like how he sticks in tunes from other songs.
• Steve also showed us his ventriloquist skills, by bringing out a little Jiminy Glick, whom had comments about celebrities as they ran a slide show.  Oh, Jiminy, still so funny!
• Their last piece was "Send In The Clowns", which, of course, they did not do straight-laced. I was wondering if I'd get to hear it done live by my favorite drum corps again soon.   :)
• Oh, that's right, they also had an encore, which was a song about having 5 minutes to play, according to their contract.
• At curtain call, a clown appeared on stage.  Don't bother, they're here.

That was enjoyable. We tried to see if we could go into the fair afterward, but we still couldn't find an entrance nearby, so we sat in Linda's car for awhile as we waited for some of the other cars to leave the lot.  As we left, we saw the Steep Canyon Rangers' bus, and I wondered if they were in there, talking about the show, like they said that they do.

Thanks for the great show, y'all!