Rockapella In Laughlin
Day 3
Monday, December 28, 2015
Harrah's Fiesta Showroom
Laughlin, NV
Our morning started with FS wanting to know if we were going to Black Bear Diner. We informed him that we would be going there with Weff the next day, so we needed to think of something else. KP asked him if she should bring her coat, because we didn't know where we'd be going. He told her to bring her coat, and the car keys. Well, I guess FS is now comfortable enough with us that he makes demands! He said that he would ask the guy at the bell desk. So we put on our coats, brought the keys, and met him downstairs. I didn't think that we were on the correct floor because FS wasn't standing there (he's always there before us), but he just wasn't in my line of sight. I mean, Sher, the Dreyer's Ice Cream place is not on any of the other floors. What are you thinking? We all went to the bell desk together, and the guy recommended, yes, Black Bear Diner. We told him that we were going there tomorrow, and then he proceeded to name IHOP and Denny's. Well, OK, then. I hadn't had IHOP in a while, so I made an executive decision and said we were going there.
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| Our view from IHOP |
Our server's name tag said "Little Bit". Her real name was Katie, but that's what everyone calls her because she's little. FS wanted Silver Dollar pancakes, which weren't on the regular menu, but Katie fixed it so he could have an adult-sized portion. KP wanted the same thing, but as she had already ordered the same drink as FS, she decided not to freak him out and ordered something else. I had Bananas Foster French Toast, which was tasty. We talked about his wife. Fran teaches the 5th grade, and would rather teach a bunch of different subjects rather than just one all day long. After breakfast, FS wanted to get some cookies at McDonald's next door because the ones at the hotel were more expensive. We waited in the car. He came back without cookies. APPARENTLY, they didn't have them yet. I asked him if he wanted to go back later, but he declined. Maybe he's not TOO demanding. :) I told him I would need to cut across a bunch of lanes to get to our immediate left turn, and then it wasn't so bad. He said that he drives in New York and it's much worse. Yeah, this wasn't downtown LA or anything, so I had no problem. But FS doesn't even have a car, so whatevs. We told each other that we'd meet later, which is good that I mentioned it, because his friends had not told him what time or where we'd meet. Sigh. Boys.
As we approached the elevator lobby, we ran into FFE, whom was on the way to the gym. He said that he needed to work out so that he could have popcorn later. I told him not to tire himself out to much, and that we'd see him later. KP and I kicked back in the room while I blogged about Sunday. I couldn't concentrate very well, but I tried. Then we got ready to go to our movie.
We went downstairs at our planned time and met up with JT, FS, and RC. The only one missing was FFE. RC kept being funny and asking crazy questions, like, "About when does the Starship Enterprise appear?" I told him that I was going to hit him. While we were waiting, JT, whom had seen the movie before, took KP and me aside to talk about the cameos that we needed to look for. While he was doing this, he held our hands because he was excited to see the movie again. FFE finally got downstairs, and the guys told us that they decided to just pile into my car because I guess FS told them that we had an SUV and it was only about a 5 minute drive anyway. Yay! JT said he'd get in the trunk. Then FFE decided he would do that instead. FS decided that he was riding shotgun for the whole day because KP had given him permission earlier for breakfast. Ummm...that's FFE's seat. But that's OK, I'll just freak out and try not to give a concussion to my precious cargo as I drive them all around without seat belts. It's good that I didn't know that the folks in the backseat were also unrestrained, because I was nervous enough as it was. We drove to the Riverside Hotel. FS told me to park on the 2nd floor so that we could be on the same floor as the walkway that passed over Casino Way. Well, he was wrong, and we still had to go up one floor. We all gave him a hard time, because all of us are like that.
We got in line for tickets, then got in line at the door after having our ticket stubs taken, because we were waiting for the people in the theater to leave after their show. Meanwhile, JT asked if we could get concessions while we were eating, and that was allowed, so some of us went for something to eat. Some people had smuggled stuff in their jackets and/or asked their friends to do so for them. KP and I thought of bringing the Star Wars Cheez-Its, but we couldn't think of a way to bring them discreetly and eat them quietly. It's a good thing, too, because RC told KP that it drives him crazy when somebody brings loud food with loud packaging to the movie theater. FFE did not get popcorn, so when I got mine, I offered him some. At that point, he started to sing Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' "Sherry". I cannot tell you how happy this made me. I told him that one of my dreams was for him (or one/all of them) to sing that song to me, because it's my happy song, and I listen to it when I need a pick-me-up. I also have it in my head when I'm wearing a red dress, because of the lyrics. He kept singing it. He had sung it when he was in a Jersey Boys show. I asked if he was tired of the song. He said no, and sang more. Seriously, somebody up in the heavens likes me. Someone else joined him for a few bars, maybe JT. I was just lost in Sherryland.
We were finally allowed to go into the theater, and we got comfy, 4 of us in one row, and 2 of us behind that one. Have I told you yet that I was warm this whole time? At first, everyone else thought that I had lost my mind, but then people started to agree with me, and jackets and hats came off. I put the popcorn bucket between us so that FFE could share with me because I never finish my popcorn unless it's a kid-sized one. He told me to throw some at RC because he was in front of us, and because I could. So I did. RC turned around, and I tried to throw a piece into his mouth, and I missed it by about half a foot. I told him that my aim was bad, and that's why my Star Wars badge says "Stormtrooper". I talked to FFE about Bro agreeing to make him an Old Fashioned the next time he comes to the house. I also told him that Bro and I were thinking of going to Nashville in the summer for drum corps, so we talked about that for a bit. You know, like "What is drum corps?" and that kind of stuff. When he left for a minute, I talked to RC, whom was telling KP that he strictly follows movie theater etiquette. Noted, and thank you from those of us who don't need a running commentary of what others think of movies while we're seeing them for the first time. RC offered to switch seats with KP if she couldn't see over the heads of the people in front of her, but she was perfectly fine. What a sweetie, though, right?
The trailers we saw were all of movies to which I'm looking forward: Captain America Civil War, Zootopia, and Batman vs. Superman. The theater was full, but the audience was pretty quiet. It was soooo different from when I saw this opening morning at the El Capitan. The screen went dark. The Lucasfilm logo appeared. The crawl started. I was watching Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens again. Due to the quiet in the theater (I think some people may have heard RC and shut up), I was able to hear some lines that were buried under audience laughter or gasps during my first viewing. I totally forgot to watch for Simon Pegg, not that I would have recognized him anyway. Impressions: FFE liked the movie, but didn't like Adam Driver in the part because a) he doesn't look like his parents (JT said that he could have his mom's eyes), and b) FFE has seen him in funny stuff, so he couldn't take him seriously. JT happily caught the cameos he wanted to see. RC and FS like the movie, too. I informed FFE about the person playing the stormtrooper keeping Rey in the room. They're all going to need to see it again, except for JT, who needs to see a comedy or something next.
On our way to the car, we decided that we had time to get food before the guys needed to report to work. JT was confused because of the weird time zone issues there, thinking that we were an hour later than actual time. We decided to go to In N Out. KP told the story of Logan at the In N Out in Livermore. JT told me that he pictures me in bed, sleeping like a princess, flat on my back with my hands folded. I advised him that this was very much not how I slept. Thank you for thinking that, though! Wendy later told me that she's going to slip a pea under my mattress to see if I can feel it. Before leaving the In N Out parking lot, we had to wait for FS because he walked next door to get cookies at Subway. He brought them in, and RC proceeded to eat them. Ummm...those aren't for you! What the...?
We all piled into the car again and drove back to Harrah's. We all wondered about the weird shoe prints on the beams across the ceiling of the structure. (Oh, man, I forgot to take a picture!). The guys thanked us, and went to their rooms to get ready for rehearsal. Weff had arrived, so we went to their room and told them about our awesome day, as well as the other days' shows. We told them that the shows are hybrid shows, so there are some holiday songs.
Wendy: "Do they do 'Angels We Have Heard on High'?"
Sher: "No."
Jeff: "Do they do 'Jingle Bell Rock'?"
Sher: "No."
This kinda put a damper on their excitement. Sorry, guys.
Then we decided to get ready to watch our friends sing and dance on stage.
We went downstairs, and had the same ticket guy, and said, "You and your phone". Oh, Kameron, you know you love me and my technology! I tried to order a margarita, but they didn't have any sweet and sour. So I asked for a 7 & 7. They poured Sierra Mist. Sigh. At least it didn't taste yucky. We were all seated house right: Weff and I were in the second row, and KP was behind us. Jeff saw that they had the voice changers on the little stage, and asked if they were there on the other nights. I don't remember. Hmmm...
Tell Me Something Good / Rock Around the Clock
Yay! The crowd is better today!
Nobody was seated next to Jeff, so KP sat there and we moved over a seat or two. So did the lady next to me.
Jailhouse Rock
Aw, Scott's happy that the crowd is responding.
Scott: "Has anyone here seen Rockapella before?"
Scott to the lady next to us: "Hi! You were here last night, too. Thank you for coming back."
See? He's happy.
Scott is Jennifer Lopez.
Dancing in the Streets
Steve lifted his leg and I laughed. Jeff's thrusts are still too few. Steve pointed at our Jeff.
Scott: "I saw people dancing in the streets along the Colorado River today...Ha, I didn't see that."
Glow Worm
Hmmm...did they modulate the key where they usually don't? Jeff faked out Steve and didn't try to hit him this time.
Scott: "Are you ready for some Rolling Stones? Yeah, I love those fellas...but I can't remember what key it's in."
Satisfaction
Scott: "Who had the best Christmas?"
"WHOOO" from various audience members.
Scott: "Ah, prove it."
Scott regarding the annual Rudolph airing: "I would wait at 4:00, 4 hours early in case something would happen. I didn't even own a watch; we were a very poor family."
He talked about Yukon's axe: "He's prospecting for peppermint."
Crowd: "Oooooh."
Scott: "Mic Drop!"
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
Scott: "Are you all having a good time? Well, that makes one of us. Just kidding! I'm loving every minute of it."
(I'm just happy that he's still up there after that almost-non-encore the night before).
Scott, in response to someone calling out for Motown: "Motown! We're talking about Motown! Bing Bong!"
My Cherie Amour
I really enjoyed the "la la"s today.
Scott, regarding Steve's Boston accent: "Have you ever seen that movie, 'Ted'? That's Steve."
Steve: "Not the bear."
Scott mentioned that Ryan was from Nebraska.
Audience member: "HUSKERS!!!"
Ryan: "I love it."
Scott: "What was the day when they said, (pointing to Ryan) 'You get all the vocal chords.'
(pointing to himself) 'She gets none.'"
Scott: "Jeff has been our vocal percussionist for over 20 years. He started when he was 12."
Scott: "His mouth is otherwise occupied." <snickers from the audience> "Now, now, now...what happens in Laughlin..."
Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer
Oh, the girlfriend is wearing PINK!
Scott: I can't help but think that some of you seem to be laughing at our tragedy."
Blame It On The Boogie
Scott is out of control.
Commercials
Taco Bell -- Pitch, Scott? "Grab it."
A couple of drunk women that were in the back booth seats walked up to the front row and sat down.
Scott: "Hello! Hi!"
Scott regarding Dr. Pepper: "Not a penny."
Scott: "Something just occurred as I was singing my coffee song...could you come tell my friends about your love of coffee? Is Folgers your preferred brand?"
Elena: "100% Columbian"
Scott: "We are talking about coffee, right?"
Elena builds locomotives.
Stand By Me
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Sigh. The drunk woman's head is in my line of sight.
Ryan: "We've been in Harrah's all over the country..."
They have?
Macklemore
I used to call this "Thrift Shop", but have heard the guys referring to it as "Macklemore". It might also be called "Macklebrate", so this might change again.
Steve smiled at JeffEvs.
Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego?
Jeff and Steve touched fingers at the end. They're in agreement!
They didn't leave the stage. Instead, they stayed for the encore. Interesting.
All I Want For Christmas Is You
One more!
Up On The Roof / Wonderful World
I am going to cut off that drunk lady's arm. She obviously doesn't need it, because she keeps waving it in the air, blocking our view.
I may have been a bit tipsy, but oh my goodness, they were much more tipsy than me.
Yeah, so they never used those voice changers tonight. I wonder if they were there for the rehearsal, and they never put them away. Maybe they're doing the song on New Year's Eve. I don't know. Maybe they have them there in case Scott decides to do it on a whim.
Jeff hurried over to the guys to give them the Sharpies that we asked Weff to bring because the guys had been using ballpoint pens on the other nights. I introduced myself to the lady who had been sitting next to me all night. Her name is Karen. She will also be in the same seat on Wednesday.
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| You know what he sings? "SHERRY" |
I told the guys that I was drunk. Ryan and Steve both said, "Good for you!" Wait. Were they mocking me, or were they jealous?
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| Meet and Greet Day 3 with Steve |
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| I don't remember what was making me laugh. Might have been KP. |
I asked Scott why he didn't join us for the movie. He said that Jesse arrived today, so he needed to wait.
Sherry: "Jesse's HERE?!"
Scott: "Yes."
He was, like 10 feet away from us. I'm blind. Well, he also cut his hair and is wearing hipster glasses now, and has grown a mustache, so I've got that going for me. He lives in Brooklyn now, producing music and stuff. I talked drum corps with him. Scott told him that I am the fan that really likes drum corps. That's me!!! I told him that it would be really cool if he could go to Indianapolis and see his family the same week of drum corps finals, and he'd be watching it in the same building as me. Yeah, that's a weird dream of mine. He doesn't even need to sit by me. Well, unless his dad comes with him, then they need to sit by me. :) I told him of my love for Vanguard, and he said, "Yeah, SCV. Their percussion is soooo good!" He likes to go to the indoor shows (WGI). Had other people not been there, I might have talked his ear off about all things drum corps. Seriously. He said that he just couldn't see himself taking off for a whole summer to do that.
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| With Mr. Leonard |
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| With 2 Mr. Leonards |
The posse and I went to the Beach Cafe for dinner, which is the 24-hour restaurant that KP and I went to for our first breakfast with Fred. My corned beef hash was yummy.
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| Piranha on table |
Wendy called shotgun for the next day's activities. She's quick, man. We got to ride in the one elevator that had the Rockapella sign in it. Yay! KP dubbed it the Pellavator.
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| PellaPusher in the Pellavator |
Next up: Day 4 / Back to the Riverside Hotel
