I park in the lot on the corner of Mission & Market. I checked out the Fox PAC website and this was one of the lots listed. The gates were up so it was a free for all. Plenty of parking, although I'm not always wary of things that are too good to be true. Oh well. They can't tow 300 of us in 2 hours. I hope.
 |
| Balcony house right |
Fox Performing Arts Center looks like an old Spanish fort. It's got an old time ticket window out front that is more for decortation than functionality. From the outside it doesn't look like a proscenium is inside. Fox is tiny. Probably seats about 1,500, a perfect setting for this kind of act. Since I'm a venue geek I like to roam around to check out the digs. The thing I was most impressed with? The bathrooms. They were clean, sleek, still had old time charm with the white subway tiles but the thing that stuck out was the cavernous feel to them. It's not often you find this kind of space in a venue bathroom, much less an older venue, much less a WOMAN'S bathroom. Kudos Fox.
 |
| View from the FOH mix |
There were a deceiving number of levels to the theatre but only 2 for seating: the balcony and the main floor. At 7.35p I head to the balcony where a 25 year old usher tells me I can take a pic but that pictures are not allowed "at all" during the performance. How adorable. Yeah, whatever sweetie. The balcony was cozy and a comfortable distance to the stage. Not terribly deep either so I'm guessing the experience from there wasn't bad for the price. If I weren't a snob I'd buy balcony seats for one of these shows just to get the experience. Maybe if I hit a 2-date stop I'll check out the cheap seats for one of them. The only complaint I had was that the ushers didn't wear nametags or anything that identifyed them as ushers. They were good about making sure you knew who they were but when I had a question it was awkward to interrupt their conversations with patrons hoping that they were in fact ushers.
 |
| Botti (but look at Lefebvre. Hee hee) |
They had 3-4 ticket takers scanning tickets at the door. At first mine scanned "stop." It's funny, I know full well my ticket had never been scanned because I was the original purchaser and I didn't resell it so in theory there should only be one unique barcode. We have issues with third party brokers reselling multiple copies of the same ticket scamming people so I found the whole excercice entertaining and interesting. In the end the ticket taker just switched the device to scan me back out and in again. All's well.
 |
| Botti on Caruso |
7.47p I head to my seat. Section VIP, Row 2, Seat 101. House right, on the end. Perfect. I have to tell you that in my environment it's unheard of that a regular patron can just go on Ticketmaster and get this seat. But that's exactly what I did. I come from the world of casino & promoter ticket holds - meaning the casino and the promoter hold back most of the prime seat locations for their guests, VIP fan clubs, ticket packages, whatever. The closest Joe Schmo can hope to get when casually buying off Ticketmaster is the upper deck. I am always shocked at the availability Botti gives his fans, either via tickets or personal accessibility. Shocked. I take the long walk down the isle to the orchestra pit. There are 2 rows right off the stage separated by a partial barrier to the first row. I'm on the end so even though I'm in the 2nd row there isn't anyone sitting in front of me. I'm 4' from the stage which is only 3' high. I don't suppose Botti gets too may stage divers. Being so close is fun because you get to see things that you wouldn't from 20 rows back but it does have it's drawbacks. I'll get to those later.
 |
| Campbell, Fischer & Botti on Nessun |
Around 7.50p Jeremy Plotnikoff is checking out the stage, places water and Botti's mute. I'm continualy amazed that they just drop that thing, wherever, however. Sorted musicians start hitting the stage, quietly warming up. The cellist on the end is scrolling thru her iPhone. Maybe she's Tweeting like me. She's prob emailing her manicurist for an acrylic fill on her nails. They're enormous.
Botti crowds don't vary too much. Upper middle class, predominately older couples but this time I see more younger ones than in St. Louis. 80% white, 5% African-American, 15% other (and yes I'm in the 'other'). I happen to notice the current walk in music is Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now.
8.00p and Jeremy is darting thru the orchestra pit and around the stage. Clearly something was either missed, missing or messed up. I wish I knew. I find that just as interesting as the music. But that's because, like I said, I'm a venue geek. (Turns out the audio engineer hadn't brought Botti's mic back to the dressing room so he was running around trying to find it.)
 |
| Campbell & Botti on Emmanuel |
8.04p Conductor Straiton & band hit the stage, spattering of applause. Then Botti walks on and full on crowd eruption. Begins like all shows with Ave Maria into When I Fall In Love followed by Caruso.
The set list is the same so I like to take note of things that are different. After Caruso Botti introduces Caroline Campbell. Everyone looks stage right for her entrance. Nothing. I see Jeremy look quizzingly and dash away. Botti realizes he's confused his set list and it turns it into a great comedic diversion. That's the beauty of him. He's comfortable winging it on stage. I'd imagine it's because he does it with his instrument every night. So in lieu of Caroline he corrects himself with the story leading up to Miles Davis' Flamenco Sketches.
Up next is a favorite of all the Live In Boston fans, Hallelujah. Because Whitfield was literally right in front of me, I had the best vantage for this tune. So cool and intimate to actually hear them take breaths or hum or shuffle their feet.
Look Of Love with Lisa Fischer is after Hallelujah. So beautiful. Because I'm so close I noticed things I didn't before. Tonight was shoes. Lisa has some serious high strappy sandal platforms. Like 4' high, high. Caroline doesn't wear shoes, Botti's got military-shiny buffs on his and Whitfield has on military boots that were so substantial that I tried to take a pic of them. It didn't really turn out. Where do you even get a pair of boots like that? Like I said, I'm noticing things I don't normally. Sorry.
 |
Whitfield: bad boy of jazz
has some bad ass boots on! |
Finally Botti gets to officially call out Caroline Campbell for Emmanuel. She's in a gold lamay v-neck sleeveless gown. She's so thin you can see here sternum bones. You know how people say their dogs resemble their owners? This is a case of a violinist resembling her instrument. I'm just jealous. I'd love to be that defined.
9.05p Intermission. Sitting next to me is an adorable couple who look to be in their 70s. She's got a fur on so once again, my seatmates are not worried about their social security benes running out. They're from San Diego and drove up to see the show. Turns out they saw Botti at his Vegas date at Texas Station last year when I did. We reminisced about how great that show was, how the energy transformed the place despite the lack of an orchestra. He commented on Chloe, the guest singer Botti had that night. "What a voice." They've seen him a couple other times too. That's what I wanna do when I'm 70. Travel with my hubby to see great music, at my leisure. Now all I need is to find a hubby. But that's another post entirely. During the performance I was sneaking pics. The cute couple asked, "Did you get any good shots?" No, mostly thought because I'm using my BlackBerry. I hate this phone. I may have to bite the bullet and buy my own iPhone and just use the CrackBerry for work. The thought of carrying around 2 phones makes my stomach turn though.
 |
| Botti & Childs after encore |
Jeremy is going over things with the stage manager (presumably). Something was going wrong with the audio during the show. Luckily I'm so close I hear the music directly from the instruments and the fill speakers in front of me so I don't notice much. I did hear a couple of audio pops but the casual listener wouldn't really care. Speaking of Jeremy, looks like the kid got his haircut. He's got that fresh, clean cut look tonight.
So back to my comment about pros and cons of being this close to the stage. It's good for all the obvious reasons. But what I didn't anticipate is how you miss out on the group dynamic. There are 1,500 people behind me and instead of feeling like I'm with them, I'm separated. I couldn't gauge the overall energy of the theatre. Yeah, I know. Boo hoo. Poor me. But it's an odd sensation. I don't like not knowing what's going on behind me.
9.17p The orchestra is heading back to the stage. The cellist is back on her iPhone. Jeremy & the house guy are still milling around the stage, fussing. (I heard after the show when I walked by the mix, the stage manager said, "It's the sound guy's fault." They were unaware I eavesdropped on their comment and said, "Isn't it always.")
 |
| Hallelujah |
9.20p They're back with the song that keeps me paying for a ticket to the same show: The Very Thought Of You. The Snaps. This time Botti & Fischer head out to the audience. They start out house left but at some point Botti meanders to house right, right next to me. It's weird though. When he's so close I don't feel like I can actually look at him. Like it would be rude. (For the prudes, skip immediately to the next paragraph!) Plus I'm sitting and he's standing and he arches his back sometimes so his junk is like right there. Yeah, I know some girls would be thrilled but I'm a little more subtle than that. Quite awkward.
Botti gave his standard line, "Where'd ya go?" referring to the audience that has stopped snapping. They immediately start back up again. Botti & Fischer head back to stage and finish up with Whitfield fading to delicate silence.
 |
| Kilson chomping gum |
Botti introduces and thanks the conductor Walt Straiton and the
Corona Pops Symphony Orchestra. I have to say Straiton looked like he was having a blast. He's got a warm smile. He kinda looks like Terry Fator, the ventriloquist who won America's Got Talent a few year's back and now has his own gig at the Mirage. I wish I could have spoken with him.
Cinema Paradiso is next. Always a favorite. Even when you hear it hundreds of times it's so wispy and nuanced that one never tires of it. At least I don't. For me it brings back the images of the movie. Of Toto and Elena in love. Of Toto on the handle bars of the bike. The end kissing scene is perfection.
 |
| Lefevbre on bass |
Kilson kills it on Indian Summer. I Tweeted to Tim Lefebvre that he and Kilson both make faces like they're on the shitter. (Hey, this is a blog not a NY Times review.) But they do. Lefebvre looks like he's in a death metal band but plays with such tenderness and touch that sometimes I have to close my eyes to not get distracted by the juxtaposition. He makes me laugh. He's like 10' tall, lanky and looks like he just got done puking in a trash can from a previous night's exploits. People like that are always the most fun to hang out with.
 |
| Joann & Plotnikoff on Nessun Dorma |
 |
| Take a bow, Joann. You deserve it! |
 |
| Had to get a pic with superstar Joann! |
For the Nessun Dorma gag Botti calls an up audience member named Joann. She's had her arms up in the air with her 'Amens' all night praying to the temple of Botti. She's even had a couple conversations - mid show - with him. Totally comical. He calls her up on stage to take the sticks and she just hops right up, hugs him, goes to the mic and talks to us, almost like she's a plant, not a real audience member. Whitfield has to grab her arm and drag her to the drums. Adorable. This girl's got spunk, no fear. She does her thing and takes a bow. I wasn't a fan of the Nessun gag but after seeing Joann, I've change my mind. I guess it completely depends on the person he picks. If (s)he's got personality, the gag works. If not, it's a dud.
Botti ends by asking the orchestra to take a bow and hit the bar. He finishes up with Childs on his childhood inspiration My Funny Valentine. This song has now become a toss up for me as my favorite. It's Valentine, Paradiso & The Snaps.
 |
| Money shot |
10.27p The show ends and Botti announces quite casually he'll be signing CDs in the lobby. Place clears out quite quickly. I originally get in line for an autograph and realize that I don't actually have anything for him to autograph. I refuse to buy another CD with music I already got off of iTunes and signing a Ticketmaster print-at-home ticket is not exactly save-worthy so I hop into the "picture" line.
 |
| Autograph/picture line in lobby |
After he's done signing autographs he does quick pics with people. This never ceases to amaze me. But this time what I realized is how conscientious Jeremy is. He's actually the one taking the pics. He takes your camera, YOUR camera, and takes the pic for you. He's been doing this so long and seen so many different smartphones, PDAs & digital cameras that he knows them all. How to focus, zoom, reset. He actually retook pics for people (including me) when they didn't turn out so well. For one sweet Asian couple he actually set them to the side to see if they could clean their lens and let them come back and redid their pics. This is unheard of for someone to do, much less a tour manager. When it was my turn he took a pic of me with Botti. Then he said, "Wait, let's do it again," and took a second. On my way out I looked at both and was grateful once again. The first one was ok and would suffice but Jeremy took the time and care to snap another knowing full well there were 100 people in line behind me. These guys know how to create an experience for the people shelling out $100 to see their show.
 |
| Childs & Botti My Funny Valentine |
I was thinking there's a distinct similarity between the 2 shows I saw within a 24 hour period: Lady Gaga & Chris Botti. They both have a remarkable ability to connect with their audiences and on a deeper level with their fan base. While Gaga didn't announce on stage she'll be signing autographs in the lobby after her show, she did do a m&g with about 50 people backstage after her Grand Garden Arena show. I watched how she interacted with them. This wasn't just a part of her job. She gets something out of this. At one point one of my guests was about to leave after the pic and autograph and Gaga stopped her and asked her assistant to go grab some bracelets to give to them as a gift. It wasn't like it was a big deal but it was a small gesture that my guests will remember for a lifetime. Jeremy taking the time to get quality pics for us is the same thing. It shows they get that this is an experience for us, as ridiculous as it sounds. And it makes me better at my job too because I see how happy it makes people, me being one of them, so I try to do the same even when I'm a crabby brat and all I wanna do is get these people out of my venue and go home.
 |
| AZ CB M&G |
Got my pic done around 11.00p and after a quick potty break I'm on the road back to Vegas by 11.11p. The air from Riverside thru the Cajon pass was thick with fog. I brought my 4-disk Sinatra Reprieve collection and sang my ass off to pass the time. It's funny, I can't remember what time doors are for the ACMs but can remember the words to virtually every track on that box set. I made it home by 2.25a - just over 3 hours. Not bad. Not a bad night at all.
For more photos (albeit crappy) head to my Facebook page. 
Evidently your subtly didn't extend to your article. It was just plain crude. I don't know anyone who is more careful than Chris to dress conservatively. You probably made him self conscious. Your writing is interesting. Don't ruin it with crude remarks.
ReplyDelete