07.06.12 Chris Botti @ Smith Center - Las Vegas, NV

Smith Center - Reynolds Hall

Aside from the intimacy of seeing Chris Botti at the Blue Note, this may have been the best Botti show I've seen, sans orchestra. Granted, I haven't seen as many shows as some but I've seen my fair share. 

Botti in the audience

The Smith Center is beautiful at worst. I'm a venue brat at the MGM Grand Garden Arena so I have a fine eye for event management. Their staff was amazing and gives me ideas on how to improve the arena. Granted, they've prob only got 50 employees and I have over 300+ but given the way they took care of me, I learned a great lesson. Great lesson. Only they know what I mean when I say a sincere, "Thank you."

On stage at Smith Center

Botti is a ridiculously great performer. Yes, he's a genius at the trumpet, grammy nominee, sought-after entertainer, blah blah blah - but what makes him a great 'performer' is his relationship with his audience. He's warm, familiar, funny, kind and giving. Like the perfect boyfriend. And beyond that is what he does to his audience. His temperament makes the rest of us want to make friends with our seat-mates. I have no idea how this happens but it does. At my first 2 shows I was so vain as to think it was me who made this happen; the people sitting next to me wanted to talk to me because I was so charming. It wasn't until 4-6 shows later that I realized it was him who made this environment happen. I'm just an average schmo. Botti makes the camaraderie. That's a talent. The naive me would say he doesn't even know he does this but he's a marketing machine. He knows. Otherwise he wouldn't be as successful as he is. Smart man. Smart tour manager. Smart agent. 

Backstage @ Smith Center 

I could babble on an on about his great performance, the set list and the amazing ensemble but - been there, done that. What made this show extraordinary was the sound and the atmosphere of the Smith Center. I will never pay for a Botti show anywhere else in Vegas unless he's playing the Smith. No disrespect to my colleagues at Station Casinos but you simply cannot beat an orchestra hall. Cannot.

He's so accessible

On a personal note, I had an amazing time. Botti's tour manager Jeremy was nice enough to give me a quickie tour of the place before the show and do a quick M&G with his artist. I put my foot in my mouth (shocker, I know) by saying to him something like, "Go kick some ass tonight!" I don't think Botti appreciated my vulgarity given the fact there were other people in the room, including a little old lady, but he was a good sport. 

I sat next to an amazing couple who couldn't say enough about Botti. "I told my grandson I was going to see Chris Botti. He was like, 'who'?" He wanted to bring him to the show to let him hear a different genre of music but it wasn't to be… this time. They were prob 55-ish, successful, articulate, adorable, unpretentious & fun. I love meeting people like this. It's not often you see this calibre of concert-goer at, say, Deadmau5.

Back to the show… there were some regular faves like The Very Thought of You (with 'the snaps'), Hallelujah, The Look of Love & My Funny Valentine & Nessun Dorma but he also had some of his new stuff from the album Impressions. As many times as I've seen Botti, I never bore of him. It's like peeps following the Grateful Dead or Dave Matthews or 311 - only we bathe & don't smoke pot. It's not necessarily Botti himself; it's the sound & feeling that comes out of his horn and the relationship he creates with his audience. My friends all call "bullshit" when I say this because, let's face it, the guy's gorgeous, that's why scores of girls drag their boyfriends to see this "jazz dude." But beauty eventually fades and you come back to the talent; you come back to the sound. This is why Botti keeps selling out venues across the world. When he's 70, ok, maybe girls won't swoon but he'll have some fucking great stories to tell! (Actually, I still swoon @ Tony Bennett so… maybe? Christ, I named my dog after him - Bennett, not Botti.)

Caroline Campbell & me

After the show I was fortunate enough to get a pic with Caroline Campbell, violinist extraordinaire. Normally I loathe beautiful, blond, thin, talented girls like this but she's so kind and warm, I couldn't help but adore her. Yeah, I'm a jealous, superficial, prejudiced idiot. I admit it. I wish I looked like her and had her talent. But I love being proved wrong. She was not only lovely but put up with my antics. Again, class act. My only contribution is hopefully I can be the butt of a joke they talk about on the road; I deserve it. 

The bow

I know there are only like 5 people who read my blog (especially since I took down all of my posts about the Grand Garden Arena shows) but if you do and haven't seen Chris Botti - go. GO. GO! His ticket prices are affordable, he puts on a truly unforgettable performance and some of his songs will bring you to tears, not in a sappy way but in an I-never-thought-I'd-be-moved-by-music kind of way.

And a very sincere, special thank you to Jeremy - you know why. Love you kid. 

Impressions

Chris Botti's new album Impressions is out today. Grab it. 

12.19.11 Chris Botti @ The Blue Note - New York, NY

Botti doesn't disappoint

Once again Chris Botti subdues his crowd into a jazz coma. And I mean that in a good way. He's got some new peeps on this one, save Billy Kilson & Lisa Fischer. Geoffrey Keezer on the piano, Assia Ahhatt from the Ukraine on violin, Carlitos Del Puerto on bass and (after much guesswork and google, I think) Leonardo Amuedo on guitar.

Venice

When I Fall In Love

Emmanuel

Flamenco Sketches

You Are Not Alone

Hallelujah

Look of Love

The Very Thought of You

Italia

Indian Summer

My Funny Valentine

The 10.30p crowd

You just can't beat the Blue Note for jazz. It's easily the most intimate music joint around. Unpretentious, friendly and entirely New York. As I was standing outside with the 10.30p crowd waiting to get in, Greenwich Villagers walked by saying, "Someone good must be playing tonight." It was a perfect NYC night. Not too cold, no wind, overcast. After seeing a half-dozen Botti shows I will never again see him without an orchestra or outside of the Blue Note. He's good but once you hear him with the backing of strings, horns & reeds, there is no comparison. The Blue Note is the only place that can rival the monumental feel of an orchestra - because it's so intimate. If your only option is to see Botti with just his band - go. But if you can hop a flight an hour to see him with an orchestra or in NYC over Christmas, it's worth the trip.

Mussels @ Barrio 47

Before hitting the Blue Note I drop by Barrio 47 in the West Village. I say West Village like I know the place when in truth I'm a lost soul in NYC. But that's the fun part, discovering. My pal & COO of Golden Boy Promotions David and his wife Kim's brother-in-law owns the joint. I had a couple drinks and the mussels. Yummy. It's a tiny place (albeit normal for NY) but adorable. I highly recomend. It's on the corner of 8th & West 4th.

My seat

Around 10.45p I make my way into the Blue Note. Table 7 on the end. Perfect. Great angle and I was on the isle. I couldn't have picked a better seat. The girl across from me was telling our table-mates how she was there for the 8.00p show. Kinda went on about the show, seemingly showing off her knowledge of Botti. "He does an homage to Miles Davis," she says. While I love exposing people to CB and my journeys, when hearing about my Year of Botti, it comes out as borderline stalking. So I kept my mouth shut.

Jeremy Plotnikoff, Botti's tour manager is doing his thing, setting up the stage, checking the drums. He walks by me and gives me a little kiss on the top of my head, "Hi Amy." I feel kind of like an ass that he recognized me, like I was just busted but it's sweet. I look over and see Bobby Colomby, Botti's manager, with some peeps on the upper level. He looks like he is having a good time. Hard not to at this show. Good gig repping Botti.

The sound quality at the Blue Note
is amazing. 

I order a bottle of my favorite wine, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and sit back to enjoy. I'm actually surprised they have it. The Blue Note, while wildly popular for jazz is not know as a culinary or vinous mecca. 

He opens not with his normal Ave Maria 90 second note-hold but instead with Venice. It's a little more upbeat. Better with the Latin feel of Carlitos and Leonardo. 

Assia Ahhatt pops up in her gown for Emmanuel. She's dark & mysterious. The kind of woman who is beautiful but a little scary, who might lock you in cel with whips & chains, and you'd like it. Very Lucy Lawless a la Xena, Princess Warrior. God I hope she doesn't google herself and find this blog. I have a feeling she could kick the shit out of me.

Botti & band

One of the best surprises was Botti's rendition of Michael Jackson's You Are Not Alone with Leonardo. So soulful but subtle. It was by far my favorite song of the night, might be my favorite, to date. He mentioned at the m&g this song would be on the new album. If all the other songs sucked I'd still pay $14.95 for that song alone. Yeah, Ms. Zoffee actually got teary-eyed but I blame the Chateauneuf and the wafting musk of someone near me. I don't cry. At least not that you know.

About 1/2 way thru the set I look behind me at the bar. It's packed. Packed! I am surprised that it's that crowded at 11.00p on a Monday night. It's a testament to Botti's drawing power. Even though he's doing a 2+ week stint at the Blue Note, NYC can't get enough of him. There were a couple of empty seats at the table on the side behind the stage but that's about it. Earlier in his run the tickets are a little cheaper than later. I paid more for my wine that the ticket.

Lisa Fischer belts it out

Lisa Fischer belts out Look of Love. It's one of my favorite songs but honestly when Botti & Fischer perform it, I think it's too fast. I've said that before so my critique is no surprise. Better slower. It's like they can't keep up with their own pace. Rushing. But to each his own. I'm sure most people love it. I'm just a whiny, ungrateful bitch. 

Fischer has an amazing range. It's shown off by Italia, better known sung by Andrea Bocelli. It's not my favorite on the setlist but still brings a standing ovation by some in the crowd. She's so beautiful & talented. I've seen her in that dress before and all I can think of is, she's got to have on Spanks because there isn't a body part out of place! Ah, the things girls notice.

Cicely Tyson's birthday

Guest star of the night, Cicely Tyson. She is so tiny. Great looking lady, spunky. Botti gave a very warm welcome and we all sang Happy Birthday while the manager brought her a cake. Hard to tell by the pic but that's her in the back.

The night ended with My Funny Valentine. It was a short set but packed with energy and emotional tones. Botti caps off the evening by greeting his guests upstairs with pictures and autographs. There are probably 25 people up there. I wait about 10 minutes and Botti takes a photo with yours truly. After, Jeremy asks me about my buddy Mick Treadwell. I have a feeling Micky chatted me up a bit more than I deserved. Jeremy is a kind soul, warm smile. I have no idea how he handles the traveling schedule but kudos to him. What a way to see the world, 10-fold.

I head back to the Washington Square Hotel for a couple hours sleep before hopping on a flight back to Vegas & my haunt at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. God WSG has great sheets & robes. Short trip. Perfect trip. City to city 27 hours. I'm typing this on my MacBook Air and am glad to see Delta has  an outlet because I've only got 41 minutes of power left. Too bad both outlets in my row don't work. Bastard. Where's an ethernet cord when I need it. (End note: the flight attendant fixed it; he turned on the outlet. Jackpot! I'm glad I asked.)

The Year of Botti

My Year of Botti has come to a close; bookends at the Blue Note. I had an amazing time and am so grateful I had the means, time and opportunity for this spectacular journey. In the end I learned to appreciate my life much more than I could ever appreciate the sounds from Botti's trumpet but then that was the goal - find truth in myself thru music. Thanks to the many restaurants, hotels, plane rides, cabs, bars, symphony halls & concert venues who took such great care of me along the way. And to Chris, Jeremy, Billy, Mark and the entire Botti crew, thank you for a sensational trip. I owe you one. Cheers. -Amy

Time To Say Goodbye

While The Year of Botti is technically over (no more Botti concerts on the horizon) a couple people have reminded me (thanks @jerkstore23) that Botti isn't the only topic I've covered on my blog. So I'm gonna try and go back to writing about my take on the the shows at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. I'm sure I'll do the occasional rant about my idiotic love life (after all I am still me) but I'll try and keep it to a minimum. 

Up next we have Pacquiao vs. Marquez III. "Grand" arrivals being tomorrow with Juan Manuel Marquez live in the lobby of the MGM Grand @ noon. Pacquiao makes his entrance Tuesday @ noon. Presser is on Wednesday @ noon but only open to credentialed media. The weigh in is Friday with doors @ 1.00p; fighters hit the scale around 3.00p. Pacquiao & Marquez weigh ins will be live on ESPN. I think the hit is at 3.15p-ish so if you can't make it to the Grand Garden tune into ESPN. We're also playing it live in the sportsbook. The fight is Saturday night. Doors to the arena are at 3.00p. Undercard fights start around 3.05p-ish. We go live on HBO PPV at 6.00p. There are 3 PPV undercard fights before the main event. 

The Year of Botti was a blast and a great experiment but as with everything it too has ended. Thanks for the great adventure CB. But for now it's Time To Say Goodbye. 

07.14.11 Chris Botti @ Davies Symphony Hall - San Francisco, CA

Botti & Whitfield: Hallelujah

Another fantastic show. Botti and his crew lay it on the line every night when they entertain the masses.

By the time I got to Davies Symphony Hall I was toasty. Dinner at Bourbon Steak in the Westin St. Francis courtesy of my friends at Seablue. Note to self: wine flights are never a good idea before a show, Botti or otherwise. But let's avoid stating the obvious. It's so gauche.

Davies Hall is lovely. It was a perfect summer day in San Francisco. Still light out. I wish I'd taken a pic of the square where the Symphony is located. Old, austere buildings a la NYC. So beautiful. Makes me wish I didn't live in the adult Disneyworld called Vegas. Oh well. That's what travel is for. I arrived around 7.30ish. Lots of people milling about. I think there was a show at the Opera House too. Once again the average age was prob 50. SF has a higher class crowd than at any other place I've been. Lots of money roaming around here. It felt liberally snooty but not stuffy.

The lobby of Davies Symphony Hall

I get my print at home ticket scanned and head up the stairs to the bar. Yeah, not a good idea but it's already too late. Bubbles. $11 per glass. Not bad actually but I've got Vegas mentality. No drinky inside the hall though so down the hatch it goes.

I head to my seat. Yeah, it's good. No idea how I got it but I did. Front row, end of the row, house right - directly in front of the stairs they walked down to head to the audience. The only downside of my seat is that I can't really see the orchestra in full. The loge would have been better. Walking the stage doing his checks is Botti's tour manager, Jeremy Plotnikoff. I think he patted me on the head as he walked up the stairs.

Me with Billy Kilson

I nestle in and the orchestra starts taking their seats. Then out walks Billy Kilson & Mark Whitfield. They're chatting. I have lots of liquid courage in me so I scrunch my finger at Billy to come hither. He does. I ask him if he'll take a pic with me. He obliges. What a doll. He doesn't hang out to sign or take pics after the show so I'm pretty happy I got this. Mark is warming up 5 feet in front of me. I snap a pic of him too. "At least let me know so I can pose," he says. Or something like that. I snap another one. Good man. Thanks for humoring me. He doesn't do the lobby-dance either so double coup.

Whitfield goofing around

The show was much like the rest - and I mean that in a completely complimentary way. I know some people have seen his show upwards of 50-100x. I'm at like 4 I think and it never gets old. The familiarity is comforting. Even his banter, much the same, is charming. I think that's a testament to how good his music is. Like an old standard you can listen to over and over and never tire of it. You hear different nuances, tones, each time. Yeah, I'm sure Botti and band get bored playing the same shit over and over, night after night, but you wouldn't know it. Occasionally Kilson's face can't hide his boredom but that's his charm. And you simply cannot beat the backing of a live orchestra. The fullness. It's like Thanksgiving Dinner. The food can be perfect on its own but when you add the laughter of family, that's what fills the soul. That's what the orchestra does for Botti. His band alone is excellent but add the orchestra and you've got a layer that surrounds the room with goodness.

A couple of surprises. Once in particular. Tonight it wasn't Caroline Campbell or Aurica Duca on the fiddle. It was Lucia Micarelli of Treme fame. Holy shit. Very cool. She's got a much different presence on stage than the other 2 women I've seen play with Botti. Hard to explain. She's more seductive, richer. The other gals can play the violin like nobody's business but Lucia brings more theatre and drama to the stage. Prob why she's a musician turned actress.

Botti on the floor

Lisa Fischer heads out and I take this opportunity to make a beeline for the loo. I know it's not good taste but I had to go. No way I could sit thru her song and not pee my pants. Poor timing. I know. Before I head back in I hear one of the ushers say something about intermission. I've been to enough shows to know it's coming soon so I wait. I don't want to make a scene by going in while they're performing. It was bad enough I made my exit when I did. I did have a fun conversation with the staff there though. It's fun for me to talk shop with other venue kids around the country. It was funny, the bartender was complaining that they weren't on schedule for the intermission. "They're 20 min late," he says. For the patrons, we don't care. But for him this is a job. I get it kid. I'm the same way. When McCartney is on stage and deviates from his set list all I can think about is him doing a runner off the stage and into his caravan, I wanna go home.

The 'young' musician

I head back in for the second half. Great. Botti does the snaps with Lisa on The Very Thought of You and is right next to me just like in St. Louis. Again, I'm continually amazed I was able to just purchase this front row seat online. I come from the world of massive promoter & casino holds, VIP ticket packages and all the other bullshit that steals excellent seats like this from average people. It's one of the great things about Botti but also a testament to his niche. He's big enough to sell out 200 shows a year (or whatever) but not too big to fall prey to the promotion-monster. Good boy. Keep it that way and you'll keep your fan base.

At some point Botti asks if there are any young musicians in the audience. A guy yells out from the loge behind me, "I am." Botti chides, "How old are you?" I think the guys said, "37." He was old, almost my age. Kinda funny. Anyhow, he was the chosen one for the Nessun drum assist. He was actually funny. Not as funny as Joann the "Amen, hallelujah, praise Jesus" gal in St. Louis, but still good. He made the gag work. In hindsight given the average age of the audience, he was a kid.

Me & Botti

Show's over so time to head to the lobby for the money shot. Proof positive I am actually at another Botti show and can continue this ridiculous blog. His autograph line was pretty long. It moved quickly though. The group who stuck around after for a pic was much smaller, usually is. Botti was a trooper, put up with my drunken shenanigans and pursed his lips for a pic with me. Lovely chap. His right hand man Jeremy was good for putting up with me too.

Botti hits Vegas in October, just before my birthday. I've already got my team working on it. I've got some good friends in high places. At least for this show I get to take friends so they can hear the sounds of Botti's crew. I have an invite to head to the Phoenix show the next day but I'd end up hanging with Mick all night instead of watching the show, and truthfully, I'm not sure his tour manager wants to see me hanging backstage with the promoter. Those two worlds colliding would prob make him uncomfortable.

So the Vegas October date may be the end of The Year of Botti. Not sure what the hell I'm gonna call this blog after but I'll figure it out. 

07.14.11 Bourbon Steak - San Francisco, CA

So here we go. Next stop on the year of Botti is San Francisco with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. When I originally booked this I was supposed to have a fight on Saturday so I planned on a short trip. 26 hours. I prob should stay in SF a litle longer and explore the city but truthfully I kinda just wanna see Botti and get home. But I'm going to try and relax, forget about my adolescent bachelor-type behavior for the past 7 days and just live in the moment.

Somehow when I went online to purchase the ticket I got front row center, house right. Perfect. Not sure how that happened. Maybe just smart luck. I'm excited to see another Botti concert with an orchestra. When he's here in Vegas @ GVR he's just with the band. Still a good show but you can't beat the sound of him backed by strings, horns and reeds. Simply amazing. Full. I've seen enough shows to know he doesn't disappoint. Although sometimes he's off his game a little, or the audience doesn't connect. Then the show is still good but lacks that spark that keeps you coming back for more. Can't wait for the chills with the snaps on The Very Thought Of You.

I'm sitting at gate D36 at LAS. We're a couple minutes from boarding the short jaunt. I miss traveling. I miss the rush of an upgrade, of anonymous glances, everyone wondering what everyone else is doing. I'm connecting thru LAX to SFO. Yeah, I prob could have booked a direct flight on a discount carrier but my miles are all on Delta and I'm still a travel snob. I'll go 3 hours out of my way if it means I can get the upgrade, even on a 1 hour flight. It's more about the access it gives you thru the airport than on the plane. And I like the solitude and isolation of being on a plane. It's like a moment trapped in time. You can't go anywhere so you might as well sit back, relax and enjoy the time to think about all the things you want to do in life. To dream.

People are leaving Vegas for home. I'm leaving my home from Vegas. People counting their money, recounting their tales of their lame-ass version of The Hangover. Most prob had a good time. I'm sure some have regrets of cheating on their wives, losing more money than they can afford and just want to get back to reality. This is my reality. Scary. Fun. I've been living a rock-n-roll lifestyle the past week. Like irresponsible stuff. Nothing I can't recover from but things out of character for me. There's no way I can sustain this but for now it's my life and until I have to, I'm not gonna apologize for it. Although I prob should apologize to the tequila guy. I called him the wrong name all night.  Terrible. If I were a man and did that to a woman, I'd get crucified. 

Now sitting at CPK @ LAX. Flight delayed out of LAS, then connection delayed due to fog in SFO. Fog in San Fran? What are the odds. I'm still good though. Got plenty of time to check in & make it to Bourbon Steak @ the Westin St. Francis. It's a Michael Mina restaurant so my pals form Seablue are hooking me up. Can't wait. But if there are too many more delays I'll never make it to the show tonight. I'm fully anticipanting the Sommelier @ Bourbon is gonna fill my glass til I can't stand. Pace yourself girl. Pace yourself... she says sitting sipping on her 3rd cocktail @ LAX.

Arrived at the Inn at the Opera. sweet little hotel. Quaint. Reminds me of Washington Square Hotel in NYC around the corner from the Blue Note. Von, the front desk guy was adorable. I think I kind of overwhelmed him with my lack of need. I came with a bag, no car, no luggage, no need for coddling. Just gimme my room key & wi-fi code and I'm good. I snuck outside to grab a cigarette before heading up. I caught up with the hotel manager. We made small talk about the bar. "When does your bar open?" I asked. "Well, it's not my bar." "Leased?" I said. "Yep. If it were my bar it would be open already." Good man. Very good man. So far I'm liking the hotel.

Just got a knock on the door for turndown service. Lovely. Time to freshen up from my much-too-long trip here and head to the bar for a glass of red before heading to Bourbon for dinner. Melissa text me. It's comped. It's so nice to have people taking care of me instead of being the one taking care of people. I guess this is called karma. Good karma I hope.

I'll post a full recap of Bourbon and the Botti concert late tonight. Can't wait for the Symphony. It's a good day!

Holy crap. Bourbon was incredible. Rodney & AJ took such great care of me that it was obscene. I had foie, ebi, marrow & wagu skirt. And with each, a wine pairing. Surprisingly my fav was a Reisling reco'd by AJ called Prager. I never knew they could be not-sweet. So yummy. The wagu was great as wagu should be. The foie delish but if you know me you know I do not like fruit mixed in with my stuff and this came with some sort of jam concoction around it. Blech. But the foie gras torchon (underneath circling the stone fruit) was like amazing sex-good. It's prob the same thing as the chicken liver they used to have at Seablue before they got rid of the tapas. I could eat that stuff all day.

Marrow was good. Small portion, nice presentation. But a nice surprise were the little fried marrow tater-tots. They're not called that but that's what they looked like. Sick-good. Little marrow explosions in your mouth. I would love to know how they fry those crispy but still keep the insides squishy.

Rodney sent out an ebi dish for me. The white fish was good but the better than the fish (with a subtle white chocolate sauce that didn't overpower) were the little chorizo medallions. I'm gonna get my foodie card pulled right now but give me a stack of White Castles with a box of those gobblers and I'll go to the electric chair happy.

Oh, did I mention the wine? Christ, I'm blaming AJ for getting me drunkety-drunk-drunk (more on that later). I'm not a big wine aficionado. I know what I like and rarely do I do pairings. But man am I glad I did. I didn't realize that wine changes in your mouth depending on the food you just took a bite of. Acidity and some other technical stuff AJ tried to explain. I didn't really care. All I know is that sweet became not sweet in 1 bite - and then back to sweet again. Huh? Crazy.

So right about now I'm feeling way too good to go to a Botti concert. I toyed with the idea of not leaving Bourbon and catching Botti another night. But I scooted my butt off the barstool, said goodbye and thank you to AJ & Rodney and headed to the cab line.

If Only For One Night

It's been a while since I've posted anything substantive. I kinda lost focus for a while but am trying to get it back. Turns out it's easy to fall back into bad patterns but not so easy to get back to doing the hard things in life. But I'm working on it. 

So the plan was to blog something every day for a year. It's just not realistic for me to do that so I'm not gonna beat myself up or backtrack and make stuff up just to appease my OCD. I'm only gonna write when I have something to say or when I feel like it. This is my life and I get to make up the rules - and break them when necessary. 

This weekend is Rush and Britney Spears. Looking forward to Rush because Tony is the security director for the tour. He and his wife have become great friends of mine. Tony is usually out with Aerosmith but I've had him in the building with J-lo and some others too. I'm excited to see Britney too. Her show is getting decent reviews and it seems to be more dancing & theatrical like Gaga or Madonna than your typical rock band. Talk about 2 different types of music though. Rush and Brit are 2 opposite ends of the music spectrum.

The countdown is beginning to my next Chris Botti show too. About 3 weeks and I'll be in San Francisco. He's playing with the San Francisco Symphony. So excited. I need a Botti fix. I need out of Vegas for awhile, If Only For One Night.

05.03.11 Pacquiao vs. Mosley Arrivals @ MGM Grand - Las Vegas, NV

Fighter arrivals, controlled chaos

Fighter arrivals are one big PR event staged for tv cameras, iPhones and the public. They're a cheap way to garner hype for the fight. 

Around 11.30a I headed up to the lobby of the hotel from the Grand Garden Arena, me and 10 guys in suits in tow. Those are my guys. When I round the corner from the elevator bank to the lobby I see a big crowd surrounding the ring, 360. I can't even see the bike rack separating them from the ring. On closer inspection the bike-racked area was pretty large so the initial crowd wasn't nearly as big as I originally thought. 

Fans for Sugar Shane

I head out to the porte cochere (valet area for those non-hoity-toity peeps) to get away from the crowds. For someone who hates being around crowds, I'm in a funny business. I meet up with Bo, the VP of Security for the property out under the porte. We shoot the shit for a while. He is one of my dearest friends. He used to work in the arena and together we had the funnest and crazy-busiest year of our lives. Some of the other security guys come over to tell us that Mosley is leaving his room. It's a casino with security and cameras everywhere. People track your every move. Sometimes when I'm at Seablue Bo will email me, "Hey, how's that NY Strip." He's watching me on the cameras. I just flip the camera the bird, lovingly of course. 

About 10 minutes later Sugar Shane Mosley's bus rounds the corner. Brilliant marketing scheme actually. The entourage exits the bus and a trail of people follow Mosley from the bus thru the gauntlet to the mini-ring in the lobby of the MGM Grand. He stops and takes a few pics with fans who are lining the bike rack. On one side a group of guys are chanting "Mosley..." and holding a huge red sign. Very American Idol.

Sugar Shane Mosley's bus

Mosley heads up into the ring along with a select group of A+ level members of the media and a handful of PR people. Mosley holds court in the corner of the ring while mics, booms, cameras and people are all in his face. He is an old pro at this though. Nothing phases him. At one point Mosley turns out towards the fans and they erupt in cheers. Mosley is very personable and has the most amazing eyes you'll ever see. He's also one of the nicest men you'll ever meet. Mosley wraps up and led by security he heads back behind the front desk to a secure back-of-house area to get to the media center for some one-on-one interviews.

Shane Mosley posing for the fans

I head back to the porte cochere for round 2, Pacquiao. While Mosley is a superstar-hall-of-famer in his own right, the majority of the fans are there to see Pacman. Mosley's bus was about 30 minutes late so I didn't expect Pacquiao's to be on time. They never are. About 12.55p Pacquiao's bus rounds the corner. Both fighter's buses are identical, save the face of the fighter. As I mentioned, it's all 1 big marketing campaign to sell pay-per-view and closed circuit tickets at this point because the live event is sold out. 

Manny Pacman Pacquiao's bus

When people start filing out of Pacquiao's bus, it's like a never ending clown car but x10. I don't know how many people he had in there but it had to be upwards of 30. They just kept coming. Finally we see Manny himself, his trainer Freddie Roach and the now famous (thanks to Showtime's Fight Camp 360) Fred Sternberg. The bus pulls away and we repeat the combine walk from the porte to the ring. Pacquiao too has fans with signs along with a group of Philipino traditional dancers. Think Mariachi's but female and in sherbert-colored prom dresses circa 1980. 

Manny's fans

Manny's got probably double the amount of press surrounding him. It's not because Shane is less interesting or the media doesn't care. Manny is not just a fighter, he's a public figure in every sense of the word. He's a congressman, a singer (cringe), a national hero and oh yeah, a great fighter. He's got the hopes and support of his nation on his shoulders. There have been many outstanding athletes and celebrities in the world but none that I can think of recently who have so much at stake. 

He does his interviews in the ring too and heads out the same was as Mosley - presumably. After I followed Pacman into the lobby and saw him enter the ring, I made a beeline back out to the porte because DQ and Trubes were there to pick me up for lunch at Metro Pizza. Hey, I've got my priorities straight. I wouldn't trade my lunches with them for anyone, not even a hall-of-fame boxer or congressman - well, maybe for a trumpet player.

For more pics with my crappy BlackBerry head to my Facebook page.

Easter Parade

Holy shit I'm going to church with Counselor this morning. Hey, at least I said 'holy.' Talk about an Easter Parade...


Around 8.00a this morning I sent a text to Counselor asking if he wanted to go to church with me for Easter. I didn't think he'd actually be up that early on a Sunday much less respond right away much less say sure he'd go. Just one of several things that shocked me today. He's Catholic but was a good sport and went to a Presbyterian church instead.


I pull into the parking lot at Green Valley Presbyterian Church and I saw him standing on the sidewalk checking his BlackBerry. I immediately smile. Crisp white dress shirt, pale blue striped tie, black slacks. Perfect. To me there's nothing better than a man in a white dress shirt and tie. I was early and he beat me there. Shocker #2. I thought for sure he'd either be late or wouldn't actually be there at all.


We walked in and took a seat in a pew on the house left side. The church is new, rustic beams in the ceiling but modern. Flatscreens all over too. Very non-traditional but it worked. I was a little worried we would have trouble finding a seat because it's Easter but there were plenty. I like sitting on the end so to the end we went. I like knowing I have an escape route.


As we're sitting there I see one of the arena Rock Docs and her hubby walk by. I say a quick hi. They're the only people I recognize, thankfully. The last thing I need is someone to try and recruit me.


The service was surprisingly smart. I'm used to the boring stories of how Christ rose from the dead, blah blah blah. But the pastor Kenneth Harper was a great speaker and kept my attention with contemporary, intelligent reasoning. No preachy-ness. To me he was more like a college lecturer than a pastor. My kind of God guy. I'll be back. Counselor said he like to come back too. It's actually just down the street from his church so we joked that we could alternate each Sunday going to his church, then mine. I know I'll go again. Him, I doubt it. Maybe but I doubt it. It would be nice to have someone who 'gets me' to go to church with though.


At the service they had a small horn trio and timpani drums along with the choir & handbells. Obviously I'm a big fan of the horns and loved hearing them play. I'm assuming they were only there because it was Easter much like back home at Central Presbyterian at Christmas. But I loved it nonetheless. The choir also sang great classics by Handel & Bach. I was so afraid they'd break out the electric guitars or tambourines in which case I told Counselor, "We're outa here."


Counselor and I both filled out the pew cards and stuffed offering envelopes. I don't know why but I was surprised by this (shocker #3). For some reason I thought he'd pass on that. I was glad he didn't.


The service ended and we walk out to the 75 degree Vegas weather. It really was a beautiful day. The kind of day that makes memories stand out more. We bumped into the Rock Dock again. Counselor is remarkably good at making conversation with people so he and the Rock Doc chatted a bit white I caught up with her hubby and his parents.


Counselor took me out to brunch at Green Valley Ranch after church. We had oysters, martinis and mahi-mahi. He was a bit shocked (this time it was his turn) that I ordered a martini but I wanted one. And I usually get what I want. I've been good for 389 days. I deserve one day to be bad. Oysters were great, mahi-mahi was so so, Sapphire martini was delish. I forgot how much I enjoyed them, and quite frankly, his company.


After lunch we hit the sportsbook to bet some horses. There are only 2 people I play ponies with: Counselor and Brener. I didn't hit anything, he hit on one of the last races at Hollywood. I was emailing Brener for tips. Of course most didn't win. But it's always fun to banter with Brener about horses so I didn't mind losing a couple bucks on his 3-6-9 box.


While Counselor was up at the betting window I make a quick call to my family to wish them a happy Easter. They were all at my parents' house. The phone made the rounds and I ended with my dad poking fun at me for actually going to church. "Did the ceiling crack?" he joked. "Nope, and lightening didn't strike me dead either. And I went with a Catholic." I love my dad. He's fun to joke around with. He's got a dry sense of humor.


Sometime around 3.00p Counselor's friend came to join us. He's a good kid, sober at this point, so it was entertaining to hear about his exploits from the night before. He's a bit out of control because he just broke up with his girlfriend, doesn't have job and is sleeping on his pal's couch but he'll be fine. He just needs to relax, focus and heal. Don't we all.


"Do you smoke cigars," Counselor asked. I do so I took it. It was pretty dried out but it wasn't bad. I love smoking cigars & blowing smoke rings. But that cigar led to cigarettes. I prob had 4 over the course of the late afternoon. Not terrible but unnecessary. I hole-heartedly admit I lost my will power on this one. But 4 cigarettes is not going to kill me so I'm not going to beat myself up about it.


6.00p-ish rolls around and we're hungry so the 3 of us head off to Pumi for sushi. That hit the spot. I could eat sushi every week. The sushi chef recommended "super white tuna" so we tried it. Possibly the most yummy sushi I've ever had. Like butter, creamy. Counselor flipped the bill for dinner too (shocker #4). He's pretty generous now. I just remember the days when he was broke and I paid for everything. It's nice to be taken care of sometimes.


After a bottle of sake and too many pieces of sushi to count we called it a night.


Church, oysters, cigar, martinis, ponies, cigarettes, sake & sushi. It was a great Easter. 

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

I saw Counselor last night. I got a call from his phone around 8.30p. It was actually his friend. They had just finished dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, one of Counselor's favorite places. In fact, it was where he and his ex-wife had their reception. His friend asked me to meet them out for a drink. We hemmed & hawed about a location. I said, "Maybe another night. How about next week." His pal kept at it and we settled on O'Aces. 

I threw on a pair of jeans and headed over. I was a little nervous. I hadn't seen Counselor since our impromptu dinner with J's family, sans J, back in October. And at that dinner we didn't really get a chance to talk because we were with J's daughter and parents. 

It actually ended up being a good night. Instantly it all came back to me how much fun I have with him, how alike (for better or worse) we are. At one point in the night his friend brought up the elephant in the room which is that Counselor and I haven't really spoken in years and that I've been avoiding him. It was true. I admitted it. I was heartbroken. I needed time to get over him. His buddy, already drunk, pulled us both in to hug and eventually kiss. It started with me kissing Counselor on the cheek, then a second one on his lips. I remember they were soft and I could feel his whiskers. A little awkward because his friend was in the middle of us but it felt uncomfortably familiar. 

At another point, and I don't really remember the sequence that all of this took place, his friend kept saying there was tension coming from me. I walked over to Counselor and hugged him to prove I didn't have any bad feelings toward him. He held me tight, rubbed my back and whispered, "I'm sorry Amy." I said, "I'm sorry too." Neither of us were innocent in what happened 5 years ago. I was simply the unlucky one who was in love with him and he didn't feel the same but went thru the motions anyhow. We held each other for a while, my hand resting on his chest. We fit well together. 

I learned a couple things during the 4 hours we spent. Stuff about his life he probably wouldn't love for me to share on a blog so I'll respect his privacy enough to leave it alone. But he's a little out of sorts. Yes, he broke my heart and yes I'm playing with fire by letting him back into my life on any level but I want to see him happy. We went over the full gamut of our dating status. I told him about M, at least parts of it. He told me about the girls he's been with. I think we're finally at a place where we're balanced in how we feel about each other. 

One thing that came up a couple of times was the fact I wasn't drinking or smoking. "I can't believe you're not drinking," his friend kept saying. It clearly bothered them more than me. When I'm out I don't really think about it at all. Now when they were smoking, I kinda wanted one of those. At a couple points in the night I wanted to light one up, not because I physically craved one but because I remember how I liked the feeling of it being in between my fingers. That was hard to stave off, especially when Smoke Gets In Your Eyes from them both smoking. But I didn't. And I'm pretty happy about that.

We ended the night like most. We made plans to go have lunch today at Mon Ami and then go bet the ponies. Of course none of that happened. He never called. I knew he wouldn't. For him making plans is a meaningless salutation like when you see someone and they ask, "How are you?" You really don't care or want to know; it's just something you say. Once I figured that out, I stopped being bitter about him standing me up. 

So I didn't waste a single moment today wondering when he was going to call - I knew he wasn't. Instead I did my 4 miles listening to Chris Botti, Jamie Cullum, Shirley Bassey, Maroon 5 & the Winans on my iShuffle and later took George Bennett for a long walk at the park. It was a great day. 

When Will I Be Famous

So I have this idea to write every day for an entire year. The name of the blog is The Year of Botti but it's really just a collection of random thoughts, a record of what I'm feeling at any particular moment. Botti is the catalyst, a jumping off point, something to keep continuity, and an excuse to burn some discretionary money on travel & entertainment. He's as good an excuse as any.

Since music is my focus I'm trying to link the daily blog titles to songs that have meaning to me, then tie that meaning to the content of the blog. Oftentimes in reverse order. 

Since I'm not a writer it's actually not easy to write every day, or more accurately to come up with a topic everyday. Some days it just flies off my fingertips but other days I sit listening to iTunes hoping for inspiration. I've got about 10 drafts of incomplete thoughts sitting in limbo and 10 more posts that I'd like to publish but they'd either get me fired, get me disowned or get me killed, none of which sound appealing at the moment.

The plan is to go back after a year and see if I can piece together a story from the 365+ blogs and turn it into a manuscript. From there maybe a book or a screenplay. Then off to Hollywood to collect my Oscar wondering When Will I Be Famous. Seriously though, I'm doing this for my brother who is dying of cancer and might not live to read all 365 posts, for my parents who don't know me on this level because let's face it, who wants to tell their parents they're a failure at the things that really count in life and for my unborn child who might never become anything more than an unfertilized egg. A snapshot of my life important to no one but me. I won't know if I can compile the posts into anything until I read all of them in a year. I'm only 68 days into it though so I've got a long way to go. An exercise in discipline & creativity - neither of which I have much... but I'm gonna fake the hell out of it. 

Nessun Dorma

I've got to be up in 31 minutes so what's the point of sleep? I'm just gonna pull an all nighter. This is the eve when Nessun Dorma. Instead I'm tapping on my Air with the pads of my fingertips because I just painted my nails. 

I toyed with the idea of bringing my Mac on vaca. It's certainly small enough. But I'm going to try unplugging for a couple of days. I'm not completely sans communication though. I'm bringing my CrackBerry. 

I am going to try hard to forget about everything at work, harder to forget about what the hell I'm doing with my life and hardest to move on from M. I hate that I still like him so much. I guess it's like a pot of boiling water - just takes awhile to cool off. Maybe floating on a raft in the crystal blue ocean listening to Chris Botti might help. I'm gonna say probably...

It's Alright

Man my feet hurt. Granted I've been in 3' heels all week, but still.

All Star Jam pre-set

The ACMs wrapped up last night with their All Star Jam in the Marquee Ballroom. It rolled along until 1.00a with a barrage of stars like Toby Keith & others that I wouldn't recognize if they took a shit on my doorstep. Many people think it's better than the actual awards show. You get better access; it's a more intimate feel, like seeing a Chris Botti show @ the Blue Note vs. U2 at the O2. Both great shows, just different experiences.

It's Monday morning 9.30a. I'm sitting in my spot in the back corner of the arena floor listening to a little Big Head Todd & The Monsters, It's Alright. It's where I come to clear my head and jot down some notes about the show while they're still fresh in my head. Plus, everyone knows where my office is so there's no place to spend a quiet moment - instead I hide in plain sight. 

The night went well. Not too many surprises. Typical award show event day stuff. There are so many moving parts it's hard to get a handle on all of them. Over the years I've come close but there is always the occasional curve ball. That's what makes them fun.

The riggers and lighting designers are on the stage getting ready for the Girls' Night Out show tonight. I used to hate the second show - mostly because by now my body is so tired it's rebelling against me. But this year I feel great. Not sure if it's my physical body that's to credit or if things this week have been that tame. Either way I'm grateful.

Girls' Night Out Star Chairs

The arena is eerily quiet. Coming in this morning it didn't feel like we have a show today. Now in the arena around 10a things are starting to pick up. Stage hands are striking our green chairs for some fancy gold ones where the "Women of Country" will sit for Girls' Night Out. Couple of other tweaks to the set and floor for the show tonight but other than the content, nothing too much will change. That's the whole point behind doing this Monday show. It's almost a 2-fer-1. Cuts your production costs tremendously because you don't have to re-do a set. And this is the same set we'll be using for our upcoming Billboard Music Awards in May.

Rehearsals get rolling around noon and are in full swing until doors tonight. It's gonna be a long day in these 3' heels. 

But Beautiful

Unlit stage

It's about 4.30p on Friday, the first full rehearsal day of the Academy of Country Music Awards. I'm sitting in the back of the floor of the ACMs. It's so amazing to look up and see this enormous stage engulfing the floor and ceiling of the Grand Garden Arena. To think of the perspective from boxing, to hockey to supercross to ACMs, it's pretty amazing. It's so hard to explain the scale of the stage. It's like being a Barbie in a dollhouse. None of it is real, it's all kind of just chunks put togehter but that all work in perfect harmony to create this amazing false reality - But Beautiful.

Lit stage

When the show lights are off and the house lights up the actual set is gray, white and chrome. Very bland. Much like the color of concrete. But when the set is in action it comes alive with depth, vibrance and motion. 

At the Grand Garden Arena the house seats are green, teal really. I hate the color but because the MGM Grand's trademark green, it works for us. And when the show lights in the house hit them, they look fantastic!

Backstage looking towards
dressing rooms

The week has gone by quickly. No real drama to speak of. Not sure if it's because this is my 5th year on this show and we're just good at it or if there's something different this year. While things have gone smoothly, there's definitely a different feel - there's a camraderie that's missing this time. We all still get along famously but somehow it feels a bit disjointed somehow. I can't quite put my finger on it but something is definitely off. Maybe because there's no drama there's nothing really to bond us together. Everything is just kind of swimming along nicely. Nothing wrong with that.

Wanna know where Toby's sitting?

It's amazing to see this all come together though. 2 prerig days, 6 load in days, 3.5 rehearsal days. 300+ stagehands, 300 ushers, security, EMS & metro officers and countless of us nameless, faceless schmucks like me behind the scenes making little things happen to accomplish the same goal. It's really kind of cool.

The arena is quiet. They're on a meal break. A group of special needs kinds are funneling into the arena to watch the rehearsals. What a fun experience for them. I've been doing this for a while and even I'm blown away by the magnitude of this stuff sometimes, I can't imagine what it must feel like for them. 

Just spoke to Katie, the ACM social network PR person. Very cool. No issues with my Tweets. In fact, she loves that I'm Tweeting, especially behind the scenes pics. Stuff she doesn't have time to get to, the stuff only someone like me has access to. 

5.30p the crew is back. Rehearsals commence. People and equipment buzzing on stage. 

Fans waiting for glimpses
of their favorite country singers

5.50p JaneDear Girls, The Band Perry & Sara Evans are getting set to do a rehearsal for their tributes on the live taping for Girls' Night Out on CBS. 

This is the first time I've really parked my butt in the arena and watched any part of the rehearsals for this show, ever. It's funny that when I was Mandalay Bay to watch Chris Botti's rehearsal for the Latin Grammys last year I was at full attention - and I had butterflies. This time I have zero intrest in the bands performing other than that they put on a great show for the fans. I'm not even sure who they are - and that's ok. I don't think you have to like every type of music to appreciate them as musicians. But I love watching the people who are lucky enough to have guest passes to see their favorite artists perform. They have a glow. And I recognize it. It's a rush to see your favorite performer live and in person. You feel like you're privy to a secret or an inside joke. 

Blake & Reba's view as they
hit the stage

After a to go box from Chef Eric at Seablue I'm finishing up some blogging and work. I missed Darius Rucker & Martina McBride's rehearsals but am going to try and catch Toby Keith's coming up in about 30 minutes - if they're on schedule. He's performing a song that sums up where I would like to be right now.