Tour Stop #16, The Music Box LA 25th March 2011
So sunny Hollywood, that is what I woke to which was a pleasant surprise seeing as how the forecast called for rain. From my hotel room I could see the ever famous Hollywood sign and my hotel was decorated with old pictures of famous actors and actresses along with scenes of what Hollywood looked like in the olden days so I definitely felt the scene.
Nothing too exciting on the books today as I had a ton of things on the computer to get caught up on but since it was pretty nice out by lunchtime, I decided to head over to the Hollywood Memorial Park for lunch… should have given the whole “memorial” part a bit more consideration so I wouldn’t have been surprised to find it was a cemetery! Um, yeah, don’t think I’ll be eating my lunch here! As it turned out though, once I got out of there I found a quaint little stretch of neighbourhood with an extremely comfortable tree trunk that came out towards the sidewalk. Seriously, it jotted out just perfectly for me to sit on it and lean again the trunk for a back support, tee hee!
So the plan was to meet up with Missy and Brian who had Gold passes along with Ted who had VIP and Mark (OK, last time I call him this – post it note Mark) but as it turned out, he, along with JendyMode and JohnE all had VIP so hooked up with them a bit later. Missy texted to say sound check was running late and once in, that the venue wasn’t that big and small floor. Wasn’t lending to our hope of getting front row but she already had in mind what I suggested… get in line right away after being let out of sound check so as it happened, got front row with newly made friend Charlie (LOL, he will be in SD also) right behind me, Ted off to my right and back a bit, JendyMode a few people over to my left (front row also, whoo hoo) and Mark and JohnE behind her. Cool, a great crowd of comrades!
This was the only venue that had the stage covered by a curtain so we couldn’t see anything until it was time for the show to start – a bit strange but OK. It was nice to see Oh Land again (because of the curtain, I wasn’t able to ask Ryan where they had been in SLC) and as Mark predicted, Nanna did it up again like in NYC. Gold, glittery paint decorated her face and the fashion upgrade even passed on to Hans and Tara who were dressed a bit more slick (the later having matching shoes today too as sometimes he will wear one white shoe and one black, LOL). The balloons were back also so it was all back to normal.
For some reason, there was a different feel to this show. Not sure why, maybe the curtain made it seem more mysterious, perhaps it was the additional colouring of the lights (seemed to be a lot of them on the guys tonight which was nice), maybe just being in a venue that had a flavour to it that tasted of golden theatre moments the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Charlie Chaplin but as Mr. M said after they finished New Babies: New Toys, this was going to be good.
The classics like ‘Messages’ and even more so Radio Waves brought on a great response but ‘History of Modern (Part I)’ fit in nicely too and I was thrilled to see Mark was my bouncing buddy! But he wasn’t the only one, wow, Mr. H was really up on this one (and some others I should say). I thought NYC was his bouncing show but nope, this one was for sure! It made me smile and I thought “Aww, sweet” cause his daughter and ex-wife were in the crowd, no doubt making this a special night for him.
It was funny to watch Mr. M during ‘(Forever) Live And Die’ because apparently Mr. H forgot to turn some stuff off on his keyboard so the minute Mr. M put his hands on the keys, we got something completely different than what we were supposed to. He was a bit lost and Missy and I couldn’t help but chuckle but some assistance from the sidelines straightened it out rather quickly and he was back on track. ‘Joan Of Arc’ and ‘Maid Of Orleans’ were as amazing as ever but I couldn’t help but think how there were only 3 more of them…
The rest period of ‘New Holy Ground’, ‘Green’ and ‘Talking Loud And Clear went over well, I will never get tired of seeing those, and it was just more proof that the new material belongs on stage as much as the old. But then it was time for the dancing and Mr. M told the balcony that that meant them too. Couldn’t really see them, though to be honest, I never tried too hard, I usually was only turning to see Mark or Charlie. ‘Sister Marie Says’ is a definite staple for humour, Mr. M continually asking us to vote for them (do ya really need to ask?) unsuccessfully I might add. Dreaming was the huge sing a long that it always seems to be and I was having a blast belting it out with my fellow forumeers.
The venue was getting hot though not as bad as Toronto or Atlanta for me but Mr. M actually tried to wring his shirt out during ‘Sailing On The Seven Seas’! He was soaked, perhaps due to the extra lights on them. And then, ‘Enola Gay’. As Mr. M demanded us to join in, the energy level picked up and it was wonderful to see so many people having fun, especially people like JendyMode and Brian who were seeing them for the first time. I have to say though, and Ted’s friend Brian (Calibrian on the forum) actually brought it up so I was glad it wasn’t just me, there seemed to be gaps in the applause, most noticeable at the end of ‘Enola Gay’ and ‘Electricity’. Normally you can’t get us to shut up and when I cheer, my sounds are lost amongst hundreds of others but tonight I could hear myself loud and clear. Strange as I stood there thinking – um, guys, they are about to leave, we should be going crazy. Ted was in the back though and said everyone was going wild, dancing and cheering and Mr. M said later after the show they had trouble hearing the crowd so I’m sure it was just a technicality, just bizarre.
Well when they came out and did ‘Walking On The Milky Way’, Mr. M handed the mic to the guy next to me, much to his surprise and the rest of our amusement! ‘Electricity’ came and went and it was one final goodbye to the guys before they left the stage and we were all musing over how great it was. They never cease to amaze!!! The group of us went out to wait for the guys and I was able to visit with my fellow forumeers for a bit, which was nice. I must say, like last years tour, I am really enjoying being able to not only put faces to forum names but get to know you all. =o)
Ok, so highlight of the night. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone that I am pointing this out but I just thought it was an amazing thing. Before heading outside to wait by the tour bus, Mark, JendyMode, JohnE, Ted and I were at the merchandise table and since I have been trying to get my Oh Land CD signed and sometimes Nanna is wondering around (she wasn’t at the table) I decided to meander around a bit. On my way back to the table, I saw a blind man with his sight stick being led out by a friend, hand on friend’s shoulder. I thought OMG, he couldn’t SEE any of the show! But then I thought wow, how wonderful that he didn’t let that stop him and he came anyways. For him, it’s really and purely the music alone that grabs his soul and if what they say about your other senses becoming more acute when you lose your sight is true, I am guessing he may have even enjoyed things the rest of us missed. Good for him!
So another late night/early morning as I am off to San Francisco, but will be happy to be getting a rental car for the rest of the tour. It may mean an even earlier morning and long road trip to get to SD but it also means freedom to fill the trunk and go… Road Trip, tee hee! ;o) Oh, should mention that due to travel constraints, the last few blogs may end up being a bit late, sorry.
Photos by Lori Tarchala
