My Ak & Zuie concert ticket! Woo woo!
Stephen Jay LIVE!
Ak & Zuie concert review and photos
September 21, 2001, The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA
* Ak & Zuie, Non-Fransiscan Duets, and associated song titles are the property of Stephen Jay.
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My Ak & Zuie concert ticket! Woo woo! |
Stephen Jay LIVE!Ak & Zuie concert review and photos September 21, 2001, The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA * Ak & Zuie, Non-Fransiscan Duets, and associated song titles are the property of Stephen Jay. |
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September 9, 2001Ever done anything that was totally kooky zany and loved every minute of it? Ever go to a concert and it was better than you expected? Well, that’s how I would sum up my trip to Los Angeles from Washington, DC to see Steve Jay perform with his band Ak & Zuie!!!!!I checked Steve's web site on this day and it was the first time I saw info on The Knitting Factory gig. I just knew I had to be there! The planets aligned for me and the powers that be gave me a nod: 1) I had a frequent flier ticket burning a hole in my pocket. 2) I just received my income tax refund from George Dubya. 3) The concert was 2 days after my birthday! If these weren't signs from above that I was destined to be at this concert, I don't know what is! DARN! It was too late to call LA and buy a ticket. Have to wait until tomorrow. Ok, so it's tomorrow. I get into work and check the clock every 2 minutes waiting for the box office to open in LA. I was soooo nervous! I wasn't sure how long the show had been advertised and I didn't want it to sell out! So the time comes to call and I do. The girl on the other end says that the show is not scheduled. I freak out. Maybe it was a typo on Steve's web site? Was it canceled? WHAT? I don't know, so I hang up and look at The Knitting Factory's web page. The show is on their calendar, so I call back. This time I say that Ak & Zuie are performing in the Alterknit Lounge, and I get my ticket immediately. Apparently, the first girl I talked to was brain-dead. Poor thing. I thought the tickets might be $50 or more, but it was only $8.50. What a bargain! I would have paid ANY price though. Ticket in hand (so to speak), I call up Delta and reserve flights to and from LA. Now I'm REALLY psyched! This is really, truly going to happen and I can't believe it! God Bless America!All hell breaks loose and it's the end of the world as we know it. I have never been so scared in my whole life! What the hell is going on? I can smell the smoke from the Pentagon disaster at my office. I decide not to go to the show in LA. Don't cancel my flight reservation though. Don't know why except to say that I was in total and complete shock. Prior to the disasters, I took the attitude that if someone really wanted to get me, they would and there wasn't much I could do to stop them. When I go out alone I take precautions, but I refused to alter my schedule out of fear. So, after the disasters, when I was deciding whether to go to LA or not, I decided that I had to put my money where my mouth was, so to speak. I decided to go, Go, GO! The planes to LA were practically deserted. But there was this one woman who had a custom-made tote bag which said: NO terrorist is going to keep me from my new Grandson!She had a picture of her grandson on the bag and his birthdate: Sept. 11. 2001! Lady, I don’t know who you are, but YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!!!! When I get to LA, I rented a convertible because it's just the California thing to do. The weather was just AMAZING! Now I know why people live there!  I get to my hotel room, quickly change clothes and leave to find the venue. It was completely dumb luck that my hotel was: 1) half a mile from the venue, and 2) NOT a dive. I booked the room sight unseen, so anything could have happened. Lord knows, I stayed in some dives during the Running With Scissors tour.... I basically made a right onto Hollywood Blvd and walked 5 blocks to The Knitting Factory. What the heck was I thinking: NOBODY walks in LA! Along the way, I passed the Chinese Theater and walked along the Walk of Fame. I knew a lot of the names, but had no idea who some of the people were. I did come across one extra-special star: The Monkees!  Top
All you Al fans out there probably think that I met Dave "Elvis" Rossi in LA, but I'm talking about that **other** famous Elvis -- you know, the one in the white sequined jumpsuit? That one. I was just minding my own business walking down Hollywood Blvd when Elvis walked right past me. I said hello and asked if I could get my picture taken with him. He said yes. After the photo was taken, Elvis asked me where I was headed. I said the Knitting Factory, only a few blocks away. He said he'd walk me there. While we walked, he serenaded me with Love Me Tender! It was so great. I LOVE LA! When we got to the club, I thanked Elvis for the escort. He said, "Thank you very much! Just taking care of business." In his best Elvis voice, I might add!! Then he wiped his brow with his scarf and left. The thing that amazed me was that the bar patrons didn't even blink. Have I said I LOVE LA!?!?!?!?!  Top
I got to the Kintting Factory about 3 hours early, but I heard familiar chords coming from the Alterknit Lounge. I peeked in and Steve was on stage setting up for the show. I asked the guy by the door if I could speak to Steve. He said yes and called Steve over. Steve gave me a BIG HUG! He said he couldn't believe I'd come all the way to California just to see him perform. I reminded him that I promised I'd be just as crazy about following Ak & Zuie around as I was about following Weird Al around. Steve introduced me to the guy by the door: Pete! I was soooo embarassed. I apologized for not recognizing him and said that the only picture of him I had seen was him with short hair. His hair was long and pulled back in a pony tail. He smailed and said it was OK. Steve then introduced me to Miles. They are so tall that I felt as if I was standing in a redwood forest! My first impression was that Miles looks just like Steve. So I said,"OH MY GOSH, you guys look alike!" Little did I know thaat Miles looks even more like his mother, Barbara, whom I met a little later that evening. We chatted for a while then Steve said he had to finish setting up, so I went out on Hollywood Blvd to act like a tourist and get some dinner.
I returned to the venue about 30 minutes before the show started. I just LOVE meeting fellow fans! It never occurred to me that I'd see people I had met at Al concerts or knew from the newsgroups at this concert, but that's exactly what happened. DUH! Where was my brain? I don't know.... I saw Tanya (Cinnamon) again. I think I met her for the first time at the Delhi, NY, Weird Al concert, but don't quote me on that. I did not know she was a Steve Jay fan. I did not know her nickname was "Cinnamon" on the newsgroup either, so I was finally able to put a face with the name. I also met Carlotta, Connie, and Jean for the first time. Met and talked to Carlotta and Connie before and after the concert which was really nice. Jean is a really, really neat person. If there is someone out there who should write her autobiography, it's Jean. She's been a tour manager for many, many HUGE bands over the years and she was associated with professional wrestling for a long time. I bet she has a million great, great stories to tell. The couple of stories she told me were just fascinating! Top
Basically, I flew to LA just to see Steve perform. I was in LA for 23 1/2 hours, saw the concert, and along the way caught a glimpse of the Chinese Theater and the Hollywood sign. But enough about that.... Here’s how the concert went: Set List:
I wrote down the set list on the back of the Ak & Zuie promotional CD cover:   The Knitting Factory in LA The Knitting Factory is a bar where bands perform in one of several small, intimate rooms. Steve's web site describes The Knitting Factory as a 'Danish Mastering club.' What the heck is that???  Ak & Zuie performed in the ‘Alterknit Lounge’ that seated about 50 people or so. The stage was a platform about 2-3 feet high. The audience sat around the stage at round tables that looked like patio furniture. You could also sit in black leather overstuffed chairs and sofas. They looked comfy but were too far away from the stage for me. There was a bar in the back and you could order food too. The room was full, I’m proud to report. And, all the people there were obviously fans of Steve’s so we were all loud and very appreciative! I got there early and got a front row center seat. I was perfectly situated!  The unexpected surprise of the evening was that Steve’s son, Miles, performed along with Steve and Peter. Miles played the 8 string bass and the violin. He was very good and Steve looked like such a proud papa! Of course, I was thrilled to see Steve perform his solo material live for the first time. I had been waiting for this since last November. I promised Steve on the second-to-last show of Touring With Scissors that I would be just as crazy about following Ak & Zuie around as I was about following Weird Al around. Like I said, the concert was better than I expected and I went in there knowing it would be a great show. Steve sounded great and played even better. He seemed to really be picking up the vibe from the crowd and as we got more into it, I think he did too. Steve changed the intros to some of the songs, so sometimes I’d have to listen to a couple of bars before I knew what song it was. When I did, I’d gasp with recognition, then clap and yell. One of the songs I didn’t recognize at first was You Are Alive. When I recognized the modified intro, I kicked myself for not knowing it right away! Believe me, it made my night to hear that song! Tangled Strings was the first CD I ordered from him and Alive was the first song of his I had ever heard. I know the words to all Steve released songs by heart, and can sing the flawlessly at home. But wouldn’t ya know it, when I tried to sing them at the concert, I messed them up a lot. Grrrrrr! Way to make an impression?? Ugh! Steve threw in some tried and true covers in the middle of the set. I enjoyed Hang On Sloopy and Rock On. Very cool choices! Peter sang Rock On. He has a very powerful voice. I was impressed. I also enjoyed the songs that I had never heard before. I bet they were a sneak peek at Ak & Zuie’s soon-to-be-released CD Non-Fransiscan Duets. I don’t know the actual song titles so I made an educated guess from the lyrics. I could be very wrong, so don’t quote me on this. I can’t remember the song in which Miles played the violin, but he was great. Is there no end to the talent in that family? I think not! The encore was fun. There was no backstage area, so Steve, Peter, and Miles just jumped off the stage and then jumped back on to signal the beginning of the encore. There was a lot of humor during the show. Mostly just banter between the band members but it was funny. After the concert, there was a lot of milling about, handshakes, and smiling. I was able to talk to Steve, Miles, and Peter individually for a few moments. I was talking to Miles when Cinnamon asked him for his autograph. He was sort of stunned. He said this was the first time someone asked him for his autograph (and I was there to witness it!). Then, he was so cute, he fretted about how to sign – in cursive or print. He said he didn’t want to screw it up. All I could think was, “Get used to it, Mr. Tall, Cute, and Talented. This will happen a lot in the future.” Miles has the same ‘awww shucks’ humble attitude his Dad has. How refreshing! Talked to Peter. He was a nice and accommodating as Steve and Miles. He’s been a friend of Steve’s for over 20 years. He was really nice and answered all my stoo-pid questions. He put me on the Ak & Zuie mailing list, so now I get advance notice of all Ak & Zuie shows. This is a double-edged sword: I just want to attend every show!!!!!!!! Steve graciously gave me a few minutes of his time. He thanked me for flying to California to see him. It was nothing, I said. Reminded him of my promise to be just as avid a follower of Ak & Zuie as I was of Weird Al. Anyway, we chatted for a while then he left to talk to other people and then break down the stage. I just want to say THANK YOU to Steve, Peter, and Miles for putting on such a great show and for being very friendly and kind to me -- a lowly fan!It was a great evening and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! |