dear damon
April 7, 2006
So, I hope you understand that these dates here are the dates of the reporting and the report is for the previous night's performance. This is the last live report for "Demon Days" Live at the Apollo and it is for April 6, Thursday, which is the final night of the performance. Tonight I was in the front row of the orchestra and decided to really get engrossed in the performance instead of putting pen to paper. Another brilliant performance it was with everyone on the first level orchestra on their feet and dancing to the tunes.
There was a live streaming of the performance tonight and everyone who entered were to give express permission for their images to be used in the live stream. No one seemed to have a problem with that. The funniest thing for me was that the camera that they used was attached to one of those long arms that travelled back and forth above the audiences heads and one of those being mine, I was concerened, but couldn't help but giggle every time it travelled above my head.
It was another rousing performance. d sat down zazen-stylee in front of the Zither player tonight to express his appreciation and extended his arms to all the players on the stage so that we may all express our appreciation for their performances. He also blew a kiss with his two hands in the direction of the left box. He seemed beeming with happiness. "Demon Days" Live at the Apollo was a celebration of the good that exists in this world in all people and brimming with hope that we do have the power to "lift" ourselves "up it's a brand new day. So turn" ourselves "around to the sun."
April 6, 2006
Wednesday night was a pumped-up night. I was seated in row L in the left orchestra in an aisle seat and could already feel the energy in the orchestra section. These were some die-hard fans who have come. There are a lot of young kids, too, with their parents and it's a pretty racially/ethnically diverse group of people. The upper right-hand box seats were occupied by young die-hard Gorillaz fans which I thought was really special. I'm cheerful because I've discovered that showing up around 8:40 pm at the theater is a great plan as there is no long line to contend with and you can go right in without having to freeze in the cold outside by joining the long and winding queue that snakes around the building.
From my vantage point tonight I get a good view of d from the side. He does an arm stretch behind his head as he gets ready for the performance during the "Intro." Neneh's energy level is way up as are all the performers' energy levels, as I'd discover throughout the evening. The audience on in the orchestra level are all on their feet from "O Green World" through "Feel Good Inc." d looks to be very happy, but then, everyone, both on and offstage are happy to be here tonight. d takes a swig out of his water after "Feel Good Inc."
Ike is looking dapper tonight as well in his resplendent yellow and orange suit with sparkles on it. He gives us a slightly arranged rendition of his solo portion on "Every Planet We Reach is Dead." Speaking of a different arrangements, "November Has Come" has a different guitar arrangement. d's voice on this song is coming across loud and deep.
There's a costume change on "All Alone." Tonight everyone's moving to the groove. There's a different arrangement, again, in the instrumental portion. This is why I love coming to consecutive performances. Contrary to popular belief, it's never the same performance. On "White Light" d goes down an octave or two and saves his voice for the rest of the performance. Shaun Ryder is jumping up and down and boogying down a lot more than the previous three nights.
We get Dennis Hopper, the man, for "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head" tonight. Who knew, we'd get the man from "Easy Rider" and "Blue Velvet" here, in the flesh? The crowd goes bezerk and welcomes him with cheers and thunderous applause. He seems a bit nervous and understandably so. It's not easy reading his bit live with the music. You try it and see how well you do. He gives it his best and is warmly thanked by the audience. Good going, Dennis!
The following four songs go well and d raises a victory fist at the upper left box where his near and dear ones are seated. He applauds the audience and mouths the words "thank you!" as he ends "Hong Kong" and goes back to his seat behind the string musicians to play his melodica on "Latin Simone." Yes, he plays it live as Ibrahim Ferrer sings. It was the best performance of the week so far. In case you're wondering about the guy who promised to "hook me up." Well, he just said, "here she is again" on the megaphone as I walked in and delivered nada. lol...you win some, you lose some.
April 5, 2006
Finally secured a table with an electrical outlet here at the Cooper Union Starbucks in the Village a lttle before 5 p.m. Was raining/sleeting/snowing this morning so decided to sleep in until 11 a.m. Then "little miss housekeeper" mode turned on and did a load of laundry while I studied for the assignment tomorrow morning. At around 2 p.m. it stopped snowing and a cheerful BRITGIRL went out, Ms. Mac-man in tow, to the corner bustop to catch the M2 Limited. Two dollars in quarters and an hour later I am in the Village again. First stop is my fave noodle shop on E9th, "Sobaya" in tribute to Noodle. After a nice Tororo Soba brunch sprinted on down to the Fedex Kinkos nearby to prepare an invoice for the aforementioned assignment. As it was a madhouse in there decided to come to this Starbucks which has a great HVAC system as well as tasteful BGM ('ole blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra). The Passionfruit Shaken Iced Tea hits the spot perfectly.
This Cooper Union is a funky educational institution. It's right in the center of the excitement in Greenwich Village and doesn't charge students a penny to get educated here. There ought to be more unis like this for the hardworking, deserving, students. Okay, on with the show! Was able to get there by 8:45 p.m. Tuesday night and was once again surprised to find that everyone had already been ushered in. As I passed the entranceway guides/security they said, "hey, weren't you here the last two nights, as well?" Thanks for noticing guys. "You look for me and I'll hook you up tomorrow!" says one of the friendly gents. "Thank you! That'll be swell!" I beem back at him, "adding, "tomorrow night's seat isn't so hot, so I'd truly appreciate it!" We'll see what happens about that tonight.
The usher recognized me, too, and showed me to the same seat up front. The upper boxes seem to be filled with musician types. Unfortunately I could not make out anyone because of my blurry vision, but there was a certain Meg (you-know-who) look-alike. This time I made it to my seat before the evening began. The background music seemed different from what it was in Manchester. Will try to listen more carefully tonight. Then the Motorola CM with a naked Murdoch playing the piano showed onscreen up front. He answers the call and says, "I can't talk right now, I'm naked." lol! "Gorillaz at the Apollo supported by Motorola" it says. Then the Merrie Melodies cartoon begins and it's "Robin Hood Daffy!" starring Daffy Duck and Porkie Pig. I noticed how interesting it was that for Manchester they chose an American Western folk hero and for New York they chose an English folk hero. Seemed the reaction of the audience in Manchester was more receptive and that they enjoyed the cartoon sequence more than the New York audience has been. Maybe New Yorkers are too jaded to lose themselves in cartoons?
After the usual skit with 2D and Murdoch the show begins. Neneh freestyles bigtime on tonight's "Kids With Guns." Ike looks suave and out-of-this-world in his outerspace-like patterned suit which is blurry blackish grey with white intermixed and sparkles on it. He plays his piano with great care tonight. d gives us a nice piano bit at the end of "All Alone" again. Oooh...nice..."White Light" gets three energized yells of :"White Light" at the end. "Dare" has some great bass action near the tail end. I keep seeing d leaning backwards and making comments to Simon Tong. Seems like they've developed a good rapport between them.
Whereas the Manchester "Demon Days" Live was performed on a larger stage; here at the Apollo it is a much smaller stage and because the musicians and singers are so closely situated to each other it makes the performance seem more "real" and "human" than it did in Manchester. The audience in Manchester was more boisterous, though, and everyone in the whole Opera House was more into the performances. Here in New York there are certain sections such as the front sections of the orchestra and first level mezzanine that gets the most excited and the other sections more to the rear of the theater experience seem to experience it in a more "detached" way emotionally. That's a shame, really, and something I felt when I was at the very rear of the first level mezzanine the first night. My mid-way conclusion is that "Demon Days" Live would be a mind-blowing and out-of-body experience with the coupling of the Manchester audience and the New York stage performers and set-up.
April 4th, 2006
Am in good 'ole Starbucks now on 125th Street updating this baby. Yesterday was a grand day, but was totally pooped out due to lugging my stuff around the Village. Today will be somewhat of a chill-out day with this update, checking mail; downloading study documents (yes, I do have a real life, too, aside from this)and going to the beauty salon (the rain yesterday pretty much frizzed this coiffure of mine). There will be lunch at the Bayou nearby after this update.
With all the stuff that needed attending to yesterday I got to the Apollo at 8:45 pm. Everyone was already seated and enjoying the looney tune/merry melodies cartoon when I slid into my seat up front. This is great, only three rows from the front with a view of d at his piano! After the cartoon (which I will report on tomorrow by getting there on time tonight), 2D and Murdoch came on. There they were, I could almost touch them from where I was seated. They're even more lifelike and cool-looking up close!
The position of the screen is perfect today (right smack dab in the middle of the stage above the musicians and lo and behold, it's working! Intro comes on and the images flicker onscreen. Beautiful! Instead of going into a rehash of every song I'll fill you in on all the different touches tonight. Being this close is phenomenal. It's almost as if you are onstage with everyone looking in at them while they perform facing the audience.
Neneh looks more "street" tonight in her red leather jacket, but more glam, too, with her gorgeous, sparkling, big-@#$ bling around her neck. The animation from "El Manana" is different from what it was in Manchester. This time it's Noodle running from certain destruction. Actually this chokes me up. I like her a lot and to see her in such peril is troubling to me (maybe to many of you, too?) It's not just that we've identified with the members of the Gorillaz, but also shows how compelling Jamie's artwork is.
Ike is wearing a pretty jazzed up suit tonight. It's black with a fat, green, piping on it with a bird (a toucan?) He's got the Michael jackson military uniform era thing going with a silver chain around his right armhole area. The piano playing is more thoughtful. d accompanies him in a subtle way. It would be the one of many times that d's solo piano playing is heard tonight. *swoon* After "November Has Come" we get another shot of a more extended version of his piano playing. Everyone is dead quiet and taking in the exquisite sound of it. Nice touch, d.
Roots Manuva sounds tighter tonight and Martina Topley-Bird looks good in her metallic silver down jacket look with blue jeans. d takes it easy on "White Light" and doesn't do the yelling thing near the end. Thank God! Save your voice, d, you've got 3 nights to go. Shaun Ryder has a Tootsie-Roll lollipop in his mouth. Yesterday he did, too. That is so cute. He might have gotten a bit too sure of himself as he wasn't quite on the ball tonight as he was yesterday. He's a mischievous one, though, sliding down his jacket and then doing some '70s dance against Rosie's back.
The happiest thing for me this evening was when d saw where I was. Typically I was all shy and embarrassed, though I might not have looked like I was. Seeing that million-dollar smile was tremendously gratifying. Another successful night, congrats, d! I'll be in the same seat Tuesday night. The next two nights I'll be in the left orchestra. On Wednesday in Row L and Thursday in Row C. Have another fun night! Will update Wednesday for the Tuesday performance.
April 3rd, 2006
Okay...landed on Manhattan Island at 6:38 pm by long-distance train and was more than a bit panicky as the doors were scheduled to open at 8:00 pm and I had to get my booty and luggage from Penn Station to Harlem where I'd be pitching a tent, putting my stuff away in an orderly fashion (yes, am a neat freak numero uno), eating my first proper meal of the day and power walking my way to the Apollo. A cab ride of approximately 100 NY city blocks got me to my squatting spot for the week where I was greeted by a shocked-looking fellow squatter (don't hate me because I'm beautiful!) Another nice lady tried to sell me foreign fags for $3.00 a pack, but I thanked her for the offer and admitted it was a shame I don't smoke (NOT! a shame, that is...)
With items put away, started schlepping myself downtown to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard aka 125th Street. It was a 8:15 pm. Needed ear plugs for the protection of one of my seven tools of the trade and tried to walk into Duane Reade, but the door was locked. When I calmly pointed out to the manager that it says on the door that it's open until 8:30 pm on Sunday, he angrily yelled, "it's closed!" Whatever...Looking around I didn't see much in terms of sustenance when my eyes fixated themselves on the yellow "Manna" sign. Manna from the Gods! I rushed in as it was closing (8:00 pm, it said, but they were decent folk letting us in, saying "let them in, they're paying customers." That's the entrepreneurial spirit, guys!) OD-ed on carbs: Mac-and-Cheese, Corn and Vegetable Fried Rice which looked more like Arroz Mexicana.
At 8:35 pm I joined the long line and listened in on some of the conversations taking place around me. "I only know Shaun Ryder and Neneh...what's her name?" "I have a friend who hung out with damon after the blur gig years ago." "Can we call him?" "He's in LA now." The most oft-heard question was "Are these many people actually going to fit in the Apollo?" There was one guy asking if anyone had tickets, and I did, but missed my opportunity to sell him the extra ticket. At about 8:45 pm our end of the line started moving forward. Was actually kind of bummed that the theater did not have "Gorillaz Demon Days" on the marquee until just before the show, but then wondered whether the title might have been offensive to the God-fearing people of faith who live in Harlem.
Upon entering the Apollo I secured two programmes for myself at $15 a pop. Then I queued up in the merchandise line. There were volunteers explaining how to set the bluetooth technology up for the evening. "Find me" said Berry baby, my pink mobile, and I awaited in suspense for something big to drop. Finally! My turn at the merchandise section came and I scored myself a 2D t-shirt ("singing the blues"), a "Demon Days Live at the Apollo t-shirt, a poster and a Gorillaz Rubik's Cube. There were also other t-shirts and even ladies boy shorts.
With loot ensconced in my arms I headed up to the lower mezzanine section, but not before making a pit stop at the powder room to powder my nose. The lady in there was super nice and offered me a used Duane Reade (yes, the same pharmacy) bag for my loot. I thanked her, dropped a tip in the fishbowl set up for the purpose and availed myself of the facilities. The Juicy Fruit was the icing on the cake. Thank you!!!
Next stop was the bar where the sweet barkeep poured me two cans of Pineapple Juice for the price of one. Then I found my seat on the lower left mezzanine seat number 10 and 12 N (remember I had an extra ticket?) The second seat was perfect for my stuff. At about 9:15 pm an excited audience cheers as damon makes his appearance. You are wearing the same attire as what you wore in Manchester, but different shoes, it seems. This time a pair of non matching beige-colored comfortable boots? You do look good in black with the same short-sleeved black shirt and comfy well-worn black pants.
I don't know if it was just me or if others felt this way, too, but seeing damon onstage there all alone with the full stage lights on him made it seem like a really intimate evening. It felt as if we were all invited to a performance at his house or something. It was, for me, a Napoleon Dynamite moment with him there all alone trying to figure out how best to do what he had to do. He apologised for the technical difficulty they were having with one of the screens (I could not see how many screens there were from where I was seated due to the upper mezzanine blocking the screens entirely). To which many in the audience responded "awwww!" in disappointment. He did promise that it will otherwise be a full performance to try to convince the audience that they were in for something special nonetheless. Hang in there, d! May the force be with you!
Shortly therafter, at 9:20 p.m., the lights went dark for a moment then the spotlight fell on the right hand side balcony and 2D and Murdoch appear from bowed down positions to sit straight up. Everyone cheers with glee. The back and forth between the two begin with Murdoch explaining how it was hard to get a visa to come into the United States (sounds familiar? *wink*) Then he starts making some typically obscene remarks about how the immigration officer (who was a lady) started acting in front of his very own eyes. Suffice it to say he does put a spell on the ladies. lol. 2D ends the shtick by declaring "it's Amateur Night!" (referring to the legendary Wednesday Amateur Night at the Apollo. Laughter abounds and their dialogue comes a a close with a lot of approving hooting and hollering from the audience.
The concert begins with the screens behind the musicians lighting up in various shades as was the case in Manchester. The musicians are more scrunched up together onstage at the Apollo than they were at the Opera House which is exactly how I'd imagined they'd be. That gives the show a more intimate feel. As I fidget with my bluetooth mobile a crabby security person comes up to me and barks, "turn it off!!!" I tell him it's for receiving stuff through the technology during the show, but he'll have none of it and threatens that he'll take Berry baby away from me the next time he sees me with it. Grrrrr!!! I make a mental note to tell the bluetooth people to get this straightened out for the rest of the shows.
Perhaps it was during this fiasco that the Intro portion was on, but I didn't hear it at all. Before I knew it they were playing "Last Living Souls" onstage. d's voice sounds loud and clear, just like it did on the first night in Manchester. Everyone is grooving to it and seem to enjoy the show. The audience is made up of a pretty diverse group of people (more so than at Manchester) with a multiracial, multiethnic, makeup. d did say something about how there were people who had come from "all over the world" for this. Coolness.
For "Kids With Guns" Neneh Cherry is dressed more formal than how she was dressed in Manchester. She's dressed in a black jacket and black cropped pants. The shiny metallic silver trainers is a nice touch. For "O Green World" damon takes a big swig out of his H2O bottle for the first time. It's a song that requires a lot from him vocally. It's obvious that he likes it a lot as a song from the way he bops up and down on his piano seat. The kids who come onstage for "Dirty Harry" are pumped and so is Bootie Brown who joins them and raps like a madman. Everyone around me are grooving in time in their seats.
More audience excitement as "Feel Good, Inc" begins and everyone goes bezerk when De la Soul take the stage. The maniacal laughter is manic tonight and more than a few of us are laughing along. "El Manana" is all pink and purple (my fave colors aside from noir) and soothes all of us into a serene state after all that excitement. Ike gives it his all in his painted top and bottom (it was like a crazy Jackson Pollock creation. The piano tonight is nice. I especially liked damon's finishing touch. Very classy. MF Doom is not there (video also not there as it was before) for "November has Come." Another one that quiets the audience. Roots Manuva needed some Red Bull for "All Alone," though I do like the angelic-voiced Martina's kimonos. She was wearing another pretty one tonight.
Commercial break....Allright I have been writing this for 3 hours now (am I slow? or do I simply write a lot?) The Union Square Starbucks is teeming with coffeedrinkers now and I am starting to think about dinner. Have decided to go to Gyukaku (next to the Village Voice office) for Japanese barbeque at 5:30 p.m. Anyone who wants to join me is most welcome (please pay for what you consume, though, lol). Okay...forging on...
Another song d goes bonkers on is "White Light." Tonight is not an exception. However, two loud yells of "white light" are what we got towards the end. Take it easy, d! You've got four more nights to go! *passes you a cup of honey chamomile tea* Next is Shaun and Rosie Wilson with "Dare." Hey! He's shaped up! He looks good in with his now grown hair, blue polo shirt and blue jeans. Rosie, too, is wearing blue jeans. He's singing where he should sing and Martina who seems to be looking after him to make certain that he does seems relieved and happy. I love how d and Rosie's voices harmonize so well. The song ends well and Rosie kisses Shaun on the cheek, puts her arm around his shoulder and they jubilantly exit. There's been some dancing in certain sections of the theatre, but it's more subdued than when they performed "Dare" in Manchester. There I feared the floor would give way underneath the higher mezzanine levels from the way the floors were furiously shaking from the all the audience members who shimmied and shammied.
The last three songs with the Harlem Gospel Choir are a trilogy and a story unto itself. Their participation added a special something to the overall performance as this was being held at the Apollo, after all. Dennis Hopper was not in attendance for "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head," as was the case in Manchester. "Don't Get Lost in Heaven" and "Demon Days" are pure classics! I cannot help but be moved everytime I hear these two songs live. They are so beautiful.
Uproarious applause follows. The people have spoken and they are sated. The curtain goes down and we see 2D and Murdoch again doing that thing they did in Manchester as they acted like conductors, raising their hand up and down to get the audience to make noise or to become quiet. After a bit of this the spotlight on them goes dark and the curtain opens again to show d walking towards the center of the stage in the semi-darkness. The same Chinese Zither player, Zeng Zhen, is there and the spotlight is on her in the beginning. A second spotlight reveals d who goes to the center of the stage and applauds the audience. Everyone stands up and gives him a standing ovation. Another feather in the proverbial cap! Bravo, d! At the end of the song, he clasps both his hands together on his heart, as if in sign language, to say "I love you" to the audience, bows deeply, applauds the audience again and goes offstage.
This is the April 2nd, Sunday, opening night report of "Demon Days Live at the Apollo" in New York City. The next four nights are going to be super fun as I look forward to being up close in orchestra. Upon leaving the theater we were given business card sized cards with Murdoch on them telling us how we can download the goodies that were being transmitted over bluetooth (was it, though?!) after the final night's show. Okay, off to dinner now and then Night 2 of "Demon Days Live at the Apollo!" All of you who will be there, have a blast!
Break a leg,
frances
On the bedside table this week:
the Madeleine journal for "Demon Days" Live reports
On the turntable this month:
Japan: The Very Best of Japan
Embrace: This New Day
Prince: 3121
KNOCK, KNOCK. WHO'S THERE?
Enter the dragon...Say What?!
Name that tune!
Educate Me!
BRITGIRL's gig report
Ravenous for "Ravenous?"
The archives!
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