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IN THIS ISSUE:
Xmas Shows NOLA Sights Trivia Etc. A Gift for Our Readers Fan Profile Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Archives
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STAR FM's "ACOUSTIC XMAS II" The show that almost wasn't - then was - then wasn't - then was? A classic example of how to turn adversity into something positive. This show was initially announced many months ago and was billed as Star FM's "Acoustic X-mas II." It was supposed to feature Pete Yorn, 7 Mary 3, and BTE. The first potential roadblock occurred when the Adult Alternative radio station who originated the show found themselves transformed to "Urban" format one day without much notice. Still, the show was to go on and was sponsored by a local free paper, "The Weekly Planet." Next, it turned out Pete Yorn was not headlining, and in fact his website announced that there were never plans at all to play this show. Regardless, somehow the day of the show arrived and it seemed that all was well – Vertical Horizon was set to open, and BTE had just played a great show the night before in Orlando, so it's not as if they were going to miss a plane or anything. Or anything??
As for the venue itself, the Mahaffey Theatre is truly a beautiful place to see a show although thought it's not exactly rock-show oriented. It's usually home to plays and orchestras and the like, although reportedly they did host Marilyn Manson not too long ago. One can only wonder what the jacket-clad ushers thought of that! The seats are all reserved, there are no cameras, food, or beverages allowed inside (better gulp down your imported beer quickly in the lobby!), and it's strictly a sit-down affair. Most of the crowd was dressed for a night at the theatre, and I was afraid that they would not be too receptive of the bands, but that was not to be the case! Vertical Horizon played a great set. The feel was almost like attending a taping of VH-1's Storytellers, with the band sitting on stools with their acoustics, and talking about their songs and how they were written. In keeping with the theme of the evening, they played their Christmas-related song "The Man Who Would be Santa" (ah... I can't wait until BTE takes the stage... will it be Merry Xmas Eve or Eggnog Singalong?). Much of the crowd were very familiar with their work, the band invited the audience to sing along on "Best I Ever Had" and closed with their biggest hit, "Everything You Want." After an intermission and change of equipment, the stage was all set for BTE. The lights were turned down, the guys took the stage with their acoustics.. but before they started playing, Kevin made an announcement: "I'm going to do my best tonight... But my son woke up 2 days ago with laryngitis, and now it looks like he gave it to me... I don't know how much I'll be able to sing, but I'll try... thanks, Max!" |
The band started off with "Extra Ordinary" which was a huge crowd favorite, but it soon became obvious that KG was having a very hard time of it. His illness had robbed him of nearly all of his upper register, and he had to try singing in a lower key. Any high notes were out of the question, and he was clearly in pain. Anyway, they made it through the one song (even throwing in "Ms. Jackson" at the end) and then went on to "Good" and "King of New Orleans." After the first song, Kevin said if anyone could sing, they were welcome to come up and help him out. After the second song, he repeated himself, stating that he "wasn't kidding!" Next, they tried "King of New Orleans," but it seemed like "radio in my head" was almost the last straw for the ailing KG. He announced that he truly was not kidding, that he didn't think he could go on, and had the house lights turned on to look for a volunteer. The brave soul turned out to be "Chad" who was sitting towards the back. Kevin asked what he could sing, and Chad offered "This Time of Year" - and sing it he did, in a very pleasing raspy-voiced style. Luckily there was even a football handy! After the brief respite, KG tried to sing "Rolling," but even lowering the key of the song didn't seem to help him much. He offered the mic once again to anyone who wanted it, and thus the show was to go down in history as "Ezra Karaoke" night! Next up was "Maple" - who hailed from Orlando and dedicated "Live Again" to the girl who ripped his heart out and ate it... Things get really fuzzy after that, as your humble reviewer found herself onstage doing "Sincerely, Me" even though it still isn't clear how I ended up there! I did learn a) the importance of the on-stage drinks, b) how you can't really hear yourself sing onstage c) that it really IS easy to forget the lyrics to a song you think you know, and d) even KG doesn't know any of the lyrics to the last verse until the "masturbate" part... Much like we tend to end conversations without realizing it, that turn on stage seemed to drive home the fact that the show needed to end. And soon. Kevin turned to Jim Payne to do a Tom Jones impression for a bit (and the big question still is - why not let James Arthur sing the whole show?), and the decision was made to wrap things up with "Desperately Wanting," inviting several fans on stage to close out the night. And with that, Kevin was off for some well-deserved rest, with less than a week to get his vocal cords working before three shows in a row in New Orleans! True, it was a disappointment that they weren't able to put on the show that they planned for the evening, but the band proved once again that they will try to do what they can for their fans. Travis posted on the band's message board later on that it was a risky call, and Kevin could have damaged his voice permanently by trying to sing, but they knew that their previous show scheduled in St. Pete had also been canceled, and they wanted to do their best. And that they did!
Thanks Shari. Sometimes unorthodox shows make for the best memories, don't they? |
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