From: rob@xyzoom.info.com (Rob Lingelbach)
Newsgroups: rec.music.bluenote
Subject: Re: Pat Metheny Group tour review
Date: 16 Oct 92 05:02:07 GMT
Reply-To: rob@xyzoom.info.com (Rob Lingelbach)
Organization: Altruistic Intentions, Hollywood CA

In article <ldj3ntINN8v9@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> milliken@scofield.Corp.Sun.COM (Gary Milliken) writes:
>In article <1992Oct9.044547.15711@xyzoom.info.com> rob@xyzoom.info.com (Rob Lingelbach) writes:
>>
>>I have front-row center seats in the pit for the upcoming show at the
>>Pantages Theatre in Hollywood on Oct. 16th.  I paid dearly for them.
>>
>>I am going to be taking a young lady who is not really into jazz, in
>>fact she says (this is just our second date) she's not really into
>>concerts much at all.  She states she "falls asleep at jazz-fusion and
>>classical concerts".  

>Gee, I hate to be pessimistic, because (a) Metheny is probably my favorite
>musician in the world, and is also very popular with many people, even
>otherwise non-jazz-fans; and (b) surprises are always happening in the
>world of music and its fans.  I don't know anything about your young lady

Thought I'd update this thread regarding tomorrow night's Metheny
concert here in Hollywood.  First, I arranged to de-invite the girl
whose reaction to attending the concert (for which I have first-row
pit seats) was ho-hum, and instead invite my ex-girlfriend, who was
excited to go.  I think I'll enjoy it a lot more, knowing she will.
And I only mentioned we had *good* seats; I am going to relish seeing
her reaction as we get closer and closer and then finally are *at* the
stage.  I know the acoustics might not be great, but I'm hopefully
going to learn some Pat's fingerings, and feel almost like I'm part of
the show.  Second, I drove by the theatre several times today--it is
within blocks of my house-- and saw two long (50 ft.?), white
tractor-trailers--very modern, streamlined, brand-new, no graffiti--
parked by the stage door.  The semis were from an outfit in San
Francisco called "Roadshow".  At about 1 pm, I saw some of the
equipment being offloaded.  The first of two concerts was this
evening.  I also saw two band tour buses, you know the type, nicely
painted with few windows.

Does anyone know if this tour uses these trucks all across the
country?  Where the heck do they wash these things?  Do the drivers
sleep in the (big) cabs?  Where does everyone go when they pull up to
the theatre the morning of the show (I saw nobody milling about)?  Are
local crews hired to load and unload?  Do Metheny and band travel in
the bus, is it more relaxing than flying (I believe it would be)?
What time is the sound check, generally?  How the heck are these
things (tours) organized, anyway?

And wouldn't it be great to be able to take a few months off from work
and follow the tour around, soaking up the experience, and writing
about it.


> [On the other hand, if I'd ever
>been able to enjoy Garth Brooks... who knows, she might have married me.]

Have you ever tried Clint Black?

>During my entire lifetime (i.e., after the end of the Big Band era), jazz
>has been a very difficult animal to sell.  People want their music to be
>channeled and predictable like TV shows.  Pat Metheny is one of the most
>lyrical and melodic improvisers in the business, and his concerts routinely
>draw crowds far larger than other jazz artists -- but it's still improvising
>at its core, and a lot of people just can't find enjoyment in that.

Very true.  Is there not enough thread for most people?  After being
peripherally interested in jazz for 20 years, and now for the last
decade being very interested in jazz, I must say my own taste becomes
more cerebral and I want more complexity (I wish all the tunes on the
latest Metheny album were as complicated as _See the World_).

>One more poignant memory from the San Jose concert, called to mind by your
>mentioning front-row-center seats:  near the end of the show, Pat came right
>down to the foot of the stage with his acoustic guitar, and sat on a low
>box to play "Tell Her You Saw Me".  The Performing Arts Center in downtown
>San Jose has the first row nestled right up against the stage, and after
>that beautiful tune, a guy was moved to stand up and shake Pat's hand.
>
>Good luck and enjoy, Rob.

Thanks.  I give the guy credit for standing up in front of all those
people.

I can hardly wait until tomorrow evening.
-- 
Rob Lingelbach KB6CUN | 2660 Hollyridge Dr LA CA 90068 213 464 6266 (voice) 
rob@xyzoom.info.com   | "I care not much for a man's religion whose dog or 
robl@netcom.com       |  cat are not the better for it."  --Abraham Lincoln
Newsgroups: rec.music.bluenote