Sarah Slean concert December 21st
Hey look, it's another really long post. I'll cut the concert stuff when I get there :)
So yesterday was the second day of Slean concerts AND the day when Andrea and I put together the card for the Passioneer Holiday Project. Which means that Andrea spends a day being very arts and crafty and I spend a day helping when I can and not getting in the way the rest of the time ;) We ended up having 30 people participating this year. I was thrilled as it looked like we weren't going ot break 10 for a while there which was freaking me out. But it ended up better than well and the card looked amazing when it was finished :)
All was done on time and we made it to the venue in excellent time to meet up with lots of people before the show.
And on to the lengthy concert stuff:
Tim Baker opened again for Sarah. He's really good! It was great to hear him two nights in a row as I wasn't familiar with his music so the second time around I had a better feel for it and enjoyed myself even more. He has a song based on the ending to the book Shampoo Planet by Douglas Copeland. It sounded really interesting, I'll have to read that one :)
Getting to hear Tim Baker peform two nights in a row led to myself and Andrea each buying one of his CDs. Then I fangirled and had mine signed (Andrea did too :) ) and I signed up for his band's mailing list. I really would love to hear how they sound live all together. There were a few moment during the set where I almost could hear how the other instruments would be sounding. I guess he just projected that as he's so used to performing on stage with his band.
During Tim Baker's set we were also amused by hearing the vocal and string warm ups. We heard them rehersing one song quite clearly and I was going nuts trying to figure out what it was because it was familiar but I couldn't figure out the lyrics that matched it. Then Yen came by during the intermission to ask if we'd heard Dark Room being played and I had an "of course!" moment. No lyrics for that one, it's an instrumental string piece from the album Nightbugs.
During intermission we randomly found one of our prize winners who we were hoping to find during the course of the evening so that worked out really well :)
The concert was totally sold out and almost full. I know there were a few people on the message board who were trying to sell tickets to the show because of last minute scheduling conflicts. I'm guessing they accounted for a few of the empty seats. But really the show was packed. Even the side seats were finally being used. Awesome :)
They also were filming Sarah's set last night for her website I think. So 1. Warner is so going all out for this new album and that's fantastic. And 2. we'll hopefully get to see some live footage of this show at some point in the future :)
Dark Room: As mentioned earlier, Yen was the one who recognized this one away while I was still trying to figure out what lyrics matched the music. We weren't sure if we were going to get to hear this one on stage or if it was just something being used to warm up backstage. So it was great to have this piece of music start off the evening.
California: This number was much better last night than it was the night before, and I quite liked it the night before. Tonight while Sarah still didn't open her eyes for the number it just felt more relaxed and sounded that much more strong.
Not relaxed were the ushers who were at attention at their posts at the end of various rows. I thought someone had been spotted with a camera or something but no one got yelled at so I guess not.
Eliot: This one was awesomely over the top tonight. I'm guessing maybe because of the filming... whatever it was it was so fun to watch and hear.
The shoes came off again after this number with the declaration "they sure look good... can't do shit in them" hee.
Parisol: This number was topped off with a bicycle bell at the end. It fit really well. I wouldn't have known it wasn't intended to be there if Sarah hadn't pointed it out ;)
Out in the Park: Vocally this one was just perfect tonight. Really amazing!
Modern Man: There was less of a philosophy explanation for this one tonght, but it was still there. Enough that Sarah mentioned she could see her dad thinking "you'll never make it in this buisness kid" ;) The first movement of this piece is instrumental and Sarah sits at the piano just conducting away and you can just see this is what she's meant to be doing. She's just got this job where she can be surriounded by what she loves. Lucky woman.
I did pick out the lyrics I liked again tonight and I misquoted last night. The correct ones are: is this the truth we knew and then forgot?/ maybe the lies are all that we've got/but aren't they beautiful...
I think I'd have liked philosphy a lot more had Sarah been my prof lol. The way she breaks it down and puts it back together is really neat. (Viv, if you're reading this, you're going to LOVE the new album, you'll have to make it out to a live show in the next year.)
Mary: The strings and drummer left for this number and Sarah played it solo. Mentioning again her Grandmother's birthday and just celebrating her Grandparent's marriage. The whole family was there to support her last night :) This was the strongest I think I've heard Sarah play this song when her Grandmother was in the audience. The last time I heard her play it for her Grandmother it was still beautiful but you could hear the nerves. Last night it was just a lot stronger. Really great.
No Place At All: This song is played in C Major for those of you keeping track at home :) I really like it, and as I'm potentially going to be inbetween lives next year I am hoping for this one to be on the new album.
Last Year's War: I noticed when this one started that the radio which we'd heard for a lot of last night was gone. Totally fabulous, it let this song shine with no distractions :)
Weight: This one was sung away from the piano again and Sarah loked like some kind of ethereal creature up there singing and dancing....
Lucky Me: ...and then we get to come back to reality with a "lucky you" comment lol. During this song and Weight I was hearing the delay between Sarah singing and the speakers... I don't know how I was hearing that but there were a few moments where if i wasn't trying to hear it I could pick it out. Not bad because it wasn't a real delay, just a fraction of a second, but I was surprised that I could hear it.
After this song Sarah invited everyone over to her place "pancakes tomorrow! My house!" Hee. Totally made me crave pancakes so that's where Andrea and I are heading soon this morning. For pancakes, not to Sarah's house ;)
The Rose: I love this song. On the one hand it's about death and as such should be somewhat depressing. But it is just so beautiful and almost calming. Sarah said that thinking about death makes ones realize how miraculous life is. I very much love the line "for in the deepest darkness courage is born."
Book Smart String Stupid: I was pretty much entranced by this one last night, didn't make a note at all beyond the title. It was just that good :)
Notes from the Underground: This is another one I really want to hear on the new album. Just wow.
the mad lust song whose title I don't know: I'm still guessing either "State of Grace" or "On To You" as possible song titles for this one. Regardless, it's really hot and very catchy. It would make a great addition to the album.
Get Home: The explanation for this one was that it was not so much really the song of "mad hatred" so much as it was a "you should know better mister" which is very much what it is. Where Sarah keeps finding these guys I do not know but they do inspire some great songs. This one was stuck in both Neal's and my head the whole way home last night.
Duncan: I love this song. I was glad that we got to hear this one again last night. I think Sarah remembers that it's the one that I used to request at pretty much every show because both nights when she played it she looked over in my general direction and smiled. Could be total coincidence though. Whichever it is I still get to hear this song that I love :)
After this one Sarah instructed us to not do any work for the next two weeks :) I like that plan. I'm sure my boss won't be such a fan of that though ;)
Pilgrim: This one really is a great way to wrap up a set. It's so fierce and great and leaves everyone wanting more. My exact quote under this one was "holy shit this is awesome tonight" so yup, it's good. ;)
Andrea and I totally gave a standing ovation after the set and apparently the rest of the audience wasn't feeling that so much. Perhaps I've missed something on my standing ovation etiquette, does one only stand after encores? I dunno, whatever, it was a great set. Totally worth a standing ovation. I'd felt bad because the night before we went with the flow and didn't stand 'til the end...
Encore Number One
Sweet Ones: The audience was so much louder for singing along to this one last night. Sarah also had us sing more. I like the audience partiicpation when it's loud enough that I can be lost in it since singing is not so much my strong suite. I love to sing, pretty sure most people don't love to hear me ;)
Looking for Someone: We got to sing along to this one as well. There were some great gentlemen behind me who were singing along really well to this number. Hi to them, you rock! I liked singing the chorus to this much better because it's softer and not so high and much more within my comfort range. Last night I was just too happy to really even be sad at this song. I felt it but I was just so on top of the world at the same time. This one is for sure going on the album. I'm glad to know that :)
Wake Up: Joanna got a shout out for her lovely singing for this one. She and Neal I think harmonize really well together :)
Encore Number Two
Sunny Side of the Street: Again a nice fun way to finish off the night :)
After the show we joined the crush of people in the lobby, and noticed that the film crew was going to be filming Sarah signing autographs and such. At this point I figured I should have actually practiced what I wanted to say with the card, too late now though. We met a few more Passioneers in the lobby who I'd not met before and I was so glad to have people around who had donated for the card so they could see Sarah recieving it and see the end product.
Sarah was gracious as always. When we got to the table she was apologizing to us for not playing the songs we requested last night, but I've been assured that I will love the version of So Many Miles that's on the album :) I'm sure I will, I really haven't met a Sarah Slean song I haven't liked.
We gave her the card I said a bit of what it was for and what our project was and pray it wans't filmed. Sarah seemed really happy and surprised. I don't think she's actually surprised by this anymore but she did say she still has the other cards so I think it's a project that is being recieved well. :) It's one I'm really proud of and I am so happy when it all comes together so well. The Passioneers certainly don't let me down :)
We hung out in the lobby for a bit and I must say that the staff were great, no one yelled at us, no one told us to leave. Andrea had lost her mitten and they went above and beyond trying to help her to find it. I'm guessing that the management gave them a heads up saying to be on their best behavour for these shows as for the past 3 years we've had nothing but problems from their staff. Whatever it was it worked. They were great! I don't think I've ever left that venue feeling totally happy, usually the staff do something to put a damper on the night. Last night was just magical, and it wasn't just me who noticed. Everyone I spoke with said the same thing.
All in all it was just a great night. Very much a Christmas present for myself :) Met lots of new people, saw lots of old friends and had a fantastic night of music. I'm very much in the holiday spirit now :)
So yesterday was the second day of Slean concerts AND the day when Andrea and I put together the card for the Passioneer Holiday Project. Which means that Andrea spends a day being very arts and crafty and I spend a day helping when I can and not getting in the way the rest of the time ;) We ended up having 30 people participating this year. I was thrilled as it looked like we weren't going ot break 10 for a while there which was freaking me out. But it ended up better than well and the card looked amazing when it was finished :)
All was done on time and we made it to the venue in excellent time to meet up with lots of people before the show.
And on to the lengthy concert stuff:
Tim Baker opened again for Sarah. He's really good! It was great to hear him two nights in a row as I wasn't familiar with his music so the second time around I had a better feel for it and enjoyed myself even more. He has a song based on the ending to the book Shampoo Planet by Douglas Copeland. It sounded really interesting, I'll have to read that one :)
Getting to hear Tim Baker peform two nights in a row led to myself and Andrea each buying one of his CDs. Then I fangirled and had mine signed (Andrea did too :) ) and I signed up for his band's mailing list. I really would love to hear how they sound live all together. There were a few moment during the set where I almost could hear how the other instruments would be sounding. I guess he just projected that as he's so used to performing on stage with his band.
During Tim Baker's set we were also amused by hearing the vocal and string warm ups. We heard them rehersing one song quite clearly and I was going nuts trying to figure out what it was because it was familiar but I couldn't figure out the lyrics that matched it. Then Yen came by during the intermission to ask if we'd heard Dark Room being played and I had an "of course!" moment. No lyrics for that one, it's an instrumental string piece from the album Nightbugs.
During intermission we randomly found one of our prize winners who we were hoping to find during the course of the evening so that worked out really well :)
The concert was totally sold out and almost full. I know there were a few people on the message board who were trying to sell tickets to the show because of last minute scheduling conflicts. I'm guessing they accounted for a few of the empty seats. But really the show was packed. Even the side seats were finally being used. Awesome :)
They also were filming Sarah's set last night for her website I think. So 1. Warner is so going all out for this new album and that's fantastic. And 2. we'll hopefully get to see some live footage of this show at some point in the future :)
Dark Room: As mentioned earlier, Yen was the one who recognized this one away while I was still trying to figure out what lyrics matched the music. We weren't sure if we were going to get to hear this one on stage or if it was just something being used to warm up backstage. So it was great to have this piece of music start off the evening.
California: This number was much better last night than it was the night before, and I quite liked it the night before. Tonight while Sarah still didn't open her eyes for the number it just felt more relaxed and sounded that much more strong.
Not relaxed were the ushers who were at attention at their posts at the end of various rows. I thought someone had been spotted with a camera or something but no one got yelled at so I guess not.
Eliot: This one was awesomely over the top tonight. I'm guessing maybe because of the filming... whatever it was it was so fun to watch and hear.
The shoes came off again after this number with the declaration "they sure look good... can't do shit in them" hee.
Parisol: This number was topped off with a bicycle bell at the end. It fit really well. I wouldn't have known it wasn't intended to be there if Sarah hadn't pointed it out ;)
Out in the Park: Vocally this one was just perfect tonight. Really amazing!
Modern Man: There was less of a philosophy explanation for this one tonght, but it was still there. Enough that Sarah mentioned she could see her dad thinking "you'll never make it in this buisness kid" ;) The first movement of this piece is instrumental and Sarah sits at the piano just conducting away and you can just see this is what she's meant to be doing. She's just got this job where she can be surriounded by what she loves. Lucky woman.
I did pick out the lyrics I liked again tonight and I misquoted last night. The correct ones are: is this the truth we knew and then forgot?/ maybe the lies are all that we've got/but aren't they beautiful...
I think I'd have liked philosphy a lot more had Sarah been my prof lol. The way she breaks it down and puts it back together is really neat. (Viv, if you're reading this, you're going to LOVE the new album, you'll have to make it out to a live show in the next year.)
Mary: The strings and drummer left for this number and Sarah played it solo. Mentioning again her Grandmother's birthday and just celebrating her Grandparent's marriage. The whole family was there to support her last night :) This was the strongest I think I've heard Sarah play this song when her Grandmother was in the audience. The last time I heard her play it for her Grandmother it was still beautiful but you could hear the nerves. Last night it was just a lot stronger. Really great.
No Place At All: This song is played in C Major for those of you keeping track at home :) I really like it, and as I'm potentially going to be inbetween lives next year I am hoping for this one to be on the new album.
Last Year's War: I noticed when this one started that the radio which we'd heard for a lot of last night was gone. Totally fabulous, it let this song shine with no distractions :)
Weight: This one was sung away from the piano again and Sarah loked like some kind of ethereal creature up there singing and dancing....
Lucky Me: ...and then we get to come back to reality with a "lucky you" comment lol. During this song and Weight I was hearing the delay between Sarah singing and the speakers... I don't know how I was hearing that but there were a few moments where if i wasn't trying to hear it I could pick it out. Not bad because it wasn't a real delay, just a fraction of a second, but I was surprised that I could hear it.
After this song Sarah invited everyone over to her place "pancakes tomorrow! My house!" Hee. Totally made me crave pancakes so that's where Andrea and I are heading soon this morning. For pancakes, not to Sarah's house ;)
The Rose: I love this song. On the one hand it's about death and as such should be somewhat depressing. But it is just so beautiful and almost calming. Sarah said that thinking about death makes ones realize how miraculous life is. I very much love the line "for in the deepest darkness courage is born."
Book Smart String Stupid: I was pretty much entranced by this one last night, didn't make a note at all beyond the title. It was just that good :)
Notes from the Underground: This is another one I really want to hear on the new album. Just wow.
the mad lust song whose title I don't know: I'm still guessing either "State of Grace" or "On To You" as possible song titles for this one. Regardless, it's really hot and very catchy. It would make a great addition to the album.
Get Home: The explanation for this one was that it was not so much really the song of "mad hatred" so much as it was a "you should know better mister" which is very much what it is. Where Sarah keeps finding these guys I do not know but they do inspire some great songs. This one was stuck in both Neal's and my head the whole way home last night.
Duncan: I love this song. I was glad that we got to hear this one again last night. I think Sarah remembers that it's the one that I used to request at pretty much every show because both nights when she played it she looked over in my general direction and smiled. Could be total coincidence though. Whichever it is I still get to hear this song that I love :)
After this one Sarah instructed us to not do any work for the next two weeks :) I like that plan. I'm sure my boss won't be such a fan of that though ;)
Pilgrim: This one really is a great way to wrap up a set. It's so fierce and great and leaves everyone wanting more. My exact quote under this one was "holy shit this is awesome tonight" so yup, it's good. ;)
Andrea and I totally gave a standing ovation after the set and apparently the rest of the audience wasn't feeling that so much. Perhaps I've missed something on my standing ovation etiquette, does one only stand after encores? I dunno, whatever, it was a great set. Totally worth a standing ovation. I'd felt bad because the night before we went with the flow and didn't stand 'til the end...
Encore Number One
Sweet Ones: The audience was so much louder for singing along to this one last night. Sarah also had us sing more. I like the audience partiicpation when it's loud enough that I can be lost in it since singing is not so much my strong suite. I love to sing, pretty sure most people don't love to hear me ;)
Looking for Someone: We got to sing along to this one as well. There were some great gentlemen behind me who were singing along really well to this number. Hi to them, you rock! I liked singing the chorus to this much better because it's softer and not so high and much more within my comfort range. Last night I was just too happy to really even be sad at this song. I felt it but I was just so on top of the world at the same time. This one is for sure going on the album. I'm glad to know that :)
Wake Up: Joanna got a shout out for her lovely singing for this one. She and Neal I think harmonize really well together :)
Encore Number Two
Sunny Side of the Street: Again a nice fun way to finish off the night :)
After the show we joined the crush of people in the lobby, and noticed that the film crew was going to be filming Sarah signing autographs and such. At this point I figured I should have actually practiced what I wanted to say with the card, too late now though. We met a few more Passioneers in the lobby who I'd not met before and I was so glad to have people around who had donated for the card so they could see Sarah recieving it and see the end product.
Sarah was gracious as always. When we got to the table she was apologizing to us for not playing the songs we requested last night, but I've been assured that I will love the version of So Many Miles that's on the album :) I'm sure I will, I really haven't met a Sarah Slean song I haven't liked.
We gave her the card I said a bit of what it was for and what our project was and pray it wans't filmed. Sarah seemed really happy and surprised. I don't think she's actually surprised by this anymore but she did say she still has the other cards so I think it's a project that is being recieved well. :) It's one I'm really proud of and I am so happy when it all comes together so well. The Passioneers certainly don't let me down :)
We hung out in the lobby for a bit and I must say that the staff were great, no one yelled at us, no one told us to leave. Andrea had lost her mitten and they went above and beyond trying to help her to find it. I'm guessing that the management gave them a heads up saying to be on their best behavour for these shows as for the past 3 years we've had nothing but problems from their staff. Whatever it was it worked. They were great! I don't think I've ever left that venue feeling totally happy, usually the staff do something to put a damper on the night. Last night was just magical, and it wasn't just me who noticed. Everyone I spoke with said the same thing.
All in all it was just a great night. Very much a Christmas present for myself :) Met lots of new people, saw lots of old friends and had a fantastic night of music. I'm very much in the holiday spirit now :)