"I got all this fan mail that said 'Get your ASS up here!' "
My Idina experience... it's sectioned so read what you want. Just my little preface... I've spent the last 4 years reading reviews from other people and seeing their videos and pictures of Idina doing things... and it made it so much better knowing there were people out there who took the time to write things up for people who couldn't be there. So this is kind of like my thank you. I never thought I would be the one to be in this position and tell people about the Idina show I got to see. I just feel the responsibility to share it after reading everyone else's reviews over the years.
And I managed to go all yesterday without crying or freaking out and now I am writing this with tears streaming down my face because it has all hit me just at once.
Here it is...
Part One (The afternoon... and getting there...Idina sighting...dinner).
Talena and I were driving into Toronto for the concert. My other friend Ashley was in Toronto already that day and was meeting us there. We left home around 1pm. We drove though to Mississauga and then stopped at Dixie outlet Mall for 2 hours or so. We continued into Toronto to head to the theatre. Talena was navigator... we got lost a few times because I am cursed. We turned the wrong way on Bloor the first time then once we were on Danforth, I was in the far right lane to get onto Broadview and that lane sharply veers off and goes back on the DVP (highway) so then we did that again and finally got back on Danforth and parked.
We walked to the theatre to see what the deal was. Ashley wasn’t there so we kept walking a bit... we didn’t go too far down the Danforth - it was sketchy... (Everything is sketchy to me though... I live in perfect suburbia). We went back and hung out at the front of the theatre. There was a bar next door with a group of people sitting there. Which later I figured out was Kevin and Cara from IMMB and Nikki, who my friend Ashley knows. The bus was parked right across the street in front of Shoppers Drug Mart.
As we were waiting for Ashley a beige van pulled up in front of the theatre. It parked and 2 people got out of the front. One guy came around and opened the back door... he kinda stood there and Idina climbed out. A group of us (7 people I think) were there... we just kind of stood and watched. The man was acting a bit like a body guard but none of us moved. Idina walked into the theatre and looked over at us as she was going in. We all kind of stood there staring.
Ashley showed up minutes later and we told her what she missed. She made a comment like “Oh I missed Eye-Dina.” Yes, I know it made everyone cringe. We have had that chat multiple times and she still pronounces it wrong. She pronounces multiple things wrong. Her excuse is she grew up in French immersion so she pronounces some words wrong because she never learned proper English rules... anyways. We headed to dinner at a pub just down the street that Talena and I had scoped out earlier. We tested the camera flash program and turned all the extra lights off before our dinner came. I was starving when I got to Toronto because I didn’t have lunch.. but I only got a ceasar salad because I was too excited and not hungry - by my stomach was growling mid way through the concert.
Part Two (before the show...)
After dinner we walked back to the theatre - it was spitting rain a bit and we went under the awning by the front door. Nikki came out and told us she had talked to Idina. Some people had dinner at the cafe (Kevin, Cara, Nikki...) and Idina was walking past and they talked to her. I went into the cafe to talk to them and get the details.
The doors were supposed to be opened at 7pm. Around 6:40 they brought out barricades to make people form a line. It was raining... good thing I had my winter jacket which was waterproof, even though it wasn’t that cold. I don’t think they let us in until about 7:20. And then they didn’t let us into the theatre, only the lobby. I think we finally got to our sets around 7:40... second row, centre. I was dead centre. The keyboard and everything was set up for Chris... but Idina’s drums and stuff were on the stage.
Chris came on at 8. Asked everyone if we knew Idina was backstage! Everyone screamed. He was so good. He sang about 5 songs... talked a bit about releasing a CD with Sony. He said afterwards he would be in the lobby to take pictures and sell CDs. Ashley and Nikki went out and got pictures and CDs. She came back and I noticed that he has a bunch of other songs on his CD not on the myspace page so then I wanted one... but I didn’t know how much longer until Idina.
We waited around... some people came in late. We could kinda see backstage and saw people milling around. Around 9:10 we saw the band and a bunch of people gather back there so we figured it was time.
Part Three (the show...)
The lights dimmed, the band came out... they announced no photography unless you had written permission from Idina. They started playing “Don’t Let Me Down” and brought the lights up and Idina came out.
I know it’s horribly cheesy and cliché to say but it didn’t seem real at first. I felt like it was a movie or a dream or something (I promise I will stop being corny soon.) I’ve waited over 4 years for this... waited and been crushed when others went to Provincetown, SWIWS, NY shows, Wicked London etc. I just wanted to see Idina in something. And it turned out perfectly... nothing could have made it better - not even a picture or an autograph because I realised after wards that’s not what it is about... it’s about the music and the music was phenomenal.
I’ve tried my best to do a play-by-play with each song. I know I am missing things and there may be a few things slightly out of order.
Don’t Let Me Down- I really don’t have much to say. She came out and she rocked. Oh and she can’t dance... but I love her for trying. It was just so cute.
The outfit was adorable... ripped jeans that were very distracting for her. A white button sleeveless blouse with ruffles and a grey jackets and shoes that looked kind of like Doc Martins - but weren’t. Her hair was in “dance recital hair” style... as I call it... the front section was slicked back and tucked behind her ears and the rest was down and curly.
Here- She went right into this, no stopping in between. Got the audience to do the “uh”s at the end. It was fun.
Heartbreaker - She rocked out... jumped around all across the stage. Afterwards she said she must have had some angst to get out. This was the first time she really talked to us. She said Toronto a few times and people cheered. She also said it was a “long time coming” and that she “gets all this fan mail that says, get your ass up here.” She talked about finally making it but almost not because she forgot her passport. She mentioned being here before when Taye was shooting Kevin Hill, 6 years ago and flying back and forth but she didn’t see much, she just spent time with him.
The mint/candy incident - After Heartbreaker she was looking for her candy things and popped one.. then threw one into the audience at Nikki and said “Here have one!” She swore they were not drugs but told Nikki that once she felt it to come onstage and they could trip out together.
Where Do I Begin? - She said that someone had requested WDIB before the show in the cafe because it is her wedding song and Idina said she would make sure she sang it. She mentioned how she wrote it for Taye and said she had heard of a few people using it as a wedding song. She asked when the date was of the girl getting married and then sarcastically said “have fun”. She told her marriage was a lot of work (or a wedding? Not sure...) and told her not to waste the whole time shaking hands with relatives... to have fun and dance and those people would come say hello to her.
After the song she asked if they were having a band or DJ, and Nikki asked if Idina would play it. She said NO! Been there, done that!
She said how she didn’t like the sound of her voice... not her singing voice but her speaking one. She said it sounded nasally. And then plugged her nose and made a noise. Some people in the back started mooing and she just said “Fuuuuuck youuu!” And talked about how when people moo at her it makes her feel like cow. She was also very distracted with the hole in her jeans and how it was fraying... she spent a lot of time picking at it.
Devorah/Rise Up- I loved this. So emotional. She introduced it by saying how she never had a bar mitzvah and quit Hebrew school and disappointed everyone in the Menzel family, but she would like to do this for us tonight.. then she zipped up her fly and started. Super classy!
It was gorgeous... she told the translation and when she mentioned Devorah’s husband was Barack everyone cheered.
She struggled a bit to get the story out about her sister. When she tried to say the prayer was more about her sister than it ever was about her... she said “more about me than it ever was... shit” and then tried again. It was simply gorgeous.
After she mentioned she saw a red light from a camera in the first row. She said she didn’t mind if you did it, but to turn off the light because it distracts her. I had my camera on my lap just trying to record the audio of Rise Up.. so I thought she saw mine... but after I realized I had no red lights and mine messed up and turned itself off and didn’t record anything so it wasn’t me.
Embraceable You - She got her stool and went back next to her keyboard player and sang this. She briefly said she used to be a Wedding Singer and this was her fave song to sing.
After she somehow got talking about California and gay rights... she said she was thrilled about Obama but it seemed like they “were taking 3 steps forward and 2 steps back...” To which someone yelled “Move here!” and everyone laughed.
Finale B - She talked about after she finished doing weddings, she got a show called RENT. She sang the song and then everyone sang “No Day But Today” along with her in the end... it was really pretty. She was listening and said “Oh I hear the harmony in the front, pretty!” She was still singing but without the mic. I was close enough to hear her without a mic and it was simply gorgeous... one of my fave moments.
Brave - She was sitting on the rug for this. She said something like she wasn’t sure if we knew this song, but it was a single in the states, but she just learned they weren’t pushing it over here...somewhere in here she tried to say Torontonians (I can’t remember the context) but she couldn’t do it. She mentioned how she hears all the stories about how much the song means to other people.
I Feel Everything - Possibly the best song of the night. She started singing it and the first chorus the original way. Then she stopped and talked about how the original version was different. She wrote it after a fight with Taye and came up with the idea in the shower and then went to the studio. She sang the rock version and kicked ass. Then she stopped again and said WB didn’t like it and said “no fucking way” and Idina thought they thought it was “Too much for the little girl from Broadway” so she left it, but kept coming back to it, and they worked it out and then she sang it like it is on the CD. After she stopped again right after “Make my way up a spiral stair case, hope to God you had a good day,” and said “It’s much more fun like this!” And totally rocked it! I think it was after she mentioned how her fight with Taye only lasted an hour, but the more she thought about the song, she saw how it could be about kids coming home to an unstable environment and parents and never knowing what it was going to be like... she stumbled over her words a lot there and had a hard time getting that point across.
Candy Improv - I think it goes in here... not sure. She had another candy and tried to read the name, which was French so we pronounced it for her. Then she starting singing about candy, and making her randy and it would come in handy with Taye... who is cute in and out of a 3 piece suit!
Company- This was next... she was on the rug again. Very pretty. She introduced it as a Ricki Lee Jones song after.
I Stand- Sounded great... she did the “Stand up” part at the end which was cool and everyone stood up and clapped and danced with her.
For Good - Gorgeous! LOVED it! No other words... she sounds so much better just by herself... than with all the instruments, IMO.
Gorgeous - She was dancing around and people were on their feet. It was cute. She said goodnight and left. Everyone waited and cheered after. They moved some of the instruments up on her rug, then she came back out.
No Trace of Us- She introduced this as a Duncan Shiek song.. it reminded me a lot of Blue Wind from Spring Awakening.
She thanked us for having her and supporting her in Canada and seemed really grateful
Defying Gravity - She mentioned Wicked and someone towards the back yelled “We like you better green!” (*headdesk*) and she said “Awh, really?” And everyone yelled NO! She talked about being green and how it sucked when she was out somewhere are pulled her hair in a pony tail and people would tell her she had green on her neck. Or when she was having sex with Taye and the green would rub off on him. She mentioned the “Hole” story and the jokes about “You don’t look so good.” She said, “Like I haven’t heard that before! Get me some morpine!” or something. After her being green rant, someone yelled “But you won the TONY!” and everyone cheered.
Then she sang Defying Gravity which was amazing and said goodnight. It was so AMAZING!
Part Four... the stage door)
After we left the theatre and Chris Mann was in the lobby, got a picture and a CD from him which he signed. He asked me how I spell my name so I said “N-A-T-A-L-I-E” and he just stared at me, confused so I said “It’s Natalie... N-A-T-A-L-I-E” and he said “OH... got it... I know the name, but when you said it all I heard was ‘Z-W-X-H...’ and I was all confused.” We laughed and he asked us to put the picture on his facebook page.
They cleared us out of the lobby and we walked outside and there were sooo many people. There was a mob across the street at the bus, and one by the door in the alley. There were only a few people by the front door, so we stayed there and stayed dry under the awning because it was raining. Chris Mann loaded all his stuff out and they started bringing some of Idina’s stuff out too. We were right next to the door and Chris said goodbye to us as he left and told us Idina would be out soon. Really nice guy.
The roadies brought out her big wardrobe trunk and joked and banged on it saying “Quiet in there Idina... we’re almost at the bus” as they walked by with it.
As it rained harder, more people left or came under the overhang of the theatre. There was quite a crowd by the door, blocking the crew guys loading out. We asked the security guy if he could get the barricades out again because there was nothing there... he kinda shrugged. I don’t think he really had any idea that it was going to be like that.
Deb came over and announced to everyone that Idina was coming out, she would sign a few things.. not to ask her for pictures because there wasn’t time and not to flash cameras in her face because she really hates that. She told us that they didn’t want to stop twice because it was raining and they were short on time so everyone should go over by the bus where there already was a big crowd. Someone complained and said “But I’ve been waiting here at the front for this whole time...” and Deb said “You’re short... you can squeeze in the front.”
Most people moved across the street, half into the road. We stayed on the other side because we had no chance of getting anything signed and it was just madness. Deb came out again and looked at us and said “You’ll have better luck across the street.” We just said “It’s ok... we’re just going to wave...” she shrugged and went back in. Idina came out a few minutes later... someone was holding an umbrella over her. They walked her across the street. She turned back at us and we said “Thanks for coming” and she waved.
The bus looked crazy... flashes going off everywhere... pushing, screaming... she was only out there for 3 or 4 minutes then we saw her walk on the bus. People still crowded it and they had a hard time loading the drinks and everything on.
It’s sad that that was her last memory of Toronto. We left and the bus was still there and drove home! It was an amazing night!
I have a lot of pictures... here are a few samples. Please.... PLEASE do not take m pictures and make yourself icons or banners or other personal graphics out of them. EDIT: WITHOUT asking or crediting... I'm posting them to share, but these are my memories from the show.. I don't have autpgrpahs and pictures with Idina... these are my moments captured and although I'm happy to show them to people, and you can use them but please ask and credit me for the pictures - a lot of effort went into getting these shots (like hiding my camera in my bra and having extra cameras for backup). So please just ask and credit me. I would appreciate it if everyone would respect my request. (Sorry if that makes me a bitch).
Thanks.
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I am getting videos from a friends camera shortly... all my pictures will be donated to Idina-Here eventually.