50's Dance Party show rundown
I told those on my Facebook that I would make an entry about the show here since I have a good bit to talk about.
Last Sunday I went to a 50's Dance Party show at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (was not a symphony show of course). It was the tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. I had NO clue about the tour till I looked it up on John's site (the guy that does Buddy) early Feb and fucking freaked when I saw I wasn't late this time!! They had 3 shows from the 26th-28th. I was going to go on Sat night but decided to do the Sun afternoon show (plus it was a bit cheaper too). Seeing how the show turned out, I wished I would've had the extra money to see it twice. BUT what also made it extra special for me was that my seat was right in front of the stage!!
Here is the true original 3 for those that DON'T know who these ppl are (in order in pic & listed ages when they died):
Big Bopper (28), Ritchie Valens (17), and Buddy Holly (22).
I can not fully express on just what a fun and awesome show it was!! If you are a fan of the 50's music, you'd know just what kind of upbeat atmosphere it was from the performers. All 3 guys were so funny too.
And the kicker of it all was The Big Bopper's son (J.P Jr) played the role of his dad. He sounds like him and I think looks like him if Bopper would've lived to be his age.
The guy who did Ritchie Valens looked more like Lou Diamond Phillip's when he played Ritchie than what Ritchie really looked like but that's okay. He is a great performer.
John Mueller did a great job on portraying Buddy between the singing, guitar playing, and just overall getting dooooown wit his bad self like Buddy did too.
Here is a preview of what the show would be like:
Right before JR did "Running Bear" (a song his father wrote but Johnny Preston sang it), he was like "some of you might know of this tune." and I was nodding my head. I didn't realize that the performers could actually see the crowd (maybe just the few closer rows?) cause I thought the stage lights would be in their eyes. So JR was looking at me with a confused expression on his face like "really?" and I nodded my head. So when the sax player was doing the Indian noise in the beginning (you know, slapping your hand in front of your mouth), JR pointed him out to me so he turned to me while making that noise. Then later, JR would smile and point at me alot since I was the only one he could see that was dancing to the music.
Here's the story behind that song and myself. Mom had this album called "Fun Rock" (as older sis would recall, it had the kitty with a guitar on the cover) and it had a variety of music and artists and one of the songs was "Running Bear." It's such a simple tune w/a story that after many yrs of hearing it, you'll never forget it or the words. And that was one of the songs I would play even as a teenager cause I liked it so much.
So JR came out first and did a few songs, then Ritchie, & then Buddy played a good bit of songs before intermission.
~*~*~
Here is, I guess what I would call the "con" part of the event:
1st off, I think they should've had this show at some sort of dance hall or open area where you have enough space to dance and/or sit. The earlier dates on the tour, they re-created the same places that all 3 did on the Winter Dance Tour '59 before the fatal plane crash and they were all dance halls. So I don't even know IF Dallas has any kind of decent dance halls anymore that this event could've taken place at.
Of course the majority of the ppl there were all older, probably 50 on up. Not sure what other young ones might have been there but from what I could see, it was me and two girls probably in their late teens w/their parents.
So by having an older audience makes it feel like you are attending a funeral and I shall explain why:
The DSO is a fancy place and said something along the lines about dressing to the occasion. Well I sure as hell wasn't going to get all primmed up for a fucking dance party. So I wore a nice blouse, jeans, and nice shoes. Some weren't all dressed up either (and a few were dressed up w/poodle skirts and the like) but again, the majority of them acted like they were there to see the Queen of England.
Considering what the 50's era of music was, it's really hard NOT TO get up and dance to it or even bop in your seat. So when JR first did his set, I only bopped around in my seat cause I thought that we weren't allowed to get up and dance since I didn't see anyone else doing it and I didn't want to get in trouble. And the only time the crowd got up is if the musician at the time told them to get up and dance or how they want to see ppl dancing.
During intermission, I asked the lady to my right that if I stood up, if she could still see okay. She said she was fine w/that (you have to look up anyways in order to see the performer) and there was no one sitting behind us in at least two rows so I wouldn't be in anyones way there either. Then the lady asked me "so what brings a young person like yourself to an ole folks show like this?" I told her why/how I was raised on the music. I guess it still shocks some of the older peeps that the younger ones like that kind of music.
So once intermission was over, JR came back out and did another set. He closed w/Chantilly Lace and I was like fuck it, I'm getting up to dance. I was the only one in my row to get up. Some of the ppl that had seats in the balcony behind the stage were moving around more than the ppl on the floor. I mean how in the FUCK can you not get up even just to bop around to Chantilly Lace???!!!
Ritchie was next and when he closed w/LaBamba, he told the crowd he wants EVERYONE up and out of their seats.
I stayed standing when Buddy came out (except when the slow songs were performed) and then before the ending of the show, all 3 came back out and performed Johnny B Goode.
Here's the extra fucked up part. The couple to my left, were all into it and dancing up a storm after the show when "Rock around the clock" was being played on the speakers. I'm thinking "why the fuck couldn't you have danced around when the show was going on?" The far left front row had nobody in those seats and had plenty of room to dance around in. I should've done that myself that way I wouldn't have felt weird being around ppl who were sitting and I was the only one up and dancing.
After the show, they said they were going to have a setup w/goods to buy and for them to sign stuff. Of course the majority of the ppl left so there was a handful that stayed around. I did bring my camera but I feel weird asking someone to take a pic for me if I want to get in on it and half the time my camera only wants to work when it feels like it. So I bought a poster and had the guys sign it. The first one was JR and he goes "hey red how's it goin?" And Ritchie was like "that's the one that was in front dancing." When I got to Buddy, I thanked John for doing this show as long as he's been cause it gives us younger generation the chance to experience that kind of feel of that era w/the performers who were taken from this world too early and too young in life. I had to laugh at what John said to me. He thanked me for getting up and dancing cause performing to a much older crowd, to be honest, I think makes them a bit uncomfortable when there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm coming from the crowd except to applaud. It was just too funny to hear what he said to me but I don't blame them one bit. I've watched videos from their performances in the mid-west areas where the org WDP were held at and the folks were moving & dancing. Again, maybe cause of being in the DSO and not having much room to dance didn't help matters. It's hard to say how the crowd behaved on Fri and Sat night shows.
I do hope they come back again next yr. regardless of how the crowd behaved. After I came home from the show, it left me with a really good feeling the rest of the night. Of all the concerts I've been too, I never had that kind of feeling after a show like I did with this one.
I guess I can say I'm content when it comes to these older bands cause:
#1. I got to see a Beatles tribute band called "Yesterday" in '97 in Waco that I won tixs for. They were awesome. They did the 1st set in their younger days w/the suits and 2nd set was in their Sgt. Pepper outfits. They even looked like them far away but after the show when you could meet them, not so much. *laughs* But it sated me cause of knowing that even though I wasn't born to have seen the real deal, this was good enough.
#2. Getting to see a tribute for Buddy, Ritchie, and Bopper was also like the real thing but of course, NO ONE can ever replace the real deal. It's just the feeling to experience this kind of moment when it's something that you love (and if ppl don't really know me by now on how I feel about music, then I guess you don't know me well enough. *laughs*)
Here is John's site: "Your buddy John" and take a look around (and you can buy things too as well as preview clips or vids).
Winter Dance Party site.
Last Sunday I went to a 50's Dance Party show at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (was not a symphony show of course). It was the tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. I had NO clue about the tour till I looked it up on John's site (the guy that does Buddy) early Feb and fucking freaked when I saw I wasn't late this time!! They had 3 shows from the 26th-28th. I was going to go on Sat night but decided to do the Sun afternoon show (plus it was a bit cheaper too). Seeing how the show turned out, I wished I would've had the extra money to see it twice. BUT what also made it extra special for me was that my seat was right in front of the stage!!
Here is the true original 3 for those that DON'T know who these ppl are (in order in pic & listed ages when they died):
Big Bopper (28), Ritchie Valens (17), and Buddy Holly (22).
I can not fully express on just what a fun and awesome show it was!! If you are a fan of the 50's music, you'd know just what kind of upbeat atmosphere it was from the performers. All 3 guys were so funny too.
And the kicker of it all was The Big Bopper's son (J.P Jr) played the role of his dad. He sounds like him and I think looks like him if Bopper would've lived to be his age.
The guy who did Ritchie Valens looked more like Lou Diamond Phillip's when he played Ritchie than what Ritchie really looked like but that's okay. He is a great performer.
John Mueller did a great job on portraying Buddy between the singing, guitar playing, and just overall getting dooooown wit his bad self like Buddy did too.
Here is a preview of what the show would be like:
Click to viewRight before JR did "Running Bear" (a song his father wrote but Johnny Preston sang it), he was like "some of you might know of this tune." and I was nodding my head. I didn't realize that the performers could actually see the crowd (maybe just the few closer rows?) cause I thought the stage lights would be in their eyes. So JR was looking at me with a confused expression on his face like "really?" and I nodded my head. So when the sax player was doing the Indian noise in the beginning (you know, slapping your hand in front of your mouth), JR pointed him out to me so he turned to me while making that noise. Then later, JR would smile and point at me alot since I was the only one he could see that was dancing to the music.
Here's the story behind that song and myself. Mom had this album called "Fun Rock" (as older sis would recall, it had the kitty with a guitar on the cover) and it had a variety of music and artists and one of the songs was "Running Bear." It's such a simple tune w/a story that after many yrs of hearing it, you'll never forget it or the words. And that was one of the songs I would play even as a teenager cause I liked it so much.
So JR came out first and did a few songs, then Ritchie, & then Buddy played a good bit of songs before intermission.
~*~*~
Here is, I guess what I would call the "con" part of the event:
1st off, I think they should've had this show at some sort of dance hall or open area where you have enough space to dance and/or sit. The earlier dates on the tour, they re-created the same places that all 3 did on the Winter Dance Tour '59 before the fatal plane crash and they were all dance halls. So I don't even know IF Dallas has any kind of decent dance halls anymore that this event could've taken place at.
The DSO is a fancy place and said something along the lines about dressing to the occasion. Well I sure as hell wasn't going to get all primmed up for a fucking dance party. So I wore a nice blouse, jeans, and nice shoes. Some weren't all dressed up either (and a few were dressed up w/poodle skirts and the like) but again, the majority of them acted like they were there to see the Queen of England.
Considering what the 50's era of music was, it's really hard NOT TO get up and dance to it or even bop in your seat. So when JR first did his set, I only bopped around in my seat cause I thought that we weren't allowed to get up and dance since I didn't see anyone else doing it and I didn't want to get in trouble. And the only time the crowd got up is if the musician at the time told them to get up and dance or how they want to see ppl dancing.
During intermission, I asked the lady to my right that if I stood up, if she could still see okay. She said she was fine w/that (you have to look up anyways in order to see the performer) and there was no one sitting behind us in at least two rows so I wouldn't be in anyones way there either. Then the lady asked me "so what brings a young person like yourself to an ole folks show like this?" I told her why/how I was raised on the music. I guess it still shocks some of the older peeps that the younger ones like that kind of music.
So once intermission was over, JR came back out and did another set. He closed w/Chantilly Lace and I was like fuck it, I'm getting up to dance. I was the only one in my row to get up. Some of the ppl that had seats in the balcony behind the stage were moving around more than the ppl on the floor. I mean how in the FUCK can you not get up even just to bop around to Chantilly Lace???!!!
Ritchie was next and when he closed w/LaBamba, he told the crowd he wants EVERYONE up and out of their seats.
I stayed standing when Buddy came out (except when the slow songs were performed) and then before the ending of the show, all 3 came back out and performed Johnny B Goode.
Here's the extra fucked up part. The couple to my left, were all into it and dancing up a storm after the show when "Rock around the clock" was being played on the speakers. I'm thinking "why the fuck couldn't you have danced around when the show was going on?" The far left front row had nobody in those seats and had plenty of room to dance around in. I should've done that myself that way I wouldn't have felt weird being around ppl who were sitting and I was the only one up and dancing.
After the show, they said they were going to have a setup w/goods to buy and for them to sign stuff. Of course the majority of the ppl left so there was a handful that stayed around. I did bring my camera but I feel weird asking someone to take a pic for me if I want to get in on it and half the time my camera only wants to work when it feels like it. So I bought a poster and had the guys sign it. The first one was JR and he goes "hey red how's it goin?" And Ritchie was like "that's the one that was in front dancing." When I got to Buddy, I thanked John for doing this show as long as he's been cause it gives us younger generation the chance to experience that kind of feel of that era w/the performers who were taken from this world too early and too young in life. I had to laugh at what John said to me. He thanked me for getting up and dancing cause performing to a much older crowd, to be honest, I think makes them a bit uncomfortable when there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm coming from the crowd except to applaud. It was just too funny to hear what he said to me but I don't blame them one bit. I've watched videos from their performances in the mid-west areas where the org WDP were held at and the folks were moving & dancing. Again, maybe cause of being in the DSO and not having much room to dance didn't help matters. It's hard to say how the crowd behaved on Fri and Sat night shows.
I do hope they come back again next yr. regardless of how the crowd behaved. After I came home from the show, it left me with a really good feeling the rest of the night. Of all the concerts I've been too, I never had that kind of feeling after a show like I did with this one.
I guess I can say I'm content when it comes to these older bands cause:
#1. I got to see a Beatles tribute band called "Yesterday" in '97 in Waco that I won tixs for. They were awesome. They did the 1st set in their younger days w/the suits and 2nd set was in their Sgt. Pepper outfits. They even looked like them far away but after the show when you could meet them, not so much. *laughs* But it sated me cause of knowing that even though I wasn't born to have seen the real deal, this was good enough.
#2. Getting to see a tribute for Buddy, Ritchie, and Bopper was also like the real thing but of course, NO ONE can ever replace the real deal. It's just the feeling to experience this kind of moment when it's something that you love (and if ppl don't really know me by now on how I feel about music, then I guess you don't know me well enough. *laughs*)
Here is John's site: "Your buddy John" and take a look around (and you can buy things too as well as preview clips or vids).
Winter Dance Party site.