The Dream Job

Just woke from a morning nap and a vivid dream. I was watching Leverage on my laptop, when Nate sensed Eliot behind him and asked if he was mad, Eliot just balled his fists, then attacked Nate from behind Ninja style after morphing into a creepy "Ghost" demon-like Batman, it startled me awake [still dreaming] to find my son opening a package he had taken delivery of while I slept. He's not allowed to answer the door to strangers, so I quickly looked up the company using the internet access on my cell phone. A glowing map appeared and started to navigate me through the streets of NW Portland to the neon blue outline of a high-rise building. Each floor had electronic billboards showing the ads of it's corporate inhabitants.
Inside the package was a six-pack carrier holding reusable sno-cone cups, filled with blue, shaved ice. I wondered why they weren't melting but insisted we put them in the freezer.
Suddenly I was inside the office building, exiting an office on one of the top floors. In the map, I had noticed that along with the Sno-Cone Company, Leverage Incorporated also occupied one of these penthouse offices. Back in the hallway a pastoral painting had come to life and a horse looked into the hallway as if he were looking out a barn's dutch door. A woman with short brown hair brushed the short hair on his neck slowly as she spoke of her own horse, "It's his birthday today" she said. I smiled and replied, "was there cake?" thinking a carrot cake would be a great treat. She said, "no, he's ill and we can't get him to eat."
Then I woke up, for real this time. And knowing that most dreams progress in real time, was confused to see that only a few minutes had passed.

Soul Pancake

"Where's the strangest place you've ever laid your head?"

I can sleep anywhere, through anything. Last night, I slept through a barrage of illegal fireworks that would have made a war in the middle east sound like a 4th of July Celebration in the Barrios of the United States, wait...
Apparently, it's genetic. Last Spring I took this photo of my son, peacefully sleeping next to me.

...meanwhile, nearly 20,000 fans around us cheered and sang along as John Mayer performed on stage during his "Battle Studies World Tour". In my son's defense, I believe the song was a beautiful love ballad called "Comfortable". Here's a photo of John, his silhouette breaking the 'heart' formed by the lights onstage.

I left the Rose Garden Arena with my heart in tact, knowing whenever I hear this beautiful music, I'll remember sharing it with my son, well, most of it. :)

Bryan Adams - 2011

Please Forgive Me*

A Bare Bones Tour Perspective

Wednesday, April Thirteenth, Two-Thousand Eleven, just after eight o’clock Bryan Adams and pianist Gary Breit /brīt/ took the stage of the Historic Elsinore Theater, an eighty-five year old Tudor Gothic structure in Salem, Oregon. What follows is an account of my personal experience in that Theater on that evening.

As this was my first visit to The Elsinore, I tried desperately to take it all in, to commit to memory the grandeur of the evening

The exterior architecture of the building was amazing but stepping inside was like walking through a portal into Sixteenth Century England and Hamlet’s  Kronberg Castle: Tall, arched, colorful stained-glass windows, large murals depicting "Romeo and Juliet" and a modified "Macbeth's Witches", woven tapestry, medieval age-ed stone walls and grand staircases leading to elaborate balconies, all visible from the center of the mezzanine.

It was so overwhelmingly beautiful, I scanned the room looking for signs of familiarity. Was I in the right place? Was this the Bryan Adams Concert?

Relieved to find merchandise vendors prominently stationed between two sets of red velvet curtains draped across the entryways to the ‘sanctuary’, I reminded myself to...

Breathe.

My eight year old son Joey was by my side. I took a sip from his water bottle and another deep breath. Glancing around I noted the average age of patrons to be around forty-five, and throughout the evening, we saw only one other child. Joey seemed to take notice as well, and quickly adopted an attitude of respect and maturity befitting a well-bred young squire.

We stayed in the grand lobby taking pictures until fifteen minutes prior to show time, when I sent a final message on Twitter as Joey ate the last of his junior mints.

Inside, the sanctuary had become hallowed ground. Security guards continuously paced the room in an effort to enforce the NO CELL PHONE USE RULE broadcasting over the loudspeaker and posted on signs near the entrances.

We quietly took our seats near the center of the audience, Joey in the row in front of me. I’d like to say this was a conscious intentional decision on my part, so that I could attend to him without turning my back on Bryan. As it happened, those were the only seats available.

I stared intently at the high ceiling and medieval architecture hoping I could burn it into long term memory. Looking up to the two balconies behind me, I took note of the battens, one running the length of the second balcony and two positioned vertically on each wall. Attached to the battens, a row of lighting instruments were carefully directed toward the stage. Most were of the versatile ellipsoidal type, but up high on each of the vertical battens I noticed what appeared to be a Fresnel and Parnel flooding the stage with light. The houselights had the appearance of wrought iron exterior fixtures and were mounted high on the walls along the outermost aisle on each side of the theater.

Joey was anxious for the show to begin. Even as I magically transferred root beer candy from one hand to the other, I couldn’t distract him from repeatedly asking me the time. I covertly checked my phone, as I no longer wear a wristwatch, and was showing him the current time when he alerted me to the approaching security guard by saying, in a sing-song voice, “you’re going to get us kicked out, Mom”. I smiled back at the couple next to us and made a remark about how the exposed ‘heart’ of the Wurlitzer Organ, its stage mounted pipe ranks, when combined with the stone walls and coats of armor made me feel like I was in a Medieval Church.  But the lone microphone standing next to a grand piano on stage told me tonight’s service would be dedicated to the Gospel of Bryan Adams.

And the people rejoiced.

Nothing could have prepared me for what came next. The audience was reserved and stoic, they seemed strangely sober after drinking from their oversized solo communion cups. I wanted to join them but even though our friend Sarah had driven us to the venue, I abstained out of respect for my young moral compass, dedicated-parent induced sobriety, for the win!

Although shocked at first, I soon came to appreciate that they, like me, were holding their breath as the house lights dimmed and Bryan appeared from backstage adorned in top hat splendour. He tipped his hat bowing to the audience and placed it on the stage in front of him. The crowd greeted him with a warm round of applause, as if to say “Welcome home.” If you could drop a note into that hat, what would it say?

Warning: At last, the spoils.

First of all, as a student of technical Theater, I’d like to show my appreciation for the lighting design of this “Bare Bones” acoustic show.

Each song, nae, each phrase, a new scene was painted onto the canvas of the stage, in every style.  From brightly colored backlighting that left Bryan silhouetted against the stage mounted organ pipes and barren stage wall, to a warm illuminating spotlight that appeared from above the wings transforming him into a Rembrandt painting. When Bryan played he looked down at his acoustic guitar with reverence, and as he turned, the light reflected off of her strings, in perfect aesthetic harmony with the melody.

The newer songs, were so beautifully woven in, you’d swear they were

Classics.  And so naturally, the reinvented Classic Songs were infused with fresh energy and vibrancy.

Know this, in this ‘acoustic’ performance, the audience did their best to fill in percussion, backup harmonies and groupie positions. Bryan fielded the latter propositions with his well-known sense of humor and unmistakable charm. Swoonage commencer.

The acoustics in the Elsinore were unequal to any I’ve ever experienced, anywhere.  You could have heard a pin drop each time Bryan fell into a gentle guitar solo, or a whispered lyric with such amazing clarity. Breathtaking.

A formidable nod to Gary Breit, who began with an innocent Schulz’s Schroeder tempo, that soon escalated into a full spectrum offering of musical expression, climaxing with attacks so powerful, even the still organ pipes burst into song.

Run To You [audience on percussion]

How Do You Feel Tonight

Back To You [piano, harmonica]

Here I Am [piano]

I’m Ready [piano, harmonica]

Do I Have To Say The Words? [piano]

Let’s Make A Night To Remember

Can’t Stop This Thing We Started

You’re Still Beautiful To Me [piano]

Heat Of The Night [piano]

Not Romeo Not Juliet [piano]

(Everything I Do) I Do It For You [piano]

The audience rewarded Bryan/Gary with a standing ovation. Which they humbly accepted.

Cuts Like A Knife [a bagpiper accompanied Bryan and the audience on

the ‘Na Na Na’ Bridge while walking down a main aisle toward the stage, across to house right and back up to the entryway where he paused to bid us farewell, much to the delight of everyone in attendance]

[brief personal intermission, feel free to tell me what I missed in graphic detail, I have a feeling based on previous set lists, it may have been "Alberta Bound"]

Please Forgive Me [piano]

“I remember the smell of your skin, I remember everything”

my favorite verse, countryfried, added the comic relief I needed to stifle impending tears.  I love this song so much, I would have bawled like a baby.  No one wants to see that.

Summer of ’69 [piano]

Whatever you think happened at this point, you’re probably right. There was laughter. [note: I wonder if Bryan uses GHS Strings?]

Walk On By

Heaven [piano] Audience once again on their feet, an inspired performance.

The Right Place [piano]

The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You

          Anyone who’s ever attended a rock concert knows, the last song of the set is never the last song of the evening. A few audience members left but only after offering a standing ovation, whistles and cheers, and synchronous clapping that quickly accelerated into a roar, at which point, Bryan and Gary reappeared, once again the people rejoiced. This time in an anxious, liberated fashion more indigenous to a crowd listening to an artist of Bryan Adams caliber.

ENCORE

Somebody [piano]

[Bryan rewarded the audience by inviting us to the stage, continuing to sing..]

You’ve Been A Friend To Me [piano]

Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? [piano]

Miss You A Little Bit [piano]

Straight From The Heart [harmonica]

          I wish there was a way to share the experience of singing with the Bryan Adams audience choir; three and four part harmonies, that feeling of a shared love of music and a desire to show our gratitude for the commitment Bryan has made to his fans. There are still several shows to come in The Bare Bones Tour, if you’d like to feel it for yourself. In my son’s words, “It was Awesome!”

The most amazing revelation came to me during the moments Bryan was alone on stage, alone he sang with the voice of a choir, and alone he played his acoustic guitar yet became a resounding symphonic orchestra. At any given moment, someone is singing their favorite Bryan Adams song, he’ll never truly sing alone.

Epilogue:

I feel compelled to say these words as well:

*If my use of the phrase “Please Forgive Me” is in violation of copy write

laws, it also happens to be my favorite Bryan Adams song.

If you think I talk too much, use too many words or offend in some way,

I agree, I’m a music lover, not a writer.

If I got the set list wrong… let me just say, it is an incredible super-human

          power to be able to sing that many songs for so many nights in a row.

If I neglected to mention the Pipers name was, I couldn't find him, if you know him,

tell him, he ROCKED!

‘Bryan Adams’ is my drug of choice.

(and by 'drug' I totally mean this)

 What I Left Out: Elsinore We Are Not Alone

art: Kathleen Arvidson, "Bryan Adams at the Elsinore" and

      "Bryan Adams-Portrait", oil pastels, 2011

“Please Forgive Me”