Sorry. I’m backtracking…I know. Going all the way back to October — January!
>>>OCTOBER 2013
Venue: Ensemble Studio Los Angeles (EST/LA)
What: THE LAST LOOK BACK
Who: written by Stephen Serpas, directed by Gates McFadden, starring Brent Spiner, Tracy A. Leigh, Sadie Alexandru, Ramon De Ocampo.
So, I had to choose whether I should money on needed car repairs, or splurge on the VIP ticket. Guess which one I picked? Yep. Transmission problems? Wha–? Yeah, that can wait, right?
I went with a theater-going buddy, and although we didn’t sit together, we both had a great view of the show. Really, there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.
I was still fairly new to Twitter back then, and had only been actively using it since July, so it was a lot of fun meeting some Twitter pals in person.
>>>DECEMBER 2013
Venue: Montgomery Theater (San Jose, CA)
What: ZELDA – SYMPHONY OF THE GODDESS
Who: Susie Benchisal Seiter (conductor/orchestrator), Dawn Harms (concertmaster), Skywalker Ranch Orchestra
This was my fourth Zelda concert! First one was San Francisco (also featuring the Skywalker Ranch Orchestra), then San Diego, The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, and San Jose. Back in October, Susie had tweeted a photo of a broken wind waker baton. It had snapped in mid-performance! I offered to make her a replacement baton, not for the show, but for her own private fan-art collection.
While carrying the baton box around downtown, I was perplexed on how I was going to get the baton to Susie. Then suddenly, out of the blue, Jeron Moore came walking down the street and totally saved the day! He helped me get past security (they’d let cosplayers with fake swords enter the theater, but wanted to confiscate my baton box. Wha?!?!), and had an usher escort me to meet them backstage. I was shaking the entire time! Susie even used the baton for Wind Waker movement. What an honor!
>>>JANUARY 2014
Venue: Roseland Theater (Portland, OR)
What: THE LEGENDARY BRENT SPINER: A NIGHT OF SONGS AND STORIES
Who: Brent Spiner, featuring Brad Ellis on piano
Brent Spiner in concert. Need I say more?!
I have a fear of flying and haven’t traveled by plane in over a decade. Last time I was on a plane was in 2002, when I flew to South Caroline for my sister’s boot camp graduation. The flight to Portland was only a little over an hour, but the high winds and rain made for a very bumpy landing. But fear of flying be damned! There was no way I was gonna miss this show.
I met up with Marie, whom I met at EST/LA in October, and we stayed at the Benson Hotel in Downtown Portland. I really liked the old look and feel to it. There was a…um…I don’t know what it was… A gathering? They were all dressed in 1920s fashion…for fun? I’ve seen weirder things in Little Tokyo/Downtown LA…
The theater was PACKED. I’m pretty sure it was a sold-out show. Some people came dressed in Starfleet uniforms, and there were even a few people dressed as wizards! How random. Not exactly the most appropriate concert attire, but…oh well.
((Tangent)) In The Last Look Back, Brent (as Sinatra) teased the audience by attempting to sing “In the Wee Small Hours,” but never fully broke into the song. I got to chat with Brent after the show, and he asked if I was disappointed that he didn’t sing. I believe I shouted “YES” before he even finished his sentence. That’s when he told us about his plans for this show. By the way, “In the Wee Small Hours” is also in Brent’s CD, Dreamland. It’s one of my favorite tracks because the melody takes a lot of unexpected turns, and it just sounds gorgeous. Brent didn’t sing “Wee Small Hours” in Portland, but he did sing “To Know You is to Love You,” which is also in Dreamland. He sounded amazing, and he must have really worked on his vocals because his voice didn’t waver, even after 3 hours of singing and talking. ((End Tangent))
The show was fantastic. There was a brief Q&A during intermission, and someone even asked Brent to sing Blue Skies. …and he did!! Gah! Brad Ellis should accompany all of Brent’s Q&A panel!
They had a 9-piece orchestra (I think). Guitar, bass, percussion, trombone, soprano sax (doubling on flute), alto or tenor sax (?), clarinet and cello, and of course, the talented Brad Ellis on piano. Both of the saxophonists had Kenny G hair. Maybe it’s a Portland thing?
After the show, VIPs had the opportunity to get a photo op with Brent, and everyone got a complimentary autograph. The line was barely moving at first because some people brought several items for Brent to sign. (Again, we’re at concert, people…not a convention…) Finally, one of the stage managers stepped in and announced that Brent was on a time crunch to catch his flight, and set a limit of 1 autograph per person, and no personalization. That’s fair for everyone, especially for the folks at the back of the line–like us… There must have been close to a thousand people in line, maybe even more, but Brent stayed until everyone got an autograph. And that’s why he is such an amazing guy!
Portland. Good times!
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