The Concert I Heard 2016

***** = Transcendent.
****   = Really good. 
***     = Worth  it, but not one penny more. 
**       = A waste of time, but one or two good moments. 
*         = Not good.  Possibly damaged my brain. 
 -0       = Ug fa meh loo poo pa.



1. Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with Shara Worden, February 19, 2016.  *****

Actually the program schedule is wrong--Shara did one other song, Franz Schubert's "Der Leiermann."  All four songs were amazing.  I sat there with tears running down my face for the whole twenty-four minutes.  It was also very nice to have Jacqueline there with me.  She loves Shara, too, and she was really happy to be there with me.  

2.  Kentucky Opera, Showboat, February 21, 2016. ****  But "Old Man River" hit *****, for sure.  

Both Jacqueline and Joe were with me for this one.  There were some things that were a little hard to take . . . the racist historical context, mostly . . . but all of the singers did at least a good job, and the guy who played Joe (Derrick Parker) was absolutely fantastic.  This is the first year in a long time that I've been to all of the Kentucky Opera performances for a season, and the first time that Joe came with Jacqueline and I in forever.  He also said that he wants to see all three of the operas in next year's season, so I'm looking forward to that.   

3.  David Ramirez at Zanzabar, March 15, 2016.  **** Quite a show here.  I even forgot what a fuckin' toilet Zanzabar was for most of the time.

Is there another venue where you have to play with Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior at Stage Right?  Sheesh.  And the musicians have about two square feet to move around in.  But it didn't seem to adversely affect David.  

I was expecting an acoustic show, as most of the DR music I have (and I have it all) leans that way, but most of the show was most definitely not acoustic.  And the band was happening.  Several onstage orgies resulting in multiple orgasms.  And no lack of energy despite the very small crowd.  (I counted twenty people on the floor, and there were maybe another two dozen at tables and at the bar, so no more than 50 people for sure.)  Towards the end of the last song David said farewell and left the stage with the rest of the band still playing, and I thought, "Wow, he really needs a cigarette!"  Then I saw that he was going around and shaking hands with every audience member who was standing on the floor.  Pretty coo.  Then back on stage for the grand finale.  Fun show.  The sound was a little off . . . just a bit blurry when the volume got high, which obscured the lyrics.  And that's definitely not okay with these songs.  And one of my favorite Ramirez songs, "The Bad Days," was re-arranged for the full band in a way that made it slightly less excellent for me.  But all in all, a well spent fifteen bucks, for sure. Too bad Jacqueline couldn't come with me.  She's a good concert buddy.

4.  David Wax Museum at Zanzabar, May 4, 2016.  ****  Well, I clearly meant to get back to this one and didn't.  It's over a month later now, though, so . . . whu happen?

5.  The Phantom of the Opera at Kentucky Center for the Arts, June 11, 2016.  The third time I've seen the show.  (The first time was a gift from my mom, the second and third times were for Jacqueline.)  This was by far the weakest.  Instead of an orchestra, there were three keyboardists in the pit.  And they upped the tempo so much that even though I was glad to be out of there early, I wasn't happy about it.  Sheesh.

6. Madame Butterfly at The Brown Theatre, September 25, 2016. **** with a bit of *****. With Jacqueline, Joe, and Pat, all of whom liked it very much. After they played the first few notes of Madame Butterfly's big aria, Jacqueline leaned into me and said, "This is my favorite song." Wow.


7. The Abduction from the Seraglio at The Brown Theatre, November 6, 2016.****  With Jacqueline and Joe, both of whom seemed to be captivated with the show. This opera was quite funny (the spoken parts were in English, making it easier to feel the ha ha). I was also surprised that despite the fact that I didn't recognize the title, there were several songs which were familiar. That's how cool Mozart is.

8. Brown-Forman Nutcracker at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, December 10, 2016. With Jacqueline, of course. This was our 7th show--2009, 2011, 2012, 2013.2014, 2015, and 2016.  That means I've spent .02% of the last seven years of my life watching The Nutcracker. Just sayin', sir.

Shara Worden

Would you drive 244 miles for 24 minutes and 34 seconds's worth of Shara Worden singing?  I did Friday night . . . with Jacqueline.  And it was totally worth it. 

Shara's first song was Franz Schubert's Die Winterreise No. 24, "The Organ-Grinder" ("Der Leiermann"), also known as Die Winterreise Op.89, D.911, XXIV. "Der Leiermann" ("The Hurdy-gurdy Man.")

This song was so sad that I felt like all the air had escaped from my soul by the time it ended. 

Unfortunately I couldn't see Shara at all while she sang, but my disappointment vanished as I focused on her voice and the song.  And then the lights came up and the orchestra revved up, and there was Shara at the front of the stage, twenty feet away (and four feet up), and I'm pretty sure (possibly wishful thinking, but what else is life for?) that she looked at me and smiled. (She knows me and we've spoken several times.)

And then she sang three songs form Unremembered, a song cycle by Sarah Kirkland Snider:  "The Guest," "The Swan," and "The Witch."  You can hear them on Bandcamp . . . where you can also buy these three tracks for $1 each, or the whole album for a mere $8 (downloads) . . . though I'm sorely tempted to go for the Limited Edition 12" WHITE Vinyl Double LP for $22.  I haven't listened to the whole album yet, though, so I want to do that and find out if Shara only sings on these three tracks before I drop the heavy notes.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love Shara's voice, but I will say that tears ran down my face the whole time that she was singing.  

Jacqueline loved it, too, but I think she was a little disappointed: last time she saw Shara (which was Jacqueline's first concert ever) she got to (1) sit on stage, (2) dance with Shara, and (3) leave the stage holding hands and talking with Shara.  The bar was set pretty high.

ADDENDUM:
As for the other ten songs on the album, I definitely hear Shara's voice on (1) "Prelude," in the background vocals on (2) "The Estate,"  in the beginning and then in the background of (3) "The Barn,"  in the da da da das on (4) "The Girl," duet voice on (5) "The River," same on (6) "The Speakers," background vocals on (7) "The Orchard" (and is it just me, or does the male singer--Dm Stith--sound dead-up like Peter Gabriel at times?), up front on (8) "The Song," and back in the background and sometimes in the frontground, too, on (9) "The Past."  So unless my ear has tinned, the only song Shara doesn't sing on is "The Slaughterhouse." So you should probably just go ahead and buy the whole album if you're a Shara fan.  

Corner Gas, Now With Cheese

Corner Gas Season 2, Episode 7: 

"Hero Sandwich"

Hank Yarbo 

(played by Fred Ewanuick) 

says to Oscar Leroy 

(played by Eric Peterson)

"Hey, Oscar!  Cheese it!  The Heat!"

Oh yes he did.