Great Expectations

A little over a week ago, I saw Bryan Greenberg in concert. Although he performed well, it was a much different performance compared to the last time I saw him.

After a year of missing his shows in NYC for one reason or another, I was finally able to snag tix last December. At the time DS was in town visiting and kindly took time out of her much-needed vacation to go with me. I wasn't really sure what to expect--I just knew that I was finally going to see him live. The show exceeded my expectations. The music from all three performers was great, their chemistry onstage was awesome, and it was really fun. DS and I ended up having a great time. I walked out of the Canal Room on a high and eager to see his next show.

December 2008 Concert @ the Canal Room with Graham Colton

Fast forward to the most recent concert. I had expectations--I expected a show similar to the last one. The minute I walked into the main room, I was already let down. The set-up of the room was similar to that of a dinner theatre: a stage with a sea of tables in front of it and bars on each side of the room. Since CR and I had already eaten, we opted to stand by the bar. At first, this was fine. I had a wall to lean on and a clear view of the stage. I was a happy girl.

The minute Amy Kuney's performance ended, a flood of people came out of nowhere and decided to block my view. I thought many of them would just grab their drinks and move on, but that was not the case. Directly in front of me I had a group of gay men chatting endlessly among themselves--not even paying attention to what was happening on stage. To their right, at the bar, was a group of girls babbling loudly about work and moms and other girls. At some point they did stop talking and paid attention to the singing--so I'll give them that.

Then, when I managed to find a clear view of the stage and BG decided to bring up his co-star from his new HBO show to sing one of his new songs, a group of people on some sort of double date decided to invade my space and be loud and obnoxious. I could barely enjoy the song and before I knew it, it was over. Luckily I was able to move back to my original spot next to CR. I tried to get comfortable while BG started singing one of his slower songs, which is kind of sad since it's about death and sort of requires a little silence from the crowd. Unfortunately, the double daters next to us didn't get the memo. At one point, CR even shushed them loudly, but that wasn't enough to stop them. (Thanks for the effort, CR!) Personally, I wanted my fist to connect with their faces. Although a bar-room brawl would have probably caught BG's attention, I'm not sure that's how I'd want to get anyone's attention.

I know I could have moved around and tried to find another spot, but no matter where I went I'd end up blocking someone else's view--sometimes I'm way too nice. But for the final two songs I realized I needed to do something so I decided to stand next to BG's number 1 fan, well, behind her. Unfortunately, this spot was in front of the kitchen so I constantly had to keep moving for the waiters, but at least I had a better view.

June 2009 Concert @ the Highline Ballroom

Who's BG's number 1 fan you ask? Well, CR and I gave her this name only because she had this stalker-like quality about her. She claimed a spot early on and stood her ground--during the entire show it seemed as if she had a nice cushion of space around her--no one bumping into her or getting close enough to block her view. She wore sweats and from the looks of it she put zero effort into the way she looked that night. (Now, I'm not one to get all gussied up with overdone makeup, barely there outfits and too-high heels, but I will put on some lip gloss, maybe a nice top and run a brush through my hair.) CR swears she saw her put something in her hoodie pocket for BG to sign later.

I know I shouldn't judge, because well, I am a stalker too, but not in that weird, creepy way. I can't even go up to the guy and say hi. She, on the other hand, was kind of giving off the creepy vibe.

When his set ended I really saw no point in hanging around, so CR and I stopped by the merch table, I bought a CD (even though I already had half the songs on there) and headed home.

One last thing about the concert—his bass/harmonica guy was awesome! He was like a one-man band. I used to play the big-ass bass (very badly) when I was younger so I have this odd appreciation for it. Lugging that thing around at 13 was not fun, but I did like standing out in the orchestra. :)

Anyway, I can’t end this music post without sharing one of my first MJ memories. The first celebrity poster I ever bought, which probably started my fangirl ways, was of MJ. It was the summer of ’84, and I was in Europe for a month with my family. Some street vendor in Paris was selling black and white posters of the top pop artists, which included MJ, Madonna and Boy George. At the time I was a huge MJ fan so I asked my parents if they would buy it for me. Amazingly, they did. I can’t remember how long I had the poster before it was completely ruined and had to be tossed, but I can still remember what it looked like to this day. Although I eventually moved on and became obsessed with other singers (as you can tell from the story above), I still smile whenever I hear one of my favorite MJ songs. I especially loved watching the Thriller video/listening to Thriller around Halloween.

On that note, here’s a list of my Top 5 MJ tunes:
1. The Way You Make Me Feel
2. P.Y.T.
3 Thriller
4. Billie Jean
5. Rock With You
Honorable Mentions: Beat It, Smooth Criminal & Dirty Diana