I have a confession to make. I have never seen the Rockettes or the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show before. After seeing both for the first time on Friday at Verizon Center in Washington DC, I learned what I'd missed out on and am now determined to make it a yearly tradition.
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular Arena Tour is fairly new, having debuted in 2008, but the show itself dates back to 1933. Two of the scenes from the original show are performed today: the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" and "Living Nativity."
I, for one, was moved to tears by the latter and was happy to see a celebration of the true meaning of Christmas come to life before my eyes. I asked my 9-year-old daughter Natalie, who attended with me, what her favorite part of the show was and she said, "The way (The Rockettes) were able to do everything at the same time."
She was referring to their well-known precision, and she's right. From every little kick, to every little turn, their timing was perfect. But she was just as dazzled by the entire 90-minute performance as I was, waving at the dancing bears and laughing at the "boom" flag shot out of the cannon. At one point, Santa ran down the aisle in front of us and she practically jumped out of her seat.
The only thing better than the performance itself for me, was seeing her reaction as well as the children around me. Eyes were wide, jaws were open and there were tons of "oohs" and "ahhs" from the little ones in the crowd.
One fairly new number, "New York at Christmas," made me long for another visit to New York City. The scene features a tour bus with an LED screen backdrop that makes it appear as if the bus is driving through the city. It was so realistic that I just sat back and soaked it in as if I was there.
The special effects were even more dazzling than the backdrop, costumes and scenery. A few times during the show, huge explosions of "snow" are shot out over the crowd, and glitter falls from the ceiling to create a magical snowfall. Colored streamers were shot out at another point to the delight of the audience.
The show was helpful in answering one of the age-old questions children have about Santa: How can he be in more than one place at one time? So asks a boy by the name of Patrick, who doubts the existence of Santa, despite the faith of his younger brother Ben.
It is then that "Santa" tells Patrick that as things have gotten busier for him, he's had to find a way to be everywhere and does so through the use of magic. That brought us to a fabulous number with dancing Santa clones.
My little girl still believes so I know this number went a long way in putting any doubts she may have to rest. In fact, the entire show made our Christmas much more magical. Indeed...spectacular.
Many thanks to Verizon Center for making this review possible. For information on Verizon Center, including events and ticket information, click here.
For more information on Radio City's Christmas Spectacular, including tour dates and ticket information, click here.
I'm late posting this news, but in case you haven't heard, Weezer's lead singer Rivers Cuomo was hospitalized after a tour bus accident in New York Sunday morning.
According to Weezer's website, Rivers suffered a punctured lung and injuries to his spleen but is on the mend. His assistant, Sarah Kim, was also injured but has since been released from the hospital.
The December shows for their Raditude tour have been cancelled, including DC101's Festivus tomorrow that I had planned to cover. I'm not sure if that particular show will be rescheduled or not, but I will post details if it is.
Are you all ready for another fun show?! On December 9, tune into my Twitter feed for live coverage of DC101's Festivus at the Patriot Center in Fairfax.
Thanks to Event Chaser, I'll be bringing all the fun to you from the floor! Weezer is the main attraction, with performances by Jack's Mannequin and Motion City Soundtrack as well.
DC101 Festivus tickets are hard to come by, so click that link or stop by Razor Gator, where you'll find the best concert tickets around! You can also find Weezer tickets for your area if you're not in DC.
My full review will be on Event Chaser after the show. Happy Festivus! :)
Note: Click on photos to enlarge. You can also see more videos from the show here.
Lady Gaga finally made her much-awaited, rescheduled appearance in Washington DC at DAR Constitution Hall on Tuesday. I was fortunate enough to cover the show from the orchestra pit along with my friend Heather:
As we waited an hour-and-a-half past the 8 p.m. start time, we were entertained by music that seemed fresh out of New York's fashion week. Heather commented that the seating arrangement at the hall made it seem like The Oscars and I completely agreed. The whole vibe was just very glam.
The place was packed with the most gorgeous, stylish, unavailable men...at least for the ladies (poor Heather). I had worn a simple cardigan and tank with jeans but wished I had instead chosen something sparkly and bold as most others had.
I was given a photo pass to wear, which one guard at the backstage entrance told me would get me backstage after the show. Unfortunately, we would find out after the show that she was wrong, much to Heather's and my disappointment.
There was no opening act, so at 9:30, a video montage with Lady Gaga as a character named "Candy Warhol" began playing. Candy complains that someone has stolen her heart and it got a bit graphic at this point as she opened her jacket and showed the bloody evidence of her missing heart.
Candy announces that she feels....."Lost? Empty?" a man asks in the background.
"No, free. I feel free," she answers to a cheering crowd. The montage continued from there into a burst of flames that really got the crowd revved up:
When the curtain fell, and Lady Gaga stood there in all her glory, I was in awe of how gorgeous she looked in person. Her fabulous costumes and dance moves were only outdone by her impeccable voice. And the most perfectly-shaped butt I have ever seen! *jealous*
What impressed me the most, though, was how personal she was to the crowd and how much she connected with everyone. The Lady Gaga you see portrayed in the media often comes off as aloof and conceited. Yet, she was the complete opposite of that as she sang greetings to DC, told everyone how much she loved them, thanked them for their support, etc.
She gave out as many gifts as she received, throwing out gloves, drumsticks and even her microphone, into the crowd. At one point, she handed her microphone to a man in the front row and let him sing part of the lyrics....a man who just happened to be Heather's friend. Here's Spencer with his friend Alex (Heather and I were in this picture, but I looked so horrible, I had to crop it. Sorry, Heather!):
Alex had her own brush with fame as Lady Gaga accepted a ring she handed to her, put it on her finger and told the crowd, "Do you know what this means? This means we're married. Because I f*cking say so!" Alex later told Heather and me that she wants spousal support...or at least a hug, lol.
Another thing I discovered about Lady Gaga is that she has a strong faith. At one point she told the crowd that she had something very important to ask of them. "I'm a big believer in God and miracles and the power of prayer," she said.
She then said that her father was going to be having heart surgery soon and she asked if everyone could please send him good thoughts. At that point, she turned her head away from the crowd and wiped her eyes.
Later, she directed her comments to the youth in the audience who "maybe hate (their) parents" because they won't let them stay out late (among other reasons). Lady Gaga told them to go home and make sure they tell their parents that they love them because they do not want to be sitting there one day feeling like she did right then. You could feel her angst and regret, and it was heartbreaking.
And, of course, she acknowledged her gay fans (which are many), dedicating the song, "Boys, Boys, Boys" to them:
The piano rendition of "Poker Face" was the highlight for me, especially with her bubble costume and piano:
Lady Gaga did various vogue-like poses throughout the number and sang out a greeting to DC:
After holding her leg in the air for quite awhile so that everyone could snap a picture, she said, "Good shot!" which was exactly what everyone was thinking.
She then segued into the regular version of the song while donning a cap and climbing on top of the piano:
The finale came sooner than expected for me, with the show running only about an hour long. I think I speak for most everyone when I say we definitely wanted more Gaga!
As I write this, news just broke that her upcoming "Fame Kills" tour with Kanye West has been cancelled, so getting more Gaga is going to be longer than I would like, unfortunately. (UPDATE: Lady Gaga announced today, October 2, that she will continue on the tour solo!)
On a side note, Heather got herself what she has now dubbed a "Lady Gaga Happy Meal" after the show:
Barbie and Gaga - separated at birth. But, after this show, there's no doubt Barbie could only hope to be as free and glam as Lady Gaga. ;)
Many thanks to Lady Gaga's team for the opportunity to review this fabulous show and to Heather for once again being the perfect assistant as well as friend. She snapped so many good Twitpics with her phone for the live Twitter coverage, which freed me up to take the camera shots (the credit for the pic below the finale video goes to her as well). Heather, you so rock!
Wanted to give you the heads up that in addition to live tweeting from Pink's Funhouse Tour on Monday, I'll also be bringing you live coverage from Lady Gaga's tour the very next evening! Click here to follow along with me!
And stay tuned for full concert reviews for both shows coming soon!
Note: To fully enjoy the pics, click to enlarge. Also, I have an exclusive from the fan who was pulled on stage (see below) and will be bringing you that soon!
I know "Hella Good" is probably an overused title when it comes to No Doubt reviews, but my gosh...it is SO fitting I just had to use it! I was able to enjoy the band's 2009 tour from the pit at the beautiful Nissan Pavilion in Virginia last night, with more than 21,000 fans surrounding me.
Here's a shot at how far back the crowd was behind me (taken when Gwen asked us all to turn around and acknowledge the fans with lawn seats in the back):
Another cliche that so aptly applies to lead singer Gwen Stefani: She really IS more beautiful in person. As a mom of three in her late thirties, I was in awe of Gwen's ability to have such tight, phenomenal abs after two kids and 39 years on this earth. Neither words nor pictures can accurately portray how amazing she looked, but you can get an idea by this:
Speaking of motherhood, one of the most touching moments of the night, for me, was when Gwen sang the lyric, "I always thought I'd be a mom," from "Simple Kind of Life." The crowd cheered since, as we all know, Gwen is now in fact a mom. And her whole face lit up and radiated pride as she gave a knowing nod back to the crowd.
It's very obvious that No Doubt loves their fans as much as their fans love them. Gwen interacted with the crowd throughout the show and gave several shout-outs to Virginia. Here's Gwen singing "I'm just a girl...from Virginia:"
As fans handed Gwen various gifts, she made it known that she loves to receive. "Is that a present? I'll take it." She donned a backpack from one fan and a flag banner from another, which she called a "butt flap." At one point, something went flying up onto the stage toward Gwen, which was a little unnerving, but she played it off cooly and announced that it was a wedding invitation:
She read several signs that fans held up, including one from a young girl who was turning ten. Gwen wished her a happy birthday and asked her if it was her first concert (it was).
Another fan, Bob, was richly rewarded for his sign, which read in glittery letters, "Hug?"
"Come and get it," Gwen replied, and Bob went onstage for the hug and two photos with her, living out every No Doubt fan's biggest dream I am sure. (As I stated above, I'm in touch with Bob and will be bringing you his story exclusively in an upcoming post soon, so stay tuned!)
Those up front who missed out on the chance to go on stage got their share of the fun when Gwen suddenly jumped down into the audience and sang amongst the crowd, which drew huge cheers and applause. Such interaction really sets No Doubt apart in the realm of fan appreciation, for sure.
The entire performance was flawless, with Gwen's vocals just blowing me away. With a lot of singers who sing live, the sound is so often different from what you hear on an album. But if Gwen hadn't changed up the lyrics to some of the songs and added in the shout-outs, I could've been fooled into thinking she was lip syncing (she was not). It was that good.
There were two costume changes, for a total of three costumes that Gwen wore. First:
Second:
Third:
The award for most creative costume, however, goes to No Doubt's drummer Adrian, who wore this ensamble, complete with a pink tutu:
The stage set-up wasn't that elaborate but the screen that played in the background made up for it. Some of the cooler shots included:
I didn't get a shot of the best one from the night, however, which was of No Doubt in their earlier days. Gwen looked like a baby on the screen she was so young!
I missed the opening performances by The Sounds and Paramore, so I was thrilled when they all came out on stage with No Doubt during the finale to sing a cover of Adam Ant's "Stand and Deliver:"
At the very end of the show, No Doubt threw out souvenirs for the fans, including drumsticks, guitar picks, sweaty towels, and cups of water. One cup went hurtling my way and my hand got soaked by the water. I never wanted my hand to dry off, let me tell you! You can see the cup coming my way here:
You can see more of my pictures from the show here and videos here.
Many thanks to the AMAZING people at Live Nation and Nissan Pavilion for making this review possible and really going out of their way for me. I got a sneak peek at how much hard work they put into these shows and believe me, it is impressive!
For tickets and information on No Doubt's tour, click here. If they haven't come to your area yet, you DEFINITELY want to snatch up whatever tickets may be left fast. It's SO worth it!
....in the PIT!! That's where I'll be tonight, bringing you all along with me virtually for the No Doubt/Paramore show at the beautiful Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia.
Stay tuned to my Twitter feed and to my Twitpic account for coverage. I'll be posting a full review of the show soon!
Many thanks to Live Nation for this fabulous opportunity!
If you live in the Washington DC area, there was only one place to be Saturday night: at the 9:30 Club catching Chester French's phenomenal performance. CF, along with Hollywood Holt opened for the very bada$$ Lady Sovereign. While they were all amazing, I'm going to focus on Chester French because I <3 them times infinity. :)
After watching CF's performance on Jimmy Fallon, I knew that the energy from them would be off the wall. And I was right.
My friend/assistant Heather and I were in the front row (I was actually able to rest my purse and beer on the stage, ha!) and got to soak up all of that energy as it poured off of DA and Max and flowed over the crowd.
As you know from my previous interview, these two are talented beyond words. DA's voice was smooth and sexy (like buttah!) and that boy can work a tambourine! Max was right in front of me and I got a close-up view of his tight guitar playing while he simultaneously played the keyboard:
Still blows me away! And both of their moves just make you want to get on the stage and dance with them (as three lucky girls got to do. *jealous*)
What I love most about CF, though, is how in-touch they are with their fans. They mingled with the crowd after their perfomance, took tons of pictures with everyone, and were really just so down-to-earth.
The highlight for me was when Max and DA remembered who I was when I said I was "Blonde Blogger." DA even remembered my real name, saying, "Oh, Dawn!" and gave me a huge hug. And just so you know...because you really must know this....DA also called me "sexy." ;)
The only downside of the night is that the pics of me with DA came out so bad. I'll be brave enough to share this one with you:
But the most important picture (Heather and I with DA on CF's tourbus) came out so bad that my husband couldn't stop laughing. It was that bad. *sigh* Of all the pictures, that one was the one that I really needed to turn out good. Oh well...here it is cropped:
Heather is a journalism student so I was thrilled to bring her along with me to interview CF (her first interview ever!).
The intereview is in two parts because a couple of fans walked by and wanted a picture with DA. So I paused while he took the photo. See what I mean? EVERY fan is important to them and treated like a friend.
Finally, I have tried three different hosts for these videos and all of them darken them so much that you cannot see DA's face. Which sucks for you because he has a really cute face. :)
Here is the on-the-street, tourbus-side interview with DA, with a transcript below. DA starts by offering Heather tips for interviewing, then, in the spirit of CF's brand new album "Love the Future," talks about future plans, as well as Mick Jagger and pelvic thrusts. ;)
Part One - Know that my way-too-loud laughter at DA's shout-out to you all was due to the fact that I thought he was making a joke about my blog title. I thought he was referring to himself as the other blonde of "So Two Blondes Walk Into a Blog" because even though he's a (very hot) redhead, there is some blonde there!
And this is just more proof of how sweet he is...when we realized he wasn't joking, he felt so bad that he put his head into his hands and made the most adorable, "I'm so sorry" face. Then he let me shoot a quick correction. But seriously? He could've called my blog "Five Brunettes Walk Into a Phonebook" and I could not adore him any less. :)
Part Two - D.A. explains who inspired his astounding, on-stage energy.
Part Three- D.A. gives a corrected shout out to my readers (you!).
Interview Transcript:
HEATHER: You once tweeted that, when the Lady Gaga show got cancelled in DC, that two of your best shows [that] you’ve ever done were in DC and Richmond. So what is it about DC that made it so memorable for you?
DA WALLACH: DC is just the, the most exuberant city I feel like. For whatever reason, I don’t know if it’s us or if it’s DC, when we came to DC we just played an acoustic show before in a sneaker shop and there were...I was shocked at the number of people who came out because we do it in a lot of different cities, and I was just amazed at the number of people we had supporting us in DC just organically, maybe off the internet or whatever.
But I love DC, I would probably live here if I didn’t live in Wisconsin and you know, I spent summers here a couple of times in high school because I have family out here and it’s just a great place to come.
H: So when will you be headlining your own tour?
DA: I don’t know when we’re going to headline our own tour, it’s a little bit of a mysterious prospect because we’ve never headlined, so we don’t know how many people would come out to see us in a given city. But I think we can safely say we’ll try it in the fall at some point.
H: So you’re really awesome performers.
BLONDEBLOGGER: We’ve noticed you’ve acted really well in all of your interviews, any plans to do SNL, any improv, any kind of acting?
H: Because we would love to see you do that.
DA: Man, we would definitely do SNL in a second. Yeah, we would do SNL in a heartbeat. I mean, we don’t act but we like messing around and having fun and when people put cameras in your faces it’s usually the best option. So, we’re friends, so, so I’m giving you the real genuine side.
H: Who have you seen, that you’ve taken influence from when you perform? Like, what was your first show?
DA: Well, I’ll tell you a show I saw that stays in my mind and remains inspirational, and that is my mom took me, in like sixth or seventh grade, to see The Rolling Stones in Madison, Wisconsin and even at 60 years old, Mick Jagger is running back and forth across the stadium, and dancing his ass of and, you know, not that it competes with The Rolling Stones of the 60’s or 70’s, but I certainly feel like I can’t let a 60 year old man out-energize me every night. I’m not there yet, but I’m aspiring to his level of you know, energy.
BB: Your energy was amazing tonight.
DA: Thank you very much.
H: Yeah, I noticed the thrusts [like] you did on E!
DA: A lot of pelvic thrusts. We do a lot of pelvic thrusts.
H: It’s your signature.
DA: It is my signature. I just like people to know that that whole section is just working, you know what I mean? Just trying to clear the rumors up, you know? It’s all functional.
***********************************
Functional indeed! Mick Jagger doesn't have a thing on DA!
I'd like to thank 42West for making this review/interview possible, and thanks again to Heather for her assistance. Of course, thanks also goes to DA for the interview and the hugs. :)
Be sure to check out Chester French's website as well as their Twitteraccounts. You can also choose from a number of fun packages CF is offering along with their "Love the Future" album here (I so want that safari trip!), and get a free download of CF's "Jaques Jams" mixtape here.
