| A Series of Fortunate Events GBS in South Orange October 30, 2008 |
| My apologies to the author of Lemony Snicket, but there really were a series of fortunate events that made the night special. No photos till Bob's solo. You'll have to read till the second half. ;P I’ve always thought it was funny to see the sign for “The Oranges” off the Garden State Parkway. Envisioning people living in giant orange-shaped houses, or everyone with orange trees in their yards or every house with something painted orange sends me into giggle-fits every time I’m up that way. So I jumped at the chance to see GBS in this new place. Howard was gracious enough to pick up tickets for Vic and I and thru a series of fortunate events, they ended up being first row! I put in a day’s work and Vic picked me up in the car a bit after dismissal time. You never know about the New Jersey Turnpike. Most times I’ve been on it at 4 PM, it’s been very crowded, crawling or jammed. Fortunately, there were no accidents and it seemed we had gotten the best of the traffic all the way up to North Jersey. Just as we approached the exit suggested by the GPS, the traffic ground to a halt. We zipped right off and meandered our way to the venue. Sometimes, GPS’s give the strangest routes. It was not the most direct route but it was fortunate once more because we missed the big traffic jam, which stretched all the way to the next Orange exit. But during the drive I learned that my creative thinking about the Oranges was not correct. I saw not even one orange house, none shaped like an orange or any orange trees in the Oranges. Boy, was I disappointed! I gave Howard a call when we got to within a few blocks of the venue and he met us in the lobby of the South Orange Performing Arts Center, right beside the railroad station. The Center is only two years old and is pretty glitzy. It houses both a performance theatre and a movie theatre, is easily accessible and has parking nearby. Those coming in from NYC can get right off the train and they’re there! Getting back to the big city can be an adventure though, as the last train leaves before concert’s end. Standing around before the show, I bought a PLAY CD from Glenn as I had worn out the other two I had, in addition to the three cassette tapes I got before there were CDs. It was my first exposure to GBS and will always be my favorite album, I think. We met a few OKP fans in the lobby. Susan introduced herself to me and we chatted about Newfoundland, one of my favorite subjects. She was there with her hubby and a friend. I apologize for not mentioning their names, but I accidentally threw out the notes I took during the first half of the show before I had a chance to type them into the computer. Mea culpa. So, in addition to leaving out names, if the review sounds different in the first half than the second, that’s why. I had a good opportunity to chat with Cheryl, something I haven’t done in a long time. It was good to catch up. My camera has bitten the dust, but Vic brought his along for photo opportunities. However, no photos were taken. Long story short, for some reason I cannot take photos while seated in the first row. I don’t have a problem taking them in a GA venue whilst standing in front of the stage, but I find myself unwilling to take them when sitting in the front row of a theatre. Call in the shrink, please! However, the announcer made a request as to no photos or recordings of the evening. So I put the camera away anyway without guilt. The announcement didn’t deter some from taking photos though. And some lucky guy apparently had permission from the venue, as he was using this honing big camera and not hiding the fact that he was taking photos. A half hour before the show was supposed to start, we were let into the room. The Performance Theater of SOPAC was an intimate place, with a capacity of 400. I understand from the box office, that there were only 15 unsold seats for the evening. Not bad at all for the first time in a city! It seemed to me that a lot of people were buying merch, too. I hope they kept Glenn busy. And I did notice that they were playing Newfoundland music on the PA while we waited for the magic hour to begin. That was cool! The show began a little after 8 PM, with the chorus of the Banks of Newfoundland booming over the sound system as the band took their places before us on a darkened stage. When all were in places with bright shining faces, Kris’s drums set the beat and the show opened explosively with Love Me Tonight, a rocker from the new CD, Fortune’s Favour. The seasoned fans showed unusual restraint, staying seated for the song, but clapping and singing along. The age range was typical for a GBS show, from young children to people older than dirt. The first thing I noticed was the sound. It was superb! The sound in the front at most shows sucks, as it is tuned to the mid-theatre, but we were getting crisp, clear sound in the first row. It seemed as if they had the speakers set to bounce off the side walls. That arrangement sounded good! No sooner had the first song ended, than they launched into Process Man (Chemical Workers’ Song). Kris was amazing playing three instruments at once to give a great percussive effect for the song. The light show for this one was perfect, with the stage dark blue, offset by bright white lights and a lightning effect when they sang “The thunder all around me.” The lighting also seemed friendlier than other shows I had been to this tour. But the stupid smoke machine was in operation, so maybe it was a good thing I wasn’t taking photos. The applause died down and Séan teased us with an drawn out “Ooooooooooh!” from Paddy Murphy. Tonight Alan Doyle was loaded drunk and Bob Hallett was feeling gay, which was okay since “we are Canadian.” Even this rocker found everyone still seated, amazingly. Being in the first row, I was reluctant to stand up, knowing there were some newbies behind me who might not understand. At least I didn’t understand the first few times I saw GBS that it was okay to stand up. Much applause followed Paddy Murphy and continued when Alan declared he was “the fountain of affection and the instrument of joy as well.” Bob’s fiddle sounded loud and clear for Goin' Up and the instruments didn’t outweigh the vocals as they sometimes do. A really good sound mix for this song would continue for every song this evening. The audience participated in singing a chorus and then began to get more animated when Alan invited everyone to “Get up and have a dance!” After that, the audience got up for the livelier songs and many sat for the slower ones. A perfect combination for me as I can’t stand thru a whole GBS show anymore. Jack Hinks' intro began with an announcement that it was their first time here in South Orange and went off the tracks a bit as Alan and Séan wondered, if we were in South Orange, if there were East, West and North Oranges. Turns out there ARE East and West Orange but not North Orange (which is just called “Orange”). Go fig! Everyone on stage was moving for this song at some point and the band looked like they were having fun. Alan stepped out to the edge of the stage right in front of me for the first time of many. I could have untied his shoelaces! Still sitting, the audience clapped and sang their way thru the song. It’s not my favorite from the TURN album but it is good live.. The banter about Orange continued with Séan claiming he got off the tour bus in shorts and a tee shirt this morning because he thought it’d be a warm place – it was called Orange and it was South. “Boy, did I run fast!” exclaimed Séan. “I couldn’t keep up,” added Alan. “And I was a bit ‘nipplish’” replied Séan, getting a laugh. “I know!” Alan said, nodding his head with a mischievous grin. Alan continued the story about their jog telling us they came to a sign along a trail that said “Welcome to Orange” and then wondered how far north they had jogged to leave South Orange. Séan claimed they ran a marathon. When they finished the marathon, they were hungry and went across the street to a place where they made donuts right in front of you. You could see them on the little conveyor bolt and they had free samples. Alan claimed he didn’t want any but Séan took one, went back to Alan, grabbed his hat to wear as a disguise and went back around for samples several more times. He claimed he had five donuts! They marveled about how this area of New Jersey could be famous for their great donuts. Séan added, “In Newfoundland we have great rocks!” That comment was a good segue to the next song, as it turned out. “This is a song for that Rock,” Séan said, as he stepped up to the mic to sing England from the new album. He was center stage in the spotlight while the others’ positions were lit darker. Bob’s whistle solo got a good hand after the bridge and Alan stayed in the background for this one, allowing Séan to bask in the glory of his traditional-sounding song. They claimed the album was on the charts but not at the top. “At my mother’s house it is in the Top Four,” proclaimed Alan. Alan introduced the band here - Kidded Kris about being on Facebook, commended Bob for his whistle playing and complimented Murray for playing guitar as well as bass. He surmised that the next song made history as it was “the first time a song from Fogo Island was sung in South Orange.” Gideon Brown sounded good in South Orange, too. Bob’s blue balls appeared as he played both whistle and shakers for this song. Afterwards, Séan announced the next song was about temptation. He asked in anyone in the audience had ever been tempted. Maybe even tempted tonight! “We all have our temptations; we all have our weaknesses,” continued Séan. “My weakness is donuts. I love donuts of any variety. Alan’s weakness is light. He is drawn to the light like a moth,” Séan explained, as Alan took his cue and wandered over to the spotlight with a dazed look. “Yes, I sing a song whenever I open the door to the fridge at night,” explained Alan, smiling endearingly at the crowd who was roaring with laughter while he very quietly sang "Hello my baby, hello my honey..." All the while, pantomimning the opening of the refrigerator door. “How about Murray? What's his weakness?" Alan asked Séan. “Murray’s tempted by Kris and Kris is tempted by Bob,” continued Séan, as Bob raised his eyebrows and smiled coyly at Kris. “So the bus scenario takes on a whole new meaning,” he said with a grin. All this to introduce Hard Case! This song has a very singable chorus “The sign said go slow and Lord knows how I tried to follow…” and the audience joined in readily. I could finally hear Bob’s whistle accompaniment during the song and Alan was doing some great things with the wah pedal and the electric guitar. They must have realized at this point that the sound was great because after the song, Alan thanked the sound guy for taking care of them tonight and every night. Every night is not this good – the equipment in the venue must be really wonderful. Maybe GBS should think about upgrading what they’ve got so they can sound this good every night! River Driver appeared on the setlist next with an explanation by Alan about how it was from the western part of Newfoundland where there are great rivers and great forests. All these dudes would be there for months at a time and sing these dainty little love songs to each other. “It’s a great tune but I somehow think that this was not the type of campfire songs those men sang,” said Alan. River Driver sounded fantastic, with Alan’s solo parts impressive. All voices could be heard clearly and all were in perfect harmony. Kris doing a little rim shot thing on the bodhran was a different addition tonight. The song could take your breath away this evening! |
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