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Post by PokerKitten on Mar 7, 2005 11:24:08 GMT
JAMES MARSTERS IN CONCERT! We are pleased to announce that James Marsters has agreed to appear in concert on Thursday night, June 2nd, exclusively for convention attendees holding Gold, Silver, Bronze or Weekend Pass tickets. Seats are limited and will be first come, first serve to convention attendees. This concert appearance is James' ONLY Mid-West appearance currently scheduled for 2005--don't miss it! Come out to see James perform songs from his new solo CD! CDs will be available at the concert. Tickets for the concert are $25.00
(James will be appearing in concert ONLY and will not be participating in the regular convention activities.)www.motorcitybuffy.com/main.html
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Post by aprilb on Mar 13, 2005 3:11:11 GMT
James is allowing us to presell a limited number of his latest CD--autographed by the man himself! This promotion is limited to the first 200 orders (one per person, please). Purchasers will receive their Cd's at the concert. These are only available to Motor City Buffy/Angel convention attendees.
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Post by aprilb on Apr 6, 2005 23:01:04 GMT
"Time is certainly flying and June will be here before you know it. Now is the best time to grab one our jam packed GOLD memberships before they are all sold out! Only a limited number are still available and you don't want to miss out on the best our convention has to offer."
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 3, 2005 12:43:16 GMT
If any of you know Eurydice on LJ, she has written a gig report  And BAPS members can find one from JanK HEREHe's written a song for Lou, squee! ;D |
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Post by twistedspike on Jun 6, 2005 21:22:13 GMT
There doesn't seem to be many reports of this coming through  Seems that the concert went of ok besdes the hold up at the airport and the broken A string ;D James seemed to just wanna enjoy the night and didn't care about the little glitches that he made like forgetting how to play Goodbye He seemed more interested in his interaction with his fans. Which is why we love him.  I just wondered but do you think that he feels that his fans in the UK take his music more seriously than they do in the US  Just wondering....... |
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 6, 2005 23:17:14 GMT
I've no idea how he feels, unless he tells us. But have to say, I would assume it'd be easier to tour over a comparatively short distance for a week or so at a time and really get into the right mind and performance-set than to fly halfway across a large country for a one-off and no rest. But even then, different people see and hear the same gig entirely differently. Btw, Jan K said it was okay to repost her report from BAPS, so long as part 2 is also posted (which she is still working on). So here it is for non-BAPS folk: I'm tired, so this may not be complete, in which case, I may write more later. Also, I'm too lazy (and did I say tired?) to write separate reports, so this is going to a few different Yahoo Lists. Sorry if the cross-posting bothers anyone.
First the specifics about James, Concert: He wore just a short-sleeved black tee during his sound check (more about that later), but added a black or maybe dark navy blue button down shirt over it, but unbuttoned
during the concert. He had a heavy sivler necklace on, but I didn't notice any rings, and definitely no bracelet. His hair looked a little bit longer, but not much. His jeans were faded, but no holes in the knees -- or elsewhere. :-)
He was very chatty and smiling and laughing before he started and also between the songs. His flight had sat on the tarmac in LA for 2 1/2 hours before finally taking off, so he arrived much later than he had expected and didn't get a little nap. So he assured us things would be a bit rough, but added that's one of the fun things about live concerts.
He kinda prefers that things not go too smoothly. That what happens unexpectedly can make it more interesting, including mistakes. So he said something like: I'm not going to promise you a perfect show. I'm
paraphrasing that and will be for most of this report because other than writing down the playlist, I made only a few other notes. I was too busy watching and enjoying it all from my 2nd row center seat.
Anyway, he did make some mistakes. His voice wasn't in top form, so there were some notes that were flat or sharp or that wavered. And there were occasional mistakes in his guitar playing, too. But he has so much
passion and enthusiasm when he plays. He performs his songs complete with the specific emotions that suit each one. And the appreciative crowd was very accepting; no one seemed to hold the rough set against
him at all. The crowd was very enthusiastic; there was a lot of love in the room; and there were a lot of major James fans wearing the "I Want My Spike Movie" button that was provided by Teep through Support Spike and BAPS donations.
I had to make sure and include that note so that Teep knows the package did arrive at the hotel. :-) And although I am one of the Staff Volunteers at this Con, I wasn't directly needed during registration, so I made a point of handing out the buttons to fans as they were standing in line to get their registration packets and explaining in detail about the free postcards and the business-size cards with the mailing addresses on them. Everyonewas very happy to get the free buttons, and a lot of postcards were snapped up. After a while, Julie Caitlin-Brown (who said, "We love Teep!") got the hotel to bring out one more separate table for the buttons and cards, and anything else that may end up being distributed free of charge to the fans. So far, it's just our buttons and postcards. From that point on, I sat behind the table, greeted fans as they arrived and gave the explanation, and then directed them to the
correct table to pick up their packets. There were two tables - one for last names beginning with A-L and one for M-Z.
Later, the Volunteer Coordinator, Marlaine (who I've seen at other Cons) gathered the volunteers not working the registration tables to do a walk-through with her of the back way to the ballroom (for the concerts and the Q&A's), where the dealer rooms were being set up, where the Cocktail Party & Banquet would be, etc. And she gave us assignments of how to help before the concert. More on that later, but I'll just say
that I got to be in the room while James did his Sound Check and managed a brief chat. Also chatted with his manager, Steve Himber.
But back to the Concert. He opened with Every Man Is On His Side, explaining that it would be the only song that night that wasn't written by him, but one that he greatly admired. Then he played This Town. Although it is titled Poor Robyn on his new CD, he introduced the next song with its former title of Over Now. (I love that ballad. It's so beautiful.)
He explained about writing the next two songs while on tour in the UK. After he played Finer Than Gold (with basically the same intro. about how men sometimes try hard but end up buying a gift for their girl that just isn't right. That doesn't suit her. But the girl puts it on anyway, pretending that it's fine, etc.) and got a huge reception to the song, he asked "Should I record that one?" We yelled out variations on the word, "Yes", and he replied, "Okay, I will." (or something to that effect.) He said he wrote both that one and the next one, London City, because of being in love. He also said that he stole the chord progressions from Gary, the guy who was "opening" for him on much of the London tour. He asked Gary if he minded, and the guy said, not atl all
as he was also stealing things from James. They were both in a creative mood and writing stuff sduring that tour. So he called out, "Thanks, Gary" as he began to play it. This song includes lines about being together in London. Most of you probalby know about the girl he's been seeing for over a year, who lives in Germany. But he didn't play Patricia (the song about and named for her); and I'll tell you later what he told me about that song and why he wasn't going to play it tonight when I write about the sound check and brief chat. Anyway, he
got another great response to tha song, and I called out, "Record that one, too,". He smiled and looked at me (and the others, of course, but it felt like just to me at the moment. :-) He said, "Really? That one, too?" Or something like that. Remember, he was looking at me. It's hard to concentrate when that's happening. :-)
He embarassed and laughed at himself because he once again counted out the beat as if his old band was with him before he started to play Smile. The funniest thing is that he has just explained how the band
members had not liked Smile, and that's why it wasn't on Mad Brilliant. The crowd expressed a sentiment of not understanding why they didn't like it. Someone called out, "They're young," as if that might be why
they didn't respond to it. And James said "Yes, they are," and smiled. So anyway, it's not as if that's a song that they played together all that often. It was probalby mentioning the band that made his
subconscious count out the beat when he started to play Smile. (Another lovely ballad.) He stopped immediately, laughed at himself and pointed out what he'd just done. Then began the song again.
He needed help from the sound man to plug himself in for the electrical portion of the concert, joking about how he rehearsed doing this on his own (and I saw him do that), and that he still couldn't get it right. He flung his arms out and said, "I'm just a  actor," something that he mentioned a few times throughout the concert, including something I know he's said before. That he started playing at 15, then put his music on the back burner for a while before finally starting it up again. "I was once a good amateur, and now I'm a HORRIBLE professional." And laughed at himself.
Before beginning to play the electric numbers, he explained something that I hadn't heard: that the song, Civilized Man, was about a guy from Canada who he met and came to know, but who turned out to be a coke
addict and not a very nice man. Just a short ways into that song, he broke an A string. He excused himself for a while to go to the green room and put a new string on the guitar. We all happily chatted until he came back and started the song again. No other strings were broken, but I felt a little twinge of guilt because the last thing I called out to him when he left after the sound check was "Or a string!" in response to the following things called out by other volunteers when he said goodbye to us: "Break a leg!", then someone else said, "But not a finger because then you couldn't play", and that's when I called out the karmically wrong thing of "Or a string". Oops! I remembered reading how he broke an E string in London just prior to performing which delayed one of the concert's start times. That's the only reason I said it. Sigh.
Oh, when he came back in with the new string and before he started to play again, he said, "I heard that an old friend, Bob Berger, is here tonight. Where are you Bob? Back when I was a starving artist in Chicago, Bob fed me. And then Bob gave him $3,000 to produce/finance a play." He thanked Bob and discussed how that is something that we need more of in the world, and he encouraged us to all support the arts and
to go to the theatre. He told Bob he wanted to see him afterwards and said, "I love you, man." Then he played Civilized Man.
Before playing Bad, he said, "This ones about you guys," (meaning the women at the Con) and that's an exact quote rather than a paraphrase. Then he blushed a little, but shrugged, as if to say, "Guys will be guys", I suppose. This may also be the point where he said, "My manager is looking at me, like 'Shut the fuck up, James'. What can I say?" And then after he finished playing, he said something else about it, and a female fan a ways behind me jokingly called out, "You said you'd never tell anyone!" He laughed and replied, "But I didn't say what we did that night!"
I think before playing Dangerous, he said, "This is about someone you know" rather than "This is about someone from Buffy". And then said his usual, "Try to guess who it is." He introduced "Goodbye", but then
struggled, trying to remember the opening chords. He said this is what comes from writing too many songs. He finally gave up, saying "I've forgotten how to play it." And laughed at himself again - a very frequent part of his patter and connection with the crowd, saying things like he was lucky to have such fans and being able to sell out his concerts, etc. That he really enjoyed being onstage in front of us, rather than alone on a soundstage acting to cameras. And that he felt very welcomed and at ease with us, acknowledging that there was a lot of love in the room.
So he gave up on playing Goodbye and said "Let's not play that game tonight about encores. You know, where I go offstage, and then you clap and I come out to do just one more song. How about if I just play all
the set straight through and then end it. Okay? We agreed, and he said, "Okay, then, there will be three more songs."
"This one's dirty -- you know, full of double entendres" is all he said before playing What I Need to a very lively, hooting and whistling and laughing crowd. Then he said, "This is a new one, that's probably half-written. It's about Lou, the woman who drove Steve and I throughout the London tour. [paraphrasing now]: And may I say that it was good to see someone from England who thinks the streets there are as fucked up
as I do. I mean, really. We got robbed at gunpoint! It was wild. And the traffic and streets, themselves! Anyway, this is for Lou - Louise. It was a great song. Very funny, too, with lyrics about driving down a
one-way street backwards, etc. I hope it gets recorded, too, or that someone hears him play it enough that they can share the lyrics online. When he finished it, he said, "This is the first time I've played it in public." So yay for us in Michigan -- we saw the debut performance of a new song by James!
Then he finished with "The Birth of The Blues", which I really liked a lot. I'm sure he'll record it. He talked a lot about the blues, and that he doesn't like the old story about the blues musician meeting the devil at the crossroads and making a trade to be the forefather of the blues. That the devil doesn't deserve any credit at all for the blues - not one note. That it came out of a terrible situation for the black man's past-- of slavery and pain and all sorts of difficulties. That the devil had
nothing to do with the music. And in fact, the last line of the song has Jesus beside the musician. It was very heartfelt, and James really got into the song. He left to a standing ovation and huge applause and hoots and whistles. He said something about this weekend having some terrific people involved [meaning the other actors) and that we'll all have a wonderful time. He grinned and bowed and said, "Thank You." And left the ballroom.
(I forgot to say that this was not a huge, cavernous ballroom. I think everyone could see fairly well and definitely could hear well. We were all seated, so there were no people standing in front of you, dancing,
so that you couldn't see the stage well. It was run like a concert rather than a club outing.)
Then a bit of a snafu. Julie Caitlin-Brown came onstage to explain that everyone should stay in their seats. That James will be coming back onstage to sign a full-sized stand-up of Spike (which all the other Con
guests will also sign) and which will be auctioned off during the Con, to raise money for Tony Head's favorite charity, Paws for Cause. Also, that someone was donating an electric guitar which James will sign. So
James came back out, jumped onstage and immediately embraced the Spike cardboard stand-up and gave it a big kiss. We all laughed. Then a little girl (maybe 10?), the daughter of the Con Organizer, brought out the
guitar. As James was about to sign it, Julie explained that the little girl was the donor. James looked at her and at the guitar a couple of times and said, "Are you sure? That's a nice guitar. Maybe you don't want to give it up?" But the girl insisted. James shook her hand and
said "Good for you."
Here's where the snafu arises. Julie has looked to Steve at the back of the room, and he apparently gives her the wrong hang signal, and she says, "Now, I think if you all encourage him a little, James will sing one more song." James looks at her and over the crowd to Steve Himber (he's been at the back, selling unautographed CDs and DVDs of the Halloween 2004 in London cocnert and James' Q&A as well some autographed Spike figures and 2005 Spike calendars since 45 minutes before the concert started and will sell more afterwards.) and then back at Julie. He says, "Well, let me go get my guitar, then."
After he heads out back, Julie finds out that he wasn't planning to do an encore. She feels bad about the mis-communication and says, "Hold on a minute." She goes out back to talk to James. Good-naturedly, James comes back onstage with his guitar. I know I yelled out "Thank you, James" at some point, and maybe it was here. Others echoed the sentiment. James grinned. He said, "I understand my manager gave Julie
the wrong high sign or something. But I really don't know what to sing." I yelled out, "Anything you want!" [Note: I know. I know. I yelled out quite often. I'm cheeky, aren't I? But I only did it at appropriate
moments. I swear.] He smiled in response and said, "Yeah, but I've sung everything I know. [note: not quite true] I'd sing goodbye if I could only remember it. Some yell out Katie. Others yell out Runaway. He
settles on Runaway, and gives us the unplanned encore.
Gotta love that man! James loves his fans, too! Anyway, I know this is long, but he was really very chatty, and I haven't told you everything he said, by any means. Maybe others will post reports that will fill in
some of the blanks I've left out.
I'm WAY too tired now to tell you the more "intimate" moments I was privy to as one of a few very lucky volunteers in the ballroom during the sound check. And the brief chat. But I promise I'll post the rest of it, when I get some more time. It's not something I'll soon forget.
Since James was only here to do the concert, there was no chance for autographs or photos like at other Cons when everyone can meet him individually for a few moments. No handshaking or hugs or any of that
stuff. But the fans seemed to really enjoy the concert (musically rough or not), and the patter between the songs, and how much of himself James gave to the maybe 300 people in the room. I'm terrible at estimating. It might have been 250 or even less. I know that a lot of people couldn't make it to the Con till Friday or Saturday, but this was a pretty nice crowd for James.
That's it for now. Hope you vicariously enjoyed my post.
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 6, 2005 23:54:23 GMT
James' own gig report, from his official site: A MESSAGE FROM JAMES:
Hey everybody! Just back from the Detroit concert – it was great to connect with everyone there. I think my music sucked a little bit, but I tried to make up for it with a lot of conversation with everyone. It didn’t help that my A string broke mid-concert – but that’s live performance for you. I promise much better for future events. I’m excited about the upcoming cons – the response from you guys has been amazing. These will be the last cons I’ll do for a while – I need to focus on the acting and am working on writing some new material for the next album. Keep rocking!
James
www.jamesmarsters.com/home.html |
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 9, 2005 11:43:49 GMT
Jan K has posted part 2 of her report and it is, um, kinda long. I'm posting the link, for BAPS members, as the report goes on to talk about other events at the Con, and makes an interesting read, but this thread is just for James' gig and related events. Report on BAPS (need to be a member to read there) |
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