OH MY GOD!!! That's all I can say. I had a great time at the Sheryl Crow Show last night! OK, so it wasn't just Sheryl, it was the "Jeep World Outside Festival". But it was great!
Let's see... Train played, as did Tonic (also some band called OAR, as well as Ziggy Marly!). The surprise of the show was a one-man performance by a guy named Howie Day. He used just an acoustic guitar, and had 3 or 4 pedals that records what he's playing, and then repeats them until he hits the pedal again. So, basically for every song, he'd start out by playing some simple little rhythm riff, and then have it repeat itself. Then he'd "record" either a bass line or some sort of percussive line (either by pick rakes or tapping on the body of the guitar itself). He might have even repeated some vocal lines and let them repeat as well. Eventually, he'd be singing harmony with himself (!), and soloing over his own rhythm, percussion, and bass. How cool! Literally a one man BAND!!! I have since learned that he has his own website at www.howieday.com.
The show also focused on Outdoor doings and sports. There were demonstrations on kayaking, scuba diving, rock climbing, as well as lots of displays of Jeeps and Gibson guitars. But the outdoor highlight was the "aerial show." There was some sort of ski-jump ramp set up, with an inflated landing area, and there were trampolines set up on either side of the landing area. The guys on the trampolines did various displays of flips, tucks, and jumps, all at incredible heights, and synchronized with each other! One of the guys did a routine with a snowboard strapped to his feet. Ya know all of those tricks that look pretty impossible on video games like SFX? Well, with enough height, they can indeed be pulled off.... truly amazing! And then the guys were hitting the huge ski jump ramp and pulling off flips, double flips, and loads of twists and turns. The finale had the skiers doing their jumps completely synchronized with the trampoline guys! Very sweet!
Have I mentioned the beer and hard lemonade yet? No!?! Three paragraphs about a concert, and no drinking references? Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age! Oh, by the way, contrary to a previous "Reflection" that I made, the tailgate is definitely not dead!! I guess people just don't tailgate at Alanis shows?!?
So, onto the concert itself... I didn't even expect Tonic to be there... and they headlined the B stage! Is it better to play 3rd from the end on the main stage or to headline the B stage? I'm not sure about that one yet. Anyway, I don't think too many people knew who they were until they could hear them come onstage and begin their first song, "If you could only see". I was surprised that would be their first song instead of their last one. But I guess it served their purpose. As soon as people recognized the tune, people came pouring up the hill to see them perform. And when they finished playing, it was on to the main stage for the rest of the show.
It was time for Train. Lemme just tell you... I've seen them perform once (about a year ago). And they are putting on GREAT SHOWS!!! They had the crowd pumped up. I'm betting that a lot of people were there to see them instead of Sheryl (but not me... I can appreciate both of them). They, of course, saved "Drops of Jupiter" until their last song, and in a surprise to me, they came back for an encore. I can't remember a non-headliner coming back for an encore before. Very cool! But the song they played for an encore? They said it was a song that inspired them to play music. They broke into "Dream On" by Aerosmith! Very Sweet! Their lead singer ever hit the high notes at the end!
And at about 9:30, I knew I was in love. The lights dimmed down, and you could (barely) see some people walking on stage. I could see a petite little figure wearing what looked like a white shirt with some blue stripes walk up and face the drum set. They strummed the intro riff to "Steve McQueen" and stopped. The crowd went nuts! And then they did it again, and then the lights came on, and I could see her in all her beauty. From the first song 'til the last, I was glaring at a beautiful woman playing some rock & roll. I love her music. I adore her voice. And her attitude just seems cool as shit! Sheryl wasn't just performing because it's her job, you can tell she loves what she's doing! She was having fun the whole night, and I don't think she ever quit smiling the whole time. Between songs, she'd head back to the lift of the drum kit and take sips from a beer (if I weren't in love before, I was getting there pretty fast). I can't remember which song it was, but the band seamlessly broke into a cover, for which the drummer sang lead! How cool!
My favorite parts of the show were all Sheryl being cool: She fucked up a chord beginning a song, and asked the audience to applaud her for fucking up! On the "Sheryl Crow & Friends" CD, she would "introduce" the solo with a flirty, fun little "1, 2, Shake your ass...". Well, she sang it that way at this concert too, and then turned around and proceeded to Shake Her Ass. How cute! Her blue jeans looked like the back pockets were in the shape of strawberries! What a cute, innocent, flirty attitude she has, even in the way she dresses! On more than one occasion, Sheryl would "try" to dance, and within a minute would quit, just to go back playing the guitar or head over to the guitar player or drummer. She even commented that she's "not Brittany Spears" and couldn't really dance all that well. It was fairly apparent, that many more than me appreciate a woman who can sing and play (and is gorgeous) just as much as those who "appreciate" Brittany's lip-synching and dancing "skills".
As 11:00 came closer, you could just tell that the show was coming to a close. As they finished up the main set, and headed off stage before the encore, you could see the stage crew pushing a piano onto the stage. Sheryl and crew came back out and performed "Safe & Sound" which is not only on her new album, but she also performed on the 9/11 tribute album. In the background, there was a video of babies, smiling and crying, and then pictures of the earth. Not that I needed the visuals, but you could really "feel" what she was singing about. After the round of applause for the song, Sheryl kicked off her black high-healed shoes, and hopped up onto the piano barefooted. She again tried to dance her way through an impressive rendition of Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll", all while on top of the piano.
It was something about seeing her kick off her shoes and just having a good ol' time on top of that piano that made me love her that much more! I was sitting in Row M for all of this show, and had the fortunate circumstances of being able to see her on stage equally as well as looking at the big screen. Man, is she beautiful!!
I'm really looking forward to seeing her perform again in VA Beach in August. I realized that cameras were allowed at Merriweather Post Pavilion, and if they are in VA Beach, I'm gonna take me some pics (and probably post them as well!)! But better news for the August show: I have seats in the Orchestra section!!! I'll be that much closer to the stage, that much more involved in the show, singing and dancing along to the songs that much more energetically, and that much closer to seeing the beautiful Sheryl Crow.
As you can see above, I got an autograph from Sheryl while at the show! Unfortunately, it wasn't her signing it in person to me. She is the show headliner, and if she took the time to sign autographs, she'd probably take attention away from the rest of the show, so I definitely understand! But one of these days, I really hope to get the chance to meet Ms. Crow. I can see it now... being so damned nervous and taken by her mere presence and beauty, that I'd be stumbling over my words and sound like a complete idiot! Or worse, I'd have another panic attack and have to remove myself from the situation, only to regret it and kick myself for letting it happen! Either way, it would be alright... I would be able to see the lady up close and maybe even catch a glimpse of her smile.... THAT would be cool regardless of the consequences!
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