Month of Music
October 18th, 2006 by Tracee
In the past month, it feels like I have seen more musical performances then a Rolling Stone journalist. Surprisingly, not only were they all fantastic performances, but they were an eclectic mix from different genres, venues, and attitudes.
First, I was off to see Jet on September 27 with my buddy Jordan Carlos, a New York comedian and Stephen Colbert’s “only black friend”. Jet has this loud, old-school British rock attitude and a lively upbeat sound that makes you wanna throw up the rock sign with both hands. Their song “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” kicked off the iPod ad frenzy. My ears were happy to hear them play every favorite from their first album, Get Born, including “Look What You’ve Done” and “Cold Hard Bitch.” I loved watching lead singer and guitarist Nic with his pouty rock star smirk and almost anorexical frame do cool yet subtle moves as he jumped onto the speaker system and displayed his guitar like it was his blazing manhood. His brother Chris never failed to keep the background lively, singing a few solos and mastering the art of topless drumming. They played a rad encore and a few songs from the new album, Shine On at Irving Plaza, great venue full of hoodie-wearing hipsters and actual aluminum cans of beer. (YES!)
Next up Macy Gray put on a live performance in honor of Edutopia magazine and the George Lucas Education Foundation’s Anniversary Event at the Apple Store in Soho on October 3. The catered event was small, very corporate and all about the kids. For me, however, it was all about the cute caterer who kept trying to feed me. When Macy passed by me and headed to the stage, I was almost overwhelmed by her size. She’s a force to be reckoned with yet still has a mellow body language. Being an old Macy Gray fan, I enjoyed her raspy vocals and funny anecdotes. My only disappointments of the night were the no-shows: notoriously famous directors including George Lucas himself and Martin Scorsese.
The next night, as I was settling in for an uneventful night of laundry and the gym, I got a call. Fellow Glamourite Abbey invited me to a charity event for Gimme Shelter Rock & Rescue NYC that supported animal rescue and no-kill shelters. I almost jumped for joy to finally get to see the Beastie Boys, who I managed to miss during the entire ’90s. I cannot even begin to explain how well the combination of sweat, beats, scratches, rhymes, mics and dancing worked, but I can tell you that I have never had so much fun in a V.I.P. section. They were fantastic - so fantastic that I did that thing where you go home from a concert and pull out your dusty CDs and re-listen to every favorite for the next week. Anyway, after Mike D, Ad Rock, and MCA finished an encore that couldn’t be matched, we found ourselves listening to a karaoke - worthy song from Debbie Harry and an even worse set from Blue Oyster Cult, which only saw Abbey’s heels and my cowboy boots from behind as we clicked and stomped our way out the door.
My last escapade was an October 7 opera performance at Lincoln Center. Feeling adventurous, I bought Opera For All Season tickets off the New York City Opera website, entitling me to a seat anywhere in the house for just $25. I was not lucky enough to make one of those performances, but I did get in to see Carmen, a beautiful story that captured my heart. I got into my seat literally 10 seconds before curtain-up and was overjoyed to see a stage performance about a sexy woman adored by all that does nothing but fall in and out of love, while driving men to sheer madness. My kind of girl. They had a screen with the English translation above the stage for the entire duration… fantastic for a New Yorker with absolutely no French connections. Carmen is a good opera for a novice simply because it has some of the most famous melodies around, and I know this because, lucky for me, the lady next to me could not help but hum every chorus. I recommend taking in a show at the opera as a perfect event - date or solo - on a cold Fall weekend.
This month was a great time to be in the city. It reminded me of one of the biggest reasons I am in love with New York: Anywhere you go, artistry and entertainment are at your feet. And, if you’re very lucky, in your heart.
October 19th, 2006 at 11:53 am
LOVE this review of ecletic music venues in The Big Apple. I’ll be there next week but, alas, no time to enjoy your offerings.
It was fun to read your take on Carmen– and so wonderful that you just tripped solo into Lincoln Center. I attended LA Opera’s Manon last eve. Seems the season is filled with hottie French women driving French men to madness!