On Portland

American Idol 2010 Tour

The 2010 American Idol tour made one of its final stops in its national tour with a very clear message: what happens on the series isn't always reflected when the show is translated onto the big stage.  For some like Andrew Garcia or Big Mike Lynche, this leads to significant disappointments, but for Casey James, Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly it was a tremendous opportunity to show what kind of artists they really are.

The 2010 American Idol series has often been criticized as a weaker season than many of its predecessors.  The truth is the Adam Lambert v. Kris Allen battle is a tremendously tough act to follow. But as a whole, this year's American Idol Tour was actually stronger than last year's, with better production values and some great surprises from some of the underdog performers.

The evening started out pretty well with Didi Benami, who did a solid job with ”Lay It On Me” by The Rescues. It was much stronger than other performers who've made it into the top 10 right on the cusp. Her rendition of “Terrified” by Katharine McPhee was simply fantastic. For a moment Didi really showed the talent that got her into the top 10 and made a strong argument that she probably should have finished higher.  "Terrified" was one of the real great moments of the show. Read more…

Sting Symphonicity Orchestra Concert

I wasn't really planning on seeing Sting on his current tour. After a ho-hum show a few years back at the Rose Garden, I decided that perhaps the best shows for Sting were behind him. I find it extremely difficult to watch some of my favorite performers from my childhood struggle to try to recapture a spark they have lost. Musically, there's almost nothing worse than listening to a song you love, sung by someone you used to love hear singing it, and having it sound like someone doing a karaoke version of their own song.

I'm extremely grateful that I ended up seeing Sting in his latest tour "Symphonicity" on its first US stop in Portland, Oregon. Not only was Sting's Symphonicity show a fantastic musical experience, it was a rare opportunity to see an extremely accomplished performer celebrate his work in a way that enhanced the memory of it rather than denigrate it.

Backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sting seemed to be right at home on stage with 48 other musicians. Sting has always been attracted to great music and musicians, from the mad genius of Stewart Copeland in The Police, Branford Marsalis in Bring on The Night, and more recently Chris Botti. Playing with talented people always seems to elevate Sting's performance. Read more…

Michael Bublé Concert Portland

A lot of performers have put on a suit, stepped up to the mic and made an attempt at the gold standards. It's an alluring cannon of music which instantly resonates with a huge number of music fans. The problem, though, when you sing classic songs is that it's nearly impossible for people not to compare you and your performance to the great performers who originated them.

Michael Bublé seems acutely aware of this fact and the range of his voice, and he uses the music and style of Sinatra, Nat King Cole and even more contemporary artists as a jumping off point for his own unique sound and style. While Bublé has a very strong voice he doesn't have the same lower register / golden throat that gave Sinatra's music those well-rounded, sweet lower tones. Bublé seems to acknowledge this and intelligently navigates his way thought the best-fitting Sinatra songs for his register, including "I've Got The World On A String" and "All of Me" which feature big high notes that Bublé can hit with ease. Read more…

Honor Society in Portland

What thin line divides a band like Honor Society from the The Jonas Brothers? Why is Miley Cirus selling out stadiums while Esmee Denters plays to a crowd of just a few hundred? Musically you could stand Esmee Denters single "Outta Here" and Honor Society "Over You" against the songs from either the Jonas Brothers or Miley Cirus's, but in the business of big pop bands, music is only part of the equation.

Both Esmee Denters and Honor Society got their breaks through various social networks. Esmee was discovered doing covers of her favorite songs on YouTube while Honor Society found their following via MySpace. As they played to a small but devoted following, many of the teens in the crowd sang along to almost every word of every song. As Esmee finished her set, she stopped and took a picture of the crowd to post on her twitter account (@esmeeworld). Honor Society spent more time after their show meeting their fans than they did playing to them. This kind of personal connection between artist and fan is something that's being taken to an entirely new level. But it is enough?

Esmee Denters in Portland

Esmee's opening set was short, sweet, and slightfully soulful. Touching on some of her most notable work, including "Outta Here", Esmee showed the advantages of texture and range for a female pop performer. Her music was a nice bridge between the bubblegum pop tunes of a Hannah Montana and a more soulful pop star like Joss Stone. Unfortunately her cover of Ne-Yo's "Closer" felt more like something out of American Idol than something from a teen pop idol. Esmee did ultinately show off her talent and inventiveness with a reinvisioning of the classic song "I Only Have Eyes For You", a nice fusion of classic sounds with a modern beat. Esmee returned to the stage mid way through Honor Soceity's set to do a duet which I also liked.

Honor Soceity at The Hawthorne Theater

I had previously seen Honor Society as one of the opening bands when The Jonas Brothers played The Rose Garden. Although the crowd at the Hawthorne Theater was about 1% of that when they played the Rose Garden, Honor Society brought the same high level stadium intensity and performance. Playing songs from their new album "Fashionably Late", Honor Society had a few stand out songs, any of which could carry them onward to bigger and better spaces. Of particular note is the bonus track from the album "Where Are You Now", their current single "Over You" and the song that brought them into radio airplay "See You in The Dark". As with Esmee Denters music there was a clear line between the Honor Society songs that hit their mark and the ones that missed, but in this era of iTunes and digital downloads a few strong songs seems to hold more weight over a one solid album.

Honor Society's Michael Bruno

The only real low point of the evening came at the end of the concert. In this little club with no more than 150 people, Honor Society set up a paid meet and greet. Rather than work to build their fan base they took the opportunity to charge their fans to buy a wrist band that gave them the privilege to meet the band and have them sign autographs. All this took place three feet from the stage in the already tiny club. What's worse is that they issued two different colored wristbands, one for the members of their fan club and another for people who weren't. The entire thing was both odd, uncomfortable and completely out of place in the club atmosphere.

If you need proof that the music industry is in an entirely odd space, look no further than the Esmee Denters and Honor Society club tour.  Both bands seem to have all the essential elements of a big pop tour and yet it was booked into a small club with very little promotion. Which brings me back to my initial question: What is it really that separates the mega-pop bands from bands like these? Because in this case the answer doesn't seem to be MySpace, YouTube and Twitter.

Here's a video from the concert of Honor Society performing "See You in The Dark":

For more information on Honor Society see:

• Honor Society Interview
• Official Honor Society Site
• Honor Society Fan Site
• Honor Society on Myspace (including the single "See You In The Dark")

For more information on Esmee Denters see:

• Esmee World
• @esmeeworld on Twitter
• Esmee Denters on Youtube

There are many different ways the Star Wars franchise could have presented on the road. I shudder to think of the rejected ideas: Star Wars The Musical, Star Wars on Ice, or maybe even Star Wars The 3D Experience. Of all the possible shows I am extremely pleased that they landed on Star Wars in Concert. Capturing the heart and soul of Star Wars, this two hour celebration is the equivalent of a legendary rock group reunion tour where all the best songs and moments are recaptured and relived.

A contemplative Yoda onscreen over the orchestra during Star Wars™: In Concert.

Everything about Star Wars in Concert is done on an epic scale. An 86 piece orchestra is combined with a huge choir and backed by a 100-foot LED high-def screen, which is one of the largest, clearest high-def screens I've ever seen. The massive screen is surrounded by three other textured screens which envelope the entire back of the stage. This all is combined with a dizzying array of lighting and special effects which include full stadium lasers, smoke, huge fire and steam jets, providing some explosive exclamation points to the music.

The show opened appropriately enough with "Star Wars (Main Theme)", the iconic piece which filled the Rose Garden with a palpable excitement. The crowd roared and cheered throughout the song. It was an amazing experience to hear a stadium full of people respond so enthusiastically to a piece of orchestral music. This is part of the magic of Star Wars in Concert, behind all the flash of all the staging, the real star of the evening was John Williams's legendary score.

Yoda brandishes a light sabre onscreen over the orchestra during one of the musical segments of Star Wars™: In Concert.

As the orchestra played, montages of clips from the Star Wars Saga were projected on the huge screens behind them. I've never seen these films look better; the crisp clarity, the deep color, even footage from the original series is literally jaw dropping. Seeing the films presented this way really accentuated the fact that the Star Wars Saga still isn't available in Blu-Ray. I really hope that Lucasfilm will piggy back the excitement of this tour with a high-def release. The film montages combined clips from all six Star Wars movies (including original character concept drawings), often interspersing segments from the original series with the three prequels. The occasional clip had the sound from the film, usually featuring one of the many legendary quotes.

For the hardcore Star Wars fan I'm sad to report that the footage from the original Star Wars trilogy is the revised footage from the special edition releases (including things like the new approach to Mos Eisley Cantina). Also you'll probably cringe when you see Han Solo and Greedo in their cantina duel and realize that Lucas is standing strong with Greedo now shooting first (for more on this see Han Shot First). But these minute details are easily forgiven, contexted in the absolute Star Wars love fest that is Star Wars in Concert.

Actor Anthony Daniels narrates a portion of the story from the films onstage during Star Wars™: In Concert.

After the theme song came to an end and the crowd finished their uproarious applause, Anthony Daniels (who played C3PO) was introduced. Daniels immediately began narrating the over-arching story of Star Wars, not as if it were some fairytale or fiction, but as if it were a real story with real people. Daniels was the perfect choice for this role, as his humor and enthusiasm provided the connecting point between the audience, the orchestra and the clips from the movie. While Daniels's narration is infused with the occasional quip, it never droned on too long and was never cheesy.

STAR WARS: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back key art onscreen during Star Wars™: In Concert.

STAR WARS: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back key art onscreen during Star Wars™: In Concert.

Each number of the evening was accompanied by a themed segment looking at each aspect of the Star Wars Saga including the story of Anakin and his transformation into Darth Vader, Pod Racing, Droids, Luke and Leia, Yoda, The Death Star, The Rebel Alliance triumph over the Empire, and Vader's redemption. I really enjoyed how each segment focused on a specific aspect of the saga. Pulling some of these themes out of the context of the individual films enables them to be viewed from a new perspective. I especially enjoyed the segment on Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. It's a really nice portrait of their relationship across the original trilogy films and seeing their relationship chronicled in this way really gave me a new appreciation for it. The biggest benefactors of this style of presentation are the three prequels. Divorced from some of their baggage they really shine. I found a real sense of fondness for the core story from the prequels, which was both a surprise and a delight.

C-3PO onscreen with lights and lasers during Star Wars™: In Concert.

With so much to experience on the gigantic high-def screen, it's easy to overlook the phenomenal performance of the orchestra and conductor Dirk Brosse, who tackles the monstrous task of performing music so ingrained in the audience's mind that even the slightest deviance would be noted. Brosse does an exceptional job conducting a pitch perfect orchestra with an extraordinary level of comfort and ease. Brosse was never showy and seemed dedicated to presenting the orchestration that really honored John Williams's score. His work was a real partnership with the video segments and Daniels's narration and the three elements worked in perfect harmony, a real credit to Brosse's talent.

I really can't imagine a better tribute to the Star Wars Saga than Star Wars in Concert. It's an event which can be equally enjoyed by fans of the series both old and young. The fact that it can draw so many people to come together to celebrate and enjoy classical orchestral music is simply amazing. The Star Wars series and John Williams's score both deserve to be celebrated and Star Wars in Concert is the most profound celebration possible. I highly recommend the Star Wars in Concert tour and hope that it will return to Portland again in the future, because I would absolutely go see it again.

Here is the formal Star Wars in Concert Set list:

Star Wars (Main Title)
Duel of the Fates
Anakin's Theme
Moisture Farm
The Flag Parade
Across the Stars
Battle of the Heroes
The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)

INTERMISSION

The Asteroid Field
Princess Leia's Theme
Tales of a Jedi Knight
Cantina Band
Yoda's Theme
TIE Fighter Attack
Luke and Leia
The Forest Battle
Light of the Force
Throne Room/End titles

Encore: The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)

In addition to the main show, Star Wars in Concert features a number of costumes and models from the Star Wars Series.  If you go to the show be sure to allow extra time prior to enjoy these displays. They were swarmed by people at the Rose Garden and so picture taking was very difficult.

For more information about Star Wars in Concert:

• Star Wars in Concert site
• Star Wars in Concert Event Page at the Rose Garden

Photos: Courtesy Lucasfilm LTD. © 2009 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM where indicated. All rights reserved. Used under authorization.

DJ Icky Animal's Debut Set

There are a lot of DJ's who spin a lot of music in Portland but the debut of  DJ Icky Animal's (aka Jamie S. Rich) at the Fez Ballroom (lower level) this Friday  is an event which you should absolutely not miss.

Jamie S. Rich, a former editor over at Oni Press, is an extremely prolific author who has penned the critically acclaimed novels Cut My Hair, The Everlasting and Have You Seen The Horizon Lately (which is a true masterpiece) . He's also well known for his graphic novel collaborations with comic wonder-kid Joelle Jones including You Have Killed Me and 12 Reasons Why I Love Her.  One theme which runs through almost all of Jamie's work is music, REALLY good music.

Jamie, more than anyone I've met in Portland, knows his music.

Since Jamie's main job is writing, this is an extremely rare and special opportunity to catch someone with an extraordinary encyclopedic  knowledge of music spin a wide selection of tracks from his extensive collection.

Jamie (DJ Icky Animal's) starts spinning on the lower level of the Fez Ballroom (316 SW 11th) at  11pm on Friday October 2nd.  I guarantee if you go you'll hear some amazing stuff.

For more info on Jamie S. Rich:

• Confessions 123 – Jamie S. Rich's Blog
• DJ Icky Animal's event info
• Fez Ballroom