From: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org (basia-digest) To: basia-digest@smoe.org Subject: basia-digest V14 #73 Reply-To: basia@smoe.org Sender: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "basia-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. basia-digest Saturday, June 12 2010 Volume 14 : Number 073 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Resend, cleveland part 1 ["marzenie_99@yahoo.com" ] Resend, cleveland pt. 2 ["marzenie_99@yahoo.com" ] Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 ["Dennis Majewicz" ] Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 [Steve Richardson ] Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 [Stephen Ylvisaker ] Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 ["marzenie_99@yahoo.com" ] Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 ["marzenie_99@yahoo.com" Subject: Resend, cleveland part 1 Kept hearing people didn't get this and wanted to read it (thanks!) I split it so hopefully it will go through now. Sorry if anyone is getting this too many times. Leslie Subject: Fw: my Cleveland experience (warning, epic length) Sorry I've been incommunicado in the fan sphere- had to work on rebooting "life web" after being away and losing loads of sleep! I'm quite behind on BasiaWeb as a result, so if you have sent reports or what not to me hang tight! Dennis said a lot of it very well. :) It was really great to meet him and his family- his son is also a total fan and very knowledgeable! They deserved better seats, for sure. I don't know what happened, we both were staying from the first show and got completely different seats. That wasn't cool. I also briefly met Geffen, Bev's wife. She was wearing one of Bev's custom shirts so she was easy to spot. (Matt loved the shirt- he was like, They need to sell shirts!) Anyway, I'll start at the beginning: for one, my reservation was under some bizarre name, I have no idea why Osborn got turned into Hgfuiusncpw or whatever so I had to go through the computer to find at least "Leslie" and my cell phone number. Fortunately I found it! It was cool to see quite a few familiar names from the lists in the database. :) We were fortunate enough to find two seats in the main stage dining room, but it was very tight in there- "get a little closer... don't be shy!', LOL The stage was pretty small, and not really raised, and everyone was pretty tight up there too. Marc and his drum kit were on the floor so I couldn't see him, but I definitely could hear him! He's a badass. That's not an exaggeration at all! Danny was also off to the side, but closer to where I was sitting so I could see him pretty well. I could see Basia quite well too, I had a little window between heads. :) Like Dennis said, there's nothing to doubt about Basia's ability. She sounded amazing, and honestly not much different from back in the day. What struck me about her performances was that she seemed very at ease, had lots of humor, she was very funny and bantered with the crowd and had the air of a polished yet warm performer. She was a really good presence. The musicians were really top of their level that night, too. All are just spot on and highly highly skilled in their own rights. Danny of course is Danny- he's the cool presence at the keys and he looks really involved in what he is doing- there were some songs that he was tapping and kind of grinning and looked like he was having a great time. He had huge audience response, too. His solos were awesome. The best ones were Third Time Lucky and How Dare You- everyone really gets into the uptempo numbers. Marc was a complete monster. On Winners, well, there's a reason why Gloria and Chris wanted footage of his intro. He blew me away. Giorgio was also a force on stage and he being new -we're so used to "our" gang, aren't we- I was happy to be impressed by his ability. He could be intense and he could be subtle. And how I do find the words to describe this guy without being disrespectful...... he's fine. Easy on the eyes. Yeah, all those kind of words. Basia totally knew what every woman (and quite a few guys too) in the place was thinking when she said, with perfect comic timing- "He's married, ladies." The crowd cracked up "Paul, Paul is free though!" She was very funny. Paul did a great job juggling his many hats. Having sax instead of trumpet was an adjustment, but he added a distinct flavor to the familiar sax parts. (continued) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:02:00 -0700 (PDT) From: "marzenie_99@yahoo.com" Subject: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 (continued) Veronique and Annick are really impressive. The chemistry they have with Basia onstage really stood out to me- those three are a GREAT team. I loved how Basia yielded the mike to them and they both had their own solo verses in different songs- particularly on Astrud which were gorgeous. It's clear why they all go through a lot of trouble to get together to tour! They are really stunning perfomers. I LOVED hearing songs that aren't normally performed live. At the end of How Dare You at the first show, Danny caught Basia's hat, and on the second he didn't, and they made these mock-annoyed gestures at each other. Too funny. "Waters of March" was incredible to see live and twice!, also Miles Away. The new songs that were performed were received really well, particularly Winners, If Not Now and A Gift. A couple things because everyone's going to think I'm blowing glitter with all these superlatives- for one, I share Thelma's observation that we may be grinding our diva down. During the 7pm show, I thought of the comments made that Basia was getting tired in shows, and thought those people were nuts- she was full of energy and her voice sounded great. She hit all those notes and wisely rearranged the ones that no one can hit anymore. ;) But the 9pm showed some fatigue and she struggled through a couple songs, like Time and Tide. Now- she owned any oops made, and that was something I thought was pretty great- some would have stomped off the stage, but Basia didn't take herself super seriously and would take it all in stride. But still, these two-show nights are worth reconsidering for a future tour. The best scenario would have like one 2 hour show, period. Also, while the first playlist, playlist A lets say, kicked off with a bang (If Not Now and Drunk On Love leading off) and had a good variation of ups and downs. Playlist B started with the title track and then Reward, and I thought it kind of bogged down the house. That very minor quibble aside, it was great for fans to get two sets of different songs (for the most part). I had a better time with the venue than Dennis, mostly because I had incredibly good luck, nothing more, in getting the seats I did. It was a really interesting place- not ideal in getting everyone in the house in on the action, though, but atmosphere in spades. The food was good, drinks potent (!!) and staff was really great toward us. The crowd was also a good bunch, and were comprised (to my limited POV) of superfans, quite a few who remembered her from back in the day, and people who just went to Nighttown all the time and were curious. My husband Matt observed that she made a lot of new fans that night- lots of positive reactions, happy people. She left the audience exactly as you want to leave them- going on about how amazing the show was. A note. I came to the conclusion during this evening that documenting shows has gotten out of hand- it's not strictly a Basia phenomenon but still, enough is enough. While people were generally respectful of the space around them, too many were watching through a lens or monitor, and about three kept blocking the view of everyone behind them for a time, until they realized it and cut it out. Nothing wrong with a little bit of memories but know when to say when! Now for the personal stuff that some of you are curious about. :So the biggest thing ever in fandom for me was when Basia introduced her band-- and then started talking about me and the site and asking where I was! I meekly raised my hand and everyone made a fuss. (I was flattered, blushing ;) )THEN she said, this one is for you, and launched into Promises!! Which is just my anthem, favorite song ever. I was honestly in shock so Basia, if I looked like I had lost a clue I was just stunned is all! That was so amazing. I have to tell you guys, we are so lucky to be fans of such kind people. Matt and I had a great visit with Danny and we all got kicked out of the main room so we went into the other and had drinks with him and the rest of the band- Veronique and Annick were like, get on in here! and mooched over so we could sit too. It was really nice to see everyone. :) I didn't get to speak with Basia- she was going to come up, Danny said, but in the end she didn't. Honestly I wasn't expecting to get to say hello to her what with the double shows and all. People in the house just left it alone when it was clear she wasn't going to come up, but then I saw a photo on Facebook where someone had accosted her going into the van. While I'm sure she was her usual gracious self, she looked very tired. :) Overall, a very special evening for me. I still feel very warmhearted thinking about it. This was basically the best date night ever, and it was wonderful to see friends and see them perform so well to such an appreciative audience. I do hope they come back soon! Leslie ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:31:40 +0000 From: "Dennis Majewicz" Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 Nice Leslie! You captured the essense of everything we experienced that evening. (Glad to finally see this!) Dennis --------------------------------------------- Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry - -----Original Message----- From: "marzenie_99@yahoo.com" Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:02:00 To: Subject: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 (continued) Veronique and Annick are really impressive. The chemistry they have with Basia onstage really stood out to me- those three are a GREAT team. I loved how Basia yielded the mike to them and they both had their own solo verses in different songs- particularly on Astrud which were gorgeous. It's clear why they all go through a lot of trouble to get together to tour! They are really stunning perfomers. I LOVED hearing songs that aren't normally performed live. At the end of How Dare You at the first show, Danny caught Basia's hat, and on the second he didn't, and they made these mock-annoyed gestures at each other. Too funny. "Waters of March" was incredible to see live and twice!, also Miles Away. The new songs that were performed were received really well, particularly Winners, If Not Now and A Gift. A couple things because everyone's going to think I'm blowing glitter with all these superlatives- for one, I share Thelma's observation that we may be grinding our diva down. During the 7pm show, I thought of the comments made that Basia was getting tired in shows, and thought those people were nuts- she was full of energy and her voice sounded great. She hit all those notes and wisely rearranged the ones that no one can hit anymore. ;) But the 9pm showed some fatigue and she struggled through a couple songs, like Time and Tide. Now- she owned any oops made, and that was something I thought was pretty great- some would have stomped off the stage, but Basia didn't take herself super seriously and would take it all in stride. But still, these two-show nights are worth reconsidering for a future tour. The best scenario would have like one 2 hour show, period. Also, while the first playlist, playlist A lets say, kicked off with a bang (If Not Now and Drunk On Love leading off) and had a good variation of ups and downs. Playlist B started with the title track and then Reward, and I thought it kind of bogged down the house. That very minor quibble aside, it was great for fans to get two sets of different songs (for the most part). I had a better time with the venue than Dennis, mostly because I had incredibly good luck, nothing more, in getting the seats I did. It was a really interesting place- not ideal in getting everyone in the house in on the action, though, but atmosphere in spades. The food was good, drinks potent (!!) and staff was really great toward us. The crowd was also a good bunch, and were comprised (to my limited POV) of superfans, quite a few who remembered her from back in the day, and people who just went to Nighttown all the time and were curious. My husband Matt observed that she made a lot of new fans that night- lots of positive reactions, happy people. She left the audience exactly as you want to leave them- going on about how amazing the show was. A note. I came to the conclusion during this evening that documenting shows has gotten out of hand- it's not strictly a Basia phenomenon but still, enough is enough. While people were generally respectful of the space around them, too many were watching through a lens or monitor, and about three kept blocking the view of everyone behind them for a time, until they realized it and cut it out. Nothing wrong with a little bit of memories but know when to say when! Now for the personal stuff that some of you are curious about. :So the biggest thing ever in fandom for me was when Basia introduced her band-- and then started talking about me and the site and asking where I was! I meekly raised my hand and everyone made a fuss. (I was flattered, blushing ;) )THEN she said, this one is for you, and launched into Promises!! Which is just my anthem, favorite song ever. I was honestly in shock so Basia, if I looked like I had lost a clue I was just stunned is all! That was so amazing. I have to tell you guys, we are so lucky to be fans of such kind people. Matt and I had a great visit with Danny and we all got kicked out of the main room so we went into the other and had drinks with him and the rest of the band- Veronique and Annick were like, get on in here! and mooched over so we could sit too. It was really nice to see everyone. :) I didn't get to speak with Basia- she was going to come up, Danny said, but in the end she didn't. Honestly I wasn't expecting to get to say hello to her what with the double shows and all. People in the house just left it alone when it was clear she wasn't going to come up, but then I saw a photo on Facebook where someone had accosted her going into the van. While I'm sure she was her usual gracious self, she looked very tired. :) Overall, a very special evening for me. I still feel very warmhearted thinking about it. This was basically the best date night ever, and it was wonderful to see friends and see them perform so well to such an appreciative audience. I do hope they come back soon! Leslie ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:39:29 -0700 From: Steve Richardson Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 Thanks, Leslie for resending the review of the show, I'm glad not to have missed your report. Now I just have to hope they return to the US in the fall and visit a city I can get to. Steve R. On 6/11/2010 10:02 AM, marzenie_99@yahoo.com wrote: > (continued) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:01:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Stephen Ylvisaker Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 You can tell Leslie has journalistic tendencies, can't you? You write very well, Leslie! Stephen - --- On Fri, 6/11/10, Dennis Majewicz wrote: Nice Leslie! You captured the essense of everything we experienced that evening. (Glad to finally see this!) Dennis - -----Original Message----- (continued) Veronique and Annick are really impressive. The chemistry they have with Basia onstage really stood out to me- those three are a GREAT team. I loved how Basia yielded the mike to them and they both had their own solo verses in different songs- particularly on Astrud which were gorgeous. It's clear why they all go through a lot of trouble to get together to tour! They are really stunning perfomers. I LOVED hearing songs that aren't normally performed live. At the end of How Dare You at the first show, Danny caught Basia's hat, and on the second he didn't, and they made these mock-annoyed gestures at each other. Too funny. "Waters of March" was incredible to see live and twice!, also Miles Away. The new songs that were performed were received really well, particularly Winners, If Not Now and A Gift. A couple things because everyone's going to think I'm blowing glitter with all these superlatives- for one, I share Thelma's observation that we may be grinding our diva down. During the 7pm show, I thought of the comments made that Basia was getting tired in shows, and thought those people were nuts- she was full of energy and her voice sounded great. She hit all those notes and wisely rearranged the ones that no one can hit anymore. ;) But the 9pm showed some fatigue and she struggled through a couple songs, like Time and Tide. Now- she owned any oops made, and that was something I thought was pretty great- some would have stomped off the stage, but Basia didn't take herself super seriously and would take it all in stride. But still, these two-show nights are worth reconsidering for a future tour. The best scenario would have like one 2 hour show, period. Also, while the first playlist, playlist A lets say, kicked off with a bang (If Not Now and Drunk On Love leading off) and had a good variation of ups and downs. Playlist B started with the title track and then Reward, and I thought it kind of bogged down the house. That very minor quibble aside, it was great for fans to get two sets of different songs (for the most part). I had a better time with the venue than Dennis, mostly because I had incredibly good luck, nothing more, in getting the seats I did. It was a really interesting place- not ideal in getting everyone in the house in on the action, though, but atmosphere in spades. The food was good, drinks potent (!!) and staff was really great toward us. The crowd was also a good bunch, and were comprised (to my limited POV) of superfans, quite a few who remembered her from back in the day, and people who just went to Nighttown all the time and were curious. My husband Matt observed that she made a lot of new fans that night- lots of positive reactions, happy people. She left the audience exactly as you want to leave them- going on about how amazing the show was. A note. I came to the conclusion during this evening that documenting shows has gotten out of hand- it's not strictly a Basia phenomenon but still, enough is enough. While people were generally respectful of the space around them, too many were watching through a lens or monitor, and about three kept blocking the view of everyone behind them for a time, until they realized it and cut it out. Nothing wrong with a little bit of memories but know when to say when! Now for the personal stuff that some of you are curious about. :So the biggest thing ever in fandom for me was when Basia introduced her band-- and then started talking about me and the site and asking where I was! I meekly raised my hand and everyone made a fuss. (I was flattered, blushing ;) )THEN she said, this one is for you, and launched into Promises!! Which is just my anthem, favorite song ever. I was honestly in shock so Basia, if I looked like I had lost a clue I was just stunned is all! That was so amazing. I have to tell you guys, we are so lucky to be fans of such kind people. Matt and I had a great visit with Danny and we all got kicked out of the main room so we went into the other and had drinks with him and the rest of the band- Veronique and Annick were like, get on in here! and mooched over so we could sit too. It was really nice to see everyone. :) I didn't get to speak with Basia- she was going to come up, Danny said, but in the end she didn't. Honestly I wasn't expecting to get to say hello to her what with the double shows and all. People in the house just left it alone when it was clear she wasn't going to come up, but then I saw a photo on Facebook where someone had accosted her going into the van. While I'm sure she was her usual gracious self, she looked very tired. :) Overall, a very special evening for me. I still feel very warmhearted thinking about it. This was basically the best date night ever, and it was wonderful to see friends and see them perform so well to such an appreciative audience. I do hope they come back soon! Leslie ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:05:41 -0700 (PDT) From: "marzenie_99@yahoo.com" Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 Thanks Dennis! - ----- Original Message ---- From: Dennis Majewicz To: basia@smoe.org Sent: Fri, June 11, 2010 1:31:40 PM Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 Nice Leslie! You captured the essense of everything we experienced that evening. (Glad to finally see this!) Dennis --------------------------------------------- Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry - -----Original Message----- From: "marzenie_99@yahoo.com" Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:02:00 To: Subject: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 (continued) Veronique and Annick are really impressive. The chemistry they have with Basia onstage really stood out to me- those three are a GREAT team. I loved how Basia yielded the mike to them and they both had their own solo verses in different songs- particularly on Astrud which were gorgeous. It's clear why they all go through a lot of trouble to get together to tour! They are really stunning perfomers. I LOVED hearing songs that aren't normally performed live. At the end of How Dare You at the first show, Danny caught Basia's hat, and on the second he didn't, and they made these mock-annoyed gestures at each other. Too funny. "Waters of March" was incredible to see live and twice!, also Miles Away. The new songs that were performed were received really well, particularly Winners, If Not Now and A Gift. A couple things because everyone's going to think I'm blowing glitter with all these superlatives- for one, I share Thelma's observation that we may be grinding our diva down. During the 7pm show, I thought of the comments made that Basia was getting tired in shows, and thought those people were nuts- she was full of energy and her voice sounded great. She hit all those notes and wisely rearranged the ones that no one can hit anymore. ;) But the 9pm showed some fatigue and she struggled through a couple songs, like Time and Tide. Now- she owned any oops made, and that was something I thought was pretty great- some would have stomped off the stage, but Basia didn't take herself super seriously and would take it all in stride. But still, these two-show nights are worth reconsidering for a future tour. The best scenario would have like one 2 hour show, period. Also, while the first playlist, playlist A lets say, kicked off with a bang (If Not Now and Drunk On Love leading off) and had a good variation of ups and downs. Playlist B started with the title track and then Reward, and I thought it kind of bogged down the house. That very minor quibble aside, it was great for fans to get two sets of different songs (for the most part). I had a better time with the venue than Dennis, mostly because I had incredibly good luck, nothing more, in getting the seats I did. It was a really interesting place- not ideal in getting everyone in the house in on the action, though, but atmosphere in spades. The food was good, drinks potent (!!) and staff was really great toward us. The crowd was also a good bunch, and were comprised (to my limited POV) of superfans, quite a few who remembered her from back in the day, and people who just went to Nighttown all the time and were curious. My husband Matt observed that she made a lot of new fans that night- lots of positive reactions, happy people. She left the audience exactly as you want to leave them- going on about how amazing the show was. A note. I came to the conclusion during this evening that documenting shows has gotten out of hand- it's not strictly a Basia phenomenon but still, enough is enough. While people were generally respectful of the space around them, too many were watching through a lens or monitor, and about three kept blocking the view of everyone behind them for a time, until they realized it and cut it out. Nothing wrong with a little bit of memories but know when to say when! Now for the personal stuff that some of you are curious about. :So the biggest thing ever in fandom for me was when Basia introduced her band-- and then started talking about me and the site and asking where I was! I meekly raised my hand and everyone made a fuss. (I was flattered, blushing ;) )THEN she said, this one is for you, and launched into Promises!! Which is just my anthem, favorite song ever. I was honestly in shock so Basia, if I looked like I had lost a clue I was just stunned is all! That was so amazing. I have to tell you guys, we are so lucky to be fans of such kind people. Matt and I had a great visit with Danny and we all got kicked out of the main room so we went into the other and had drinks with him and the rest of the band- Veronique and Annick were like, get on in here! and mooched over so we could sit too. It was really nice to see everyone. :) I didn't get to speak with Basia- she was going to come up, Danny said, but in the end she didn't. Honestly I wasn't expecting to get to say hello to her what with the double shows and all. People in the house just left it alone when it was clear she wasn't going to come up, but then I saw a photo on Facebook where someone had accosted her going into the van. While I'm sure she was her usual gracious self, she looked very tired. :) Overall, a very special evening for me. I still feel very warmhearted thinking about it. This was basically the best date night ever, and it was wonderful to see friends and see them perform so well to such an appreciative audience. I do hope they come back soon! Leslie ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:39:36 +0000 From: "Dennis Majewicz" Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 Agreed Stephen. Dennis --------------------------------------------- Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry - -----Original Message----- From: Stephen Ylvisaker Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:01:15 To: ; Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 You can tell Leslie has journalistic tendencies, can't you? You write very well, Leslie! Stephen - --- On Fri, 6/11/10, Dennis Majewicz wrote: Nice Leslie! You captured the essense of everything we experienced that evening. (Glad to finally see this!) Dennis - -----Original Message----- (continued) Veronique and Annick are really impressive. The chemistry they have with Basia onstage really stood out to me- those three are a GREAT team. I loved how Basia yielded the mike to them and they both had their own solo verses in different songs- particularly on Astrud which were gorgeous. It's clear why they all go through a lot of trouble to get together to tour! They are really stunning perfomers. I LOVED hearing songs that aren't normally performed live. At the end of How Dare You at the first show, Danny caught Basia's hat, and on the second he didn't, and they made these mock-annoyed gestures at each other. Too funny. "Waters of March" was incredible to see live and twice!, also Miles Away. The new songs that were performed were received really well, particularly Winners, If Not Now and A Gift. A couple things because everyone's going to think I'm blowing glitter with all these superlatives- for one, I share Thelma's observation that we may be grinding our diva down. During the 7pm show, I thought of the comments made that Basia was getting tired in shows, and thought those people were nuts- she was full of energy and her voice sounded great. She hit all those notes and wisely rearranged the ones that no one can hit anymore. ;) But the 9pm showed some fatigue and she struggled through a couple songs, like Time and Tide. Now- she owned any oops made, and that was something I thought was pretty great- some would have stomped off the stage, but Basia didn't take herself super seriously and would take it all in stride. But still, these two-show nights are worth reconsidering for a future tour. The best scenario would have like one 2 hour show, period. Also, while the first playlist, playlist A lets say, kicked off with a bang (If Not Now and Drunk On Love leading off) and had a good variation of ups and downs. Playlist B started with the title track and then Reward, and I thought it kind of bogged down the house. That very minor quibble aside, it was great for fans to get two sets of different songs (for the most part). I had a better time with the venue than Dennis, mostly because I had incredibly good luck, nothing more, in getting the seats I did. It was a really interesting place- not ideal in getting everyone in the house in on the action, though, but atmosphere in spades. The food was good, drinks potent (!!) and staff was really great toward us. The crowd was also a good bunch, and were comprised (to my limited POV) of superfans, quite a few who remembered her from back in the day, and people who just went to Nighttown all the time and were curious. My husband Matt observed that she made a lot of new fans that night- lots of positive reactions, happy people. She left the audience exactly as you want to leave them- going on about how amazing the show was. A note. I came to the conclusion during this evening that documenting shows has gotten out of hand- it's not strictly a Basia phenomenon but still, enough is enough. While people were generally respectful of the space around them, too many were watching through a lens or monitor, and about three kept blocking the view of everyone behind them for a time, until they realized it and cut it out. Nothing wrong with a little bit of memories but know when to say when! Now for the personal stuff that some of you are curious about. :So the biggest thing ever in fandom for me was when Basia introduced her band-- and then started talking about me and the site and asking where I was! I meekly raised my hand and everyone made a fuss. (I was flattered, blushing ;) )THEN she said, this one is for you, and launched into Promises!! Which is just my anthem, favorite song ever. I was honestly in shock so Basia, if I looked like I had lost a clue I was just stunned is all! That was so amazing. I have to tell you guys, we are so lucky to be fans of such kind people. Matt and I had a great visit with Danny and we all got kicked out of the main room so we went into the other and had drinks with him and the rest of the band- Veronique and Annick were like, get on in here! and mooched over so we could sit too. It was really nice to see everyone. :) I didn't get to speak with Basia- she was going to come up, Danny said, but in the end she didn't. Honestly I wasn't expecting to get to say hello to her what with the double shows and all. People in the house just left it alone when it was clear she wasn't going to come up, but then I saw a photo on Facebook where someone had accosted her going into the van. While I'm sure she was her usual gracious self, she looked very tired. :) Overall, a very special evening for me. I still feel very warmhearted thinking about it. This was basically the best date night ever, and it was wonderful to see friends and see them perform so well to such an appreciative audience. I do hope they come back soon! Leslie ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:47:44 -0700 (PDT) From: "marzenie_99@yahoo.com" Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 Thank you both very much! Leslie - ----- Original Message ---- From: Stephen Ylvisaker To: majewicz@roadrunner.com; basia@smoe.org Sent: Fri, June 11, 2010 2:01:15 PM Subject: Re: Resend, cleveland pt. 2 You can tell Leslie has journalistic tendencies, can't you? You write very well, Leslie! Stephen - --- On Fri, 6/11/10, Dennis Majewicz wrote: Nice Leslie! You captured the essense of everything we experienced that evening. (Glad to finally see this!) Dennis - -----Original Message----- (continued) Veronique and Annick are really impressive. The chemistry they have with Basia onstage really stood out to me- those three are a GREAT team. I loved how Basia yielded the mike to them and they both had their own solo verses in different songs- particularly on Astrud which were gorgeous. It's clear why they all go through a lot of trouble to get together to tour! They are really stunning perfomers. I LOVED hearing songs that aren't normally performed live. At the end of How Dare You at the first show, Danny caught Basia's hat, and on the second he didn't, and they made these mock-annoyed gestures at each other. Too funny. "Waters of March" was incredible to see live and twice!, also Miles Away. The new songs that were performed were received really well, particularly Winners, If Not Now and A Gift. A couple things because everyone's going to think I'm blowing glitter with all these superlatives- for one, I share Thelma's observation that we may be grinding our diva down. During the 7pm show, I thought of the comments made that Basia was getting tired in shows, and thought those people were nuts- she was full of energy and her voice sounded great. She hit all those notes and wisely rearranged the ones that no one can hit anymore. ;) But the 9pm showed some fatigue and she struggled through a couple songs, like Time and Tide. Now- she owned any oops made, and that was something I thought was pretty great- some would have stomped off the stage, but Basia didn't take herself super seriously and would take it all in stride. But still, these two-show nights are worth reconsidering for a future tour. The best scenario would have like one 2 hour show, period. Also, while the first playlist, playlist A lets say, kicked off with a bang (If Not Now and Drunk On Love leading off) and had a good variation of ups and downs. Playlist B started with the title track and then Reward, and I thought it kind of bogged down the house. That very minor quibble aside, it was great for fans to get two sets of different songs (for the most part). I had a better time with the venue than Dennis, mostly because I had incredibly good luck, nothing more, in getting the seats I did. It was a really interesting place- not ideal in getting everyone in the house in on the action, though, but atmosphere in spades. The food was good, drinks potent (!!) and staff was really great toward us. The crowd was also a good bunch, and were comprised (to my limited POV) of superfans, quite a few who remembered her from back in the day, and people who just went to Nighttown all the time and were curious. My husband Matt observed that she made a lot of new fans that night- lots of positive reactions, happy people. She left the audience exactly as you want to leave them- going on about how amazing the show was. A note. I came to the conclusion during this evening that documenting shows has gotten out of hand- it's not strictly a Basia phenomenon but still, enough is enough. While people were generally respectful of the space around them, too many were watching through a lens or monitor, and about three kept blocking the view of everyone behind them for a time, until they realized it and cut it out. Nothing wrong with a little bit of memories but know when to say when! Now for the personal stuff that some of you are curious about. :So the biggest thing ever in fandom for me was when Basia introduced her band-- and then started talking about me and the site and asking where I was! I meekly raised my hand and everyone made a fuss. (I was flattered, blushing ;) )THEN she said, this one is for you, and launched into Promises!! Which is just my anthem, favorite song ever. I was honestly in shock so Basia, if I looked like I had lost a clue I was just stunned is all! That was so amazing. I have to tell you guys, we are so lucky to be fans of such kind people. Matt and I had a great visit with Danny and we all got kicked out of the main room so we went into the other and had drinks with him and the rest of the band- Veronique and Annick were like, get on in here! and mooched over so we could sit too. It was really nice to see everyone. :) I didn't get to speak with Basia- she was going to come up, Danny said, but in the end she didn't. Honestly I wasn't expecting to get to say hello to her what with the double shows and all. People in the house just left it alone when it was clear she wasn't going to come up, but then I saw a photo on Facebook where someone had accosted her going into the van. While I'm sure she was her usual gracious self, she looked very tired. :) Overall, a very special evening for me. I still feel very warmhearted thinking about it. This was basically the best date night ever, and it was wonderful to see friends and see them perform so well to such an appreciative audience. I do hope they come back soon! Leslie ------------------------------ End of basia-digest V14 #73 ***************************