This is the view from my picnic table.

Cheesing. I got the yummiest cheese ever from Whole Foods. Manchego El Trigal 12 Months aged. It’s a very flavorful and hard cheese. That’s grape juice kids! I love cheesing and grape juicing.

Other picnicers.

Dude with a funny mustache.

View from where I was. Pretty close to the back. You can still hear very well though.

People brought their lightsabers. John Williams played Harry Potter music for the first hour. It was narrated by…the actress who was the flight instructor I think. They performed the music of while Aunt Marge is blowing up, Fawkes, and other notable character themes. The second half of the concert consisted of a short medley of many famous movie themes: Casablanca, Doctor Zhivago, Jaws, Star Wars, The Natural, Gone with the Wind, Titanic, and other I can’t think of… Then they performed music from Catch Me If You Can, and then Casablanca, and then Superman. During Superman they showed clips of Superman movies, old and new, and also Batman clips, old and new. It was  a little weird to put in Batman clips, when the music was just Superman, but it was nice to see all the actors who had played Batman. Val Kilmer <3.

Lights during Superman

After Superman, they made like it was the end of the concert. Whaaaaaaat?! So everyone was clapping and about 5 seconds after John Williams had walked off the stage, he walked right back on to play…the Star Wars theme! Yaaaay. It would have been super weird for all those Star Wars people who had dressed up and brought their props if he didn’t conduct it!

Then he walked off and on again to play ET. The background colors were blue at first…but right near the end, the rainbow colors slowly started stretching across from the left. It was a reeeeally cool effect.

Then he walked off and on again to play the Imperial March.

Lightsaber bobbing to the music. I zipped up my stormtrooper jacket. I made an observation that only people who sat more in the middle and back brought their lightsabers. It was weird to see a sea of light up sticks (yes, light up sticks!) in the middle and around us…and then a sea of dark in the front.

Then he walked off and on.

And did nothing.

And walked off with the symphony. Such a tease! Many people yelled for Indy. Alas, it did not happen.

Aside from the staked parking, which I had never done before, the experience was really wonderful. Long live music!

So, here the clip from The OC. 1:25 if you’re impatient.

And here is the digital short spoof…veeeery funny.

And here is the Jason Derulo song, “Whatcha Say”

And the original original song, “Hide and Seek”

If I ever get shot, I want this clip to be playing as I slowly fall to the floor. I’ll keep it on my cellphone.

This is the outside…I didn’t get a good picture of the whole place because then I’d have to cross the street.

Inside…

Through the doors…

A bar… There were lots of cool places but I didn’t really wander…it was kind of dark.

During sound check. Sound check is kind of…it tests your patience! Going around and people say what mics they want to hear…and if it’s loud enough for them. You really can’t hear yourself or other play. I couldn’t really hear myself so I was super worried if I was out of tune and didn’t even know it.

You can sit up there on the second floor.

oOoo. This bassist was reeeally good. I met him later. He can speak fluent Japanese and reads Korean. He also plays the kodo and the zither! The zither! I’ve always wanted to learn that…so jealous. He majored in Japanese music and was like…the embassador for music in Japan for something…sent by the embassy…And composed for the Japanese embassy here or something crazy like that.

View from the back of the second floor.

The ceiling is pretty neato.

Fog and lights and keyboard.

I didn’t get a picture of what I wore, and it seemed silly to take a picture after the fact so I didn’t. But I will share this lovely accessory I made. Fun to flair when vibrato-ing. The sheer ribbon also kind of sparkles under the lighting. Inspired by Sanosuke from Rurouni Kenshin.

Two songs. I’d say the more impressive song is 4:35 but you can probably hear me better in the first song.

Last song. I didn’t get any music for this so I repeated notes a la Canon in D style. You can also actually hear me better here too.

It was really fun. I got to stay in a green room and I got to get nervous before I performed. Some people came up to me and gave me their business cards and said that cellists are a rare breed. Rare! Dripping with blood! >: E kekeke

After all that socializing though, I did yearn to return to my shell. Curl up in my sweater and bask in my monitor’s glow.

My friend, Wyatt (the one on the very right), is a member of the band, One Silver Astronaut. He plays the violin! How kooky is that, right? Someone find me a band where I can play cello. And is close to me.

Anyway, they have an album out, called The Research and you can check it out on iTunes here. And their myspace page as well.

One of their songs, Band-aid For a Fracture is going to be on Gossip Girl on March 23rd on the CW. I really like this song too and you can totally hear my friend playing the violin! Ch-ch-ch-check it out!

Download audio file (osabandaidforafracture.mp3)

(Oh gosh I just noticed the UNIQLOCK is auto playing music so be sure to scroll down and kill it)

It was just half of the stadium for a more “intimate” setting.

Chandeliers!

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This is how she came in…so dramatic. Her dress was really flowy, and they constantly had a fan blowing her dress up, similar to her album cover art of her album “Symphony”. She really swung her dress around a lot. A lot. A lot. But I don’t blame her; if I were wearing that dress, I’d do it too.

I am…Darkwing Duck!

Here is a short video of this first song. I love the colors! Notice the billowing dress. One day I want to wear a huge dress with a long heavy train, and stand on top of a cliff on a windy day. Like in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, during the montage scene where the British defeat the Spanish Armada.

Can anyone tell me the name of the song being played? To me, I know it’s been made into a techno/trance song, but I never knew what the original was. I love at the end how the lights turned off one by one.

I absolutely loved this song. She sang “What a Wonderful World” while plants bloomed in the background. If you look at the set, she’s actually standing behind the glass. I still can’t decide if the images are being projected onto the floor, and the reflective glass is picked up on it, or both. The glass is bordered by white screen material. She stands behind the screen so that her shadow isn’t cast on I think?

A darker image so you can see her dress. I want!

Here is the video of the song. Love love love.

This is what really weirded me out. I’ve never been to a concert, so I don’t know if this is like..totally normal, but I was pretty amazed. If you look at the left gap, there is a dancer there, but that isn’t part of the reflective glass. It’s that opaque white screen stuff….so if it’s not being reflective, how does the image get on there?

See for yourself. Mesmerizing.

I want her dresses. All of them. My battery ran out later (stupid me…I really didn’t think I’d take so much) but they added an extra long train to her dress and lifted her up on a swing while she sang.

Princess and the Pea-like

I reeeeally love this song too. He came out when the male’s part started. His light wasn’t was big as Sarah’s.

That didn’t do it justice.

Noooow, after the intermission, she sang Phantom of the Opera…bless her…and when she left the stage, Alice came on, and the rabbit, mad hatter, the deck of cards, and Little Red Riding Hood. what?! Yeah. And then, eerie music plays while the familiar sounds of Dance of the Superplum Fairie tinkled its way in (That’s from the Nutcracker for you uncultured, jK). You have to see it for yourself. I managed to find it on youtube. I was blown away. It’s so different from what she’s usually sung but I welcome it wholeheartedly. It’s very Nightmare Before Christmas. Doesn’t it sound like something Gwen Stefani would sing??

The left and right screens scrolled through a forest of trees like she was actually moving. So twisted. The next song on this video afterward is reeeeally good too.

If you poke around youtube you’ll find more. I am totally enchanted by her now. I am now digging through my cd collection to find all my old cds of hers. I hope this tour is made into a dvd, or even better Blu-ray.

Here is a good review with nice pictures. Totally digging that weird song also: http://voyagesextraordinaires.blogspot.com/2008/12/sarah-brightman-symphony-tour-2008.html

I stumbled across this singer while browsing through yesasia.com for new music, and waiting on Wang Leehom’s new album. She looked interesting, and original, so I acquired her music and I’m very glad that I did. The song that I’m drooling over at the minute is her first track “Farewell Song”. It actually has some vocals from Hebe of S.H.E., which I found out later. Kind of an extra bonus, but I really can’t tell when she’s singing. Also, this song is based on Chopin’s Etude op. 10 no. 3

Download audio file (sandeechenfarewellsong.mp3)

Her voice is so old style. Something my mom would listen to, but it’s produced in such a way that I don’t feel old listening to it. In my mind, this girl is wearing a traditional Chi-pow (CheongSam), but floating in space in an astronaut suit…reaching out into space and singing. And this is all in sepia. With like…that old film scratch stuff. It feels like one of those weird Wong Kar Wai movies…and maybe throw in some confusing philosophical dialogue in there.

So, I put only two artists in my station, No Doubt, and Utada. Two artist I think that I actually listen to almost everything they have. Mind you, the only Utada song they have is from her one American album which was really different to her Japanese stuff.

This is what was recommended…a Vanessa Carlton song. And I do like Vanessa Carlton. I hadn’t heard of this song, and it was pleasing, but it wasn’t like…OMG! So I clicked on why they chose this song…

Wow. I’m glad I was so easy to figure out. Repetitive melodic phrasing?! @_@. So far, the radio has been playing songs from the early 2000s also. I guess I’m just living in the past.

Perhaps I should throw in Wicked Dickie and see what pops out. Throw them off a little bit?

After finals is the clean up. Papers shrewn all over my desk? Check. Books all over the floor around my chair? Check. Tons of cables and wires hooked up to my computer? Check. Oh wait, it’s always like that. 5 half filled water bottles…….somewhere? Check. And then there’s the randon miscellaneous snacky food wrappers that I don’t remember eating in the first place.

And then there’s the finals hair that I actually like. Finals week is the time you can wear almost whatever you want and you have an excuse for it. In fact, people assume you’re studying hard. If a girl was walking around with perfect hair and a thoughtfully thought out outfit (wow, that was extremely redundant), I would have my suspicions.

It’s an art, really, to get your hair like that. It takes lots of studying to get the right pieces of hair tousled. Notice I use the word “tousled”, not “messy”. An easy way to achieve this style is to go to sleep with your hair tied, and when you wake up the next day, the effect is complete.

Anyway, my music of choice to clean up right now is Jay Chou‘s second album, Fantasy, made back in 2001. I think this is my favorite album of his. Old school Jay Chou. I practically like EVERY song in this album. Unlike the recent albums where I can only pick out 1 or 2 now. Sigh. Do you need inspiration Jay? Shall I be your muse?!? And I just found out I don’t have his first album. @_@. Um…

Here is the fifth track on the album, 開不了口, or…”Can’t Open Mouth”…”Cannot Say” something like that. Basically “I can’t tell her that I like her!”

Download audio file (jaychoucannotsay.mp3)

Originally my favorite line was “Well trained in alley cat”. But it turned out to actually be “well trained in etiquette” <: / Oops. I liked alley cat better. I wish I was well trained in alley cat. Sneaky and street smart-ish or something...that's how I interpreted it. Sigh.

Download audio file (queenkillerqueen.mp3)

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