Wow. I'm really not sure how to sum this up, so I'll use a phrase from my oftentimes concert partner in crime, Mr. Conner:
It was awesome. The musicians were amazing, the venue was amazing and the crowd was amazing.
Antony performed with the LA Philharmonic this evening at Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. This is a truly inspiring venue, both inside and out. Designed by God, or at least God's Assistant, this thing is gorgeous to look at on the outside, and almost scary to be inside of. Kinda like a superstar model.
Antony took the stage at about 8:15 with a group of approximately 18 musicians, a full brass section, oboe, bassoon, piano, percussionist, and clarinet, to name a few. Not to mention the conductor, who was exciting to watch as well. He just did what he did so well.
They played for probably about 90 minutes, including one encore, which included a very long story about one of Antony's role models in New York. He also shared that he'd only met the LA Philharmonic the day before, and had practiced with them twice before the performance. Describing how he explained the songs he said, "I told them, OK, for this one, imagine you're a fish..."
Most of the songs were ones I wasn't familiar with. He only did one song from I Am A Bird Now (For Today I Am A Boy), and I assume most of the other songs were from his recently released Another World EP and from his debut album. However, I did catch his touching, yet somewhat funny cover of Beyonce's Crazy In Love. A bit different than the version David Byrne treated us to with The Extra Action Marching Band at the Hollywood Bowl a while back, but it was still pretty amazing.
Another highlight: 30 seconds of silence during one of the songs. Honestly. Without exaggeration, it was at least that long, and nobody took a breath.
This was one of two shows on this US tour. He plays on 10/16 at The Apollo in NYC(!!!!!), and then two dates in London at the end of the month. Truly, this was a special evening. It's not every day you get to see a transvestite sing torch songs with a miniature symphony.
Oh, I should mention, I went to throw out my gum in what I thought was a trash can, but had to take it outside to find one.
"I thought it was a trash can, but it wasn't, I told my companions."
"What was it?" they asked.
"It was," I started, grasping for a word, "art."
2 comments:
Walt Disney Concert Hall sounds like a joke. Is this the real name??
I am glad to hear that God creates square stainless steel concert halls.
Would have loved to be present at the second thirty second highlight you mention.
Georg
Hey Georg!
Yes, it's actually called Walt Disney Concert Hall, and I originally thought someone was pulling my leg as well. I also thought this show might be closer to DisneyLand (in Anaheim, about 50 miles closer to San Diego), but the joke was on us.
Merci pour le Écouter!
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