Ben Lee at Tonic

FEBRUARY 24, 2005

Ben Lee has a special place in my heart. When Something to Remember Me By came out, I was a sappy, emotionally wraught teenager. It hit me hard. Unfortunately, the last time I saw Ben was at Woodstock 99. He was great, but it was much too long ago.

When I arrived I was hoping tonight's show would bring me back to sing-a-longs in my car during junior year of high school, but he played a lot of new stuff. Nonetheless, I had a great time as he's voice and presence comes through much better in person. The highlight was his cover of a Pony Up! song, "Matthew Modine." It's hilarous.

Also of note is that this is the second sold out show I got into for free. When everyone in the world is on the guest list, eventually you run out of friends who can be your plus one. Thank you random stranger for letting me be your plus one!

Posted in Live at 11:51 pm.
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Homebody/Kabul

MAY 11, 2004

Before I talk about the play, you should note the performance I saw was a dress rehersal. So, if this website were an accredited news source, I'd be breakin' the rules.

Months ago, my friend at BAM sent me their schedule for the year and this play stuck out immediately. Angels in America had a profound impact on me and I wanted to see if one of Kushner's other works would have the same effect. In a nutshell, it didn't, but the play was still wonderful.

Although most aspects of the play were well done, it was the acting that stood out. Maggie Gyllenhaal had a strong performance, but it was really the supporting actors who made the play (I'd give you their names but I didn't get a program). One thing worth noting, that my lady pointed out, is that Maggie acts like a movie star, not a classically-trained actor. It didn't bother me, but if that bothers you then consider yourself warned.

I guess the true proof of its worth is that I didn't get sleepy once and the play lasted nearly four hours with intermissions. The minus next to the 'A' rating can be attributed to the lack of profound effect and the absence of concessions at the Harvey (you need something to nibble on during a four hour performance, even if this was a dress rehersal).

Posted in Live at 3:21 pm.
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Mysteries

JANUARY 22, 2004

In a nutshell, this is play is the retelling of the big stories in the Old and New Testament. So, if you're not interested, don't go. This was my problem, as I really didn't know what I was getting into when I was offered a free ticket for Mysteries. And I'll tell you now that the reason for the relatively low grade likely has something to do with my mindset going into the performance.

Mysteries had potential because it was partially based on the work of Mikhail Bulgakov, a Russian writer who penned my favorite novel, The Master and Margarita. Unfortunately, even that scene was disappointing. Mostly, the interpretations of these stories were not very original. I know these stories and the changes were not significant enough to keep me enthralled.

On the positive side, the set design was fantastic and the acting was very good. Oh, and there is full frontal nudity for at least five minutes, which should count for something.

Posted in Live at 5:54 pm.
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The Thrills

JANUARY 16, 2004

One day, I broke down and bought the Thrills debut album, So Much For the City, solely because it was $7.99. I didn't know much about them, but it was obvious they were both a "the" band and an "-ills" band, which guaranteed awesomeness.* The record was good, but I wasn't completely blown away. Still, I listened to it two or three times before I went to the show.

When the band took the stage at the Bowery, the members were all teeming with excitement. It was easy to see that it was going to be an evening free of pretentiousness. I can't remember what they opened with, but I knew I was singing along. Then, when they played "Big Sur," I was bouncing around and shouting the words to everyone around me. To make the evening complete, they left the stage without much fanfare and came back for a quick, two-song encore, just the way I like it.

Over the last three days pretty much every song that has been stuck in my head has been by the Thrills. To me, that means it was a damn good show. Check out their record if you can't get to one of their shows.

*Note: Sarcasm.

Posted in Live at 11:31 am.
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Checking in with Riggles and Roberts

DECEMBER 20, 2003

I've been to dozens of shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Theater, and this was the first one that I genuinely despised. There were times when two sketch shows would be grouped together and one of them was just average, but they were never painful. This show was, most definitely, painful.

The premise is simple; actors improvise a live radio program for the audience. Imagine talk radio but the hosts are actual comedians and not two dudes with smooth tenor speaking voices. Unfortunately, these three comedians were not funny this particular night. The jokes, when they told jokes, were stale or drawn out. Without the funny, this left you with a few radio show hosts who were neither entertaining nor easy on the ears.

The oddest part of the performance was when they brought out their guest, Scot Armstrong, who was a co-writer of Old School and Road Trip. He is a regular performer at UCB and is hilarious. Unfortunately, the hosts asked him serious questions, which were followed by serious answers. His commentary would have been great, if I wanted to know about the trials and tribulations of a screenwriter. Instead I came for the funny, as advertised, and I received none of it.

All of this being said, the two male hosts, who were the central performers, were definitely very funny people. It seemed that the structure was to blame as an AM radio with only one station isn't easy to bear for seventy-five minutes. Instead I'll go back and see Asssscat 3000 or Feature Feature to really get a taste of the talent on that stage.

Posted in Live at 5:38 pm.
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