Joined: 12/31/69
Thanks for the post. I'm sorry that the meet and greet didn't work out. My friend who was at the Duke show said he did the same thing there; that's not totally cool that he'd say one thing and do another, even if one isn't entitled to a meet and greet. Granted, I probably wouldn't want to come out to the Seasons of Love chorus, either.
What did he say about Mute?
Updated On: 1/27/07 at 04:21 PM
It would really be so much easier for all involved parties if he (or his people, or whoever) were just honest and told people what was really going on. Lying and sending determined fans on a wild goose chase can't really lead to much but chaos.
His hair was a bit of a surprise. I knew he needed to touch up his roots, but I wasn't expecting him to go so... bleach. It took a little getting used to.
I'm always struck by how he really does care about his fans. I would be cringing when people asked bad/weird questions, but he was gracious throughout.
As for my Cabaret question, I think I asked him something along the lines of why it was such an exceptional experience for him. With Adam, it's almost impossible to think of something that hasn't already been asked in millions of other interviews, and it was important to me to ask him something without wimping out. Because I couldn't think of anything original on the spot, I decided to ask him about something I knew he was immensely proud of and not at all Rent-related. I admit some of his answer was a little fuzzy because of all the intense eye contact I was getting. Adam said it was the first time he'd actually been in pursuit of a particular role, which was a novel experience for him. It was a chance to prove himself (to the audiences and himself) and break the rock-singer stereotype that was so stifling. He was also compelled by the music and depth of characterization given to the Emcee. He didn't say anything that would be a particular revelation to any of us, but his enthusiasm was great and he sort of lit up as soon as I said "Cabaret."
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
Right, Emcee. I'm not too emotionally invested in there needing to be a meet and greet at this point, but I really would appreciate it if all parties involved would just be honest about everything. I can't even fathom a reason as to why being sneaky and not totally honest would benefit anyone.
Thanks again for all the fun info, Ariella. I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself.
So am I. For the all weird requests he often gets, he's so accomodating, and will really go to quite some lengths to make his fans happy.
I always want to tell him how much I enjoyed his performance in Cabaret, and how wonderful it was to see him in a show that's very special to me, and a role that I'm completely fascinated by. I feel stupid bringing it up so many years after the fact.
I was worried it wouldn't be relevant, but with so many Rent questions flying around I wanted to add some variety. Luckily the question had the desired reaction.
All of the meet and greet confusion is really too bad. Not having that didn't ruin the experience by ANY means for me, because in my question I felt I'd said the gist of what I needed to say. It was just in front of a room full of people. And his rendition of Happy Birthday was a huge added bonus. But overall, that sort of this could ultimately be detrimental to his fan relationships. It made me really sad to hear people saying how it had "screwed up everything" and how mad they were.
I just want to add that I'm really impressed with what Adam and Larry are doing with their music. They're trying to write sophisticated, meaningful material, and hopefully the college audiences recognize that. It's too bad a lot of Adam's fans are of the brand that have no interest in what he's trying to do musically. And Larry certainly doesn't get the credit he deserves. He's an incredibly skilled musician, and that gets passed over all too often.
I'm sure he appreciated being asked about something other than Rent, and was pleased to hear from someone who really enjoyed the show.
Rude people demanding Larry fetch Adam for them, then singing Seasons of Love? I don't blame him for not coming out. If they went to the concert more concerned with meeting him than seeing him perform, than it's their own fault for being disappointed.
Anyway, glad you had a good time, Ariella. And thank you for not asking another Rent question! I think all intelligent Adam fans appreciate not having to sit through another "Is it true I have the best ass below 14th street?" series of questions.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
I don't respect the people who say that not meeting him "ruined" the entire concert experience for them, but I just think that everyone involved with the concert should be careful not to say that he's going to do something that he isn't entirely sure he's going to do. For example, if he promised to sing Glory at every single show and then didn't, I'd personally be thrilled, but I'd understand why some people would feel bummed out (although, again, I would hope it doesn't ruin the entire experience for them). I do think the Seasons of Love chorus sounds bizarre, though.
ANYway. I have so much work to do, but I keep putting it off, so it's just piling up. Great.
Updated On: 1/27/07 at 06:37 PM
Me either -- if that ruins it, then you're not there for the right reasons. I understand being a little bummed out, but people should be there for the sake of the performance, and if that's the case, then they shouldn't be so disappointed by not meeting him that it ruins the whole thing. Of course that's all idealism, I guess.
It sounds like you had a great time, Ariella, and him singing Happy Birthday to you was probably the ultimate present. It does suck about the confusion afterwards with the meet and greet. I can understand being disappointed if one was scheduled, but hounding Larry to go hunt down Adam? I agree that Larry is completely underrated and equally important in these gigs. If he's tired or traveling, I don't get the big deal in just telling everyone that's waiting the truth instead of having it be a guessing game. You'll always have those people who will call him a jerk because he didn't come out, but you can't always please everyone.
I'm really excited to hear this new song. I'm glad that they decided to add something new to the show. And about his hair, I thought his hair was extrememly blonde during the fall tour. I can't imagine it any lighter than that, but I suppose you never do know.
I completely agree with what everyone's saying. If people were staking their entire evening on being able to get a picture with Adam, too bad for them. For me, seeing Adam perform is definitely the priority. After all, it was his talent that drew me in years ago. It was too bad there was a miscommunication, but that's peripheral to the overall experience.
In hindsight, Adam overextended himself as it was. He gave an excellent performance and then spent almost an hour answering questions. He could have easily drawn the line at that.
The Seasons of Love thing was weird. A few girls went around interrupting everyone's conversations to demand they sing the song to draw Adam out and honor Jonathan Larson's memory. Pretention and self-righteousness can run fairly strongly in certain Rentheads.
I'm glad that you had a good time at the concert, Ariella! It's too bad about the meet and greet, but "Happy Birthday" sounds amazing.
I agree about the people who were obnoxious about not meeting him. It can be really disappointing not to meet someone if you're really hoping to, but I'd hope that most people wouldn't let it totally ruin their experience.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/28/06
Wow, great review Ariella! And I'm glad you had such an awesome time. It was sweet that he sang Happy Birthday to you.
The SOL singing thing, is just weird. I would be rolling my eyes if I was Adam. Who could blame him?
Off topic, but, Emcee, did you wind up seeing a show today? I went to the tkts booth today and got tickets to Chicago. I would've gotten Grey Gardens, but my mom got sick and went home- that was the one show she really wanted to see. And since i've never seen Company before, I didn't really want to see Raul's understudy for my first time (but I'm sure he's great.) Well, I saw Chicago, and Bebe was starring, so that was a plus. What a thrill, and I loved the show.
Bebe! <3
...carry on.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/28/06
Bebe was fantastic, I just love her.
Me too! I realllllly hope that I can see her.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/28/06
I hope you can see her soon! Tickets at the tkts booth were $43, which is pretty good.
Aww, Ariella, that's so sweet that he sang to you!!
We stopped at the Virgin Megastore in Time Square today in between shows. I decided to check if Adam's CD was there, and it was!! I know people had said they had trouble getting them other than on-line. But they had a marker thing with his name and a copy of Model Prisoner. Just thought I'd share that.
Alex, no, we ended up just wandering and eating. We tried the Wicked lotto and lost (my dad's never seen it and I really want to see Julia), and then tried to get rush tickets for like four other shows with no luck, since after you lose a lotto, it's too late to make it to a lot of rush sales.
Emcee...we just missed each other because we tried Bee lotto tonight!
Ooh I was there for the matinee.
ahhhh, ok then. We missed each other by about 6 hours! =)
What a great friend you have Viola! Glad you got to meet him! It's so strange he's not meeting anyone after the show. I'm scared to think what would happen if he doesn't come out after the Forum show. I've seen his myspace page, I have a feeling a few girls will really start getting obnoxious!
To The Stage -
That is one of the hottest pictures I've seen here.
Good work.
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