Jonathan Larson tribute mini-concert in LA today

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 6:43pm

Hey guys, I just got back from the free concert at the Grove in LA, and I just had to tell you guys that it was AWESOME.


Adam Pascal emcee'd the event, and the cast of the Coronet theatre's Tick, Tick...BOOM! was there (Andrew Samonsky, Wilson Cruz, Tami Tappan Damiano), as well as select members of the National Touring Cast of Rent (Bryce Ryness, Jed Resnick, Chante Carmel, Tracy McDowell).

I got there way early, so I got a lot of time to hang out and talk to the performers. I had met the cast of ttB before when I saw it, and as usual, they were all absolute sweethearts. I talked to Andrew a lot, and he remembered me because we talk a lot on MySpace. Wilson Cruz was adorably huggable and nice, as well, and Tami looked amazing, even despite the HORRID heat (it was probably around 110 degrees, and it was an outside concert).

I briefly spoke to Bryce, as well, which was nice.


They started doing soundchecks, which was a lot of fun. They were all goofing off and having a good time with the microphones. Tami was singing part of "Come to Your Senses" from ttB for her soundcheck, and when she sang "I have to laugh", Wilson Cruz did this evil laugh into his microphone. Tami turned around and was like, "Man, you've been waiting to do that since we started the show, haven't you??" It was pretty funny.


Then the craziness began, because Adam Pascal came, and all of a sudden, ALL the fangirls just ran up, mobbing him. He ducked into a nearby Pac Sun and was given his little cue cards for the show. He soon came out and had everyone follow him to a spot, and there he signed things. He signed my Rent OBCR insert, which was awesome. He said that he had a very limited amount of time (He was about to start the show), so he didn't have time for pictures, but I found it extremely nice that he took the time to sign things for everyone.

So the show started, and everyone was wonderful. Lots of jokes, goofing off, Adam introducing people he had no idea were (He completely forgot Tracy and Chante's names when they went up to sing "Take Me Or Leave Me", it was pretty funny.)

Here was the song set, for those of you who are interested:

Bryce Ryness singing "One Song Glory" from RENT
Bryce Ryness and Jed Resnick singing "What You Own" from RENT
Tracy McDowell and Chante Carmel singing "Take Me or Leave Me" from RENT

The cast of Tick, Tick...BOOM! singing "30/90"
Tami Tappan Damiano singing "Come To Your Senses" from Tick, Tick..BOOM!
The cast of Tick, Tick...BOOM! singing "Louder Than Words"


And then Adam came up and announced some very special people had come to the concert.

It turned out that Wilson Jermaine Heredia came, and so did the Larson family (Al, Nan, and Julie)!


So I went to talk to Wilson after the show and he signed my insert as well, and I got to take a picture with him. He is the sweetest guy, and he gave me a big hug and told me to look him up on MySpace, haha. He said so many people don't believe it's actually him on there. But it is.

And then I spoke to Al and Nan about how grateful I was to them for keeping Jonathan's voice and work alive, and how much his work has affected both mine and many of my friends' lives. They were all very nice and thanked me for my support, and signed my insert, even personalizing it.


It was a great time. I said goodbye to Tami (got to meet her son, Dante, who is just the cutest little thing ever. Just shy of 2 years old), Andrew, and Wilson, and headed home.


I've got some pictures that I have to develop (That also include my pictures from when I saw RENT on Wednesday), so I'll post some of those for you guys when they're ready.


So yeah, great day, great concert, great people.


GO SEE TICK, TICK...BOOM! at the Coronet Theatre if you live in LA! SERIOUSLY. Go see it, the cast is amazing, the show is breathtaking, and it's cheap! (20 dollar front row seats every show, and right now they're doing a 2 for 1 deal for Friday night shows! GO!)


So, did anyone else go to this?

Updated On: 7/23/06 at 06:43 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 6:50pm

Aw, I'm glad you got to meet Adam.

The one thing I don't miss about seeing him often is the mob of fangirls chasing after him, shrieking. They give me a headache.

Updated On: 7/22/06 at 06:50 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 6:51pm

Pac Sun? Like, the clothing store? Heh.

Thanks for the review. :)

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 6:53pm

Cute review, thanks for posting! .

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 7:11pm

Emcee, yeah, it was kind of crazy. Because it was like, really quite and calm before he came, and then like...all these crazy fangirls just JUMPED UP when they saw him. I went over there because I wanted to meet him (of course), but there were just these few girls who were like OMGADAMPASCAL and like, freaking out. And I just said to them, "C'mon guys, he's a person just like us. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited and I love him too. But if you fangirl like that, it's going to make it really tough to get to see him, because they're gonna cover him with security guards!"

So, yeah. But he was really nice and it was pretty awesome.

It was pretty fun to play "spot the RENT movie fans" the entire day, too. Because you KNOW those fangirls (who like..almost all were 13-15, by the way) only know them from the movie. And I mean, while that's great, most people are just like, "OMG ADAM PASCAL HE'S SO HOT". Same with Anthony Rapp. Those people don't appreciate them for their work, or what they've done, or how something like RENT has affected them.

So, yeah.

It was also kind of like, "aw, man! C'mon people, go talk to Andrew and Wilson and Tami! They are AMAZING! THEY NEED FANS LOVING ON THEM TOO!"

I was seriously like, their biggest supporters, today, haha. Cheering them on all the way.

Woo!


Oh, and also, I remember you asking me when I saw Adam last how his hair was? At least, I think it was you.

Unfortunately, he was wearing a hat and sunglasses today, so I didn't get to see much. However, what was not covered by the hat was brown, and I think I saw a little bit of blonde. So maybe the top is blonde, *shrug*

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 7:12pm

Yeah, he ducked into the Pac Sun, the clothing store.

The Grove is like, a big shopping center place in the middle of Hollywood. It's actually really neat. They have this great courtyard, and a huge theatre, and a lot of really great restaurants.

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 7:12pm

M3L, you're welcome! I couldn't leave my pals at BWW in the dark.


P.S., I love your signature. YAY Bare!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 7:14pm

"C'mon guys, he's a person just like us. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited and I love him too. But if you fangirl like that, it's going to make it really tough to get to see him, because they're gonna cover him with security guards!"

Haha, AND it'll piss him off if you like, crowd him and act stupid. :) Good for you!

Thank you for the hair report, ha. I saw some pictures and he is veeeery blond.

Updated On: 7/22/06 at 07:14 PM

[Chloe]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 8:11pm

Thanks very much for the report!

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 8:18pm

You're welcome! Always happy to give you guys the up-and-up.


Although it is frightening me a bit how I tend to post here more than I do my own LiveJournal.

I used to post about every little thing that happened in a day on my LJ. Now, I don't even post about big events like this...I just post them here, and then MAYBE I'll copy/paste it onto my LJ. Oh, dear.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 8:23pm

It was an amazing afternoon, despite the blazing heat. Besides seeing all the perfomers and fans of JL, there was something that really touched me.

During the wonderful TTB trio singing the finale, I turned to see The Larson Family sitting on a bench, near to them, a woman on a blanket with a baby, gay and straight couples holding close to each other, small groups of friends.....A beautiful, harmonious tableau of Life! Larson's music is all about living each day to the fullest, appreciating the gift of family and friends, tolerance, acceptance and love.

Thank you Jonathan.

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 8:30pm

I saw that, too, SingingBackup.


It was such a special day. I think meeting Al, Nan, and Julie meant even more to me than meeting the performers today, just because they are a huge reason why Jonathan's message is still being shouted today. They've kept everything going, and I am just so so so grateful for them and the wonderful man they brought into the world who has given so many people inspiration and hope.

I almost starting crying, talking to Al and Nan, in fact, because I was trying to tell them about how RENT and Larson's messages got me through some of my toughest times when I was younger.


Thank you Jonathan, indeed.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 8:38pm

That's so wonderful that you got to meet his family. Jonathan's father was on the film set when I was there, and I suppose I could have spoken with him if I wanted to, but I didn't take the opportunity. I saw him and almost started to cry, and I wouldn't have known what to say.

Updated On: 7/22/06 at 08:38 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 10:15pm

Yet ANOTHER reason to rejoice in the L.A. Theater scene!


PS: Wilson Cruz=Yummy!

[TimeSuckage]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 11:34pm

I was there, too. It was a really nice crowd. I was late so missed the fangirl crush of Adam - hope they all come to the concert next weekend so I can see them in action (and yes, I am a fangirl, but I am too old to act like one).

I will mention that Adam was wearing a fanny pack. This amused me. Right before the show ended some security guard whisked him away.

Really neat to see the Larson family there. People were coming up to them with such respect and filled with emotion, like they were meeting the Pope. It must be incredible that everywhere they go they meet people who are so touched by Jonathan's work a decade after his passing.

Tami's got some pipes! She blew everyone away. After she did her solo Adam told the crowd "Take that, American Idol." Right on - girlfriend can wail.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 11:36pm

That amuses me, too! Ha.

[Dancinqueen123]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 11:39pm

Thanks for all the reviews guys! It sounds like you all had a good time.

[littlebrowneyes]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 12:34am

I was there as well, and brought my younger sister and mother along who are visiting.

I must agree, it was a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed all the performances. The TTB cast was fantastic, as usual. The Rent cast members who performed also did great jobs.

Amusing story. My mom, who constantly marvels at how many times I've seen Rent, took a moment to go sit down in the shade to get out of the heat. She came back saying she'd had a brief conversation with someone about how I enjoy musicals, especially Rent and TTB. Apparently the woman told my mother that it was great to hear of someone who found such joy in theater. A few moments later, I glanced back at where Mom had been sitting and realized it was Nan that she had been talking to. I told her who it was, and later on the two talked again. Nan told my mother how wonderful it was for her to hear, from someone who had no idea that she was Jonathan's mother, such a rave review of the show and such open communication about it. Apparently it "made her day" to hear such comments. It actually makes me happy that my mom didn't know whom she was talking to and was so candid in her opinions.

Afterwards, I ended up taking my family to see TTB, and the two of them fell in love with the show. All in all, it was a fantastic experience.

[Hairspraydoll]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 3:42pm

It was an amazing time. My friend and I drove up from Vegas jsut to see TTB and found out about the Grove at the show on Friday. So this was an extra treat as we were going to just drive back the next morning. Then after they announced the two for ones for TTB we stayed and saw it again. The cast is fabulous. Go see it if you can! They are super sweet and talented!
I too was amused by Adam's fanny pack and the young girls. I was like you weren't even conceived when Rent came out! Ok well they were toddlers at the least.
It was hot, but well worth it. Even just for the fun sound checks.

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 5:45pm

I know what you mean, Hairspray! Those soundchecks were the best part of the day! You really get to see them just as themselves, goofing off and hanging out, as opposed to on stage in their character personas. It's really neat. It was certainly my first experience with that.

I loved it when Tami was doing her soundcheck for "Come To Your Senses", and everyone was going crazy, and she gets off the stage and says to Andrew (her mic was still on) "OMG we have fans!" Hahhaa, she's so not used to it. It's very endearing. That and Wilson's laugh during the song...I was cracking up.

It was great.

[Hairspraydoll]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 5:54pm

It was the best. I loved it. I loved seeing that side of people!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 12:57pm

I might be waaaaaaay behind the eight ball on this, but=

Whilst we were waiting for the show to begin, the background music featured two Club Mix/Dance versions of Rent songs (Can't remember which ones, though I am sure I heard Idina) and they were most likely from the movie soundtrack. Anyone know where I can find them or even what I am talking about?

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 7:35pm

SingingBackup, those remixes are indeed cut from the movie versions of the songs ("Light My Candle" and "Take Me Or Leave Me").

They're not actually on the movie soundtrack, but I know I have heard them before, randomly on the internet. I shall look around for them, and if I can get them, I'll make sure to send them your way as well.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 7:37pm

Wait, they were supposed to be IN the movie, or they were just dance remixes like the Seasons of Love one that was floating around?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 7:39pm

I highly doubt they were supposed to be in the movie, but I believe Rent remixes were offered on iTunes for a while. I can't imagine how they'd fit into the movie in any way, other than perhaps making an appearance in the credits.