I had a really fun day due to a wonderful email dialog with Robin Slick, mother to Eric and Julie, "2/3 of the Adrian Belew Power Trio". Between that and listening to the CDs (Belewprints and Guitar as Orchestra) I bought the night before, I got so excited about the show and practicing my photography that I bought tickets for Long Beach the next night.
Got great tips to improve the mistakes from my friend John (a pro), hustled some stuff out last minute at work to get to the 7p curtain, crammed in a visit to Oceanside Photo and Telescope to buy a 50mm f/1.8 lens, got stuck in traffic on the I-5, had insufficient funds for the toll road, got stuck in more traffic on the 405, had to pull in to UCLB for one of the most urgent pit stops ever in my life, got very disappointed to be missing Saul Zonana (AGAIN!!!) since it was now past 7p, got verification on the directions by a really articulate person at a gas station, and finally got to the show.
Oh, along the way, I called Vault 350 who says absolutely no cameras! I got the lens anyway and emailed Robin to see about getting a badge or something. She was only able to leave voicemails for her kids and wasn't able to help (but what a nice thing to do anyway!!! Thanks again, Robin.) Got to the show with my pocket camera and saw two people slinging camera bags. Asked one of them, Gina, how they got press access and she said she just walked in like "no big deal!" I was freaking but, from her prompting, went and got my camera. I couldn't help but ask the doorman straight up, though, and he checked himself. It turned out to be totally cool! What a head trip.
Got the bag, shot Saul's set, forgot my new CF card, went back to the car, got a cool phone call that I took outside the hall for about half an hour, then back inside. Waaay more people now.
BTW, Vault 350 is a nice place to see a show! I was a little weirded out after driving between UCLB and the show as the area seemed a bit depressed, though that was probably due to my own tweaked perceptions (no disrepect!). The venue, though, was open with very comfortable seating, some cocktail tables, a balcony, and nice sized stage. The staff was very cool with the one exception of the person who told me I couldn't take pics -- she sounded stressed. I'd be happy to see another show there in the future, though.
I love seeing a fave performer over time, especially when I can see the development or change that the performer puts out. Obviously I can't intuit what inspires the art, but seeing more depth of emotion, complexity in composition or technique, or whatever fringe a particular artist might be pursuing at the moment -- all of that thrills me. That seems to be the point of art for me, experiencing what comes out of a person as a result of their being in this world. Obviously, the more ability or prowess a person possesses, the greater their means of sharing themselves.
Adrian is, of course, immensely talented and skilled. He also, and this is probably my favorite thing of all, is very willing to live on the fringes of music. Add to that his natural comfort with playing with/for people and the result is me in little pig heaven. His pursuit of Side One, Side Two, and Side Three, which I've listened to voraciously as they've been released, give me a sense of him being fully relaxed and self-realized in his music. That's not to say that he was at all detached from his previous work, but there seems to have been an urgency in the past that isn't as prominent now. I want to characterize his past work as sophisticated exploration where as his current stuff seems much more grounded while still playful, quirky, and mature.
I may be totally off base, and I've never presumed to be a music critic, but I'm just gonna throw this out there. My enjoyment of his career has stemmed greatly from being able to appreciate all his music over many repeat listens. There is always another beat, riff, or layer that will take me a little further into his work.
Adrian Belew deeply satisfies my love for music.
I was very happy with his work with Jars of Clay which seemed to help the band grow in many ways. I'd be interested in learning if Adrian's contribution was at the start or end of the production. I have yet to consider the production of Saul Zonana's collaboration, but I look forward to it.
His work with the Slicks continues his sharing of talent to other musicians. Both Julie and Eric are technically very talented. I look forward to seeing more of their personality on stage, though I imagine it hard to compete or share attention with Adrian, not for lack of trying but simply because of Adrian's strength of stage presence. I have to say, though, that when Julie smiles, it's a wonderful thing. Her smile provides a nice counter to her thoughtful performing face. Eric seems to be in playful mode a bit more but I was also struck with his loose manner when not behind the drums (gotta mention the hair throwing). Seeing the three of them chucking each other on the shoulder at the end of the show was really beautiful and warm.
Thanks to everyone for the show. The crew at Vault 360 and the people in the crowd that I met (you know who you are!) helped make this show a particularly memorable event for me. From my awful-at-remembering-names memory, I met Gina the photographer, Al from Australia who played with Adrian a few weeks ago, Steve(?) the guy behind me who worked with Adrian, the fellow next to me in the seats who used to work in Carlsbad as well (I won't even try to make up a name - sorry!) and Drew the bouncer.
p.s. Thanks to Robin Slick for helping to stoke my juices into making the drive.
