Saturday, October 12, 2013

POPS 1

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

SATURDAY AT HALFTIME AT 1845 I LEFT THE SAM BOYD FOOTBALL STADIUM WHERE TWO OF THE WORST COACHED FOOTBALL TEAMS IN HISTORY WERE PLAYING....I MOTORED PAST THE MGM LAS VEGAS STRIP WHERE TWO OLD BOXERS WERE FIGHTING AND ARRIVED AT THE SMITH CENTER DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS.....22 MILES 31 MINUTES...... NICE TRIP...GREAT DESTINATION.....THERE ONE OF THE BEST COACHED TEAMS IN HISTORY WAS PLAYING !

MY GOAL...... THE OPENING POPS CONCERT FOR THE LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC.

ONCE AGAIN I MADE THE RIGHT CALL AND THIS TIME I WITNESSED ONE OF THE GREAT PERFORMANCES IN SONG AND DANCE HISTORY.

IT WAS A COMBINATION ORCHESTRA AND  SONG AND DANCE SHOW WITH GUEST CONDUCTOR STUART CHAFETZ AND SINGER DANCERS KIRBY WARD AND JAN HESS....ALL WITH MONSTER CREDITS AND MONSTER TALENTS.

ALL DELIVERED ! ! !

WOW....I ALWAYS SAY AFTERWARD ..."I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SELECT THE MUSIC"...NOT TONIGHT....THEY GOT IT JUST RIGHT WITH BERSTEIN....RODGERS AND HART....GERSHWIN AND FELLOW CONTEMPORARIES OF THIS GENRE.

WOW.....CHAFETZ ARRIVED IN A WRINKLED WHITE OUT OF PLACE COAT AND THEN WON ME OVER IMMEDIATELY WITH HIS AUDITON FOR DIRECTOR OF THE ORCHESTRA.....HE WAS PUNCTUAL....COMEDIC...ANIMATED...LEADER AND PART OF THE TEAM...... AND I LOVED HIM.

THE DANCE HERE REALLY OVERWHELMED THE ORCHESTRA....THAT WITH ITS VIRUTAL TALENT AND ITS CHOREOGRAPHY.....WARD AND HESS DID NOT JUST FALL OFF THE PLANE INTO THEIR TAP SHOES AND DO FRED ASTIRE AND GINGER ROGERS AND MORE....THEY EXCELLED.....OBVIOUSLY TONS OF HISTORY...REHEARSAL AND LIFEWORK WENT INTO THIS SHOW AND BOY DID THEY DELIVER.


BOTH SANG AND DANCED AND DANCED TOGETHER AND DANCED SOMEMORE AND THE NIGHT FLEW BY...ALL TO THIS GREAT "BACKUP" ORCHESTRA.....I LOVED IT.....HESS IS THE OWNER OF NOT ONE...NOT TWO BUT AT LEAST THREE OF THE GREATES LONG PURPLE DRESS'S EVER SOWN TOGETHER AND SHE LOOKED "MARVELOUS" IN THEM...SHE HAD AT LEAST 8 COSTUMES.

WARD EXCELLED WITH "SINGIN IN THE RAIN" AND HAD A WATERGUN FIGHT WITH CHAFETZ...IT REALLY PLAYED WELL....WARD OF COURSE HAD THE EDGE WITH THE UMBRELLA.

AT THE END BOTH CAME FOR THE ENCORE WITH "DOG SLIPPERS".....THEY SAID THEIR DOGS WERE TIRED....THEY MUST HAVE BEEN AFTER THIS EFFORT.

THE SOUND AT SMITH IMPROVING...OK FOR ORCHESTRA...STILL TOUCHY FOR ME ON VOCALS...

STARTED 4 MINUTES LATE.....SOME OF THE HORNS OVERPOWERED THE LYRICS....SORRY....I STILL LIKE THE LYRICS AND LIKE TO HEAR THEM....THAT EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THE WORDS TO ...JUST IN LOVE....I WON'T DANCE...JOHNNY ONE NOTE...CHEEK TO CHEEK....CHATTANOOGA CHOO-CHOO AND EVERYTHING ELSE THEY SANG.

NEAR SELLOUT CROWD....PEOPLE OLDER THAN ME AND I AM 68.....LOTS OF US OLD FARTS HAVE REALLY GOOD TASTE AND IT WAS WELL SATED TONIGHT.

BAD NEWS....NEXT PHILHARMONIC SHOW ON DECEMBER 7....D DAY....CHRISTMAS SHOW....I WILL BE IN AFRICA BUT YOU CAN GO AND SHOULD...702 749 2000

93 A..........ABOUT 300 AND TEN A PLUS'S FOR THE DANCE TEAM....THE TEAM SCHORE LOSES POINTS FOR LATE AND LOUD.

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