POPS 1 ALOHA FROM HAWAII

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

IT WAS KILL THE DRUMMER NIGHT !

GOOD NEWS FIRST.....I REMAIN THE WORLDS GREATEST FAN OF THE LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC.

NEXT PERFORMANCE...... 22 NOVEMBER 2014.... SMITH CENTER 730 PRE CONCERT TALK 645......BRAHMS.... BEETHOVEN....von WEBER...702 749 2000.

NOW......

LOTS OF NEGATIVES ON SATURDAY NIGHT....BEGINNING WITH DRUMS...WHEN I ARRIVED AND SAW THE SET OF DRUMS UP FRONT STAGE RIGHT I KNEW IT WOULD NOT BE A GOOD NIGHT FOR ME....DRUMS....YOU KNOW....THE NOISE THAT OVERWHELMS THE STRINGS.

THE BOTTOM LINE IN THIS POPS CONCERT WAS NOISE OVER THE ORCHESTRA AND I ALREADY HAD HATED THIS THEME.

IT WAS 5 MINUTES LATE.

HAD THEY TAKEN THIS PROGRAM TO HAM HALL AT UNLV WHERE YOU COULD HEAR THE LYRICS AND NARRATION AND LEFT THE DRUMMER ELSEWHERE... IT COULD HAVE HAD A CHANCE.

I UNDERSTAND IT WAS POPS.....SO WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ORCHESTRA...THERE WERE 4 BASS PLAYERS AND A HARP SHOVED INTO THE EXTREME CORNER LEFT....I NEVER HEARD A NOTE FROM THEM.

I WAS NOT CRAZY ABOUT THE ARRANGEMENTS....TOO MUCH DRUM BEATING...THIS WAS ALMOST AN EXAMPLE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOISE AND MUSIC.

MATT CATINGUB...A HAWAIIAN WAS THE CONDUCTOR....HE IS MOST LOVEABLE...FULL OF ENERGY STORIES AND NARARTION MUSIC HISTORY...HE BROUGHT FELLOW HAWAIIAN AMY HANAIALI'I FOR SECOND HALF VOCALS....THE MARRIAGE OF ORCHESTRA AND VOCALS IN THE ACQUISTICALLY CHALLENGED SMITH CENTER REMAINS A NIGHTMARE......THE PATRONS SEEMED NOT EXCITED BY THE WHOLE THING DISPLAYED BY HANAIALI'IS QUESTION TO US..."WHY IS EVERYBODY SO QUIET"?  SHE HAD HER DAUGHTER OUT FOR A HULA.....?  A COUPLE OF HULA DANCERS JOINED HER.....FOR A COUPLE OF NUMBERS....A PLEASANT DISTRACTION FROM MY EFFORT TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THE LYRICS.

CATINGUB IS A LOVELY STAGE PERFORMER...YOU HAVE TO LOVE HIM..BUT HE IS MARRIED TO THIS DRUMMER AND IN MAY THE DOU IS RETURNING FOR A SINATRA TRIBUTE....WITHOUT VOCALS....THIS SHOULD MAKE FRANK ROLL OVER IN HIS GRAVE.

I LOVE THE LAS VEGAS PHIL AND THEIR GREAT SOUNDS FOR DEAD COMPOSERS AND LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE WONDERFUL SYMPHONYS.....WITHOUT VOCALS THEY PLAY WELL AT THE SMITH CENTER......HOW ASHAMED WE SHOULD BE OF THIS AWFUL SOUND MIX AT THE SMITH.

THIS WAS NOT AWFUL JUST NOT TO TASTE HERE.

THEY DID A PRESHOW HAWAIIAN PROGRAM IN THE LOBBY WHICH WAS UNADVERTISED AND MISSED BY MOST....IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HIGHLITE HAD WE KNOWN IT WAS COMING....BAD ADVERTISING HERE.

80 B-