Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Music of the Night

I went to a concert last night, a little cabaret act with a fellow name of Michael Ingersoll.

Never heard of him? That's okay - neither had I.

Maggie remembered late Sunday that she had bought tickets for this guy. He's in a little show called Jersey Boys (not exactly little - sarcasm there).

He was outstanding - sang everything from the Tin Man song in Wizard of Oz to jazz classics, interspersed with interesting talk on his rise in theater and his life and his wife - who lo and behold, also showed up.

It was his first solo concert - ever - but he had chosen the Metropolis because he had appeared in a show there two years ago, before hitting it big (we had seen him in that show, too).

And the place went nuts when the other Jersey Boys showed up and sang along.

I did not go nuts. I had never heard these guys sing. It was all the white haired people (my dad included - he had seen Jersey Boys) who went nuts.

After hearing them sing - well, Maggie and I are buying tickets for his other show in August. The exact same show, probably. It was THAT good.

So that got me to thinking - of all the musicians I really like. Put my money where my mouth is. As in, have paid to see them at least twice. I've seen plenty of other singers and shows, but these are the people I have seen at least twice and that I really love - over the past twenty five years or so. Needless to say, i have multiple albums from each.

Ron Hawking
If you've never heard this guy, he is amazing. Sings Frank Sinatra and Rat Pack songs in his own inimitable style. Does Vegas quite a bit but also comes through Chicago semi-annually in all sorts of venues. Always top notch cabaret shows. Have seen him four or five times.

Billy Joel
Only the good die young, only Billy Joel can put on such a fantastic show, either alone or with Elton John. Seen him three times.

Jack Daniels Silver Cornet Band
Yes, the whiskey company has their own promotional band of, well, silver cornets. They each play characters from 1849 or so. Wonderful performers, great Christmas shows. Three times.

They Might Be Giants
Particle Man, Particle Man, does anything that a particle can.... just fun. Twice.

Barry Manilow
Say what you want, the man can put on a show that NO ONE can resist stomping their feet. If you only know him from records you've never seen the real Barry Manilow. Three times.

Harry Connick Jr.
Come on, the guys plays everything from Bear Neccessities to his own compositions, in a really cool jazzy style. Seen him twice and would love to see more of him.

Elton John
Can Corkidile rock still resonate forty years later? You damn well better believe it! Three times.

The Irish Rovers
My all time favorite Irish band. Just awesome! They're a bit older now but they still can sing the Unicorn! Wasn't that a party? At least ten times.

The Chieftains
Almost as good as the Rovers, a little less on the humor though. Still darn good. Six times.

Seamus Kennedy
My favorite entertainer of all time. Seen him at least a dozen and a half times and would see him more if he came to the Chicago area anytime. He's an Irish singer of incomparable quality and humor, and always gets me singing! He's absolutely terrific! Eighteen times, probably more.

Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
Admittedly, this pair comes from twenty five, thirty years ago, but when I saw them I knew the words to every song. Highwaymen is still a classic. Ghost Riders in the Sky ! Two times.

Michael Crawford
Con-DOR-maaaaaaaannn! Yes, I knew of him before he was famous. He was a comedian, for cripes sake. Who knew the man had such a voice!? His Phantom is still standard, but he does so many other great songs too! Three times.

Reba McIntyre
Long before Reba had her own TV show, she toured a lot more, and she used to come to Buffalo every time. Why? Because we loved her. When she sang Fancy atop a stage that lifted into the air and whirled her around the Aud so she was on a level with the balcony (hey, they paid their money too!) - man, I still get excited. Twice.

Garth Brooks
The only thing I don't like about Garth Brooks is his habit of making every seat the same price. Every seat pays the same. I never got a good seat. Didn't matter much - the man plays to everyone in the house. Everyone knows every song. I mean, every word to every song. Again, like Manilow, if you've only heard the records you haven't heard or seen Garth. Awesome performer. Twice.

Beach Boys
I am such a sucker for surf music sometimes, though I prefer Jan and Dean a little more. Saw them a long, long time ago and their voices were going south. Know what? Nobody cared. :) Three times.

Prince
This is kind of a cheat, because I've only seen him once and don't have any of his records or anything. But I enjoyed his concert.


Well, those are the ones I can think of now. this doesn't include things like the Notre Dame band or the Sacramento/Buffalo/Chicago Philharmonics or jazz festival bands or Radio City Christmas that I've all seen multiple times. Just kind of gives you a little insight into my world...

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