Crosby, Stills & Nash

Greetings all,

For those of you in attendance at last night's Crosby, Stills & Nash performance, I thought I'd share some photos and a set list which, surprisingly, I believe did not sustain any impromptu changes. However, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Incidentally, Crosby, Stills & Nash was my first concert ever which I attended with my father in 1989. My lasting memory from that concert experience was seeing a lot of motorcycles. I wish I could remember hearing "Our House," "Helplessly Hoping," or "Teach Your Children," but nope, just motorcycles. Last night's show left a completely different impression, however. I heard the first set from the press office, and caught the first five songs of the 2nd set from the lawn, and was most impressed with their ability to seamlessly change instruments from one song to the next. Stephen Stills is probably the most accomplished guitarist of the three, but David Crosby and Graham Nash are quite adept at finger-picking, which was mostly evident during "This is My Country" and "Delta."

For additional perspective on last night's show, I'll refer you to a blogger colleague Bill, who publishes Shine Silently.

Talk soon,

Graham

Not the Messiah!

After receiving many requests to shoot video of a Wolf Trap lawn rush from the loge, I captured some video prior to last night's performance of Not the Messiah! (He's a Very Naughty Boy,) which as a side note, was phenomenal. Clearly, you have to be a Monty Python fan to appreciate Eric Idle's wildly eccentric sense of humor, meaning that this was no ORDINARY evening with the NSO, but the 5000 plus people in attendance last night ranging from ages 10 - 80 proved that the Python style of humor truly transcends generations. It's still, somehow, so incredibly relevant. Some choice highlights from the show:

1) A flock of multi-racial sheep, one of which was named Shiniqua.
2) Idle channeling Bob Dylan through a 3 minute solo song complete with acoustic guitar and harmonica
3) Idle playing a leafblower (I'm totally serious.) He actually got down on his knees and wailed like a rockstar.
4) 5000 people singing along and rocking back and forth during the show closing number "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

I hope some of you were able to attend this special performance, as it's only been performed 3 times in the U.S., and is scheduled for only a small handful of dates throughout the remainder of 2008.

Check out lawn rush footage below from the upper level of the loge. Also, I've posted another video of some Wolf Trap interns being just basically, ridiculous.

Enjoy the weekend!

Graham

A Day in the Life…

Wed. 9:30 a.m. - My intern and I get picked up by a Wolf Trap driver at the Center for Education

10:15 a.m. - Arrive at the Melrose Hotel in NW D.C. to pick up Eric Idle.

10:30 a.m. – Accidentally drive to 635 Massachusetts Ave. NE instead of NW, which is the location of National Public Radio studios.

10:33 a.m. - Place a borderline frantic call over to Wolf Trap to double check NPR's address. Now we're still on pace to arrive at NPR by 10:50, but given that I'm in charge of delivering Monty Python troupe member/internationally recognizable celebrity Eric Idle to Robert Siegel at NPR for his 11 a.m. "All Things Considered" interview, combined with that fact that he's sitting right next to me, I imagine it's only natural to feel an inkling of panic...

10:43 a.m. - Back on track and headed to the CORRECT address.

10:50 a.m. - Mr. Idle is comfortably sitting in a leather office chair in the "All Things Considered" studio, sipping a tall cup of tea. NPR staff members quickly catch on to his presence, and about 15 people gather in the control room to listen to his 25 minute discussion with Robert Siegel.

11:00 a.m. - Interview begins. Tears caused by laughter are legitimately running down the face of a NPR staffer that has situated himself almost right up against the glass between the control room and the studio. Topics range from Idle's co-creation of and starring role in Not the Messiah! (He's a Very Naughty Boy,) (which incidentally is tonight's performance at the Filene Center,) to the Python films Life of Brian and The Holy Grail, to the holy grail stage adaptation, Spamalot. Tune into NPR this afternoon at 5:50 to catch the full length interview.

11:30 a.m. - Interview concludes. Per his request, we take him down to the waterfront in Georgetown for some seafood, and despite the fact that the waiter misplaced his order, leading to a lunch of crab bisque, oysters on the half shell, and a side salad, rather than what I think was an order for a soft shell crab sandwich, we enjoyed a pleasant dining experience which, surprisingly, didn't involve any incidents from nearby Monty Python fans dining in the restaurant.

12:30 p.m. - After a brief stroll to walk off our lunch, we escort Mr. Idle back to his hotel. Mr. Idle proceeds to give us the insider's scoop on what we can expect from Thursday evening's performance, which includes over 100 musicians on stage, a flock of multi-racial sheep, snow in July, and a finale to end all finales.

1:00 p.m. - We drop Mr. Idle off at his hotel, wish him well in Thursday's performance, I give him a few last details for pending afternoon interviews with WTOP FM and Associated Press radio, and head back to Wolf Trap.

Quite a morning! And I just have to say...Mr. Idle was an absolute delight. Not a hint of pretension, rather a genuine interest in my work, my life, and a frivolous, liberal demeanor that led to refreshingly candid discussions about life as a celebrity, politics, his future projects, life as a family man, and on and on.

Head out to Wolf Trap tonight for what I think might be the best show of the summer.

Lastly, here is the link to the "All Things Considered" web-based piece. Audio becomes available at 7 p.m. this evening.

Cheers,

Graham

Earth Wind & Fire Photos

Anyone who has ever come out to an Earth, Wind & Fire performance at Wolf Trap knows that a major visual highlight is bassist Verdine White. I simply cannot take my eyes off of this guy. I've seen hundreds of shows while in my 20s, and in all honesty I cannot recall a performer that exhibits more energy and enthusiasm for his craft, while simultaneously infecting everyone in the audience as evidenced by HUGE smiles and uncontrollable dance moves. I was unfortunately out of town for last week's performance, but their 2007 appearance was a personal highlight of last summer. I'm sure they'll be back for many years to come...DON'T MISS THESE GUYS THEIR NEXT TIME AROUND.

If you didn't get your EW&F fill this past Wednesday, or are curious to learn more about this classic R&B, soul and pop supergroup, Lester Holt and crew from the Today Show Weekend travelled out day-of-show to film an interview with the band, which will air from 7 - 9 am this Saturday, 7/26 on NBC. We believe it will also appear online here. I'll try to repost the link when the story becomes available.

In the meantime, enjoy these photos. This slideshow contains some unbelievable shots of Verdine White's electric stage presence.

Cheers,

Graham

Some Great Covers from Hootie & the Blowfish + Video Galore from Yesterday's Event

Afternoon everyone!

So unfortunately, I wasn't able to post any video of the Hootie & the Blowfish performance as the footage taken by Blue Land Media will take a while to cut together and produce, but I took a series of videos myself with my trusty MPEG 4 camera. I've posted three below, the first is varied footage from yesterday afternoon's green spot activities, the second is an interview between Cerphe Cowell of 94.7 The Globe, and our President/CEO Terre Jones, and the third is a view of the house crowd, just minutes before Hootie & the Blowfish take the stage. I've also posted the original set list from last night, which they 100% stuck to (pretty rare during most live performance at least in my experience.) I've written out full song titles below in case some of the one word listings are confusing.

Be the one, Time, Sister Pretty, Hannah Jane, Ford Econoline, What do you want from me now, Hey, Hey what can I do (Led Zeppelin cover!), Desert Mountain, Ride Along, Don't think I don't think about it, State your Peace, Let her cry, I go blind, Get outta my head, Losing my religion (R.E.M. cover!), Space, Oldman and Me, Wishing, Hold my hand **encore 1** Soup song (classic), Fork in the Road (great song, cannot wait to see the movie), Champagne Supernova (Oasis cover) **encore 2** Hope I don't fall in love with you, Only wanna be with you

Great show, with some amazing covers included within! I'll be out enjoying Amos Lee/Al Green at Wolf Trap tomorrow night, and will hopefully have the chance to post about that show before I head up to Massachusetts for 5 days. If you don't hear from me on Wednesday morning, check in with me Monday for a brand new week's worth of content.

Cheers,

Graham

Out Here for Hootie

Hey all,

Drew Davis Band just took the stage on this VERY rainy evening, and if patron's spirits had been dampened by the weather, these guys got the crowd back in the mood. My boss Chris and I were just discussing how Drew Davis Band's country sound is an interesting pairing alongside the pop-rock of Hootie & The Blowfish, but Darius Rucker is a big country fan, as evidenced by the straw cowboy hat he sometimes wears - also I THINK he recorded a solo country album. I've just never really heard country reflected in any of Hootie's music. I don't recognize much of Drew Davis Band's material, but they just finished a classic Skynyrd cover of "Gimme Three Steps," which worked the crowd into a frenzy, and had me dancing a little in my seat up at the press office. Now they are channeling a little Bob Seger...

Hootie has announced that they are embarking on an indefinite hiatus, so this is the last chance to see them live in the mid-atlantic region for an indeterminant amount of time. I feel a good show coming. Farewell tours seem to produce absolutely epic live performances.

I'll post tomorrow with some green spot video, Hootie video (hopefully), and some commentary on the first few tunes performed by Hootie, since I'm unable to stay for the entirety of tonight's show.

Stay dry everyone!

Cheers,

Graham

This Weekend

Hello all,

Wow it's been a whirlwind of a week with all the preparations leading up to our 2 day eco summit/festival taking place this Sunday and Monday. Most of our staff will be on hand this Sunday to soak in the green spot activities, including myself, as I will be trying to capture as much video as possible for posting in the early evening when I return to the press office. Cerphe from 94.7 The Globe will be arriving at 5:00 to broadcast remotely from the meadow, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that members from Hootie & the Blowfish will stroll over to The Globe's tent for a discussion with Cerphe and our President and CEO, Terre Jones. If this happens, expect some great video to emerge on Sunday evening.

I promise that concert related posts will resume this weekend!

Have a good one,

Graham

Five Days Until the Summit!

Today we had the walk-through meeting in preparation for the first National Arts and Environment Summit on Monday. We are ready, maybe a tiny bit stressed, but ready nonetheless. Needless to say, everyone is enthusiastic and feeling positive about the experience. Green is good!

While Sunday’s events with the “Green Spot” and Hootie & the Blowfish concert will surely be engaging and lively, Monday is when the Summit leaders get down to business.

Over 20 of the nation’s foremost environmental and arts experts, along with government, community, and business leaders, will convene at Booz Allen’s headquarters to outline a list of strategies and practical solutions for fully engaging the performing arts world in environmental stewardship.

There are some heavy hitters coming in and I look forward to hearing what new ideas and solutions they have to encourage artists to green their practices. Of course throughout this process we want to hear from you. Share your ideas or simply let us know what you think. BTW, you can hear the results on Monday via webinar at 4:00 EDT. Space is limited and registration is required.

Below is the initial list of attendees...

Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, Facilitator
Creative Director/President, Metropolitan Group

Claire Alexander
VP of Operations and Interactive Media, Discovery Communications LLC, Planet Green

Brian Allenby
Manager, Operations & Education, Reverb

Sam Bower
Executive Director, greenmuseum.org

Kateri Callahan
President, Alliance to Save Energy

Rose Ann Cleveland
Executive Director, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Matthew Cooper
President, PEG Environmental Engineering

Philippe Cousteau
CEO, EarthEcho International

Ellis Finger
Director, Williams Center for the Arts

Michael Hughes
Senior VP/General Manager, CBS Radio

Terre Jones, Host
CEO/President, Wolf Trap Foundation

Sudhakar Kevasan
Chairman/CEO, ICF International

Marda Kirn
Founder/Executive Director, EcoArts

Scott Kratz
Vice President for Education, National Building Museum

Elizabeth Lowery
Vice President, Environment, Energy, & Safety Policy, General Motors Corporation

Robert Lynch, Host
CEO/President, Americans for the Arts

Kathy Mattea
Artist

Hon. Norman Mineta, Host
Chairman, Wolf Trap National Advisory Council on the Arts and Environment

Shawn Norton
Environmental Leadership Program Manager, National Park Service

Damien Pwono
Executive Director, Global Initiative on Arts, Culture, and Society, The Aspen Institute

Michael Singer
Artist

Patrick Spears
Co-Founder/President, Intertribal Council on Utility Policy (COUP)

Hon. Robert Stanton
Immediate Past Director, National Park Service

Lydia Thomas
Former President and CEO, Noblis

Chris Velasco
President, PLACE (Projects Linking Art, Community & Environment)

Jess Wendover
Director, Mayors’ Institute on City Design

Daniel Windham
Director of Arts, Wallace Foundation

Kulapat Yantrasast
Creative Director, wHY Architecture

PS – What is summer without Wolf Trap? It is a beautiful oasis that takes you miles away from the rushing around in the world. As you can see from the list above, there are many representatives committed to reducing carbon footprints and promoting environmental sustainability. I applaud Wolf Trap for bringing them all together.

Jason Alexander Came, He Saw, He Conquered

When I first announced that Jason Alexander would be appearing at Wolf Trap in the role of Pangloss for a concert staging of Bernstein's Candide, I, like most of the U.S. population, was mostly only familiar with his work as the short, stocky, emotionally and financially insecure inspired creation that was George Costanza (thank you Larry David). Only now, after briefly meeting him, and witnessing his performance this past Sunday, do I understand that despite his immortalization as a sitcom cast member, Alexander really prefers to be on stage. It's funny to think about how his nine seasons on Seinfeld sort of "stood in the way" of time that he otherwise could have been spending on Broadway, in Boston, or dedicating more time to his role as artistic director for the Reprise Theater Company. However, from a recognition and financial standpoint, Seinfeld is arguably one of the most successful programs of all time; and from a creative standpoint, it allowed Alexander to truly test his acting skills through his portrayal of the remarkably complex, manic personality that is George Costanza...so I'm sure he's pretty happy with his decision.

For those of who saw Alexander's boisterously funny portrayal of Pangloss alongside members of the Wolf Trap Opera Company, you'll be shocked to know that since he doesn't reside in DC, his schedule only allotted him two days of rehearsal time with the full cast prior to show time. As a longtime stage actor, Alexander was of course familiar with Candide's script and score, but to immerse yourself in a full scale production a mere 48 hrs. before the event itself is the mark of a true professional. Knowing this fact while observing the dress rehearsal made me appreciate that much more how gifted actors of Alexander's calibur actually are.

For a review of the show itself, I'll defer to the words of Mr. Charles Downey, whose assessment of the performance ran in Monday's edition of the Washington Post style section. Check it out here. Downey fails to mention how unflinchingly and seamlessly Alexander adopts the playful falsetto that helps to define Pangloss' personality, but that's why you have me I suppose :) And in the week leading up to our two day eco-festival, I thought it appropriate to share this The Daily Green article written by Alexander, featuring an intimate look into at home green discussions with his family.

I've also posted three photos featuring Mr. Alexander for you below. Enjoy.

Cheers,

Graham

Lyle Lovett Photos and a Guest Blogger!

Hello all,

I imagine many of you aren't in the office today and instead are gearing up for big 4th of July plans, but if you were out at Wolf Trap last night for the marathon performance from alt-country king Mr. Lyle Lovett, I've posted some photos for you in a slideshow format below.

Before I sign off for the weekend, I'd like to alert you all that a guest blogger will be in our midst for the next week, helping Wolf Trap to spread the word about our upcoming National Arts and Environment Summit on July 14. Since the summit will take place on his home turf at Booz Allen Hamilton, we're excited to have Matt's assistance in driving excitement and attendance for what is sure to be a massively influential event.

Have a great holiday weekend, and try to stay out of trouble. :)

Graham

Lyle Lovett

Fresh off a backstage interview with AP radio, Lyle Lovett - possibly one of the most eclectic sounding artists of the past 20 years - just stepped on stage with his 23 piece band poised for an evening billed as "Lyle Lovett and his Large Band." Large indeed.

He's about four numbers into his set, and so far it's been highly varied with a mix of an opening instrumental tune, two gospel numbers, and a more classic Lyle, alternative-country tune. I would kill to have this guy's voice. It's as if the rock gods blessed him with the best vocal elements of Levon Helm and Van Morrison. Sometimes I swear I hear Dr. John too. Regardless, its awesome, and you should come out and catch the last 2 hrs. of his set.

I'll hopefully post some photos tomorrow.

Cheers,

Graham