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So, I seem to have made it through another JM event without serious mishap (although we were sans
slaymesoftly). I was pretty much an idiot right off the bat when I left my ticket at home, and had to backtrack 20 minutes to get it, but I still managed to get there in time for dinner with
seductivembrace (I've never gone 90 before!). It was a lot of fun, and mucho thanks to her for letting me crash in her hotel room.
James has definitely improved since I saw him a year and a half ago. And he played "All That She Wanted," "Fall of Night," and "Button Down Vandals," which are the three songs I love and don't have on a CD, so I'm satisfied. :) I was on the left, pretty close to the front - I think most of the people in front of me were the full day event people - so I had an excellent view. (The place was a lot smaller than it looked from the seating chart, though, so there probably weren't many bad seats.) I didn't bother to take any pictures because a.) my camera sucks, and b.) I know there were plenty of people there who take much, much better pictures than me anyway. The right front section looked like the paparazzi, with all the equipment they had.
James was teh pretty, of course, but I have to admit - I don't know if he's just gotten too old for my tastes or if I'm just ready to move on, but he doesn't do it for me the way he used to. I did not swoon when he came on, not even a tingle.
Which is why I'm probably the only person in the world to say this, but I wish he wouldn't rely on the sex fiend act when he's singing. It's like he feels he has to titillate the audience because his music isn't enough of a show on its own. And maybe that's true - I'm sure there's plenty of people there who wouldn't give a fig about his music if not for who he is and how he looks - but I'm sure he didn't get into music to turn on his female fans, so I kind of wish he could be more confident in his ability.
That aside, he does put on a pretty good show - when he's not trying to make us swoon, he's funny and self-effacing. He accidentally stepped on the lead and yanked it out of the guitar in the middle of "Layabout;" after making fun of himself, he plugged it back in and went on because "The third verse is the best! I'm playing it anyway!" I love how he felt the need to explain that that song was about filming "Torchwood," because the lyrics could possibly be taken another way. Well, I never thought about it like that before, but I certainly am now, James. Ahem. And dear heavens, the "Moonshot" song that he wanted to name after Buzz Aldrin? Could not stop giggling the entire time. It's a shame, because it's a very sweet, lovely song, but all I could think about was him singing a love song to Buzz.
Hmm, what else? He had a set list, but told people to shout out songs they wanted to hear. And then someone called one out and he was like, "No!" (It was apparently the one song he didn't practice.) His son is learning how to play the guitar and is already better than James is. He says writing "Don't Worry Son" was the worst idea, because now his niece is all, "Where's my song?" He admitted that "Dangerous" was written about Michelle Trachtenberg and "Too Fast" was about Eliza Dushku, and it's really cute that he thinks we didn't know that already.
And one last thing - the clapping. Now, I've seen accounts of this, and I always thought to myself, "It can't really be that bad, can it?" Oh, yes. Bless their little hearts, but James fans have no rhythm.
So that's my account - surely not as detailed as others, and probably not as fangirly as it ought to be, but I did have a lot of fun.
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James has definitely improved since I saw him a year and a half ago. And he played "All That She Wanted," "Fall of Night," and "Button Down Vandals," which are the three songs I love and don't have on a CD, so I'm satisfied. :) I was on the left, pretty close to the front - I think most of the people in front of me were the full day event people - so I had an excellent view. (The place was a lot smaller than it looked from the seating chart, though, so there probably weren't many bad seats.) I didn't bother to take any pictures because a.) my camera sucks, and b.) I know there were plenty of people there who take much, much better pictures than me anyway. The right front section looked like the paparazzi, with all the equipment they had.
James was teh pretty, of course, but I have to admit - I don't know if he's just gotten too old for my tastes or if I'm just ready to move on, but he doesn't do it for me the way he used to. I did not swoon when he came on, not even a tingle.
Which is why I'm probably the only person in the world to say this, but I wish he wouldn't rely on the sex fiend act when he's singing. It's like he feels he has to titillate the audience because his music isn't enough of a show on its own. And maybe that's true - I'm sure there's plenty of people there who wouldn't give a fig about his music if not for who he is and how he looks - but I'm sure he didn't get into music to turn on his female fans, so I kind of wish he could be more confident in his ability.
That aside, he does put on a pretty good show - when he's not trying to make us swoon, he's funny and self-effacing. He accidentally stepped on the lead and yanked it out of the guitar in the middle of "Layabout;" after making fun of himself, he plugged it back in and went on because "The third verse is the best! I'm playing it anyway!" I love how he felt the need to explain that that song was about filming "Torchwood," because the lyrics could possibly be taken another way. Well, I never thought about it like that before, but I certainly am now, James. Ahem. And dear heavens, the "Moonshot" song that he wanted to name after Buzz Aldrin? Could not stop giggling the entire time. It's a shame, because it's a very sweet, lovely song, but all I could think about was him singing a love song to Buzz.
Hmm, what else? He had a set list, but told people to shout out songs they wanted to hear. And then someone called one out and he was like, "No!" (It was apparently the one song he didn't practice.) His son is learning how to play the guitar and is already better than James is. He says writing "Don't Worry Son" was the worst idea, because now his niece is all, "Where's my song?" He admitted that "Dangerous" was written about Michelle Trachtenberg and "Too Fast" was about Eliza Dushku, and it's really cute that he thinks we didn't know that already.
And one last thing - the clapping. Now, I've seen accounts of this, and I always thought to myself, "It can't really be that bad, can it?" Oh, yes. Bless their little hearts, but James fans have no rhythm.
So that's my account - surely not as detailed as others, and probably not as fangirly as it ought to be, but I did have a lot of fun.
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 05:51 pm (UTC)JM's too old for me now to really get me tingly, so I feel you there. Love his music, though (And him. I think he's fab).
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 05:57 pm (UTC)The right front section looked like the paparazzi LOL. I can imagine. But I'm looking forward to seeing some of their pictures.
Yeah, James, I think everyone guessed about "Dangerous" a long time ago. :) I'm really not a fan of his music so much; it's just not the style I listen to. Not that I'd say no to a concert if he did one close to me. But I'd more be going to see him, than to see him sing.
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 06:12 pm (UTC)SEE! OMg I am so right. No-one believes me, but it's AWFUL. EVERY. TIME.
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 06:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 06:15 pm (UTC)Yep, they can't clap....at the standing gigs, I'm front as possible, though, because I'm short, so I don't hear it much, thankfully. :P
He's a bit of a natural flirt, but yeah, I think there are some tendencies left over from GOTR. And he'd probably have more confidence to just be himself if he was performing more often, but alas, not his day job....I do love seeing his improvement over the years, though!
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 06:21 pm (UTC)All that being said - I wish I could see more of him on tv - but I think my original crush/object of fantasy is pretty much gone forever. Which is ok - he took too much space in my head.
Still - It is fun to look at the pix and hear the reports. Y'all are a fun bunch to know....
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 06:28 pm (UTC)I think my original crush/object of fantasy is pretty much gone forever. Which is ok - he took too much space in my head.
Hee! No kidding - just think of all the free time I'll have if I don't talk about JM all the time. :)
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 07:16 pm (UTC)It's nice to see a review that isn't all fangirly and silly. He's an appealing man (as you noticed, more so when he's being self-effacing and humble than when he's trying to be sexy), but not the hottest thing on the planet (that would be Spike). And, he may be improving his singing all the time, but it's still not his strong suit. I suspect he knows that, though. I find the songs he writes for and about (very) young girls more than a bit "ewwww". That may be the mother in me, but even when I was young, older men (of 25 or so lol) hitting on me made me go "ewwww", so maybe not. I suppose he does it for his younger fans, but even they are getting older now, I suspect. I think it's time to stop implying or reminding people that he likes much younger women. Especially jailbait.
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 07:24 pm (UTC)I suppose he does it for his younger fans
I don't think it's about the fans, since most of them are way out of his preferred age range... I think it's just that he likes much younger women, and most of his songs are about women he likes. It is a little ewww, but at least his current girlfriend is legal, and she can only get older!
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From: (Anonymous) - Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 08:08 pm (UTC) - Expand(no subject)
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 09:38 pm (UTC)I do think he's a remarkably talented actor, but nothing he's done since Spike has been on that plane. I still have high hopes for his future, though.
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 10:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: Feb. 16th, 2009 11:42 pm (UTC)Well, it'd be pretty tough to equal his acting ability. :) I do enjoy the music, though, and both concerts I've been to.
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Date: Feb. 17th, 2009 12:09 am (UTC)Not hardly. JM overtly playing the sexy card has always been a total turn-off for me. That whole lollipop phase and the pimp-shirt phase are two examples that made me cringe. The tongue thing too - I loved it when Spike did it - occasionally - but even from Spike it was sometimes too much - could seem contrived when he did it in a close-up.
James is at his most attractive and appealing to me when he's being natural and unassuming, not hitting me over the head with a metaphorical I'm-so-sexy mallet. I think you made a very astute observation when you suggested that his sexy affectations are compensation for a lack of self confidence and a sense that his music is less than it should be. Also, maybe a confusion about fan expectations. Or not. Maybe there's still plenty of fans who expect and want to see that, and he's playing to them.
Of course, my comments are all based on second hand information - concert reports, photos and online video clips. I've never been to one of his solo shows (not counting the one GOTR show I saw). I'm fairly certain I can recall reports that have given me an impression of much more thoughtful and understated, much less overt sexy-me, performances in recent years, which is all to the good, as far as I'm concerned.
I've only seen JM in person twice - both at conventions - one in 2003 and one in 2005?? (whenever Oakland was). I'd probably go see him if he came to Chicago or fairly close to it, but I'd much rather see him in a play than in concert. I too, am far more of a fan of his acting than his music, and it's frustrating that opportunities to see him act have been so few and far between since Spike. Nothing he's done since has given him much scope to stretch his acting muscles and show the world what he can do.
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Date: Feb. 17th, 2009 12:18 am (UTC)Also, maybe a confusion about fan expectations. Or not. Maybe there's still plenty of fans who expect and want to see that, and he's playing to them.
I think it's probably a little of both. I'd like to think there are enough fans out there who like him for him that he could drop the act and just be himself, but I don't really know him or the fans well enough to say whether it's all in his head (after being objectified plenty on Buffy, I could see how he'd come to assume it's expected of him) or if he'd really lose a lot of fans by dropping the sexy act.
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From: (Anonymous) - Date: Feb. 17th, 2009 03:21 am (UTC) - Expandno subject
Date: Feb. 17th, 2009 12:32 am (UTC)And, the clapping! Oh. Em. Gee! I thought I was the only one that thought that. Hee! Please, for the love of Mike, just STOP already. (Did you catch his smirk when they started? All I could think was that he was probably thinking, "Don't listen to the clapping, or it's gonna throw me off!")
Oh! And I made it home in 5 1/2 hours. I think I set a new record! ^_^
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Date: Feb. 17th, 2009 12:52 am (UTC)Hee! I know - most people don't like it at all. It is very different from the guitar version, but I think it's pretty.
You are definitely not alone on the clapping... I didn't notice it so much at the Crazy Donkey, but this time I was waiting for it.
And dang, you must have been speeding, too! I made it home in 2 1/2 hours, but I hardly went above 80 this time.
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Date: Feb. 17th, 2009 08:09 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: Feb. 17th, 2009 11:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: Feb. 18th, 2009 08:57 pm (UTC)Not quite, I spent a lot of my time in his fandom complaining about it. I even tried to clue him in on the fact that hello, not all fans are deaf and only there for a cheap Chippendale show, in case it was solely caused by thinking that's what the fans want.
The fact that it never got any better (while the music got rather worse) is why I gave up entirely on his cons / gigs.
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Date: Feb. 18th, 2009 09:07 pm (UTC)Not sure at what point you gave up, but in the limited time I've been in fandom, the music has only gotten better. I can see a huge improvement from his first solo CD to the second. And the less said about his GOTR days, the better (sooo glad I missed that era).
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Date: Feb. 18th, 2009 11:08 pm (UTC)For example he didn't play the sexy card at all during all his UK concerts last year . But if it happens on three or four songs, I may forgive him.;-)
It's nice to have been able to hear All that she wanted , Fall of the night or Finer than gold live- they're lovely songs and James sings them usually in a heartfelt way.
Thank you for sharing your impressions .Glad you had fun.:D
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Date: Feb. 18th, 2009 11:34 pm (UTC)Eh, songs like "Bad" or "For What I Need" really grate on me, because it's so obvious that he wrote them with the primary goal of "sound sexy while singing." And that seems to be exactly why most fans like those songs, but for me personally, it makes me roll my eyes at him more than swoon. It is heartening that his more recent songs aren't like that, though.
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Date: Feb. 20th, 2009 01:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Feb. 20th, 2009 04:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Feb. 23rd, 2009 11:51 pm (UTC)I kind of wish he could be more confident in his ability - absolutely! The best of his music is so good. Wish he'd put some more of his stuff - old and new - onto a CD.
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Date: Feb. 24th, 2009 01:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
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