Standing O

Recently, or any time?

Any time.

I'm easy to please so I mostly try and show my enthusiasm for these types of live shows. However, I do tend to follow the crowd. Thankfully, I haven't gone to too many live performances and thusly been afflicted with too many mediocre performances.

I've been lucky that way.

I generally can't afford too many concerts and haven't been to a live theatrical performance since I lived here in NYC.

My last live performance was the free stand up comic show involving the comedians of the Daily Show. They deserved the mild standing ovation for their coming out to the summerstage of Central Park in the hot and humid weather as well as their work in the past for the Daily Show.

Musically... clichéd as it may seem... but this one brought me to tears - her first performance...



still gives me goosebumps and makes me tear up





as for inspiration and a standing O...

here's looking at you, kid

tsar, I'm not easy to please (are you surprised?), and I don't give a damn what the crowd is doing.

I used to attend live performances and the theater. Not in a long time, though.

I saw Baryshnikov dance. I got off my ass for him. I saw Lena Horne at Carnegie Hall. I stood and applauded for her. I saw John Gielgud perform on Broadway in Tiny Alice. I gave him a standing O.

I'm not a big fan of musicals. Someone dragged me to see Les Miserables. It was wonderful. I stood and applauded the entire show--not any one single performance. I didn't want to leave.

Izzie, You were present at those performances? Or you stood up at home?

stood up at home, box of tissues - loved those first performances more than the polished ones in the finals.


<oooh, of course Les Mis is the best - having seen it 3 times and standing O'd each time, Bazza and I are going to see the 25th Anniversary live at the O2 on Oct 3rd... pass the tissues>

The performance of the Lion King last weekend in the West End was a standing O too - the opening song was just absolutely incredible - goosebumps again.

There is another singer who deserves a standing ovation:
Melody Gordot!

She is only 24 years old but had to overcome the trauma of a terrible accident
which left her with severe head injuries. She could not speak or move for quite some time and slowly regained her speech and senses with great determination and endurance. While in the hospital she started playing guitar and singing.
Her voice is so pure and superb, it's hard to believe that she isn't famous yet.

Melody still has to walk with a cane and wears dark glasses to protect her eyes,
but this girl is truly remarkable.

Here is her version of "over the rainbow"

I'm sure I stood for Laurindo Almeida, and for Gabor Szabo, as did the rest of the folks in not very large rooms. Probably did for Julian Bream. Can't remember re the Stones in 1966 - probably.

I liked that video, CJane..

I can think of two live concerts - Bob Dylan at Long Beach, CA, in 1964 and Hugh Masekela at Lincoln Center, 1968.
I have been to several Dylan concerts, but that one is the only one that had me cheering.

Thanks for the responses. Edgar, you saw Dylan live? I never thought of him as a great performer, but I trust your judgment. If you stood up, then it was deserved.

Osso, I confess to not knowing who the people are that you gave a standing O to except for Julian Bream and the Stones.

Thanks for the video, CJ.

I saw Simon and Garfunkel at Carnegie Hall right after The Graduate was released. It was the first time I heard the whole song of Mrs. Robinson. (it wasn't complete in the movie). Thing is, I don't think I gave the guys a standing O. I'm a tough crowd. (Competed with Dustin Hoffman for a cab after the concert. He won.)

Izzie, I have a feeling that I would enjoy The Lion King. Unfortunately, my theater-going days are over.

how does a standing O often start?

Here's Szabo.. from Spellbinder:




and Almeida, from his album with the Modern Jazz Quartet -

I likely also stood for Joan Baez at the San Diego Sports arena, where she sang a capella, at one point - I'm not sure which song now.
Then there was Ray Charles, at the Shrine in '63 or early '64. We were in the top row in the whole place. I'm sure we stood because the whole rest of the place did (I think, or is that only wishful memory?)

The more questionable ones were at the small venues, where I saw Almeida and Szabo, where people didn't always or even often stand. The standing would have been short and sweet.

Now I'm remembering the San Francisco Mime Troup, who used to perform at the Fox Venice, mostly used as a movie theater, but hosting the Mime Troup every so often, always a terrific show with a lot of audience enthusiasm. I'm sure we stood for some of those shows, probably False Promises, and The Hotel Universe. http://www.sfmt.org/company/history.php

Not so much did I ever stand for most theater productions... I saw many small theater productions over about a five year period and was generally a tad crabby about them (actors kept making long speeches). One I might have stood at, I forget the name of to look up, a quiet sort of play that would more likely appeal to women. (duh, I'll remember it another day, perhaps the next time I talk to my ex). Another might have been Miguel Piniero's Short Eyes, sort of the opposite end of the spectrum, standing for the cast.

I saw James Brown at Madison Square Garden. The warm up act tired me, so I did not finish watching his whole performance. Some warm ups can kill a concert, in my opinion.

The Dylan concert in 64 was exceptional, in my opinion. He performed the first act alone, with an acoustic guitar. That was just very good. After the break, he came out with the same band he used on the album, Highway 61 Revisited. Because that album was still new, they sounded almost exactly like the record. I, being still intoxicated by those songs, was in heaven.

His subsequent concerts were not that well done, and I even walked out on him in Houston's Astrodome, both times he was there.

Er, both of those sets have long intros, that, to me, fit.
The Almeida one is too low in volume to my ears, but my ears are bad.
On the other hand, I still have the Almeida and MJQ album.
I only heard him at the Lighthouse, though a bunch of times (http://www.thelighthousecafe.net/history.html).

osso, You saw Joan Baez; I saw Judy Collins at a concert in Central Park. Didn't stand. Like I said, I'm a tough crowd.

On the other hand, if I had seen Ray Charles, I'd still be standing. Dat man can SING. Green with envy that you got to see him in person--even from the last row.

Edgar, I'm crushed that you were in Noo Yawk and didn't say hello.

last row like on the top of a mountain..

Well, this is a gnaw:

http://gogonotes.blogspot.com/2010/02/shrine-auditorium.html

a thread about the shrine that has Ray Charles in September.

I remember very well when I went out with the guy who introduced me to much, including bream, coltrane, charles at the shrine.. It was a spectacular few months but with decisive end.

It's an odd mixture of boring and angst to see stuff wrong.

Ack, I'm wrong, it had Ray Charles on Dec 28.

OK, then.