icourtland!

last night was one of those nights that the universe just opened up and provided an amazing time, not a single stressed or crazy moment to ruin any little part of it.

as a bit of a preface, several months ago i was bouncing along the interwebs, as i do, and discovered that one of my all-time favorite musical groups from the roaring 80′s was coming together for a brief reunion tour. unfortunately at the time it was just a dozen or so shows in the UK at the time, so i was happy to see them touring, but not so happy that it was not in the US. then, a few weeks later they announced US dates – including one here in the Bay Area! a was just a buzzy little monkey! needless to say we got tickets!

well last night was the show – and so i finally got to see Yaz perform – and in their actual first-ever performance here in the US! they were scheduled to show in Vegas the night before, but i read that show was canceled, so we were the first!!

MUNI and BART cooperated all the way there – we exited in Oakland just a block from the wonderful Deco-perfection of the Paramount Theatre – the doors were open already so no wait in line outside at all. the pre-show DJ was spinning up a storm with lights zooming and flashing all around the main performance hall. a short wait for a couple of well-made cocktails, and a bit more of a wait for a couple of t-shirts (required) and then off to our seats.

and those were next to perfection. not too far so we could really see what was going on, and not so close that the level of sound could potentially blind us. and we sat with nervous anticipation noticing how simple and bare the stage was. one simple microphone on one side, and a simple computer stand with an Apple PowerBook and a small-ish keyboard right below it.

only a little bit after we settled into our seats and were watching the extremely boy-heavy crowd, the DJ ended his set and took a quick wave before walking off stage to at least polite applause. we were primed and we were ready – bring ‘em on!!! and a few minutes later – there they were!

no hesitation – they just jumped right in and the crowd exploded. and we danced, and we sang, and we clapped along and were filled with memories, sound and emotion. i was finally seeing one of my all-time favorite Divas belt out her best and i was in my own little slice of heaven. i will admit that Alison was a bit over-miked and the reverb was a bit much, but the sound hit me full in the chest and i was just vibrating.

and i had so much fun along with my dancing around like a mad man just watching Alison. in the beginning she barely did a back-and-forth sway to the music, but after a while she seemed to get more into it and started dancing. i knew those classic 80s moves – i did those classic 80s moves. at the very end of the show she kind of “cut loose” compared to earlier in the show, and i just laughed and smiled and sang louder and danced harder.

the show was pretty short – they after all did only have 2 albums to pull from – but it was paced well and timed out really well. i don’t think i could have asked for more – well i could have but i was so happy to have what i got that i would not have done so.

getting home with all the other boys crowded onto BART and then MUNI was as smooth a trip as i have ever had. and i was right back in my room with iTunes ready and playing Yaz remixes until i finally crashed for the night. …sigh.

one more of my Divas to see – anyone know how to stalk Kate Bush?