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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsHoly Carnegie Hall, Batman, was THAT ever a concert!!!
On Friday, the day before I flew up here to New York City, my wife was visiting my sister and her husband out in New Jersey. As a delayed revenge for putting them up in Cape Cod last summer, for which we made it clear no compensation was desired, they got us tickets for a concert tonight in Carnegie Hall.
One of my favorite musicians ever, avant-garde banjo genius Béla Fleck, put together a group of about twelve other musicians to join him. Some were famed old associates, like Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and his erstwhile teacher, Tony Trischka. Some were newer stars, like guitarists Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings. Some numbers were somewhat out there, unlike his Flecktones tunes, but definitely influenced by his association with the jazz-oriented musicians of the Flecktones. But some numbers were straight (or nearly so) bluegrass tunes, and every single tune/song was performed with effortless virtuosity and perfection.
One standing ovation after another from the full hall brought a reward of one encore after another. At the end, I think the only people who weren't tapping their feet or dancing on them could only be people who no longer had any.
fierywoman
(7,668 posts)DFW
(54,268 posts)The first time had quite a story associated with it, too.
I was on a quick visit to our elder daughter in New York in June 2009, I forget what for. My brother-in-law asked me if I was there for "Theo's 85th birthday concert?" HUH?? What? Where? I had no idea. An old friend of mine named Theodore Bikel, had a long career in music and acting. He was giving a concert in Carnegie Hall to celebrate his "first 85 years." He hadn't told me, which was normal, as he didn't know I was going to be in America then. I was supposed to leave the next day back for Germany, but I called him on his cell phone to ask about his show. He had just landed from L.A., and when he heard I was in the States, he told me I must stay for it, and so I changed my return flight, prolonged my hotel room, and prepared to get a ticket. I called up a mutual acquaintance, Ruth Westheimer, who lives in New York. Since she was a European Jewish refugee, like Theo, and knew him better than I did, I figured she would be going, too. Sure enough, she was. She said I must get a seat near hers. She gave me her seat number, so I walked up to Carnegie Hall and asked the ticket office if I could get a seat close to it. They looked, and said I could have the two seats next to it. Perfect!
I called our NY-based daughter, who said she'd come, and we got to Carnegie Hall early. Another mutual acquaintance saw us, and snuck us in to to the pre-show reception. Some of Theo's early music associates were there. Peter Yarrow and Noel Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary (Mary Travers was very ill, and couldn't come), Tom Paxton, and others. Heady company! And Theo and his wife, Tamara, of course. Then it was time for the guests to take their seats in the audience, and the performers to get backstage. My daughter and I got to our seats first. Dr. Ruth showed up soon after, and freaked out when she was shown to her seat, right next to me. "How did you do zis?" she asked. I said I was only doing what she told me to do, i.e. get a seat near her. I couldn't get much closer than the seat next to her! "You are ferry cleffer!" she commented. I pointed out that it didn't require a PhD in physics to get a seat next to her when she had already given me her seat number!
One funny thing happened at the Carnegie Hall reception. There was a woman there I was sure I recognized, but I couldn't place her. She kept staring at me from across the room, as well. If she was there, she had to know Theo, too, which meant she was probably a singer or an actress. Finally, I went up to her, and just blurted out, "you look familiar as hell, but I just can't place you, I'm sorry." She smiled and said, "I was just about to say the same thing to you!" We told each other our names, and what do you know? I had never heard of her (she was a singer), and she had never heard of me (I am not)! We had a big laugh over that.
fierywoman
(7,668 posts)(yes, I did) it's like the walls whisper to you: Calm, calm, just do your very best. (After I had this experience, I heard an interview with Riccardo Muti who was performing there with Philadelphia Orch, and he spoke about the ghosts there and a similar experience -- so I guess it's true!)
There's NOTHING like live performance, from the point of view of the performer or the audience, is there?...
The only Theo I know is the tenor Theo Lebow, who's the son of a colleague of mine when I was in LA (Roger Lebow, cellist) -- Theo I believe is at an opera house in Germany (somewhere in the middle, west ...) -- he's a lovely singer.
DFW
(54,268 posts)I wish! If I had stayed with it full time, MAYBE, but I doubt even then. The ghosts do haunt that place, for sure.
Theo (actually "Theodore" in English, although he was from Vienna, Austria, originally) Bikel had a long career in the USA both acting and singing. He was in many films, including The African Queen with Humphrey Bogart. He also sang the Newport Folk Festival with Bob Dylan. On stage, he was a famous Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, but also did many parts on TV (the upstart president of Moldavia on "Dynasty" e.g.) and other film parts, such as the Soviet submarine captain in "The Russians Are Coming." One New Year's, after we had rung in the new year, he came up to me, and told me to get my guitar, and we would find an empty room (we were in a hotel on the ballroom level) and sing Russian songs. So, for about 45 minutes, we did a duet of Russian songs that probably could have filled Carnegie Hall just because of Theo. Our only audience was my wife and two hotel janitors, one of whom said, "I don't know what y'all are singing, but y'all are really good at it!" Theo, of course, had done films, musicals and concerts with legends. For me, it was the honor of a lifetime.
Calling Theo Bikel a "really good" singer, is sort of like calling Maria Callas a "really good" soprano, or calling Yo Yo Ma a "really good" cellist.
So glad for you👏👏👏👏
In-laws are sometimes good to have!
yonder
(9,654 posts)DFW
(54,268 posts)DFW
(54,268 posts)KS Toronado
(17,138 posts)Everybody masked up?
DFW
(54,268 posts)Yes, everyone was masked up. The ticket checkers outside, the vaccination checkers inside, and the ushers as well as EVERYONE in the audience. Béla Fleck may be a banjo player, but HIS kind of banjo playing (not to mention Carnegie Hall) does not attract the knuckle-dragging Trumpanzee crowd. There wasn't an unmasked person that we could detect (and we looked) anywhere in the audience.
eppur_se_muova
(36,247 posts)Been a Flecktones fan since they first appeared on Johnny Carson's show.
I almost didn't watch it. JC introduced them by saying something like "They say my next guest has reinvented the banjo ..." and I thought "ahhh, I don't wanna watch any ol' banjo player", but then I thought "give it a try, can't hurt and it might be interesting". Was that ever an understatement !!
calimary
(81,085 posts)Great stuff!
RainCaster
(10,816 posts)Drool. That sounds like a great show.
DFW
(54,268 posts)Last edited Wed Jan 12, 2022, 03:29 PM - Edit history (1)
Sam Bush, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle didn't hurt, either!
panader0
(25,816 posts)slide player Jack, bassists Greg and Mark and guitar panader0 in concert yesterday in the old
band shed. I even vacuumed first. And built a fire in the woodstove. It was Greg's 74th birthday.
A good time was had by all if I remember right....
Congrats on the concert---I'd love to hear Bela play live. And Billie Strings is no slouch.
Response to DFW (Original post)
panader0 This message was self-deleted by its author.
DFW
(54,268 posts)Just go to youtube, type in "Béla Fleck" and "Carnegie Hall". Someone recorded a few of the numbers. The sound isn't exactly super high fidelity, but it will give you an idea of the energy and the talent that was there.
UNREAL!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy for all who go there!