California Soul Patrol

Seattle--Here we come!

When no Orange County shadow tour materialized, it seemed "necessary" to make plans to go to Seattle for the Triple Door concert!  Seattle will most likely be our last chance to see Taylor here on the West Coast for another year or so.  I'm really looking forward to it!  After Grease, Belly Up, Roxy, and even the Walmart CD signing, I'm feeling nice and spoiled and hate to see it all end.

When I saw Taylor at the CD signing, I told him I'd see him in Seattle and I had a request.  I asked if he would sing "Maybe You Should".  He answered "Hmm - - maybe".  I said "Well, maybe you should".  He looked right at me, laughed, and said "Maybe I should!!"  Hope he does!!

--CALTAYFAN

Perfect Mother's Day -- going to see "Grease" in Orange County

AGentlRose has given us permission to reprint this from her blog!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Grease is the Word, and Taylor, "You (still) Send Me"
Current mood:   rejuvenated
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Grease is the word, is the word that you heard,  it's got groove it's got meaning....

I titled this with Taylor "You Send Me" because it was one of the songs he sang during the American Idol competition.

Back to Grease!

I have wanted to see Grease since it played on Broadway in the 1970s and never got the opportunity.  When I saw that there would be performances in Costa Mesa and that Taylor Hicks is starring, I knew this was going to be THE time I would see it.

Because it was a last minute decision, I didn't expect too great seats and due to a mistake on my part by clicking on the wrong date, and having to phone the box office to see if they would exchange my tickets, I scored better seats that expected, Orchestra 16th Row, almost center and due to the seating arrangement, the view was great.

Before we were seated, I picked up the cast CD of Grease.

Act 1: Where we meet Sandy and Danny, and other prominent cast.

ACT I
Prologue
Scene 1: Rydell High, 1959
"Grease"  Company
Scene 2: Cafeteria/School Steps
"Summer Nights"  Danny, Sandy and Company
Scene 3: Locker Room
"Those Magic Changes".  Doody and Company
Scene 4: Marty’s Bedroom
"Freddy, My Love" . .   Marty and Pink Ladies
Scene 5: Street Corner
"Greased Lightnin’"   . Kenickie and Guys
Scene 6: Rydell High
"Rydell Fight Song" . Sandy and Patty
Scene 7: Bleachers
"Mooning" . . Roger and Jan
"Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee".  Rizzo
"We Go Together" .. T-Birds and Pink Ladies

Intermission

Now for what I've waited for Act 2, Taylor as Teen Angel.

ACT II
Scene 1: School Gym/Sandy’s Room
"Shakin’ at the High School Hop" Company
"It’s Raining on Prom Night".   Jan and Sandy
"Born to Hand-Jive".  . Vince and Company
Scene 2: School Steps
"Hopelessly Devoted to You". . Sandy
Scene 3: Outside Burger Palace
"Beauty School Dropout".   Teen Angel and Girls
Scene 4: Drive-In Movie
"Sandy"   . Danny
Scene 5: Jan’s Rec Room
"Rock ’n’ Roll Party Queen"  . Doody and Roger
"There Are Worse Things I Could Do". Rizzo
"Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee" (Reprise)   . Sandy
Scene 6: Inside Burger Palace
"You’re the One That I Want" .   . Danny, Sandy and Company
"We Go Together" (Reprise) .   . Company

 Of course my favorite part was Taylor singing Beauty School Dropout to Frenchie

EDIT:  This youtube shows the part I talk about below where Frenchie tells Taylor "I voted for you."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1TeORNpmq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzEtesK12rQ

and I laughed when Taylor interacted with Frenchie and she says "I VOTED for YOU"  Everyone in the audience who watches American Idol got it and laughter ensued.

After the final curtain call, Vinnie-The DJ  introduced Taylor who sang from his new CD "Seven Mile Breakdown"   He got a standing ovation.

We left the theater happy, Grease was very uplifting and it was nostalgic and seeing Taylor again was amazing.  If they ever bring Grease to Las Vegas, as they have been doing with other Broadway shows, I will definitely go back. On our drive home from California today, my husband said a couple of times that he really enjoyed Grease.

Taylor CD Signing at Walmart - May 7, 2009

Taylor had a pretty good turnout for this CD signing on a hot day in Orange (I'd guess over 100) especially considering it wasn't really publicized much. I hadn't planned to go at first because it was 40 miles away from me in rush hour traffic. But who was I trying to kid - - it was ONLY 40 miles away from me - - OF COURSE I went!!

There were a few fans I knew waiting in line as well as a LOT of people who had loved Taylor on Idol but hadn't been following his career like we have. They were SO excited - - and pleasantly shocked by his appearance. It was great to see so many people standing in line clutching "The Distance" in their hands to be autographed.

Taylor was his usual gracious self - - signing cd's, chatting, and smiling for pictures. I think he made more than a few new fans today as well as making some of us "always fans" very happy to have had the opportunity to see him again.

--CALTAYFAN

TAYLOR CD SIGNING!!

TAYLOR CD signing on Thursday!

Taylor will be signing copies of “The Distance” on Thursday!

Date:           Thursday, May 7th

Time:           4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Location:     Walmart

                   2300 North Tustin

                   Orange, CA 92865

Lucky fans that can go and see him in this informal setting!

Seven Mile Breakdown - Live at the Roxy!

Taylor Hicks-Seven Mile Breakdown - Live @ the Roxy- HQ Audio from Jenni Jac on Vimeo.

Taylor-------------------Take Two

      After Idol was  over, someone with the show took up the microphone and advised the audience that there would be a taping of American Idol Extra right afterwards, and that anyone who wanted to,  could stay for that. Taylor would be there, as well as Natalie Cole, Idol band director Ricky Minor, and the newly ousted Idol, Matt Giraud. Also, one of the hosts of the show is Ace Young, from season 5, and still a good friend to Taylor. I think it only took a few seconds on our part  to make a decision on that!
       This time, the audience was much smaller, so we were able to sit closer to the stage, though not in the pit. The main host, Jillian Reynolds, did interviews with Ricky and Natalie amid breaks for commercials etc.   Soon, Taylor appeared, off camera, and began bantering with some fans  in the pit, stage right. Darn, because we were last in, we didn't have that vantage point!  It was still fun to see how happy he was to be there, and how he is always so good with fans.
         Taylors interview was done with Jillian and Ace, and he talked about his album. At one point, they showed a clip of his first single, What's Right Is Right, that had been taped at an earlier date. Taylor seemed to enjoy seeing himself and the band perform while he sat there! There was some talk about his time on Idol and his present gig with Grease, and Ace told of how Taylor helped get him a job in Grease for six months.  A very nice interview and more TV time for our guy.
          At the break, Taylor came down to the pit in front of us, and began signing autographs for the young people sitting there. At this point,. we decided to leave, since we all have our share of autographs and it had been a long day.  Personally, I won't forget how lucky we were to have two Taylor encounters in just a few hours, in two different settings.   Good luck to Taylor as he leaves the Los Angeles area and traverses across the country to meet more fans and make new ones.  We certainly have been lucky here in the Southland after our very long drought!

--madaboutu

Taylor Hicks on American Idol----------We Were There!

     April 29th was an exciting day for four members of the Soul Patrol , who were so fortunate to be able to attend the live show of American Idol, which featured our guy as a guest performer. Grayhair, who received the tickets, Cali, Malisa and I met outside CBS studios in Los Angeles, where Idol is taped.  First, we stood  in line on the street with a couple of hundred people, and had our tickets checked off. After this, we were taken into the actual compound, where we again stood in line, and were separated into groups of four and let into the main waiting area, where thankfully, there are benches and porta potties!  (as a bonus, we saw Randy Jackson arriving and later Bill Will and called out and waved to both)
       Entering the studio about half an hour before show time, at least we had tickets with assigned seats, so it was good to know we would be sitting.  At first, the studio was only half full, but gradually it started to fill up, as we found out that they bring audiences over from some other shows to fill it up.  The mosh pit held  young people who  were recruited from the overflow of the Craig Ferguson show as I found out from the young man sitting next to me.
        At last it was the time for the show to start, and we heard and saw Ryan Seacrest say those world famous words "This is......American Idol!   Being at a taping is different than seeing it at home,  since there are breaks and people are milling around, and the Idols are just hanging out to the side of the stage etc., so there is lots to observe.
        Anyone who watches the show knows the procedures on elimination nights. The drama of placing the Idols in two groups and wondering if there will be a surprise!  There was, but c'mon, we are here to see our Idol........Taylor Hicks!  ( in fairness, some in our group were there to see the others as well)
        FINALLY..............

Ryan says, "After the break, Taylor Hicks!  So nonchalantly, like he had never left. The break ends, and Ryan actually announces,  "The person who claimed the title in Season 5, singing Seven Mile Breakdown off his new record, The Distance.........give it up for the Soul Patrol........Taylor Hicks is back!  Appropriate introduction, screams from the audience and Taylor came onto the stage singing the now familiar guitar strains but newly countrified with fiddle,  his second single, Seven Mile Breakdown.  It was wonderful and awesome and I missed some of it by looking around for reactions.  I did notice Randy's foot going a mile a minute during the song, but the judges were pretty stoic at first.   THEN..........could it be?  Simon stood up at the end of the song, followed by  the other judges. Taylor says to Ryan......"Standing O from him?   Standing O?  and Ryan says" Aw isn't that cute? He misses you! "   (OK, lets not push credulity here but we will take it!!!!!     Ryan also did a very short interview with Taylor asking about his Grease gig and what advice he would give to the Idols of this season.
         Taylor did a wonderful job and you could tell was ecstatic to be back! We were so happy for him, and to be able to see him live again........  some of us for the 4th time while he has been in the Southland.     Little did we know that there would be another chance..................

--madaboutu

"Seven Mile Breakdown"

Seven Mile Breakdown - Taylor Hicks

Taylor back on "American Idol"!

 It is confirmed that Taylor will be a guest on American Idol on Wednesday, April 29th (Results Show)!  He will sing “Seven Mile Breakdown,” which is the new single from The Distance.  In my experience of going to the CBS Studios in Hollywood, I’d say that getting tickets NOW by being on the waiting list would be impossible (the waiting list tickets are offered on Thursday evening via e-mail), but that going to the studios and being in the “stand-by” line could work.  My best guess is that you should be there early (as in noon or 1:00 p.m.), but it’s just a guess.  When you get to the studios, don’t even bother waiting in the line with people who have tickets (UNLESS you go down the line and ask if anyone has EXTRA tickets!).  Ask where the “stand-by” line will form.  Good luck!!

Go Taylor!!

--grayhair

Taylor at the Roxy! (a better-late-than-never review!)

Californians had waited so long for Taylor to come back to the West Coast!  In 2006, when we had him here to ourselves for months, we could never imagine that in a few short years we would be Taylor-less for over a year.  So it was with much anticipation that I was able to see Taylor perform two times in one week (March 14th in “Grease” and March 18th at the Roxy).  Being so, so, so busy at work, the Roxy almost didn’t happen for me, but after I read the reviews of the shadow tour in San Diego, I just had to figure out a way to go.  A kind fan who ended up not being able to fly down to L.A. gave me a ticket.  And I worked it out with another fan to drive to her home and then carpool with her up to Hollywood.

When we got to the theater, we were thrilled to see two long lines of fans waiting (one with tickets and the others for “will call”).  The crowd consisted all ages!  After a short wait, we were let in and we staked out our spot.  At the Viper Room I had been in the crush up by the stage, and was hit in the face with flying ponytails, so I wanted to stay toward the back where I would have more room to enjoy the show.  After what seemed like a long time with the two opening acts (because it was a long time!), Taylor finally took the stage.  It was a thrill to be at a Taylor concert once again. There were a few new faces in the band (e.g. a guy who played the bongos), but Taylor seemed to feel at home with them all.   He opened with “The Distance,” and from there alternated between songs from the new CD and older songs.  The patter between the songs was kept to a minimum, but he clearly was happy and proud to be “on the Sunset Strip”.  He said a couple of times that he could stay all night and was clearly having a good time.  Some of my favorites that night were “Nineteen” and “Gonna Move.”

Near the end of his set, I felt that I needed to move down closer to the stage (I had done that at Workplay in Birmingham in 2006 and had so much fun), so during “Soul Thing” I saw my chance to zigzag among those standing around the stage and get near.  I ended up way to the side (to the right of the keyboard player), but with an excellent view of Taylor!!  Then came the encore.  If I hadn’t heard that he had done “My Sweet Lord” in San Diego, I would have been so surprised by the choice, but I had … and he did… and I wasn’t… and I LOVED IT!!  The energy he brought to that song and that arrangement was incredible.  It’s definitely one of the best songs I have seen Taylor do live.

So, that’s my little synopsis of the night.  The set list and photos and videos have been posted elsewhere, but my memories are enough for me.  Let’s just hope that I don’t have to wait another year before the magic of seeing Taylor performing in the L.A. area happens again.