In which Trina is a blathering fangirl and Hugh Laurie is hot.
Tuesday evening, my friend Ju and I boarded the Queen Mary to attend a blues performance.
Yes, "blues" and "Hugh Laurie" are related. What does a middle-aged, middle-class English white guy have to do with the blues? Well, he's loved them for decades, and he released an album called "Let Them Talk" a few years ago. I'm no expert on these things, so I don't have any say in whether he should be performing it, but I know that I liked it. A lot. He said Tuesday night that he can't believe he's been so lucky as to make a single blues album, much less a second blues album, which comes out in the UK and Europe in early summer and comes out in the US in September.
*wrinkles nose in distaste at having to wait an unnecessary three months to hear the album*
I'm a disorganized spaz who forgot to bring a note pad or anything to write down the musicians' names or the set list. Sorry about that. I do remember that he started with "Saint James Infirmary," and the twenty-odd songs they performed included:
Swanee River
John Henry
Happy Birthday to You (Tuesday was the birthday of Patrick, one of the musicians)
Tipitina (which is my favorite from the first album)
Go to the Mardi Gras (dedicated to Hugh's best friend, the Lovely Stephen Fry*)
Winin' Boy Blues
*When he mentioned Stephen's name, everyone applauded politely, but about a third of the audience really cheered, so you could tell who the fans were. (I was the most obnoxious.)
It was two glorious hours of Hugh Laurie pounding on the piano, singing, making blues music with eight other musicians. I couldn't stop grinning. He spent most of the time at the piano, though he played guitar for one of the songs. He passed out rum to his musicians about halfway through the set to wet everyone's whistle, and he admitted he was slightly drunk by the end. He was utterly charming throughout.
He spoke fondly of Professor Longhair, who influenced many other artists but whose own light went sadly unrecognized by the general public until he performed on the Queen Mary at a party thrown by Paul and Linda McCartney. Hugh was touched to be performing a few of Professor Longhair's songs in the same room and on the same stage.
Ju was awesome, as she'd had a rubbish day but came despite feeling physically sick from all the stress at work. And once we'd found a place to stand where I could see the stage, two tall women shoved in front of me, and she snarled at them until they drifted off in a snit. I had my own bouncer who made sure I had a clear view of the stage! She didn't care about seeing it; she sat down about fifteen minutes into the performance and took my purse and wrap so I could clap, cheer, and dance unfettered. I worried initially she wouldn't enjoy the show, but she insisted she could still hear the music, so I stopped worrying and just glanced over once in a while to make sure she was okay.
Bottom line: I went to this gig because I have loved Fry and Laurie since I saw Jeeves and Wooster on PBS about twenty years ago, and because I know Hugh is an accomplished singer and pianist. I was expecting quite a bit, and the performance was better than I had expected. All the musicians on that stage were in top form and obviously enjoying themselves. I have never enjoyed a live performance of anything more than I enjoyed the show Tuesday night. I still haven't stopped smiling and my hands are finally not sore from all the clapping I did in those two too-short hours. Though I'm too fat for the t-shirt I bought. But hey, it's a win-win: I have a souvenir of the show, and if I work hard enough, I will lose enough weight so I can wear the t-shirt eventually.
And now I'm looking into more blues music, trying to find songs and artists I like, not just stopping with Hugh. I like it so far!
P.S. You may not agree with the second part of the entry title, and I may not have explained to anyone else's satisfaction why Hugh Laurie is hot. He's passionate about the music and competent when he performs it. He's smart. He's funny. (And he has big, blue eyes and is British; SHUT UP.)
Yes, "blues" and "Hugh Laurie" are related. What does a middle-aged, middle-class English white guy have to do with the blues? Well, he's loved them for decades, and he released an album called "Let Them Talk" a few years ago. I'm no expert on these things, so I don't have any say in whether he should be performing it, but I know that I liked it. A lot. He said Tuesday night that he can't believe he's been so lucky as to make a single blues album, much less a second blues album, which comes out in the UK and Europe in early summer and comes out in the US in September.
*wrinkles nose in distaste at having to wait an unnecessary three months to hear the album*
I'm a disorganized spaz who forgot to bring a note pad or anything to write down the musicians' names or the set list. Sorry about that. I do remember that he started with "Saint James Infirmary," and the twenty-odd songs they performed included:
Swanee River
John Henry
Happy Birthday to You (Tuesday was the birthday of Patrick, one of the musicians)
Tipitina (which is my favorite from the first album)
Go to the Mardi Gras (dedicated to Hugh's best friend, the Lovely Stephen Fry*)
Winin' Boy Blues
*When he mentioned Stephen's name, everyone applauded politely, but about a third of the audience really cheered, so you could tell who the fans were. (I was the most obnoxious.)
It was two glorious hours of Hugh Laurie pounding on the piano, singing, making blues music with eight other musicians. I couldn't stop grinning. He spent most of the time at the piano, though he played guitar for one of the songs. He passed out rum to his musicians about halfway through the set to wet everyone's whistle, and he admitted he was slightly drunk by the end. He was utterly charming throughout.
He spoke fondly of Professor Longhair, who influenced many other artists but whose own light went sadly unrecognized by the general public until he performed on the Queen Mary at a party thrown by Paul and Linda McCartney. Hugh was touched to be performing a few of Professor Longhair's songs in the same room and on the same stage.
Ju was awesome, as she'd had a rubbish day but came despite feeling physically sick from all the stress at work. And once we'd found a place to stand where I could see the stage, two tall women shoved in front of me, and she snarled at them until they drifted off in a snit. I had my own bouncer who made sure I had a clear view of the stage! She didn't care about seeing it; she sat down about fifteen minutes into the performance and took my purse and wrap so I could clap, cheer, and dance unfettered. I worried initially she wouldn't enjoy the show, but she insisted she could still hear the music, so I stopped worrying and just glanced over once in a while to make sure she was okay.
Bottom line: I went to this gig because I have loved Fry and Laurie since I saw Jeeves and Wooster on PBS about twenty years ago, and because I know Hugh is an accomplished singer and pianist. I was expecting quite a bit, and the performance was better than I had expected. All the musicians on that stage were in top form and obviously enjoying themselves. I have never enjoyed a live performance of anything more than I enjoyed the show Tuesday night. I still haven't stopped smiling and my hands are finally not sore from all the clapping I did in those two too-short hours. Though I'm too fat for the t-shirt I bought. But hey, it's a win-win: I have a souvenir of the show, and if I work hard enough, I will lose enough weight so I can wear the t-shirt eventually.
And now I'm looking into more blues music, trying to find songs and artists I like, not just stopping with Hugh. I like it so far!
P.S. You may not agree with the second part of the entry title, and I may not have explained to anyone else's satisfaction why Hugh Laurie is hot. He's passionate about the music and competent when he performs it. He's smart. He's funny. (And he has big, blue eyes and is British; SHUT UP.)
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