{"id":4970,"date":"2010-12-08T16:15:55","date_gmt":"2010-12-08T20:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.opticality.com\/blog\/?p=4970"},"modified":"2010-12-08T16:44:42","modified_gmt":"2010-12-08T20:44:42","slug":"ian-axel-and-rachel-platten-at-mercury-lounge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/2010\/12\/08\/ian-axel-and-rachel-platten-at-mercury-lounge\/","title":{"rendered":"Ian Axel and Rachel Platten at Mercury Lounge"},"content":{"rendered":"

When this show was announced in October, we instantly grabbed four tickets (the maximum that Mercury Lounge<\/a> sells, online or in person!). Since then, we\u2019ve been waiting impatiently for the show to start.<\/p>\n

The last time we saw Ian Axel<\/a> perform was a single song guest appearance on 9\/22\/2010. Before that, it was 7\/22\/2010 when he performed an intimate two-person show (Chad Vaccarino<\/a> was the only person to appear with him that night) at Flux Studios<\/a>. It was definitely full-on withdrawal<\/strong> time for us, since we missed Ian\u2019s big CMJ show in October.<\/p>\n

For those who don\u2019t like all my details, the bottom line first: The show was absolutely awesome<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Ian is releasing a CD on 2\/15\/2011. Before that, next Tuesday (12\/14\/2010 to be exact) he will be releasing three of the songs from that CD on iTunes. If I understand correctly, you\u2019ll be able to complete<\/em> your purchase of the full CD on 2\/15\/2011 without being penalized (or buying double) if you buy the first three songs next week. Do it<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with Ian (shame on you), here\u2019s a YouTube video of This is the New Year<\/a>. If you are, consider this a warm-up to get you in the mood for the rest of this post:<\/p>\n

\n
<\/embed><\/object><\/div>\n
Ian Axel This is the New Year video<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

You can preview (stream) next week\u2019s release at Ian\u2019s Facebook fan page<\/a>. If you listen to This is the New Year carefully, you\u2019ll note that it\u2019s a new<\/strong> version. I (normally) hate when artists tinker with perfection (and I hope you\u2019ll agree that the video above is perfection). Yet, I grudgingly admit that they made an even better version (not that it needed improving), so even fans who have the previous version stuck in their head will love<\/strong> this one!<\/p>\n

Last night, Ian played all three of the songs on next week\u2019s EP release. If you missed the show and want to experience a bit of the magic, listen to Girl I Got a Thing on the above Facebook<\/a> page. When Ian sings \u201cGirl I Got a Thing for You\u201d, you respond with \u201cGirl I Got a Thing for You\u201d out loud (like we all did). Then, when he sings \u201cNa na na na\u201d, you shout out \u201cWhoa Wo\u201d. If you can get a couple of hundred people to do it with you, really loud, you\u2019ll come close to reproducing what it sounded like at Mercury Lounge! \"Smile\"<\/p>\n

Ian poured out his heart to us and from all of the FB statuses and tweets I\u2019ve seen, everyone responded similarly. He rocked out on some numbers, played solo on Say Something (on the keyboards this time, rather the slightly more typical ukulele version) and added ukulele magic on two others.<\/p>\n

\"IanAxelSinging\"<\/a>\"IanAxelUkulele\"<\/a>\"IanAxelKeyboards\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ian typically plays with a four piece band (including Ian on the keyboards). Last night, they were down a man. It didn\u2019t matter, the sound was huge. I\u2019ll start with the core members who were on stage for all but Say Something, but stay tuned, because there are two other people who will be covered right after!<\/p>\n

Adam Christgau<\/a> on drums and background vocals. It\u2019s simply been way too long since we\u2019ve seen Adam play (7\/8\/2010 to be exact!). It felt good to feel Adam\u2019s rhythm hitting me straight on (we were right in front of the stage, dead center). The clock for missing seeing Adam play is now officially ticking again\u2026<\/p>\n

\"AdamChristgau\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Chris Kuffner<\/a> on electric bass and background vocals. If you read this space regularly, you know that we love Chris Kuffner. All but one of his performances have been on electric guitar (excellent). Still, I lament that I need to see him open it up on the bass. The one time I\u2019ve seen him on the bass, the music called for a more sedate style.<\/p>\n

Last night, Chris got to open it up and I\u2019m glad I was there. He also did something I\u2019ve never seen\/heard before. Using his pedals to add effects, Chris got the bass to sound exactly like an organ<\/strong>! It was cool and a little eerie. Scratch another one off my music bucket list, seeing Chris play electric bass! \"Smile\"<\/p>\n

\"ChrisKuffner\"<\/a><\/p>\n

That everyone at every Ian show loves Ian is no surprise. In fact, if it weren\u2019t true, there\u2019d be some slapping going on in the audience. What warms my heart each and every time (even though it\u2019s completely expected now!) is that the audience totally gets how awesome Chad Vaccarino is and what an integral part of the magic he is.<\/p>\n

\"ChadVaccarinoTrumpet\"<\/a><\/p>\n

First and foremost (before any of us get to see\/hear the result), Chad is Ian\u2019s regular writing partner, co-writing many of Ian\u2019s songs. For that alone, he deserves a spot in some hall of fame. But it\u2019s hardly that alone<\/em>. When Chad steps on stage to sing with Ian (and now to play trumpet a bit as well), there is an electricity in the crowd. The roar when Chad sings is even greater than that.<\/p>\n

\"ChadVaccarinoSinging\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Last night was no exception. Chad ripped the room up. There\u2019s little more to say than that. Each is an enormous talent on their own. Together, they boggle the mind.<\/p>\n

\"IanAxelChadVaccarino\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mike Campbell<\/a> was a special guest on two numbers, playing acoustic guitar and singing harmony. I just recently covered Mike\u2019s first solo show in this post<\/a>. The first song that Mike joined on was also the first song that Ian played the ukulele on, Pacific Sun (a song Ian rarely plays live, so it was a very special treat). Chad stood between them and the three of them harmonized beautifully. I\u2019ll get to the other song in a minute. Well done Mike (who also got a rousing cheer when he came up each time!).<\/p>\n

\"MikeCampbellChrisKuffner\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When Ian played his last song the crowd went nuts screaming for him to play more. After the band milled around on the stage hugging each other for a minute, Ian looked at the sound engineer to see if he could play another one. He got the OK. He announced that he would play a new song that wasn\u2019t on the new CD. He and Chad performed You\u2019ll Be OK. They nailed it (you didn\u2019t expect otherwise, did you?).<\/p>\n

Once they finished, they tried to get off the stage again. A 100+ people starting chanting Shorty<\/em><\/strong> (short for Shorty Don\u2019t Wait, another new number that isn\u2019t on the new CD). If Ian and Chad had stepped off the stage, trouble might have brewed. Ian looked up at the sound engineer again and got the OK for one last number.<\/p>\n

Mike Campbell came back up and Ian picked up the ukulele again. They blew the crowd away. I can\u2019t think of a better way to finish off an extraordinary evening than by playing a song the crowd demands and delivering it better than the crowd could hope for.<\/p>\n

\"IanAxelChadVaccarinoMikeCampbellChrisKuffner\"<\/a><\/p>\n

They were on stage for 53 minutes. It felt like one minute in terms of time flying by. It felt like three hours in terms of the level of satisfaction.<\/p>\n

As if the above weren\u2019t enough, that\u2019s only part of the story of why last night was so spectacular. There was an opening act before Ian that was incredible.<\/p>\n

Rachel Platten<\/a> opened the show. I\u2019ve seen Rachel perform a full set just once before (covered in this post<\/a>). If you read that, you know I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of Rachel\u2019s show that night. Unfortunately, Lois was sick and missed that show.<\/p>\n

\"RachelPlattenKeyboards\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Last night Rachel had a smaller band and that worked really well for me to appreciate her on an entirely new level. While I like the sound of a bigger band (in general), sometimes it\u2019s harder to pick up on the lyrics to songs. Last night I had no trouble hearing every word that Rachel sang. I have a huge new respect for her as a songwriter. Every song was interesting, but some were deep and moving.<\/p>\n

Rachel\u2019s voice is unbelievable. Power, but crystal clear as well. It\u2019s almost laser like. As I mentioned in the last post, she beams throughout her set. If you\u2019re not infected with her energy and sweetness, get yourself to a doctor stat!<\/p>\n

I knew she was good on the keyboards from the last show, but last night she also had a song where she danced up and down the keyboard at high speed. I was standing right in front of her and could see every finger movement. She\u2019s better than I realized the first time and I had no complaints that night!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s last night\u2019s set list, all gems!<\/p>\n

\"RachelPlattenSetList\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Playing with Rachel were:<\/p>\n

Craig Meyer on drums. This is the third or fourth time that I\u2019ve apologized for not having a good link to an individual page for Craig. One of his friends better force him to have a presence somewhere, soon. Craig is excellent. His drumming is as much a visual art form as it is aural. He played a snare and a djembe last night rather than a full drum set. He also played the smallest glockenspiel that I\u2019ve ever seen, with the tip of a drum stick. It was funny.<\/p>\n

\"CraigMeyer\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nathan Eklund<\/a> on trumpet and harmony. Nathan sang beautifully with Rachel, I really liked their harmonies. He\u2019s excellent on the trumpet as well, lending jazz tinges to Rachel\u2019s songs when he took his solos.<\/p>\n

\"NathanEklundTrumpet\"<\/a>\"NathanEklund\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When the show was over, Lois headed to the merch table and bought a CD and a T-Shirt from Rachel. We both got to tell her how wonderful she was.<\/p>\n

\"RachelPlatten\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Even though we only bought four tickets (hence two guests), we ended up seeing a dozen friends there, most of us standing front and center stage. It was truly a party in the best sense of the word, with Ian and Rachel performing DJ duties. \"Winking<\/p>\n

\"HadarChrisKuffner\"<\/a>\"ElyseHadar\"<\/a>\"ElyseTerry\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"DougNatalie\"<\/a>\"ShannonJason\"<\/a>\"AlexBergerMelissa\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"ChrisKevin\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When this show was announced in October, we instantly grabbed four tickets (the maximum that Mercury Lounge sells, online or in person!). Since then, we\u2019ve been waiting impatiently for the show to start. The last time we saw Ian Axel perform was a single song guest appearance on 9\/22\/2010. Before that, it was 7\/22\/2010 when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,2],"tags":[490,561,604,717,601,665,666,1367,759,756],"class_list":["post-4970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","category-2","tag-adam-christgau","tag-chad-vaccarino","tag-chris-kuffner","tag-craig-meyer","tag-ian-axel","tag-mercury-lounge","tag-mike-campbell","tag-music","tag-nathan-eklund","tag-rachel-platten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4970"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4974,"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4970\/revisions\/4974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opticality.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}