Click here for Lori's page containing reviews and pics.
Click here to go to a site made by the attendees of this special show.
> >>>if there is a large show of hands, we will probably break under the >pressure and gush all over amm-f.<< > >> oh yes, please please gush!< > >I heartily concur. Let us live vicarious, please ;-) As I told Lori on >saturday, ideally each of the 37 (?) people in attendance would write >long, detailed reivews for us all to revel in. So by all means, share!
OK, you twisted my arm Jen..I'll talk. :-) It occurs to me however, that actual reviews are probably impossible since most of the day was so informal. I think that was the coolest aspect of the day. The guys actually took part and enjoyed themselves while hanging out at the party. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, with people chatting together in little lawn chair groups, hitting the food/beverage tables and listening to or dancing to the "house music." After the set, the 12 x 16 foot stage turned into a makeshift dance floor as I recall, with smiley face party lights strung from the rented canopy that covered the stage.
After everything, I am left with happy impressions of things that took place over the course of those 8 hours. Murray and Tobey sitting on the living room floor playing video games, Mike composing French refrigerator poetry in Lori and Steve's kitchen, Jian dancing with fruheads on the dance floor, me standing on the stairs telling Dave about my dog, etc. It are vignettes like those that remain strongly in my memory.
The only wrinkles were Leah's asthma problems, although I was happy her name got pulled and she got to request her favorite song, and Amanda's ill health which landed her in the hospital and prevented her from attending the party. We couldn't change any of those things, but with Fruvous' help, we managed to give Amanda her own Fruvous experience that day. When Earthquakes, the song Amanda had wanted to hear, was requested, Jian called Amanda from stage on Lori and Steve's cell phone, wished her well, and an audience member held the phone so Amanda could hear them perform the song. She was absent in body, but not forgotten.
I guess the best way I can sum up a review of that day is to say that the kind of day it was for me was the quiet wonderfulness of munching on good food, while sitting on a garden bench, on a beautiful day, next to a frulad, smelling veggies and burgers being grilled, hearing the Arrogant Worms coming out of the stereo, seeing friends old and new having fun, and contemplating whether I was happy. I most definitely was.
From Gella:
Okay, now lets see if I can write about the day itself...
Woke up, drank Jasmine tea, (I LOVE LORI!!!) showered, helped Steve Angie and Steph put the stage together and the canopy up, wires and such, did some lawn mowing etc... I felt so useful, like, wow, I'm working tech at a fruvous show! Silly, I know, but fun, muchly.
So people start showing up and eventually several of us end up on the porch with Jill's guitar singing Dar Williams and Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco... the band arrives and most of us keep singing a while longer. We were having fun. At some point I looked in the window and Murray was in the house waving to me. I had to think "God, this is SO ass-backwards! This is just fucked up!" It was a happy moment. :)
I went around saying hi to the guys and the fruheads... I gave Jian his birthday present which he seemed to like... which made me happy. I spent some time with the poor dying Bender in the living room, trying (probably unsuccessfully... I'm not too good at it) to comfort and reassure her... Dave was litstening to YWGTTM re-learning lyrics. after Bender went upstairs to the green room where Jian became god for her (and her mother) I stayed on the couch writing in my journal. Eventually we got a 10 minute warning and headed outside. I juggled some shaker-eggs. hehe. I like juggling. :)
So the boys came out to play... (sorry, had to say it) they joked that we were putting them through boot-camp with the songs we were requesting... here, again, is the setlist:
1. Lee
2. Love set fire
3. Ash Hash
4. Billy Jian Medley
5. Bittersweet
6. Horseshoes
7. Marion Fruvous
8. Earthquakes
9. Sahara
10. Message (whoo hoo!)
11. Believe, which became a medley
Including snippets of :
Come on Irene
The last time
(try at) Can't Explain (who)
do wa diddy
Hello I love you (doors)
(another try at) Can't Explain.
12. Kid's Song
13. The Greatest Man in America
14. Laika
15. Elian's Theme (requested improv... these guys are amazing, I swear!)
16. Nowhere Man
17. Half as Much
18. Thats any good
19. Grunge of Spain (Jill, my neck still hurts. (: )
20. Fell In Love
At some point Jill made a Simpson's reference... that the guys didn't immediately recognize. It was amusing.
The third time Lawrence's name got pulled from the hat he passed it off to "the other Solomon" (Thank you, Lawrence... why AREN'T you my brother???) so I introduced myself as Gella, Frujuggla or variations of Laughing Spinoza... to which Mike said "Wow! 'Laughing Spinoza???' Wow!" heh! So happy! So I told my story... I'm the director of my school's a cappella club so I'd wanted to do at least one Fruvous song... so I listened to this song on Live Noise about 10,000,000 times, wrote it out, adapted it for SATB and we performed it and it was a big hit, so I'd really like to hear I've Gotta Get a Message to You. Jian said That was a really good introduction, Gella. It was consice and to the point... and they seemed a bit pleased by the request. I was pleased that I got them off-mic. They were amazing. I may be biased... but I think they very nearly nailed it. It was beautiful.
Post show stuff... I did a bad thing. A bunch of us went over to talk to Murray... he signed Jill's yearbook... I gave him a big hug... Jill said Group hug!... and I started to cry. OOPS! shit... I pulled away and said, oh, damn, um... I'm going to run away now. So i did... to the dining room... where Dave then showed up and started eating shrimp. He said hey, Gella, how's it going? So what've you been reading lately? I had a lovely long relaxed conversation with him and felt much better. I went back outside eventually... slightly avoiding Murray for the moment... went back inside, thought of skulking in the kitchen, but Mike was there examining the french magnetic poetry on the fridge. So I headed for the living room... but there was Murray sitting barefoot on the floor about to play this Wu Tang game... gosh darn it. So I hid in the dining room... until Murray and Tobey walked in and started eating. Murray saw me and smiled. I apologized for leaking on him. Tobey said something along the lines of "what, did you drool on him?" To which I replied "a little higher up" Murray asked if I wanted to watch them play. I had actually wanted to sit in the living room and write in my journal so I asked would that be okay... if I just sat quietly? he said yeah, you could even sit loudly. We're loud people. So I sat there while Tobey and Murray played a wonderfully violent game writing in my journal. a crowd started to gather so I put away the journal and took out my jewelry making stuff. Murray was called out for a photo-op and Tobey for a signing and that was when I kicked Lawrence's ass with a large hammer. :) After a while I went back outside where Jian was just having a ball dancing with Amanda and Trace. Mike was boogying along too. He boogied over to me and we started talking about medications and vaccinations for boogie fever... he asked about school and gave me tips on how to get my teachers to let me take make-up tests. Eventually it was time for them to leave so I got my last minute hugs (more lovin' Tobey?) they piled into the van and drove off. We cleaned up the backyard a bit and Lori Amanda Anita and Trace and I went upstairs and talked.
It's not a very good review, I know... but I can't explain most of what's in my head right now. I can't remember ever being happier.
je touche le requin dans le tourbillon mechanique au l'aquarium immense moment de frission doux et ridicule
-Mike Ford (hehe)
Some other tidbits from the performance include:
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