Home from Chicago

[KarenSews2]

Another lovely concert, despite Janis having a bad cold an not feeling well. Most people could not tell there was anything wrong until she mentioned being ill. Poor thing...I kept wanting to feel her forehead!

The audience was on the small side, but Janis did say that there were several things going on in the area, and that situation contributed to the unfilled house. I can't imagine singing through her illness like she did, and don't think ANYONE was disappointed! Least of all, the Rudies in attendance. Marcia and Barb rode with Ned and me to the venue, where we met up with Randy and Betty. In the lobby, we met MadMusician, a newby. It was great to meet you, Diane! She was so excited to be there, she could hardly contain herself! Marcia and Barb chatted with some "lurkers" who should be coming on board. I don't remember their names (shame on me!). And Michael, we hope to see you on here soon, too!

Marcia copped the set list from the stage, and for the first time we could remember, the show was just as it had been written. I'm sure she will post it when she gets home.

Ned saw his 2nd concert ever, and was amazed at Janis' guitar work.

I can't really finish this now, but I'm hoping Janis is feeling MUCH better today! Thanks, Janis, for another wonderful evening.

[Dee]

Welcome back, Karen. So sorry to hear that Janis is feeling under the weather. Thank you for the review!

[marjan]

Karen thanks for the review! We all wish that Janis will recover asap :D

[gisli]

Thanks Karen Sews2, it is always good to hear about Janis shows. Hope see recovers quickly, she has a buisy scedule ahead of her.

[MadMusician]

Geez - You people get up early!! Thanks for the nod and I hope to get to know you all better.

[Melba]

Geez - You people get up early!! Thanks for the nod and I hope to get to know you all better.
It could be already up late for some of us....LOL. Welcome aboard MadMusician. Feel free to put up your feet and grab a cup of java. :)

And Karen, thanks for the report. Taz and I are looking forward to another show before she is done for the year....keeping fingers crossed.

[DaveM]

I trust Pat will favor her will all needed pampering just as soon as she gets home. And while it's not in her nature, I truly hope Janis will just spend some time with her feet up, imbibing warm liquids (easy on the single malt, mind), reading good books, and generally not worrying.

Get well soon, Janis....we're sending Rudie Power....where better to send it?

[ChiJo]

Hi, all,

My name is Jo; I'm new to the message board, but am a longtime Janis fan. I'm a native North Side Chicagoan. The concert at the Beverly Arts Center (BAC) was, indeed, wonderful -- Janis not only wished us joy, but gave us the gift of joy in abundance despite being under the weather. I hope she's feeling much better now.

Janis -- it was a delight for me and my partner, Julie, to get to chat with you after the show. I was glad I got to tell you about Joan Baez's concert anecdote regarding your helping her through writer's block; it was a high to hear her mention you with such obvious appreciation. But I hope I made it clear that the laugh she got in telling the story was at *her* expense. She seemed nothing short of in awe of you (which of course is as it should be <G>).

Thanks; looking forward to being a part of this community!
Jo

[janisian]

Jo thank you - the story about Joan really made my day!
(er, night...)

[Bat]

Sounds like a good story..would one of you care to share it with the rest of us? I'm a Baez fan, too, big time!
Thanks,:cool:

[Marcia Drummergal]

Dang, I just wrote a LONG post about Chicago and was told I wasn't logged on. Now it is GONZO!! ARRRRGGGGHH!!!!

Will try again. sigh WELCOME to Diane (Mad Musician). Great to see you here. I enjoyed talking with you. I know you were THRILLED to hear/meet Janis for the first time and that you will be sticking around. You ARE a true Rudie. ChiJo, I think I heard part of your story about Joan Baez. Please share if you would!

Yes, here is the setlist, as performed:

Danger, Danger
Crocodile Song
Love Is Blind
Society's Child
From Me to You
Boots Like Emmy Lou's
New song (on the setlist as "New")
Great Divide
I Hear You Sing Again

Intermission

Tea and Sympathy
Here Comes The Night
Last Train
All Those Promises
My Autobiography
At 17
Between The Lines

(encore)

Joy

Although Janis' voice was a tad raspy and with not quite as much volume behind it as normal (thank goodness for microphones!), she did not disappoint! She left the all-too-small audience very happy. I still don't buy it, Chicago! Lots of shows going on but the house should have been filled. Just my 2 cent's worth!

Michael, are you around? I LOVED those 1970's photos Janis signed for you. I asked and you mentioned something about Japanese imports and Kathleen Brogan in the same sentence. Why didn't that surprise me?! ;) Kathleen does so much for so many Janis fans. She ought to be on the payroll!!

Mr. KarenSews, you are a gentleman and a great driver!! <g> Please come to more concerts. We enjoyed your company. Also, enjoyed talking to some other fans, some of whom had brought their children. New generations of Rudies.....it is amazing to see!

Couldn't quite duplicate my earlier post. I hope I am truly logged on this time! Anyway, Cedarburg is a bit more vivid in my mind at the moment.....

Marcia :)

[Michael from Chicago]

Greetings: Last week's Janis show was a coming full circle. Thank you to
everyone for your kindness - to Janis for thanking me for bringing the booklet from the REMEMBER double LP and a photograph from the Miracle Row tour for
signing. Thank you to the group for talking with me afterwards. The first Janis LP I bought was AFTERTONES, and I became a fan during the Miracle Row tour. I've almost always been around in some fashion - I still have treasured letters and postcards from Janis' mom, from the late 70s-early 80s; at the time I didn't know she was Janis' mom. I only knew her as the fan club manager! Around 1998, Helge Gunderson and I (we're also jazz and classical listeners) maintained the Janis chat room at Utne Cafe.

As I've said to many people, it's amazing and gratifying the great work Janis has done and is still doing. Just the other day, I was listening to "Matthew," and thinking of the manner in which the song is another tribute to Billie Holiday with its echoes of "Strange Fruit" and "Lover Man" - at the same time, "Matthew" is definitely a Janis Ian song. Such a winning combination of learning and intuition. This quality would be enough for me, but the fact that Janis is also very good to her fans - even the quiet ones - is very touching.

Such a good show last week. It was telling that young people liked the
show. I didn't walk away feeling certain songs should've been performed.
Janis couldn't go wrong with so many excellent songs from her albums.

Regards and best wishes to all,
Michael Hawthorne

[Dee]

Welcome to the message forums, Michael, and thanks for sharing your memories with us.

Matthew is one of my all time favourite Janis songs.

[ChiJo]

ChiJo, I think I heard part of your story about Joan Baez. Please share if you would!Marcia :)

Last year Julie and I saw Joan at the Vic Theater, a former vaudeville house in Chicago that's now a very popular (and eclectic) live concert venue. At one point Joan was talking about how difficult she finds writing songs, and launched into an anecdote about calling Janis one day with a plea to help her through a particularly difficult bout of writer's block. The gist of it (not sure I'm recalling Joan's exact phrasing) was, Janis gave her an exercise that got her to stop overthinking her efforts at writing and be more playful at letting creativity come through. Joan turned it into a humorous tale on herself, which was a great lead-in to her singing "Coconuts." A very funny concert moment, but it was clear Joan was grateful to and in awe of Janis. We loved it!

[Marcia Drummergal]

Wow, this is one of the things I LOVE about this board. You meet folks at a Janis concert. You invite them here and you HOPE they come. And then they DO!! And WELCOME Michael! I was the first to admire your unique photos which you brought Janis to sign. I was delighted to meet you! I think you said you had been lurking here for a while. Please join us more often!

And ChiJo, thanks for elaborating. That is a GREAT story about Joan and Janis. I have noticed (of course) an overlap of Baez/Ian fans at Janis' shows. That's not a surprise at all.

Hope all of you stick around! You are definitely Rudies!!

Marcia :)

[Agnes]

Welcome Michael, enjoy the company of more Rudies!

ChiJo, thanks for that story - pretty cool!

[ChiJo]

And ChiJo, thanks for elaborating. That is a GREAT story about Joan and Janis. I have noticed (of course) an overlap of Baez/Ian fans at Janis' shows. That's not a surprise at all.

Hope all of you stick around! You are definitely Rudies!!Marcia :)

Wow, I take that as a high compliment indeed :-) Glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks to those who wanted me to share it and for making me feel so welcome here.

[Randy & Betty in Pa]

Michael from Chicago, ChiJO & Mad Musician.... First welcome to the board... It was a pleasure running into you all in Chicago.... We hope you will hang around and continue to spread the word to your friends about the GREATEST artist to be found....

Just a couple brief comments about the Chicago concert...(though moe to follow later... Yes Janis had a cold and we all felt her pain... yet she was a trooper and did one hell of a GREAT performance.... (You should have seen the next three nights:) It's funny in a city known for music I was surprised that ther room wasn't SRO... That is a nice venue, quite comfortable and homey...

Once I get my strength back from 10 days on the road (yes I AM whinning) I will give you all the stories of our trip which Janis, staff, other Rudies and even some total strangers made so special for us...

In closing NEW RUDIES are always welcome here....Oh and check out the details on the Rudie Picnic... August 12th in Pittsburgh....If'n you can make it you will have a great time... For that you can Blame Redjack & Karensews2...Opppps I forgot Irish Beth... now I'm gonna get it...

Unfortunately Betty and I can't, but know we would sure love to .....:(

Best to our Newest Rudies from Chicago, Cedarburg, Green Lake and Cedar Rapids....We all bid you welcome...

R. & B. from Pa

[Kathleen Brogan]

Michael!!!! Glad you came aboard!!! Michael and I have been Janis e-mail buddies for quite some time! He's one of those many "customers" of mine who has become a great Janis e-mail pal. He e-mailed me very soon after the concert and it was wonderful to hear from him! He was able to say hi to some of my fellow Janismaniacs for me! He even invited me out to dinner, when I was planning the Indiana trip! Keep checking back Mike! Gret to hear from you!

[MadMusician]

She left the all-too-small audience very happy. I still don't buy it, Chicago! Lots of shows going on but the house should have been filled. Just my 2 cent's worth!
I've been meaning to reply and offer up my perspective.

The fact is on any given night, there are dozens of events to choose from - including concerts, theatre, comedy clubs, dining, festivals, dance activities (ballroom, salsa, line-dancing). And as the weather gets better, the number of activities increase.

Just finding out about what's being offered in the Chicagoland area takes work. Major concert venues advertise on the radio so you WILL hear that Eric Clapton tickets go on sale next week (if you listen to a classic rock radio station). Or you can go to Ticketmaster and search the major venues to see what's coming up. It's just too much. I have a folder with about 25 links to sites that list different events. I just happened to discover the Chicago concert by visiting this website. Occasionally, I would check to see if Janis was coming to Chicago (or surrounding area). I checked the tour information and there it was! About a 10 minute drive from my house. I almost choked because if I hadn't checked, I would have missed the concert.

Some examples:
3 years ago, Keith Urban* came to a 3400 seat venue (Star Plaza Theatre, IN) and offered tickets for $9.99 each. I was a huge fan (great guitar) and bought 6 tickets and gave 5 away to friends. The place was only about 1/4 filled... And 2 friends decided not to go at the last minute - free tickets, free ride. It was a Friday night performance to see a talented musician.
*2006 ACM top male vocalist, 2006 best male country vocal, cmt video of the year, 2006 grammy winner, 2005 CMA entertainer of the year, fiance(?) of Nicole Kidman.
His last concert (Feb '06) sold out in 30 minutes - venue capacity 18,500 seats - tickets $45/each plus $20 parking.

Many (many) years ago I saw Fleetwood Mac right after they put out the Bare Trees album - before the 'hits' album. 1/4 filled theatre.

I just reread my post and now I'm not sure. Is it lack of advertising (people just don't know about the concert) or too much of a good thing? :confused: Maybe a little of both. :rolleyes:

[ChiJo]

The fact is on any given night, there are dozens of events to choose from - including concerts, theatre, comedy clubs, dining, festivals, dance activities (ballroom, salsa, line-dancing). And as the weather gets better, the number of activities increase.

Just finding out about what's being offered in the Chicagoland area takes work.

This is very, very true. Enjoying an abundance of entertainment choices as we do in Chicago means you also have to be extremely proactive about getting the tickets you want. I'm not talking about having the cash to play the "ticket broker" game. I mean, unless it's a hugely commercial show with a lot of advertising, often you have to watch perfomers' and/or venue websites vigilantly for tour dates, and then begin bugging the box offices for info on when tickets will be available. More than once I've been told, "I didn't even know [whoever] was playing here!" Big help. The listings in various publications like The Reader can glaze your eyes over with offerings. Unless the marketing is effective, you can easily miss someone you'd have loved to see.

[Marcia Drummergal]

A thoughtful post Diane. And by the way, we just got Bat's photos from Chicago (and Cedarburg) developed and soon I will get them to Chet. Bat took more photos than I realized. That's a GOOD thing.

Anyway, I think it is a combination of things including that last line of your post. Lack of advertising. I agree there are TONS of things to do every night in every major city. It goes back to marketing and spreading the word. I know how tough that can be because I used to BE a concert producer. You need a decent mailing list (constantly updating) and having $$ to get the word out doesn't hurt. The more $$ you have, the more advertising you can do. And good old-fashioned word-of-mouth has worked wonders for me but you have to get it out to the right audience. That has to be the toughest job of all.

All I can say is, those of us who were there were treated to a great concert, illness or not. Those who were not there just flat-out MISSED out!!

Marcia PS Got a good pic of you that we'll post soon! :) PSS Editing to say I don't know how I didn't see ChiJo's posting before but she made a few of the same points I made. So they must be good points! LOL