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| Jazzy and Oldiebutgoodie hit Birmingham | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 22 2009, 01:04 PM (311 Views) | |
| mouser | Sep 22 2009, 01:04 PM Post #1 |
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OBG and Jazzy ( and Tink , I think ) have landed in Birmingham for a week of fun , frolic, food and music ON BIRMINGHAM SOIL  Jazzy is the designated driver?? IT'S TIME FOR SOME RIBS   Lunch-Bar-b-que, baked potato , green beans , collard greens. WHAT , NO DESSERT? Edited by mouser, Sep 22 2009, 01:12 PM.
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| mouser | Sep 22 2009, 04:57 PM Post #2 |
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  Getting ready for the trip to B'ham : OBG says goodbye to Rayvis It looks like Rayvis made the trip with OBG and Jazzy  Am wondering if Rayvis will enjoy the activities as much as Jazzy?  I sure will !!!  The Montgomery Soul Patrol name tag : Edited by mouser, Sep 22 2009, 05:04 PM.
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| mouser | Sep 22 2009, 05:47 PM Post #3 |
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One of the reasons Taylor loves Birmingham, Alabama is the beautiful landscape.........I wonder how often he has driven down/up this road ? On the way to the BCJJ for an evening of "Grease".  Taylor welcomes OBG and Jazzy to the theatre  1. OBG , while disappointed in her seat , reports from Clay Connor that Taylor is feeling GREAT and will be signing CD's after the show 2. Clay took a goodie bag to Taylor containing soup ,peppermints ,sharpies ,jazzy's banana bread and a get well card. I guess the get well card won't be needed..........It's good that Taylor is "back on his feet" after his bout with the flu. Edited by mouser, Sep 22 2009, 06:40 PM.
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| mouser | Sep 22 2009, 06:46 PM Post #4 |
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A WELCOME SIGN for Taylor 
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| Oldiebutgoodie | Sep 23 2009, 01:38 AM Post #5 |
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Soul Patrol 1 reporting in captain-- "Try This One-It Works Better"-Opening Night of Grease in Bham The Golden Rule BBQ was in Calera, a Bham suburb about 25 miles south-the manager knew Taylor loved Golden Rule but stated that he normally ate at the downtown location- Food was good-and I discovered that the Golden Rule Sweet Original BBQ sauce tastes VERY GOOD on a baked potato-they also have a very tasty ranch/mustard white sauce that is tasty as well-no-no dessert-didn't have room and it wasn't the "diet friendly" type- The pics with Rayvis were taken in a friend's house where we changed to our "Theater attire" and chowed down on Arby's sandwiches and curly fries- Clay was working the merch table as we arrived-I walked up, showed him our MSP IDs and asked him how Taylor was feeling--"We heard he wasn't feeling well"--that's when Clay told me Tay was feeling much better--"Great"--then I gave him the emergency last minute goodie/doctor bag mentioned above that Jazzy and I put together-told Clay what was in it-he said thanks-especially for the Sharpies- The soup and peppermints thing was a repeat of what Jazzy did at Laser's Edge two years ago when she first met Taylor-when she heard he was ill she pulled two cans of Progresso Chicken Noodle soup out of her own cupboard, put a bag of peppermints with it, walked up to Taylor at the M & G and said "These are for your throat Taylor"-and Taylor looked in the bag, looked up at her and smiled-so we figured it might work again-only Jazzy added some of her homemade banana bread and a get-well card- Now for the good stuff- Found our our seats were in Nosebleed Alley-but on the left side of the stage-when I texted mouser I had not seen the seats yet-turns out they weren't too bad after all-you could see and hear quite well- So we sit through the first act-Dominic comes out to warm up the crowd-and the first funny thing happened there. He does a segment where he asks where everyone is from-he points to you and you tell him where you're from-most of the audience of course was from Bham or a suburb-like Pelham, Mountain Brook etc.-- Someone yelled out they were from "Bug Tussle"-and apparently Dominic didn't recall that Bug Tussle was the fictitious name of a town on the Beverly Hillbillies because he started playing off that-from the way he played the whole deal you'd think HE thought Bug Tussle was a real Alabama town-he even ad libbed it into the dance contest scene-right after the principal gives the dance rules and turns things over to "Vince Fontaine" (who's over in the corner making out with someone)-Vince yells out "Let's go to Bug Tussle-I'll bet its legal there!!"-the crowd roared its approval-- The first act was very good=I noticed the guys were about a half beat behind the band at first-everyone hit their mark-excellent acoustics-you could hear every word the actors spoke and understood the words to the songs-even the ones that WEREN'T in the movie- The crowd was very professional and respectful during the scenes-they were quiet and allowed the cast to do their thing-but I could sense the "Where's Taylor" question floating in the air-like they were waiting to know when he was gonna come on-apparently they didn't know the routine- in fact the people behind Jazzy and me were discussing that very thing during intermission-they leaned forward and asked me if I knew when Taylor was coming on-I said "Yes I do" and smiled. I had anticipated the cone to show up during intermission but it didn't-there were two scenes ahead of the cone-the dance contest and Sandy's solo-"Hopelessly Devoted to You"--THENNNNNNN-- The scenery changes-and HERE COMES THE CONE--its a regular ice cream cone, double scoop vanilla with chocolate fudge on top-I'm almost jumping out of the chair squeezing Rayvis until his poor eyes were bugging out--Frenchie does her line-not sitting as Kirsten Wyatt did on Broadway but standing-she turns-the cone lights up and THERE HE IS--- It took a second or two for the audience to realize who it is-of course I'm already screaming from the rafters-when the audience sees that its Taylor they erupt into the loudest applause of the night-they remain in their chairs but you can tell that they have finally gotten the "deal"--then we hear that voice-loud and strong and crystal clear-- "Your story's sad to tell-a teenage ne'er do well..." a bit faster than originally on Broadway-and with extremely exaggerated movements by Taylor as he descends to the stage- (which I don't like-too over the top)--then you hear "Beauty school Duh-rop out" (he stretches out the word and cuts off the note)-he's "overpronouncing" the words-which comes through quite well-but I notice that a few traces of the flu still remain-no hoarseness but he doesn't hold the notes very long-he's punching them and going on-(I noticed the same thing at Bham 1-he'd hit the notes and cut them off and not hold them their usual amount of time)-BUT he's nowhere NEAR as sick as he was at Bham 1-in fact-as you'll read later-he was in fine form while signing autographs and not a HINT of illness- I also noticed that he went through the song as we all know he's done every time-but the tempo is slightly faster-and tonight his feet were light like a real angel-and when he descended in the cone, hit the stage, turned and "shimmied" the crowd ROARED their approval-apparently this crowd LOVED Taylor but knew NOTHING about his performance-I just laughed and gave my stamp of approval as well-Jazzy just giggled shyly and shook her head- He hit both "glory notes" with seeming ease-and when Frenchie yelled out "I voted for you"-a second of silence from the audience-then the loudest and longest roar yet-Taylor cocked his head, looking at the front row with that impish grin of his-then pushed Frenchy away and returned to the cone- As the cone went up, Taylor leaned over the railing asking the audience for MORE-cupped his hand to his ear as he went heavenward-and HE GOT all the noise he wanted- But when he pulled out that harmonica-again this crowd didn't know he was gonna play it-again the roar-getting louder and bigger each time-like a tidal wave it circulated throughout the place-now I'm about to fly right down from the balcony of course-I'm enjoying seeing this-then I hear-- "Beauty School Duh-ropout"--gobackto--highschool"--(and I'm grouping them together on purpose because that's the way Taylor phrased it-quick, syncopated-BUT clear and unmistakable-) Thunderous applause as the cone backed into the blackness- On to the curtain call-he comes out from stage left right across the front-stops, does the woo, then runs off stage right-comes back out on the front row-right of center-the cast does "Grease is the woooorrrrdd"--and you hear that voice once again-crystal clear and echoing throughout the BJCC- Only this time on the word "conventionality" instead of going high to sing it Taylor stayed in the medium range-again probably a leftover from the flu-but again no hoarseness-and no funny "Willie Nelson phrasing"-he sang it straight-then ran off and came back to do SMB- He comes back after Dominic announces him-in the black jeans, shirt and vest from Idol-the soundtrack comes up-the crowd is standing-Taylor shouts "Its good to be back in my home town of Birminghaaammmmmmmmmmm!!"-then sings every note of the country mix of SMB-strumming that new black Taylor guitar -, jamming-the crowd is on its feet and clapping in rhythm-they are WITH HIM and grooving-THEN-the harp again-and another stupendous roar-then a quick "Thanks for coming-see you guys in the lobby" and he literally RUNS off stage-and the crowd stands there for a moment-then quickly begin to exit- Jazzy and I were standing at the exit door to our section-we had to go down on the elevator to get in line for the autographs-and as we get to the main floor-the crowd is already there-then suddenly--WHOOSH-a gray and black figure with a headlight almost knocks me down-I have to suddenly stop to avoid crashing into Taylor-who with Clay is jogging full tilt past the merch table to the lobby just up three stairs to sign autographs-he recognizes someone on the stairs, gives them a quick hug, a brief word or two, a smile and then up to the table-where a line has already formed- Some people are just standing taking pics-I'm TRYING but my cellphone is worn out from overuse and keeps blurring the pics-we get in line-we have both our EW and TD cds PLUS the Grease Taylor shirt to be signed-I spot anothertayfan and ask her if she'd recap the Rogue's tavern deal-I might have sent mouser a pic or two from this bunch but most of them are blurry or somebody stepped in front- Anyway, its a fast paced session-but Taylor's still in charge-he sees someone he knows and mouths something to them, then points another friend to another area of the BJCC to wait or something-he's turning left and right signing-never stopping- We get up there and Jazzy gives Taylor the poster you see above-she says "Welcome Home Taylor"-he hands it to Clay-then he signs her shirt and CD-asks how to spell her name-and he spelled her WHOLE NAME on her shirt-(BTW-he writes his lower case b's from the bottom up!!)-Jazzy has out her FunSaver for the pics-then the line of the night happens- Its my turn-I have my EW and TD cd's-and my shirt-Taylor changes silver sharpies because the other one is gone-he's busy signing-"Who do I make it out to?'' I spell out my name-- Then I get my moment-I put Rayvis on the table in front of Taylor while he's still signing my stuff-I told him "Taylor I've waited 14 months to thank you for putting this little guy in your dressing room on Broadway-I brought him tonight just to say thanks and to have a pic with you and me and him"--OMG--OMG--OMG-Taylor PICKS UP RAYVIS AND AUTOGRAPHS HIS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!-then he says "Let's get that picture"-so the lady behind me is trying to make that cellphone work one more time-and it isn't- Soooo--Taylor make Jazzy's night-he takes the FunSaver out of her hand-hands it to the lady behind me and says "Let's try THIS ONE-IT WORKS BETTER"-with that twinkle and impish grin of his covering that lobby-and we all just explode laughing-especially Jazzy-I say-"Thanks darlin-we'll see ya Friday night"--he shouts "Thanks for comin'"--then on to the next person-then finally walking away into a private room- Jazzy and I posed with the cutout of Taylor in the lobby-we'll post those later-then left for the trip home- For those of you going other nights-security was professional and nice-but FIRM and right on anyone with a camera-and during the autograph session they formed a row of protection-stating "He will only sign HIS CD's or HIS shirt or HIS poster"--I looked at Jazzy and smiled and went "Yeah right"-Plan on paying $8.00 to park at the BJCC and $3.50 for a bottle of water-security won't play with you but they are professional with it-they mean no cameras-and cellphones off or on silent and put away- It was a long wait-but SOO worth it-and again the Godwink came from Taylor when he autographed Rayvis-it was every bit as fun and beautiful a night as I had imagined-and all those who have recapped his performance were dead on-he's the highlight of the whole second act-taking nothing away from an extremely professional and well-trained cast of folks-and Birmingham welcomed him home tonight-as I had hoped they would- More pics to follow-after I post this on my other boards and get some sleep Thanks for reading!! |
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| Oldiebutgoodie | Sep 23 2009, 02:21 AM Post #6 |
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Jazzy's comments: "He was fantastic-and the suit sparkled"-- 'Nuff said-- |
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| mouser | Sep 23 2009, 06:19 AM Post #7 |
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Taylor signs, with pleasure, those CD's again and again and again   The autograph   Looks like Rayvis got a Taylor Tat 
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| Oldiebutgoodie | Sep 23 2009, 11:01 AM Post #8 |
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Just starting my pics-some of these in this folder are duplicates- Most are from my small camcorder-and Jazzy's pics are coming-so stay tuned for more: While we wait-enjoy!!   This one-you can't see Taylor-but this is the view from the autograph line- 
Edited by Oldiebutgoodie, Sep 23 2009, 11:02 AM.
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| Oldiebutgoodie | Sep 23 2009, 12:55 PM Post #9 |
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As good as FunSavers are-when someone takes a pic of you without using the flash and its an INDOOR shot-it often turns out like this--UGH!! This was done by the lady in line behind us-after Taylor took the FunSaver away from Jazzy-I guess she didn't know where the flash was- Would have been a GREAT shot-mine with Taylor isn't any better-and HE WAS HOLDING RAYVIS!! Anyway-for what they're worth here are Jazzy and Taylor and me, Rayvis and Taylor-lightened and fixed as best I can--if anyone can fix it any better feel free to do so- Jazzy:  Me: 
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| Oldiebutgoodie | Sep 24 2009, 08:02 PM Post #10 |
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Parts 2, 3 and 4 of the MSP Birmingham odyssey starts tomorrow at 12:30 PM when we leave-- Hey Taylor-beware of rabid looking fans that you've seen before carrying 4 stuffed dogs that all look alike-and each carrying birthday goodie bags!!! Wouldn't you just love to see the look on Taylor's face when he sees 4 RAYVIS-es? Yep-ALL of us are escorting our beloved mascot and his family to the shows!! Each of the MSP have birthday goodie bags- Let's see-I hope I have time to take pics-but he's gonna get 'em at the WorkPlay M & G- I can't remember everyone's-but from the whole MSP he's getting 3 watercolor abstract already framed prints of: James Brown, Otis Redding-ANNND-the right Rev. Brother Ray, along with two 33 1/3 RECORDS titled "Ray Charles-Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" and "Randy Newman-Good Old Boys" (which contains the original track of his song "Birmingham" which Taylor loves so much)--all found at a local flea market--along with the 2009 Beanie Baby Happy Birthday bear, a 2010 Golf Courses of the world calendar, a birthday card with a pic of a hound dog playing an electric guitar and howling (gee I wonder where THAT idea came from!!!!!!)-and a book of Bible blessings--remember- the MSP was started to "help keep Taylor at home on the road"-which is what our Club ID's say- My bag has a Ross Bridge theme-a copy of this year's Ross Bridge photoshow-a book of funny golf anecdotes-two special tshirts-one with the opening night on Broadway pic of Taylor in his dressing room and Rayvis on the shelf-the other with a cartoon Katja (from another board) drew and gave me permission to use-about "Hicks-Taylor Hicks-the NEXT James Bond"-and its a caricature of Taylor AS James Bond in the same scene as the opening to all James Bond movies-along with some Sharpies, an Eastmont worship service DVD-and a special singing bday card with a personal letter of thanks to Taylor for his Godwinks with Rayvis and his look back, smile and wink at Ross Bridge this year- I'll have to recall Jazzy's and Tink's-but I DO know they ALL have Sharpies in them-Taylor can't have enough of them--I'll try to remember to take pics of the bags etc-and I don't know what Judi's bringing- Edited by Oldiebutgoodie, Sep 24 2009, 08:03 PM.
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