I have been anticipating his arrival for MONTHS! Last night, he finally arrived. It was 7pm, and he was scheduled to start the show at 7:30pm. I had to get down there (I live in an apartment right above the theatre, so it wasn't difficult.) before everything started. I knew the theatre owner had a photo taken of himself and Leon back in the 70's, so I thought I'd get to meet Leon by mentioning how cool it would be to have "Then" and "Now" photos on the theatre's website ( www.roxytheaternorthampton.com ), of which I am the webmaster. Yup. I had an "in"!
So, here's how it went:
I walked into the Roxy with my trusty camera on my shoulder. Told my idea to the owner and he said a resounding "yes!" So, he dusted off (in fact he had to WASH off) the framed photo of he and Leon and we went downstairs to the "Green Room". And there, in the flesh, right in front of me, looking like I'd expected, was the great and awesome, Leon Redbone! OMG, he talks just like he sings. I had a big grin inside me, but didn't want to appear a goof, so I just smiled and introduced myself to Leon and shook his hand. (Oooo! I SHOOK LEON REDBONE'S HAND FER CRYING OUT LOUD!) It doesn't take much to excite me. LOL
Well, he said he'd be glad to have his photo taken again and they posed while I shot the photo. Cool. Then we went back upstairs to the theatre, while we waited for Leon to go onstage.
Meanwhile, I met a really cool guy named Jerry. Jerry was the sound guy and we chatted about our kids and families for awhile. Jerry sure loves those grandkids of his and his new little granddaughter seems to have taken up permanant residence in his heart. Here's a pic of Jerry doing his thing:
Now the lights dim and everyone gets quiet. 3 men come onstage and everyone starts clapping: the horn players and piano player. Then they announce "LEON REDBONE" and the crowd goes wild! (not really, I just always wanted to say that...but they did clap REALLY hard and whistle!)
Leon comes out wearing his usual Panama hat, vest, bow tie and dark sunglasses. He sat down on a chair in the middle of the stage. The spotlight on Leon was a dim yellow and the rest of the band was pretty much unable to be seen. They were in the dark with just a hint of blue light. Really a neat feeling to the whole thing. Kinda mysterious, like Leon himself.
Here, take a look for yourself:
So, the night wore on and he did his thing, which is WONDERFUL by the way. His calmer than calm, laidback manner and crank-it-up Victrola voice is just so soothing and fun at the same time. At one point, he asked the audience if they'd like to hear a peppier tune and when we all yelled YES, he proceeded to tell his pianist to go ahead and play something peppy. During the whole ragtimey song, Leon did nothing but sit there and make hand motions, tipped his hat, raised his eyebrows to the beat. What a guy. He hardly MOVES. LOL
There was supposed to be an Intermission, but it never happened. I was kinda not paying much attention, but suddenly Leon leaves his chair on center stage and goes backstage and reappears a few seconds later with HUGE bags of popcorn! (yeah, okay, now ya know...the Roxy uses bagged popcorn. Hey, it's still yum.) He proceeded to plop these bags in front of his guys onstage and then sat down and played some more! What a guy! What a GUY, I tell ya!
One of my favorite songs by Leon is "Ain't Misbehavin'". I was really looking forward to him singing that one, but so far he hadn't, so during a lull in his repertoire I hollered downstage, "Hey, Leon! Play "Ain't Misbehavin'"! He paused and looked out into the audience and said "What?" I said it again, and he said "Well...I'm not sure I know that song...do I?" And then he spoke about it awhile and then...played it. I was in H-E-A-V-E-N! And so was the crowd. It was the biggest applause of the night.
After the concert was over, I went backstage and mingled with Leon a bit and then he was asked if he'd come outside to the parking lot because 3 fans were back there and wanted photos with him. He obliged, but said "They can take pictures of me, as long as I can take pictures of them." And with that, he pulled out a thin digital camera out of his vest pocket and did just that. There was Leon taking photos of people taking photos. The guy's a trip, I tell ya. He stood out there for quite a bit allowing fans to take pics and get autographs. Then he went back inside.
Oh yes, I MUST mention the fan who wanted to see Leon backstage. She said she flossed his teeth about 20 years ago. Turns out, she was a dental assistant and Leon had phoned up a dentist to get his teeth cleaned. He wouldn't give his real name, because he said he'd be known and didn't want word to get out, so he gave a fake name (which I won't mention here, in case he still uses it). The receptionist at the dentist office said, "I'm sorry, sir, but you must give me your real name." And Leon said no sirree and stuck with the fake nondeplume. So...the day of the appointment arrives and Leon gets his teeth flossed. I'm so happy to know he's conscientious of his dental health! Anyway, the woman gave him a brand new pack of dental floss and signed it with a TO: his fake name and a FROM: her name. How cool was that?
Also, there was a girl named Laura, who is a HUGE fan of Leon. She had a photo of herself and Leon from a prior concert and the photo was of her and Leon holding a photo of herself and Leon. (are ya following me here?) So, she wanted this current photo autographed and she wanted another photo of herself and Leon holding this photo! I got the autograph for her and then she somehow got into the theatre and came down to the Green Room and got her photo with Leon. So now she has a photo of herself and Leon, holding a photo of herself and Leon, holding a photo of herself an Leon. How cool is that?
Infinity Leon With Great Teeth. Yeah, baby.
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