Ladies and gentlemen, let's have another hand for Lex Concord and his Minutemen

[spatch]

The Big Broadcast's curtain call music was performed by the Byfar Hour house band, Lex Concord and the Minutemen (as expertly played by Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band.) They played a real high-energy stompin' kind of number which was perfect to get us all out onstage, take quick bows, Recognize everybody involved in the show, and then dance up the aisles and out of the house. The band would continue the number as exit music, and then wrap for the night. They helped bring the energy right up for everybody and we loved 'em for it.

Our last Saturday show was loose and fun for many different reasons. Last show energy, sleep deprivation, second show of the day so we're all a little punchier, all that. And once we were finished, the Minutemen turned back into the ENSMB, finished the exit music, and then and decided to stay onstage to celebrate and have some more fun.

By jamming to SexyBack.

(I saw them do this at Honk! and it was fantastic; seeing it at BB1938 was even greater.)

That YouTube video marks the exact very very end of the BB1938 production on stage. It is bittersweet for me to watch, but at the same time it's absolutely wonderful. I can't say enough nice things about ENSMB and:

• Their full-on enthusiasm for the show and love for the music of the period
• The way they got right into their Minutemen characters and, in doing so, getting one of the biggest laughs in the show
• Their accessibility, and their healthy sense of fun (they taught Michael Simon, who played Lex Concord, how to conduct and I'm told that at certain times, he really was leading the band)
• The way they can play it hot
• The playful energy they gave to that side of the stage during the Byfar Hour and the nervous moods they created for the WotW numbers -- who knew cobwebby dance standards could create such tension?
• Their copious amounts of Awesome, which they shared liberally with the entire show

They added an amazing dimension to the show and by sounding good, they made us all sound good. See? I mean it. I'd run out of adjectives and reasons before I felt it necessary to wrap things up.

Comments

[spatch]

He packed 'em in the wings, too, that's for sure. We backstagers couldn't resist watching him, either. It is my firm belief that whenever he was conducting the band, he was the Happiest Person In The Room.

[snoopymel.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I didn't realize they were playing JT! I would have got my Polly Putnam/Martian butt up there and rocked right with 'em! :P They were so awesome!!! (take it from the gal who dated 'em all!)