James Live at House of Blues Anaheim

 On my birthday, Sunday, October 5, we saw the band James at the House of Blues Anaheim.  James are from Manchester, England and came together in the early 80’s.  They had their biggest hits in the late 80’s and early 90’s with songs like “Sit Down”, “Born of Frustration”, and “Laid”.  They disbanded in 2001 and reunited to record a new album and tour in 2007-2008.  This show at the House of Blues Anaheim was the last show of their North American tour.

Getting to the concert was more difficult than expected.  We thought we could follow directions similar to the ones we took to get to House of Blues Anaheim for the Sunday Gospel Brunch in August.  We would be coming from a different direction since we took the 210 east to the 57 south to get to Anaheim rather than the 605 south to the I-5 south.  From the 57 we exited at Katella, turned right to go west on Katella Avenue, drove for over two miles past the Anaheim Convention Center and under the I-5 before turning right at Disneyland Drive.  We had a little trouble finding Magic Way since there’s a couple of other entrances before it but we soon found it.  But once we got to where we thought we could turn left into parking for Downtown Disney, the lighted sign said that valet parking was to the left.  It said self-parking was forward and to the right.  This differed from our last trip there.  We followed the roads indicated by the sign and they seemed to be going to parking for Disneyland Park and not Downtown Disney.  So we turned into the entrance to the parking for Disneyland Hotel to ask the attendant what was going on.

The attendant confirmed that the situation was unusual.  Apparently, Miley Cyrus was having her Sweet 16 birthday party at Disneyland Park and parking for Downtown Disney was all taken up for that.  To park for Downtown Disney, we had to park in the Mickey & Friends parking structure for Disneyland parking.  Earlier that day we had checked www.imdb.com to find out what celebrities also had a birthday on October 5.  Besides Nicky Hilton, who we already knew about, there was songwriter Harold Faltermeyer (Axel F), rocker/activist Bob Geldof, horror writer Clive Barker, actress Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Theresa Heinz-Kerry, playwright/Czech leader Vaclav Havel, actress Kate Winslet, actor Guy Pearce, and hockey player Mario Lemieux; but no Miley Cyrus.  Further research revealed that her birthday is actually on November 23.  She got to celebrate seven weeks early and have Disneyland exclusively for her party.  The public had to pay $250 for a ticket to attend.

So we had to drive back down Magic Way.  We couldn’t turn around to go to the entrance to the structure so we ended up turning left on Disneyland Drive.  We made a U-turn where Ball Road crosses Disneyland Drive, also in a confusing area near the entrances and exits from the I-5.  Going south on Disneyland Drive, we followed the left lanes into the Mickey & Friends parking structure.  It’s a huge structure with an indoor ramp and lots of orange cones limiting where we could go.  We told the situation to the parking attendant and he reluctantly let us enter for free.  We parked on the next level, the Daisy section and had to get help from another attendant.  He told us to go to the other end of the structure, take the escalators down, and catch the tram.  We moved our car closer to that end of the structure and did as he said.  After asking another attendant, we caught that tram that was on our left as we went down the escalator.  The tram drove down some narrow roadway past still figures of Disney characters in Halloween costumes and among pumpkins some with lettering spelling out “Halloweentime.”  It soon arrived at its only stop, a square near the entrance to Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, and at one end of Downtown Disney.

We walked through Downtown Disney and it seemed fairly crowded given that Disneyland was closed to the public.  When we arrived at the House of Blues they had the stairs roped off for ticket entry only.  First they checked our ID’s and gave us black wristbands.  Once inside, I noticed that others had received yellow wristbands.  When the checker saw my ID she said, “Happy birthday.”  Next we went through security that consisted of getting “wanded.”  After we climbed to the first landing, they took our tickets.  We noticed that the restaurant portion of the House of Blues was kept open, though separate from the concert venue.  We entered the venue through the upper level at 7:30 pm, half an hour after the doors opened.

The upper railing on the upper level was surrounded by stools all filled with people who had come before us.  On the way in we had passed a table selling James merchandise for cash only.  There was also a lower railing lined with chairs but it didn’t look accessible and we guessed it was for VIP’s only.  The upper level had one bar in the back and many quilts and tapestries hanging on the walls.  Most of the other concertgoers seemed to be around our age with some older and younger.  My wife saw some kids.  There were mostly Caucasians, a few Asians, and about even numbers of men and women.  We went down to the lower level, the same level where we sat for the Sunday Gospel Brunch.  We found a place to stand on the floor about 5-6 people from the front of the stage and to the left facing it.

The place seemed different from when we saw the Gospel singers.  There were lights behind silhouettes on the back walls of animals, jungle, and tribal scenes.  The TVs hanging from the ceiling showed the 7th inning of the American League Division Series (ALDS) between the Angels and the Boston Red Sox.  A large, quilt-like curtain was draped across the stage.  Above the curtain were various religious-like symbols such as a gold urn with fire representing Zoroastrianism, a white moon and star for Islam, an Asian symbol in red, the Virgin Mary, a Star of David, and the Yin-Yang symbol.  Above the bars along the sides blue chandeliers were hung.  A sign on the wall gave the capacity for the venue as 480 people.  I overheard someone say that the show did not sell out and that surprised me because it seemed so crowded.

At 8 pm the lights dimmed and the curtain opened to the opening band, Unkle Bob.  They’re an English band consisting of a bassist, guitarist, singer/guitarist, keyboard player, and drummer, all men.  They looked fairly clean cut.  The drummer wore a black T-shirt with a white cartoon rendering of the Count from Sesame Street and labeled as “The Count.”  For the first song, the guitarist and singer had acoustic guitars.  They started slow and acoustic gradually getting louder.  The singer had a husky voice that I didn’t find directly comparable to anyone else.  At times I thought it sounded like David Bowie and at others the lead singer of the Psychedelic Furs, Richard Butler.  Their overall sound was slow, subdued, and pleasant almost as if they were sleepwalking.  Consistent with this impression, at the end of the first song, the singer casually asked, “Where are we?  Disney?  I think we might be.”

The background sported a grid of lights that we recognized from photos of the James show at the El Rey on October 2.  Unkle Bob did not use these lights and relied on the colorful spotlights usually using blue and green for the quieter songs, blue and red for the louder ones.  For the next song the bassist passed his electric bass to the guitarist and picked up a tambourine and drumstick.  This song was louder with a strong drum beat.  After the song the singer said this was their last night on tour with James.  For the next song they encouraged us to clap out the rhythm.  It had the repeated line “Say that you want me” and the bassist and guitarist contributed heavily to the background vocals.  The guitarist passed the bass guitar back to the bassist picked up an electric guitar for the next song that was faster with a strong drum beat and the repeated line, “Who do you think you are.”

The lead singer prefaced the next song by saying, “We’d like to dedicate the next song to Saul Davies for doing so much for us.”  This song was slower and began with the keyboard sounding like a piano.  Its chorus included the line “Out of the middle of a bad dream . . . “   The next song was “another new one called ‘So Strong’.”  Like some others it started slow and gradually got louder and faster.  Before the next song, the last one, the lead singer said, “Thank you very much for having us.  Enjoy James.”  It also had a loud drum beat and the guitarist looked like he was playing the strings with a capo.  The song got very loud towards the end and they seemed to work themselves into a frenzy.  They ended at 8:30 pm and the curtain came down.  I overheard someone say that Unkle Bob had cut out a duet that they’ve done at other performances.

The canned music came back on and the TVs showed the Angels in the 11th inning.  They had switched to showing the band during the performance.  As we waited the floor got more crowded.  People tried to squeeze in between us who had taken our places hours earlier.  Someone near us had gas and afterward my wife read a forum post of someone apologizing for that, saying that they had a burrito at an eatery in Downtown Disney.  At around 8:50 pm I heard some drumming from behind the curtain.  The canned music played the song “Spiraling” by Keane.
 
At 9:12 pm the lights dimmed and the curtains opened to James.  They played a lesser-known song, “Dream Thrum” that had a slow beginning and gradually got louder.  It had the repeated line “Oh, oh I’ve changed.”  James consists of bassist Jim Glennie, after whom the band is named; guitarist/violinist Saul Davies, whose violin looked like crossbow; lead singer Tim Booth who wore a roomy black knit hat over his bald head and a black blazer over a white dress shirt; lead guitarist Larry Gott who wore sunglasses and was also bald; keyboard player Mark Hunter; drummer Dave Baynton-Power, also bald; and trumpeter Andy Diagram who didn’t show up prominently until the next song.  They didn’t look like a bunch of guys in their forties.  Tim Booth was very thin, probably from all the dancing.  My wife said that Jim Glennie looked no different from when she saw James many years ago when she was in college.  The previously unused grid of lights was in full use changing color and with lights “moving” back and forth.  As they finished the first song Tim said, “Welcome to Disneyland!”

Tim removed the hat for the next song, “Oh My Heart” that was off their latest album, “Hey Ma” released this year.  Andy sang some background vocals.  Before the next song, Tim said, “You guys are really crammed in here.”  His loud whoop and a cheer from the audience began “Born of Frustration”.  He danced intensely during the guitar solos as did some of the audience, one near me.  The grid of lights showed a rainbow of colors.  The next song, “Ring the Bells” began very loud, got more subdued for the verse and then louder for the chorus.  Tim had removed his blazer and white lights shot across a red background on the grid.  The song got very loud at the end.  The next one was the lesser known “Senorita” that featured red spotlights, flashing blue gridlights, and Andy playing tambourine.  It ended with Tim whispering into the mike.

They introduced the next song as the title track from their new album, “Hey Ma”.  It began quietly with acoustic guitar and then got much louder when the electric instruments kicked in at the second verse.  It got even louder for the chorus with Tim wailing the title line.  Before the next song Tim said, “This is about birth.”  It was “Bubbles”, a slower song with a loud beat also off their latest album.  Andy played this panel on a music stand with a drumstick that sounded like a low bass drum.  The song got a bit faster midway through.  Tim ended it by hitting the panel a couple of times himself, one of the only times during the concert that he played an instrument.  They performed the next song “Seven” from the album of the same name.  Tim went to our end of the stage and reached out to the crowd.  The song had a strong keyboard beginning and the gridlights twinkled.

“Let’s change things up a bit,” said Tim before the next song.  “It sounds like I’m under water.”

“You sound great!” someone in the crowd answered.

“Thanks.  You should come up here and sing, but not this song.”

They then went straight into the beginning of “Getting Away with It (All Messed Up)”, a song that would get louder.  Saul switched back to the violin for the next song, “I Wanna Go Home” from the latest album.  It started with just Tim singing, Larry on acoustic guitar, and Saul on violin.  But they soon added a loud drum beat and bass line and by the end Saul was assisting Dave on drums.  The background sported smoke and blue spotlights.  They then did the very vocal new song “Of Mountains and Heroes and Men”.  Tim sang about rambling poets while sounding like one.  They didn’t use the gridlights but relied on red and blue spotlights.  The performance featured Andy prominently on trumpet.  For the next song, “Out To Get You” Mark, the keyboard player, played a small portable keyboard with a tube for blowing.  They used no lights other than the red stoplights.  It was a slower song that got louder by the end.  Saul ended it with an intense violin solo.

They did two more songs from their latest album.  “Upside” began with a heavy piano-sounding keyboard and everyone else subdued.  The song got much louder and more anthemic for the chorus with the music nearly drowning out Tim’s vocals.  Tim picked up a cowbell and drumstick for the next song, “Whiteboy”.  He waved his right index finger when singing, “Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh.”  Saul started playing the loud guitar beginning of the next song but then stopped because he felt something didn’t sound right.  Tim teased him by singing the line “Getting away with it all messed up.”  They had a little discussion about what might be wrong before sorting it out.  Tim asked whether anyone had gone to the October 2 show at the El Rey and there were many cheers from the crowd.  Then he said, “Well, we didn’t do this one,” and they went into the raucous beginning of “Tomorrow.”  The crowd really got into it, singing along and dancing.  But they got even more excited with the next song that Tim introduced as “a Thank-you letter to Patty Smith and Doris Lessing who kept me sane through my teens.”  Their performance of “Sit Down” had a more subdued, piano-heavy beginning than the recording but got much louder after the first verse.  I didn’t see anyone sitting down during the song.  Tim sang part of the last verse a cappella.  Before the next song Tim said something like “You all live in Disneyland.  There’s Mickey Mouse.  In Disneyland you leave all souls at the door.  We’re gonna bring some soul to Disneyland.”  He picked up a megaphone and started singing “Sound” and used it for certain parts of the song.  The drums were loud and Andy played lots of trumpet parts.  The gridlights flashed red and green.  They played an extended instrumental part to which Tim danced wildly.  They ended to wild cheering, walked to the front of the stage and then departed at 10:45 pm.

The cheers were loud and increasing and soon the band was back out.  Tim said, “We would have been back sooner but we have old men in the band with prostate problems and we’ve been drinking.”  They then played “Gold Mother” that featured a heavy and fast bass drum.  Tim used the megaphone some more.  He prefaced the next song as “an unabashed love song for Kate where ever she may be.”  “Just Like Fred Astaire” began with only piano accompaniment through the first chorus when everyone else joined in.  Tim’s vocals were loud and clear.  After they finished that one, Tim asked, “How long have we got?  Can we do two more?”  Saul asked, “What’s the fine if we go over?” and Tim asked, “Will we get spanked by Mickey Mouse?”  Tim said that they were gonna do “Laid” and another but then said, “We’ll do this because we don’t want to be the band that doesn’t do the song that everyone can sing along to.”  With only the keyboard and vocals they went through the first verse of “Sometimes”.  Then everyone else joined in, the singer and bassist of Unkle Bob joined them on stage.  Some young women also came on stage and danced.  My wife later read that one of them was the daughter of a band member.  They played an extended version, went a cappella for a chorus and then had us, the crowd, clap out and repeatedly sing the line “Sometimes I look in your eyes I can see your soul.”  They finished, walked to the front of the stage, bowed and left and the curtain fell for the final time at 11:10 pm.

We left just as the canned music came back on.  Downtown Disney was noticeably less crowded and the stores were closed.  We caught the tram and as we rode back we heard and saw the impressive fireworks from Miley Cyrus’s Sweet 16.  We didn’t get home until after 12.

With the initial parking problems our evening seemed “Born of Frustration” and we didn’t get to the concert until after “Seven.”  But that was still before they would “Ring the Bell” so we “Got away with it (all messed up).”  By the end we wanted to “Sit Down” and were thinking “I wanna go home.”  But overall the concert was an “Upside” and more birthday festivities were to come “Tomorrow.”