I've got to give dues to Trish for this one. The other day she mentioned that Da Peaches were off to the gardens because they thought it might be nice this time of year. When I couldn't come up with anything to do nearby, I stole her idea & we drove off to Saratoga. I've got to be honest, there must be much nicer times to visit this garden. Winter was probably not the best choice as it appears that most of the trees we have seen blossoming out in the streets are not cherry blossoms! (hmmm, that didn't twig until we got there & all the trees in the garden were bare with the exception of the flowering cherry below).
Still, this breathtaking cherry is worth the $4 entrance fee alone. The branches stretched out about 1.5mtrs from the trunk & then dropped vertically. The flowers grew directly from the branches & it created this beautiful pink floral umbrella.
And the bamboo forest was lovely as well. As long as the signs (posted every meter or so) warning of the tick infestation, didn't put you off.
After that we decided to go & try our chances at getting Jonathan Coulton tickets. He was playing at a small venue, Cafe Du Nord, & we had found out about the show after all the allocated seats were already sold. That crushing blow was lessened by the temptation of 15 tickets being available at the door - so we got there 2 hours early & waited. Right at the front of the line. And it was SO worth the wait. Oh yes.
Mark Silverman (crap website, probably not worth visiting) was the support act & he was actually pretty funny. More crass & less able to arouse pathos in a listener (probably because he doesn't try to) he was still a great lead up to the show.
Jonathan Coulton's set list for the evening was:
Here is Kynan looking super happy to meet the man (& also, like he has his laser beam eye balls activated) & JC looking totally knackered ( as it was about 4am NY time by the time the show was over).
A few words of advice for those considering attending a show at this venue: unless you book for dinner (& not just for a seat) you aren't going to be able to see anything at all. It would just be a huge disappointment & a waste of your time. (Infact there are people who walked out during the support act because they knew the show would suck from the back) The front of the venue is packed with dinner tables, then there are some half drawn velvet curtains & then stools on which the plebs sit. Behind the plebs are the people who get to stand all evening. If you are lucky enough to get in the dinner section (which, by some small miracle, we were), then you have an intimate concert experience. Otherwise I'd seriously suggest giving it a miss.
And - go & listen to Mr Coulton if you have never had the joy. He's an ex-software developer from NY, who sings about robots, zombies & evil geniuses. He gave up his job to entertain us. (Sound familiar?) So go & buy a cd or 2.
After that we decided to go & try our chances at getting Jonathan Coulton tickets. He was playing at a small venue, Cafe Du Nord, & we had found out about the show after all the allocated seats were already sold. That crushing blow was lessened by the temptation of 15 tickets being available at the door - so we got there 2 hours early & waited. Right at the front of the line. And it was SO worth the wait. Oh yes.
Mark Silverman (crap website, probably not worth visiting) was the support act & he was actually pretty funny. More crass & less able to arouse pathos in a listener (probably because he doesn't try to) he was still a great lead up to the show.
Jonathan Coulton's set list for the evening was:
Mr. Fancy Pants
Skullcrusher Mountain
Betty and Me
A Talk with George
The Future Soon
Millionaire Girlfriend
Creepy Doll
I’m Your Moon
Chiron Beta Prime
First of May
Code Monkey
You Ruined Everything
Re Your Brains
Mandelbrot Set
Encore:
Tom Cruise Crazy
I Feel Fantastic
I Hate California
Second Encore:
Ikea
Womb with a View
Here is Kynan looking super happy to meet the man (& also, like he has his laser beam eye balls activated) & JC looking totally knackered ( as it was about 4am NY time by the time the show was over).
A few words of advice for those considering attending a show at this venue: unless you book for dinner (& not just for a seat) you aren't going to be able to see anything at all. It would just be a huge disappointment & a waste of your time. (Infact there are people who walked out during the support act because they knew the show would suck from the back) The front of the venue is packed with dinner tables, then there are some half drawn velvet curtains & then stools on which the plebs sit. Behind the plebs are the people who get to stand all evening. If you are lucky enough to get in the dinner section (which, by some small miracle, we were), then you have an intimate concert experience. Otherwise I'd seriously suggest giving it a miss.
And - go & listen to Mr Coulton if you have never had the joy. He's an ex-software developer from NY, who sings about robots, zombies & evil geniuses. He gave up his job to entertain us. (Sound familiar?) So go & buy a cd or 2.
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