The Past Week - Mario Spinetti

Last Monday my *former* roommate, a mutual friend of ours, and I drove up to New York City to see a live performance by our favorite new up-and-coming artist.

The original plan was to go up, spend a few hours in the city, see the show, then drive back home. My *former* roommate managed somehow to befriend a New Yorker while he was working the Friday night before our adventure and secure a place for us to sleep that Monday night after the show. (You work it, boy!) (And more on that in a separate post a bit later today.)

So, yes, we make the drive up to NYC last Monday morning (in about 3.5 hours - go me!) and spend a few hours walking around the city. Hilarity and hijinx ensue, because we crack ourselves up. That happens when three people who share the same mind are together.

We get to Drom a bit too early. (Hey, we were expecting a crowd. And Mario said to show up early. And Mario wouldn't lie to us.) We walk in just as they began setting up for the show. At the "box office" (read: a dinner table) was who we think was Mario's manager (or he could have been the Drom manager) and ... is that? ... yes, Mario himself. We said hello and wished him luck but didn't hold a conversation. As someone who's performed in front of an audience, trust me, before a show is not the time to talk to a performer. So we grab our seats at a table front-and-center and settled in for the show.

I'm not going to go into detail about everything. I'll just say the following:

• Amature photographers at the foot of the stage snapping pictures left and right is never a good idea. Rethink the promo shots in future shows.
• The new music worked very well with the already-recorded music. The whole bunch would make a solid first LP.
• The live performances of the already-recorded music was spot on. It really did justice to the music we came to know and love.
• His band was most excellent. The live introduction to "I Was There", with the lead guitarist and the keyboardist, was incredibly moving.
• Despite the fact that my *former* roommate had to almost tackle him, once he did sit and talk with us after the show, Mario was warm and engaging. He asked for our opinions and seemed to take them to heart.
• Mario is a major hottie.

The show itself was worth the trip to NYC. We'll probably continue to make the occassional trek back up there to see future performances ... that is until he starts booking shows down here.

You can see pictures of the show here.