08-15-2015, 03:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-19-2023, 08:09 AM by Drunk Monk.)
@ Levis 8/14/15
Ok before you all get all judgmental about DM and his affection for pop divas, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER unless you watch this. There's even a sword fight.
[youtube]QcIy9NiNbmo[/youtube]
There's really nothing like seeing a pop diva at the top of her game. To T Swizzle's cred, she writes her own stuff. She strips down to just her and an instrument (guitar or keys). She's managed to stay above the sleeziness that most divas give up - she remains classy and true to her self-refential style. Her overall message is very positive, very girl empowering. And she's a seriously talented young lady. She puts on a solid tight 2+ hour show, singing, dancing, playing and preaching, with lighting fast costume changes in the first part, only relying on video interludes in the latter part of the show. She always has a special guest, allowing some up-and-coming band to share her spotlight, a 52,500 spotlight - this time it was Five Harmony. I kept getting different reports about the amount of trucks - 30-48. The stage was big because the glory ramp moved, converting into a giant crane-like arm that could bring Taylor closer to every side of the football field. To cap it off, patrons got light up wristbands that were coordinated to flash in multiple different colors with the music. With 50K+, the effect was dazzling.
The Swiftees dress up. I wasn't expecting that. There's a Taylor Nation photo booth where they can take selfies and if Taylor likes them, they get a shot at going backstage. The costumes are often quite clever - the lyric plays were great ie. a cheshire cat and mad hatter from her song Wonderland, and the hatter's back reads 'hatters going to hat'. I was bummed that there were no Swiftee cosplayers doing Bad Blood. Because that would make me a Swiftee.
The crowd was sweet - moms and daughters, girlfriends, dad chaperones, some young couples (hetero & homo). There were lots of very little kids and kids with their parents, which is what I was actually as Tara was volunteering with me at Rock Med.
Alas, RM at Levi's is really weird. It's very controlled - laminates and parking passes issued the day before - regulations of all sorts on taking photos and getting food. They supply a decent box dinner, but not a veg option. RM has to wear uniforms - white collared shirts with epaulets - that say medical in small print so all the patrons think your are an usher and know where everything is. I do love epaulets, but many of the vols seemed awestruck that I was in uniform, which is odd to me as being a lifelong martial artist, I don a uniform regularly. There's a lot of security - cops, guards, undercover - and there are monitors everywhere. I got to see the ISS (don't know what it stands for) but it's this network that details everything going on - intoxicated patient, golf cart out of gas, security breech - it's fascinating to just that roll. RM's director was killing time waiting for the Levi's manager to appear for the meeting and went on this odd tangent about psych at RM and mentioned DM by name a lot (which makes everyone expect another magic trick...oh bother). But they were kind enough to let DM roam, and the director was nice to pull T aside and give her one of those lite-up bracelets (she thought she was in trouble for standing in a line to get a shirt). BTW, prior to this, T was NOT a Swiftee, but this being her first pop diva show, and a great one at that, I think she's converted. A lot of her classmates were there, including a family who's dad is a zen priest and has just returned from a pilgrimage to Tibet - it was a funny place to hear tales of his trip. I won't confess to being a Swiftee, but I will enjoy watching T Swizzle's career progress and hope the best for her.
I suspect I will avoid working Levi's. It was just a little to stifled for me. You have to work 10 Niners game to qualify for the Superbowl, but I have yet to work one because you have to dedicate your entire day to it. I dunno. The 50th Superbowl is very tempting.
Ok before you all get all judgmental about DM and his affection for pop divas, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER unless you watch this. There's even a sword fight.
[youtube]QcIy9NiNbmo[/youtube]
There's really nothing like seeing a pop diva at the top of her game. To T Swizzle's cred, she writes her own stuff. She strips down to just her and an instrument (guitar or keys). She's managed to stay above the sleeziness that most divas give up - she remains classy and true to her self-refential style. Her overall message is very positive, very girl empowering. And she's a seriously talented young lady. She puts on a solid tight 2+ hour show, singing, dancing, playing and preaching, with lighting fast costume changes in the first part, only relying on video interludes in the latter part of the show. She always has a special guest, allowing some up-and-coming band to share her spotlight, a 52,500 spotlight - this time it was Five Harmony. I kept getting different reports about the amount of trucks - 30-48. The stage was big because the glory ramp moved, converting into a giant crane-like arm that could bring Taylor closer to every side of the football field. To cap it off, patrons got light up wristbands that were coordinated to flash in multiple different colors with the music. With 50K+, the effect was dazzling.
The Swiftees dress up. I wasn't expecting that. There's a Taylor Nation photo booth where they can take selfies and if Taylor likes them, they get a shot at going backstage. The costumes are often quite clever - the lyric plays were great ie. a cheshire cat and mad hatter from her song Wonderland, and the hatter's back reads 'hatters going to hat'. I was bummed that there were no Swiftee cosplayers doing Bad Blood. Because that would make me a Swiftee.
The crowd was sweet - moms and daughters, girlfriends, dad chaperones, some young couples (hetero & homo). There were lots of very little kids and kids with their parents, which is what I was actually as Tara was volunteering with me at Rock Med.
Alas, RM at Levi's is really weird. It's very controlled - laminates and parking passes issued the day before - regulations of all sorts on taking photos and getting food. They supply a decent box dinner, but not a veg option. RM has to wear uniforms - white collared shirts with epaulets - that say medical in small print so all the patrons think your are an usher and know where everything is. I do love epaulets, but many of the vols seemed awestruck that I was in uniform, which is odd to me as being a lifelong martial artist, I don a uniform regularly. There's a lot of security - cops, guards, undercover - and there are monitors everywhere. I got to see the ISS (don't know what it stands for) but it's this network that details everything going on - intoxicated patient, golf cart out of gas, security breech - it's fascinating to just that roll. RM's director was killing time waiting for the Levi's manager to appear for the meeting and went on this odd tangent about psych at RM and mentioned DM by name a lot (which makes everyone expect another magic trick...oh bother). But they were kind enough to let DM roam, and the director was nice to pull T aside and give her one of those lite-up bracelets (she thought she was in trouble for standing in a line to get a shirt). BTW, prior to this, T was NOT a Swiftee, but this being her first pop diva show, and a great one at that, I think she's converted. A lot of her classmates were there, including a family who's dad is a zen priest and has just returned from a pilgrimage to Tibet - it was a funny place to hear tales of his trip. I won't confess to being a Swiftee, but I will enjoy watching T Swizzle's career progress and hope the best for her.
I suspect I will avoid working Levi's. It was just a little to stifled for me. You have to work 10 Niners game to qualify for the Superbowl, but I have yet to work one because you have to dedicate your entire day to it. I dunno. The 50th Superbowl is very tempting.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
