Jason Manns @ TAB, Singapore: 2nd Day
An audience is an audience, even if it's an audience of one.
There were definitely more than one person at TAB yesterday, but it was the eve of Chinese New Year, the time when families gather together to have their reunion dinners, so there was a noticeable lack of patrons in the bar/lounge when we arrived. However, it was great timing on our part because my two friends and I got there early enough (I was hungry) to catch him before his first set, and we got to to have him almost to ourselves.
He mentioned that he was jet-lagged and nursing a cold when we were talking, but it wasn't noticeable when he took to the stage. He did start off slow, singing covers such as MJ's 'The Way You Make Me Feel' and Kings of Leon 'Use Somebody', and his original 'All I Ask', before perking us up with a cover of Prince's 'Kiss' and some of his own songs like 'Vagabond Blues' and 'Another Number'. Towards the end he was slightly more energetic, finishing the set with Ben Harper's 'Steal My Kisses', complete with some beatboxing. I imagined it might be a little disheartening to be performing with not many people, but it didn't show and he still managed to give us a great performance, and it felt almost like a private showcase.
I'm not completely new to his songs, having heard and watched him online singing either alone or sharing the stage during conventions, but I must say that he sounded much better live, and told him that when he went to our table after his performance. Yes, my foot was in my mouth because saying that implied that he doesn't sound good in recordings (which is not my meaning at all), but he took it in good stride.
At this point we also noticed that his shirt is similar to a shirt Jared wore to one of the conventions. Do these guys pass around their shirts, or do they shop at the same store?
Having a small crowd is advantageous to us as well, because since we came early, we managed to talk to him before the show, and we asked a lot of questions. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared so I had no way of recording or writing anything down. Ooops.
I do remember that we talked about how he spent his days here though. He's staying just off the town area, so he does get exposed the local cultures better, as opposed to doing only the normal tourist routine. He had been to the casino at the Marina Bay Sands Resort, among other places, and won quite a bit of money, which he then promptly "gave" it back to them. :) We also urged him to try out more local food, because he likes spicy food and so can withstand Indian or Malay dishes. He wanted to go to The Night Safari, but since he's going to be working nights, I suggested that he tried The Singapore Zoo instead. He was also going to Sentosa Island, which is a good place to go to, not even including the eye candy that usually littered the place.
We talked about how we knew about him (through Jensen and Supernatural) and how he was going to do a jamming session with Jensen this coming week at the LA Con (we know!). He mentioned that Jensen has emailed him a list of some 10-12 songs that he wants to do, so he was rehearsing prior to the show. Seeing that the convention is practically tomorrow, I asked when he will be leaving Singapore then. He said he was leaving Sun, and going over to Vancouver on Wed to practice with his jamming partner and coming back to LA probably on Sat morning. I assumed the practices will be done on set in the trailers, knowing the hectic filming schedules.
We asked which crowd does he like to play to the most so far, but he doesn't play favourites, stating that each crowd has it's own energy and it's different each time, However, he admitted that he likes playing at his usual haunt in NYC, a place called The Bitter End. There's a place that we can check out if we ever step foot into that city.
We couldn't stay for the second set, so we said our goodbyes with a promise to be there for his last show. I expect a bigger crowd during the weekend, but I don't mind. The ambience's relaxing, food's decent, the company's good and the music is coaxingly addictive. So yes, we'll be back!
And I need a better camera, or at least better picture-taking skills. Photographs are courtesy of Priya.