Rufus Wainwright: August 17, 2008 (Ottawa Folkfest)
So.
I decked myself out in a black shirt, black skirt, star-clad scarf, star earrings, star bracelet and the star-shaped brooch I made back in February, pre-New York show. Lots of stars. Because they were released, you see. On May 15, 2007!
Also, I like stars.
I grabbed my camera and my Rufus plushie and off I went, out the door. Walked to my parents' place, where Mom was dressed in completely different attire than my own. I kind of overdress for most things. And love getting dressed up for Rufus shows especially.
Mom and I headed over to Em and Rose's place to pick them up (I bought Em Poses once, for a Christmas present, I think - and she and her sister liked it enough that they then bought Release the Stars, and then bought tickets to see Rufus live. I LOVE WHEN MY ATTEMPTS TO CONVERT PEOPLE TO THE WAYS OF RUFUS ARE 100% SUCCESSFUL!), and they were very excited.
We headed off to the show!, way out somewhere we'd never been! Someone had posted a sign on the road, reading "For Rufus: Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" with an arrow pointing to their house. We laughed when we saw it, thought it was adorable, etc.
Ate Thai food, delicious cookies, discussed Rufus with various people. Ran into Enoch, and Ming Wu. (People from other shows!) I made some Rufus friends when I grabbed my spot right at the front of the crowd. We discussed him and how great he is! This isn't a common-enough occurence in my day-to-day life, you know.
Playing right before him was Odetta, who was simply fantastic.
Then there was Rufus.
Oh, Rufus.
He started off his set in true Rufus fashion (i.e. by blowing my mind) with Danny Boy, which I have always always always wanted to hear live, but never thought I would. Then right into The Maker Makes which made me shriek, another song I hadn't been expecting to hear.
Setlist:
He was joined for If Love Were All and Quand Vous Mourez de Nos Amours by his mother, and then again for Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
His new song Zebulon was adorable and I must look for a bootlegged copy of it. Of the title character, he said, "Zebulon was a very attractive friend of mine - who I'm hoping to meet again, through this song."
Which brings me to my standard Quotes section of this entry, actually.
Quotes:
"Yeah, so there's so many bugs up here, and... if only bugs bought albums. Wow."
"Before the show, I went to the bathroom and I was followed into the bathroom by a bunch of teenage boys. It was the high point of my career! I felt like a congressman."
"I was a folk circuit partier... if you're gay, that's a funny thing."
[Talking about a folk festival he sung in when he was a kid, and an old, now-offensive song he had to sing.] "One of the lines was 'tis summer, the darkies are gay.'"
"So, the bug thing is really interesting. I feel like I'm in a Björk video."
"There's so many bugs in my mouth." [He then spits on stage, and proceeds to grab a towel and wipe it up.]
[When Kate is about to play the piano for his song, and specifies that she hopes the song is in E.] "I hope it's in E, too." [This, of course, in that very specific Rufus way that makes everything fabulous. Y'know, that way!]
One of the highlights of the show for me was, of course, during Hallelujah, when Rufus forgot the lyrics - and I thought through them quickly in my head, and shouted, "YOUR FAITH WAS STRONG!" He picked up from there, and then, a couple of verses later, forgot again. I tried to repeat my earlier magic, by yelling, "MAYBE I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE," but Rufus continued to look unsure. So I shouted it again (accompanied by my mother and by Rose), and then Rufus simply said, "I just did that one!" Ha, whoops. So I thought for another second, "THERE WAS A TIME." This was the right answer. He continued on, and I felt happy for making a difference - even if I did embarrass myself in front of so many people. WHATEVER.
He's so pretty. Did I mention that? Probably! I do, quite often! He was stubblier (ha, made up words) than I've ever seen and he was gorgeous and I was right up front and got so many fabulous photos. Which is good, as I took 280 before I edited post-concert. HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS!
Yeah, that's a lot of photos.
---
After the show, I declared it Leslie's Mission To Meet Rufus #7 (#s 1, 3 and 4 had been successful, #2 and 5 hadn't, and #6 had ended in no encounter with Rufus as such, but at least having him come and apologize to those of us waiting because he was due at a party and didn't have that time - and then that moment wherein I swore he'd made eye contact with me and he'd smiled, as if in recognition, as if he recognized me eight months after I'd last spoken to him) and Mom, Em, Rose and I headed to where I expected would be the best place to meet him, a few other fans in tow.
Upon our arrival at the particular gate in question, I stood and spoke to some of the fans I'd met before the show. One girl had me show her friend/sister/whatever the plushie I'd made, and they both exclaimed over how cute it was.
Enter Folkfest Volunteer Who Just Wants To Mess Everyone's Shit Up©. What a miserable woman she was, not saying anything when we first arrived at our destination and shortly thereafter clearing us off the paved section where we were standing because of a vehicle's upcoming arrival. This itself was fair - but it became progressively less so as she told us that no, we had to get off the grass there as well. We just had to leave, "he doesn't want to see anyone," etc., etc.
While I can understand that the lady was trying to do her job, there are much more effective ways of approaching these things. If you're a bitch, people are just going to want to rebel, sweetheart! So when she told us again, more directly this time, that we had to leave, and I told her that I had something I wanted to give to Rufus, and she told me that was "too bad", and that she couldn't do anything for me, and I could see Rufus nearby speaking to one of his roadies, I did something pretty crazy.
I yelled, "Rufus!"
His head turned, he looked at me, and then he wandered into the tent. There was that moment of dread like, "Oh god, I've gone too far/scared him away/etc." Meanwhile, Bitch Volunteer is freaking the heck out, telling me, "Ma'am, you have to leave," and telling me I can't do that, the yelling thing. Sorry, lady, I just did.
Those of us waiting moved back with the gates as they were moved ('cause they definitely moved them), and I muttered a rather rude word under my breath, in reference to the woman who was on enough of a power trip that she didn't know how to reasonably deal with other human beings. (Because I am, for all my faults, a fairly reasonable person. I am reasonable if others are reasonable, even in my most obsessive times.) And we waited, because we'd done what they'd made us do, but we were going to wait until we saw the van drove away and knew Rufus was gone. This is a mindset common among Rufus fans, and a reason that I love being a part of this particularly special group of people. And we waited.
And then we saw Rufus. Yes, really. He came out wearing a rather spectacular fedora, headed right for me. Right in front of me. I apologized immediately for my having called out his name but he seemed willing to let this go, didn't seem at all bothered by the display. I handed him his plushie, he looked at it and asked, nicely, "Is it me?" My mother jumped in here, saying, "Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk," and I agreed. He looked at me, "It's beautiful." I thanked him, and he handed the doll over to his roadie accompaniment.
I had just asked for a photo with him and had him agree when an old friend of his came over and they had a chat. Such a thing to witness, Rufus speaking to someone he knew and hadn't seen for years, apparently. The man introduced Rufus to his boyfriend, asked about Rufus's own boyfriend Jörn, and they kissed each other on either cheek. Once this exchange was done, I took a photo of Rufus and I. I adore the result, but it makes me laugh a ridiculous amount. It just looks like a photo of me that just happens to have my favourite person in the background. Oh, how did that happen?
(Also, Rufus! He's so adorable in this picture, amirite? Also, every picture ever, except for the ones where he's stunningly gorgeous. It's always one or the other!)
Mom was quick to get her own picture with him, of course, as were Rose and Em.
Rufus carried on taking photos with fans, signing things, talking to people, etc. Then it occurred to me, as it does: I hadn't had my customary hug. I like my Rufus hugs. They are, for me, an essential part of the Rufus experience. So, when I had a chance, I asked him if I could have a hug. He was quick to comply, and his hug was, as always, spectacular. There's something so impressive about a musician who's quick to give his fans good hugs, full-on hugs with back stroking and all, with no hesitation whatsoever.
Of course, no one else had thought to ask for a hug, and so this started a flurry of them. My mother was next in line, just the instant after I'd said, "Okay, this is the last thing, I promise! Could... I get a photo of you with the doll I made?" Rufus agreed to this (♥) and looked to his roadie for the plushie. The result was this:
The hugs carried on, and my concert buddy told Rufus she'd heard good things about his hugs. I said, "Yeah, I've been telling the world how great they are!" and Rufus smiled.
That, and, I guess, various other things. Rufus then had to leave, as the van had shown up, walking away with a "Thank you," and me calling a "Thank you so much!" amidst the flurry of other things fans were calling to him. He, Kate & co. went off, us fans waving and blowing kisses at him. Yes, blowing kisses. It just kind of happens, I guess!
Left in awe of the experience, it was more surprising still when another Folkfest volunteer (not the bitch, but a rather nice young man) started speaking to me and said he was so happy things had worked out the way that they had, that Rufus really hadn't been intending to come out and see fans but he had for us, basically. Asked if he was a Rufus fan, the guy said no, not really, but he had to admit to being impressed at the show - and that he could fully understand that devotion to a musician, he's had that before, he didn't anymore but he would again. Finally, he said, "Fans like you are the reason Rufus came to Ottawa at all." Which just made the conversation, because it made me feel so incredibly special and important and whatnot. I thanked the guy a lot for his words, and Mom, Em, Rose and I headed to the car.
Em was the only one of us who hadn't gotten a hug from Rufus, so I demonstrated what it was like. Hahaha, mindblown brain! The whole car ride back from the show was giddy and ridiculous and amazing.
Like the entire night!
YEAH.
RUFUS.
I decked myself out in a black shirt, black skirt, star-clad scarf, star earrings, star bracelet and the star-shaped brooch I made back in February, pre-New York show. Lots of stars. Because they were released, you see. On May 15, 2007!
Also, I like stars.
I grabbed my camera and my Rufus plushie and off I went, out the door. Walked to my parents' place, where Mom was dressed in completely different attire than my own. I kind of overdress for most things. And love getting dressed up for Rufus shows especially.
Mom and I headed over to Em and Rose's place to pick them up (I bought Em Poses once, for a Christmas present, I think - and she and her sister liked it enough that they then bought Release the Stars, and then bought tickets to see Rufus live. I LOVE WHEN MY ATTEMPTS TO CONVERT PEOPLE TO THE WAYS OF RUFUS ARE 100% SUCCESSFUL!), and they were very excited.
We headed off to the show!, way out somewhere we'd never been! Someone had posted a sign on the road, reading "For Rufus: Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" with an arrow pointing to their house. We laughed when we saw it, thought it was adorable, etc.
Ate Thai food, delicious cookies, discussed Rufus with various people. Ran into Enoch, and Ming Wu. (People from other shows!) I made some Rufus friends when I grabbed my spot right at the front of the crowd. We discussed him and how great he is! This isn't a common-enough occurence in my day-to-day life, you know.
Playing right before him was Odetta, who was simply fantastic.
Then there was Rufus.
Oh, Rufus.
He started off his set in true Rufus fashion (i.e. by blowing my mind) with Danny Boy, which I have always always always wanted to hear live, but never thought I would. Then right into The Maker Makes which made me shriek, another song I hadn't been expecting to hear.
Setlist:
- Danny Boy
- The Maker Makes
- Beauty Mark
- Sanssouci
- Gay Messiah
- Going to a Town
- Vibrate
- Nobody's Off the Hook
- California
- Not Ready To Love
- The Art Teacher
- If Love Were All
- Quand Vous Mourez de Nos Amours
- Zebulon (new!!!!!!!!)
- Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk
- Hallelujah
- Somewhere Over The Rainbow
He was joined for If Love Were All and Quand Vous Mourez de Nos Amours by his mother, and then again for Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
His new song Zebulon was adorable and I must look for a bootlegged copy of it. Of the title character, he said, "Zebulon was a very attractive friend of mine - who I'm hoping to meet again, through this song."
Which brings me to my standard Quotes section of this entry, actually.
Quotes:
One of the highlights of the show for me was, of course, during Hallelujah, when Rufus forgot the lyrics - and I thought through them quickly in my head, and shouted, "YOUR FAITH WAS STRONG!" He picked up from there, and then, a couple of verses later, forgot again. I tried to repeat my earlier magic, by yelling, "MAYBE I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE," but Rufus continued to look unsure. So I shouted it again (accompanied by my mother and by Rose), and then Rufus simply said, "I just did that one!" Ha, whoops. So I thought for another second, "THERE WAS A TIME." This was the right answer. He continued on, and I felt happy for making a difference - even if I did embarrass myself in front of so many people. WHATEVER.
He's so pretty. Did I mention that? Probably! I do, quite often! He was stubblier (ha, made up words) than I've ever seen and he was gorgeous and I was right up front and got so many fabulous photos. Which is good, as I took 280 before I edited post-concert. HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS!
Yeah, that's a lot of photos.
---
After the show, I declared it Leslie's Mission To Meet Rufus #7 (#s 1, 3 and 4 had been successful, #2 and 5 hadn't, and #6 had ended in no encounter with Rufus as such, but at least having him come and apologize to those of us waiting because he was due at a party and didn't have that time - and then that moment wherein I swore he'd made eye contact with me and he'd smiled, as if in recognition, as if he recognized me eight months after I'd last spoken to him) and Mom, Em, Rose and I headed to where I expected would be the best place to meet him, a few other fans in tow.
Upon our arrival at the particular gate in question, I stood and spoke to some of the fans I'd met before the show. One girl had me show her friend/sister/whatever the plushie I'd made, and they both exclaimed over how cute it was.
Enter Folkfest Volunteer Who Just Wants To Mess Everyone's Shit Up©. What a miserable woman she was, not saying anything when we first arrived at our destination and shortly thereafter clearing us off the paved section where we were standing because of a vehicle's upcoming arrival. This itself was fair - but it became progressively less so as she told us that no, we had to get off the grass there as well. We just had to leave, "he doesn't want to see anyone," etc., etc.
While I can understand that the lady was trying to do her job, there are much more effective ways of approaching these things. If you're a bitch, people are just going to want to rebel, sweetheart! So when she told us again, more directly this time, that we had to leave, and I told her that I had something I wanted to give to Rufus, and she told me that was "too bad", and that she couldn't do anything for me, and I could see Rufus nearby speaking to one of his roadies, I did something pretty crazy.
I yelled, "Rufus!"
His head turned, he looked at me, and then he wandered into the tent. There was that moment of dread like, "Oh god, I've gone too far/scared him away/etc." Meanwhile, Bitch Volunteer is freaking the heck out, telling me, "Ma'am, you have to leave," and telling me I can't do that, the yelling thing. Sorry, lady, I just did.
Those of us waiting moved back with the gates as they were moved ('cause they definitely moved them), and I muttered a rather rude word under my breath, in reference to the woman who was on enough of a power trip that she didn't know how to reasonably deal with other human beings. (Because I am, for all my faults, a fairly reasonable person. I am reasonable if others are reasonable, even in my most obsessive times.) And we waited, because we'd done what they'd made us do, but we were going to wait until we saw the van drove away and knew Rufus was gone. This is a mindset common among Rufus fans, and a reason that I love being a part of this particularly special group of people. And we waited.
And then we saw Rufus. Yes, really. He came out wearing a rather spectacular fedora, headed right for me. Right in front of me. I apologized immediately for my having called out his name but he seemed willing to let this go, didn't seem at all bothered by the display. I handed him his plushie, he looked at it and asked, nicely, "Is it me?" My mother jumped in here, saying, "Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk," and I agreed. He looked at me, "It's beautiful." I thanked him, and he handed the doll over to his roadie accompaniment.
I had just asked for a photo with him and had him agree when an old friend of his came over and they had a chat. Such a thing to witness, Rufus speaking to someone he knew and hadn't seen for years, apparently. The man introduced Rufus to his boyfriend, asked about Rufus's own boyfriend Jörn, and they kissed each other on either cheek. Once this exchange was done, I took a photo of Rufus and I. I adore the result, but it makes me laugh a ridiculous amount. It just looks like a photo of me that just happens to have my favourite person in the background. Oh, how did that happen?
(Also, Rufus! He's so adorable in this picture, amirite? Also, every picture ever, except for the ones where he's stunningly gorgeous. It's always one or the other!)
Mom was quick to get her own picture with him, of course, as were Rose and Em.
Rufus carried on taking photos with fans, signing things, talking to people, etc. Then it occurred to me, as it does: I hadn't had my customary hug. I like my Rufus hugs. They are, for me, an essential part of the Rufus experience. So, when I had a chance, I asked him if I could have a hug. He was quick to comply, and his hug was, as always, spectacular. There's something so impressive about a musician who's quick to give his fans good hugs, full-on hugs with back stroking and all, with no hesitation whatsoever.
Of course, no one else had thought to ask for a hug, and so this started a flurry of them. My mother was next in line, just the instant after I'd said, "Okay, this is the last thing, I promise! Could... I get a photo of you with the doll I made?" Rufus agreed to this (♥) and looked to his roadie for the plushie. The result was this:
The hugs carried on, and my concert buddy told Rufus she'd heard good things about his hugs. I said, "Yeah, I've been telling the world how great they are!" and Rufus smiled.
That, and, I guess, various other things. Rufus then had to leave, as the van had shown up, walking away with a "Thank you," and me calling a "Thank you so much!" amidst the flurry of other things fans were calling to him. He, Kate & co. went off, us fans waving and blowing kisses at him. Yes, blowing kisses. It just kind of happens, I guess!
Left in awe of the experience, it was more surprising still when another Folkfest volunteer (not the bitch, but a rather nice young man) started speaking to me and said he was so happy things had worked out the way that they had, that Rufus really hadn't been intending to come out and see fans but he had for us, basically. Asked if he was a Rufus fan, the guy said no, not really, but he had to admit to being impressed at the show - and that he could fully understand that devotion to a musician, he's had that before, he didn't anymore but he would again. Finally, he said, "Fans like you are the reason Rufus came to Ottawa at all." Which just made the conversation, because it made me feel so incredibly special and important and whatnot. I thanked the guy a lot for his words, and Mom, Em, Rose and I headed to the car.
Em was the only one of us who hadn't gotten a hug from Rufus, so I demonstrated what it was like. Hahaha, mindblown brain! The whole car ride back from the show was giddy and ridiculous and amazing.
Like the entire night!
YEAH.
RUFUS.