I just returned from a whirlwind road trip to Cleveland for the afternoon concert at Cleveland’s Memorial Day Weekend Ribfest. Although the location wasn’t exactly “high rent”, the voice I heard emanating from the speakers more than made up for it. I’ve never been into these types of summertime food festivals, that celebrate everything from Greek cuisine to Apple Butter, so there had better be a good reason for me to make an effort. Of course, we all had a good reason to be there, with the man himself performing his hits new and upcoming, and giving us an hour of entertainment between afternoon thunderstorms.

Did you know that Elliott has sold more CDs in Cleveland than any other city?! Obviously, the birthplace of modern rock music knows good stuff when they hear it. Elliott revealed this little fact between songs. Another small honor for us Buckeyes aboard the E-Train!

I would say the crowd was over 1000. Young, older, kids, seniors...every age group represented. It was probably 80% female, as expected. There were two four hundred seat sections, mostly full except for the occasional empty seat (which I assume were unsold scalper tickets or people who simply didn’t make it). I have to admit, I was worried this morning…I had checked Ticketmaster and there seemed to be quite few seats unsold. They appeared to have been devoured by show time, however. There was also a “standing room only” cheap seat section and several table seats near the back of the complex, for those there more for the ribs than the music, and there was quite a bit of enthusiasm from the entire audience and not just those of us lucky to be near the front of the stage. I had fifth row seats near the center…the best seats for any concert in my life. I could see some of the happenings backstage from my vantage point, including a very beautiful Monet Curto dancing along to several of Elliott’s songs. She seems like a dedicated trooper, and that can only mean Elliott is in good hands.

It’s said so often around here, but it bears repeating: Elliott Yamin is one of the best singers around. Period. His comfortableness on stage has improved to the point that he appears to have been doing this for decades, and not just for a couple years. The voice exuded confidence; the strong tenor filling the open-air amphitheater with forceful power, and pure, almost tranquil, vocality. People may pick on him for many things, but one thing they must agree with: the kid can sing.

The band was top-notch, and while sometimes heavy on the backbeat and bass, complemented Mr. Yamin through his set list. The audience responded favorably to every song, but standouts included “Train Wreck”, “One Word”, and Elliott’s rendition of Hathaway’s “Little Ghetto Boy”. “Movin’ On” brought people to their feet, hands in permanent clap mode; while “A Song For You” (or was it “Y’All”?) brought a few to tears. The audience loved Elliott, and he gave back in kind.

Most importantly, Elliott seemed to be having fun. Whether doing a vocal run or riff, or dancing around the stage, or playing with the audience because of a song order mix-up, you can tell he has found great happiness in his life. If finding your gifts and your true calling is one of the secrets of life, then Elliott has found his, by using his god-given instrument to bring a little joy to the world. Good for him.

And good for us!

Great recap OG! The City of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame loves our E! :rocker:

I forgot to mention there were a ton of people wearing Orioles caps! Elliott seemed humored by it.

Buffett has his hawaiian shirts, the Dead have their denim and tie-dyes...do we have our version with the Orioles caps??

Great review!!! I'm glad you brought it all back to us! Save that hat for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - it'll come back to Cleveland one day!

Beautifully written OG thanks for the recap.
:lol: regarding O's caps!

a few more things:

No Josh Hoge there, as we knew. Not sure why. But Elliott seemed to be looking for a background vocalist that never arrived during "Wait For You".

Also saw the band out and about walking the RibFest. Russell seems to have his own following! LOL. No Elliott out and about, of course....he would have been mobbed.

No Weinermobile; someone mentioned he appears to have shaved (I didn't notice....please excuse my manhood for not caring what he looks like...LOL)...
the ushers were in patrol mode....videos will be scarce!...one lady flew all the way from Sweden to be there!!

I was at the Cleveland show too OG (same row as you, 5th seat) and it was AMAZING!!! Yeah, videos will be scarce, someone got busted in the 5th row videotaping the show.

Great recap, OG. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the recap OG... :elliottcap: LOL

This was an open-air venue, correct? How was the weather?

There was some talk earlier of some light showers. Did that ever materialize?

Sk8888

It was an "open air" venue, but it was covered. However, while I encountered rain to and from the concert, the angry storm clouds disappeared for his concert. A miracle answered for 1000 fans!

I was there too, even though I am a Kentucky girl! It was worth the drive just to see (and hear) Elliott!

HE WAS AWESOME!! I've heard him live 3x now, and I am more impressed each time. He did seem so much more comfortable on stage, and WOW was he having fun with it! It was evident that he LOVES what he does, and I LOVE him for doing it. I know he was tired, but I could have listened to him all day!

The weather cooperated and it wasn't super hot, although Elliott was sweating profusely! It had rained right before, but most of the stage was covered, so they just mopped up the wet areas and the show went on!

I was so happy with the fan turnout. There were lots of people with Elliott T-shirts, bought or made, and everyone around me knew the words to all the songs.

I just have one request.....Elliott please come to Cincinnati so I can quit driving all over the place to see you!! Although, I did find out after the fact that he sang at a Reds game last month, but not one radio station advertised it, and I didn't see it on here, so I missed it....DARN THE BAD LUCK!!!!

Loved the recaps. Thanks. Glad that all of you had a good time and that Elliott was having a good time. Great that the weather cleared up in time for the concert.

Great Recaps...Thanks to all of you ! I cannot wait until I finally get to see Elliott !!

Great recap OG. Thanks. Baltimore hats in Indians territory, funny!

Who'd thought this guy could get any better?!

the lady with the kid? he sat right next to me....and was singing along with the E-man.
Great to know some kids have good taste even at such a young age. LOL.

I felt sorry for the lady...obviously a big fan...but some of the ushers were relentless, especially as fans approached the stage to take pictures. There seemed to be an invisible line you did NOT cross. They actually had 2-3 bouncer type guys at the front of the stage. I think the rear standing room crowd may have grown to a size they weren't expecting. Did you ever turn around to see how many people finally came to watch? You could walk right in from the ribfest, which I know was ballooning in numbers as I left the venue. I know they had to ask people to lower their signs, someone made a cruel Bucky sign which got them thrown out, and -according to someone at the SuperDave's rib shack - one woman flashed her breasts at the stage.
Alcohol was abundant, and there were already a few afternoon drunks, so I would not have been surprised.

BTW, people...Elliott obviously likes his ribs...he mentioned them once or twice on stage, and in his MySpace blog. I admit, they were some of the best BBQ ribs I ever had!

Thanks for the recap.....love it!

Great recap, OG. Lots of good info. Sounds like a good time was had by all. I must admit that I am a little jealous that Elliott has sold more CD's there than in Richmond.....oh well, it's all good. :elliottcap: :elliottcap: :elliottcap:

thanks for the recap, OG. I was looking forward to your take on Elliott's concert. Since you gave it such a good review, now I know Elliott has arrived!!! glad you had a great time!!

Thanks for the recap OG! I spoke with estilrose & she told me a group of E fans brought Orioles caps, basically their lil 'tribute' to Elliott. (The lady that flew in from Sweden was w/ estilroses' group). I am guessing it was she & her group you saw wearing the caps? Since I couldn't make the show, I sent my Birthday luck her way & it worked!! She was able to meet Elliott...TWICE, if I understood her excited ramblings correctly! :awe: :rotfl: Were you able to meet him OG?

Prayin like a mad woman that he makes it back to Ohio (SOUTHERN Ohio) on the 2nd leg of the tour! :pray:

That would be the Flipsiders 'Cleveland Contingent'!

nope, didn't get to meet him; my schedule wouldn't have allowed the signing or an after-event anyway. Estilrose got to meet him TWICE? She's a friend of mine; works right around the corner from me. I'll have to get her scoop!

Not sure about the Cleveland sales vs. Richmond sales, but he did say that specifically; said he felt he had great support in Cleveland....something about 'as much support as Richmond'.

RM: we really need to get him to Vets Memorial in Columbus......

Thanks, OG, for the great recap. Same here, I wasn't able to see Elliott face-to-face, although I was dying to. (Like you, I had some pressing business.) But then, at the Bowery, without any ambulance in sight, who knows, I could have met my maker then and there were I to get the fabled Elliott hug.

YES! Shipp flew in from Sweden and was with Estilrose and their group. Another lady flew in from CA. They met Elliott at the Walmart signing and again after the concert. They each wore the Orioles caps too!

:elliottelliott:

I was part of the "Flip Side" Cleveland Contingent. I got my cap signed too and had my son get my cover from the cd signed. I bought him a Cleveland Browns tee shirt that was too big. I asked Russell to give it to Elliott... I noticed the Key Board Guy wearing it. I really got a kick out of it. I thought Elliott said "next to Richmond, Cleveland had the highest CD sale but.... I never get anything right the first time.

hmmm...was it "next to Richmond..." or "sales are as good as Richmond"? There was so much going on, it's hard to recall everything. In any event, Cleveland rocks in sales for the CD!

Estilrose met him twice! Go figure! Did the Flipsiders stake out the tour bus? LOL.

This is crap.... I knew I should have stuck around!!! But no.....stupid me leaves right after the concert! Estilrose pointed you out to me ...you had on green right?

yep, that was me.... green OU shirt and a huge smile on my face-- for scoring better seats than estilrose! LOL

Did you do better than Row A seat 7? Ha Ha :rocker:

:P

The Cleveland Contigent? LOVE it!! How big was your group?

OG, Vets Memorial would ROCK! :rocker:

The Flipsiders were wearing the Orioles hats. I'm sure they'll have great stories to tell!

I've been waiting to hear from Ohioguy and the others who attended this event. Thanks for the good posts and stories. I wish I could have been there but my day is coming on June 8th. I also post on FlipSide so I was aware of the FlipSide Contingent coming with their hats. I hope he got a big kick out of that! :elliottcap:

On idolforums there's a terrific recap from a fan who was in Cleveland, and not only went to the autograph signing (really detailed description of what it was like) and concert, but also got tickets to a private dinner with Elliott and his band, where E. sang a couple songs and answered fan's questions. She also has great pics! Anyway, here is the link:

Cleveland recap

Can someone please pm me a link to the flipside?
Thanks!

dang! Now THAT'S an experience! Good for her.

Wow, that really was something! What a day she had.

What a memorable day for a couple of Elliott fans! Thanks for sharing the link.

My seats were close to some of you as well at Cleveland. I was in the 4th row. I posted a few pictures in the concert pictures thread to share.

http://etrainstation.com/index.php?showtopic=11947

B)

I'm back!! Finally! I can't really add anything to OG's recap of the concert, he's just unbelievable live!

My Flipside buddies and I got to the Wal-Mart about 8:30am and there were only 4 people in front of us. After hanging out and getting to know each other face to face for 3 hours, Elliott made his way passed the line to his table for the signing. As he passed our group wearing identical Orioles hats (only cleaner), he grinned and pointed at them approvingly. We only got to have him sign 1 item per person and the only one who got a hug and personal pic was our girl from Sweden, for obvious reasons! After making a fool of myself "I just love you so much"! (I'm usually a very intelligent person), we made our way to Ribfest. Ohioyaminiac, you were standing right beside my friend. We were 5th row seats 6 and 7.

After the concert, my Cleveland Contingent found, "saw" Elliott standing by his bus talking to his people so we made our way to the other side out by the gate. BTW-OG, turn your cell on!!! I tried to call you to tell you where we were going! LOL!! Anyway, there was about 5 people standing across the street from the bus and the security guard told us he was coming across to talk to a lady on crutches there. Elliott made his way over and was super with everyone. He stood with a huge smile on his face posing with about the 15-20 people that had gathered and even changing angles for the multiple cameras. Our Swede made joke that she was the Swedish paparazzi-he got a kick out of that. I joked about my friend's ample bosom taking over her pic with him and he really laughed at that. Even after complaining about how stupid I sounded at Wal-Mart, I still only managed an "I love you, great show today"!!! I'm such a fangirl!!