I wanted to recap my concert experience for y'all -- I'll try to post a photo later. It's late and I have a headache!

My friend Tracy and I attended the Red Hot & Boom Concert in Altamonte Springs today. I had not been to Crane's Roost Lake Park before, and didn't know what to expect. The park encircles a lake and the stage is actually set out over the lake, probably a good 100 feet from the shore, connected by a boardwalk. There is a broad crescent-shaped plaza in front of the stage, with some tiered viewing areas just beyond that.

We arrived around 1 p.m. and found that the viewing area still had some good spots. We sat directly behind a couple on the flat portion of the plaza, just behind the railing. We brought folding chairs, and I had a clip-on umbrella for shade. It was HOT until around 4 p.m. when clouds started rolling in. It sprinkled for about an hour, the temperature dropped and the wind kicked up, but we had no torrential rain or lightning. YEEEEAAA! And the cooler air was a wonderful break. I kept dry with my umbrella (ella, ella, eh, eh, eh).

Various acts performed: Melissa Jimenez, Saving Jane, Rooney, Kat DeLuna, The Click Five, Lloyd, Katharine McPhee, and ELLIOTT!!! Elliott wasn't scheduled to perform until 9 p.m., so we had quite a wait. Some people sitting near us told us that the radio station (XL 106.7) was doing some interviews at another location in the park, so Tracy and I found the location and were told that Elliott was scheduled to be interviewed at 8:00 p.m. I headed over there around 7:30. Katharine had completed her interview and was giving autographs and taking photos with the fans. I didn't have a clear view of her and decided instead to stake out a spot at the railing to see Elliott. I did see one familiar-looking guy standing nearby and finally realized that it was Kat's boyfriend (I forget his name). 8:00 came and went, and The Click Five came up after their performance (I was surrounded by screaming teens and feeling a bit guilty for holding on to my front-row position). Finally, when I was about to give up, there was Elliott walking on stage, just a few feet away from me!!

I got some photos but they're not very good. My flash didn't go off for some, a couple are blurry, and the others have "demon eyes" so I'll need to do some work on them and will post one or two later. The interview was pretty typical -- no groundbreaking info. I don't think they broadcast it live but couldn't tell for sure. I'm thinking that they might have recorded it for playback later. I'll have to check the website. Unfortunately, they had to whisk him away to perform so there was no meet & greet opportunity (sigh). But this was more than I expected, so I was pleased to see him "up close."

Elliott was wearing a plaid shirt layered over a t-shirt, with dark jeans. He was also wearing a baseball cap with the letter M on the front. He looks like he hasn't had contact with a razor for a few days and has a serious neck-beard going on. His hair is also getting REALLY long. I'm hoping that he gets a shave and trim before the Capitol Fourth special tomorrow!

Elliott came on stage around 9:10 (they would transport the musicians via a boat). He followed Lloyd (hip-hop singer) who was pretty high-energy, dancing, getting the audience to respond. When Elliott came out, he sat on a stool (!) and introduced Eli Rise (sp?) on piano and Tony Reyes on guitar. As you can imagine, the energy level in the audience dropped considerably, but Elliott's voice was strong and he nailed every song he sang. I wish he'd had a longer set but the fireworks were scheduled for 9:30. He started with Movin' On, then sang Find a Way, You Take My Breath Away, and ended with Wait for You. Short but worth it!

The problem with this venue is that the stage is so far from the audience, with water in between. The performer can't really hear the audience feedback (applause, cheers), as several comments were made about this earlier in the day. They're discouraged from using the boardwalk, as there is a delay with the sound system. So while I'm glad I got as close as I did, it was not a great venue. I am looking forward to seeing Elliott in a REAL concert venue when he continues his tour this fall!!

thanks for the recap!

Thanks for the info Cathy. Looking forward to your pictures.
Hope your headache is better.

Great recap! :elliottcap:

Thanks for taking the time even though you have a headache.
Hope you feel better tomorrow!

Thanks for the recap. Too bad that you could not get closer to Elliott. Maybe next time. Hope that your headache has gone away.

There is a link to video of WFY posted in the pinned thread from yesterday. (Pinned in Updates and News section.) Elliott is walking around during WFY. Elliott and his downsized band sounded great on the song. I hope more videos from the event turn up.

Thanks for the recap Cathy. BTW I posted a link in the Red Hot & Boom thread in Update & News that your recap was here. :elliottcap:

Thanks for the recap! :fireworks:

I did shoot some video -- not full songs, just short snippets. It's in Quicktime and I need to figure out how to post it (I'm a newbie with stuff like that).

BTW, I woke up and STILL have the headache -- I think it was the heat -- I'm just not used to spending that much time outside in the middle of the day. I drank about three bottles of water while I was there!

Thanks for your recap Cathy. I'm glad the weather held up for you. Too bad you were so spread out. They should have had a big jumbotron or something. Hope to see your pics.

Thanks for the recap...Hope you headache goes away!

sounds like an abbreviated set...how many songs did the others get to sing?
WFY is a well known, well loved bonafide hit, given the audience's reaction.

I'm sure Elliott's beard will be nice and trimmed for D.C...... a haircut? Not too sure about that one, but hopefully the stylist will do his/her job right. This is a more refined audience (hey, it's PBS!), but it's also a program with broad appeal. I still can't wait to hear him backed by the National Symphony.

Cathy,

Thanks so much for the recap.

That you for the recap. I hope you feel better. Heat will give you a terrible headache. Get some rest.

Thanks for the recap.. Hope your head feels better!

I really enjoyed your recap. Thanks. Always nice to know what songs were sung and the set up. I heard 150,000 were there. Did it look that huge to you? Or was this the number for the entire city/grounds? (sounds more like it)

Hope you get to feeling better today. Can't wait for pics and movies.

Oh on those *.mov movies... you can directly upload them to youtube. Youtube will convert them just fine.

Cathy Thank you...Hope you Feel Better !

Thanks for the recap, and I'm sorry to hear you still have your headache.

Loved to hear about everything you wrote, except for the neck beard thing. Not a fan of neck beards. Hope it's not there for tonight. If it is still there, oh, well, I guess I'll just get over it!

Feel better soon!

My head's feeling much better, thanks! I'm working today because there is a family visiting WDW this week (who have a LOT of money) who are doing a family trivia game at the PI Comedy Warehouse tonight. I'm operating the show graphics, so I'm here in the office doing some final prep.

I've posted a few pics from his interview session in the Concert Pictures folder:

http://etrainstation.com/index.php?showtopic=12696

Sorry, they're the best I can do! I've compressed the videos but they're still rather large. I'll see what I can do with them.

I'm glad you're feeling a little better Cathy! Thanks for the recap... I enjoyed reading it. I am happy that you got to go and see Elliott!

Trying to answer a few questions... Elliott didn't make it to the stage until about 9:10 p.m. (I don't think it was his fault since he was whisked away right after his interview) and he only sang four songs. :( I think he might have been planning to close with "A Song for You" but then it was 9:30 and time for the fireworks.

There were a LOT of people there but I have no idea just how many. The viewing area where we watched the concert became VERY congested around 7 p.m. and I could see people all around the lake. We actually left as the fireworks started (I work for Disney and see fireworks all the time so it wasn't a big deal for me) so we could beat the traffic (I've heard traffic exiting that event is a nightmare). The park is just behind a shopping mall and there were people standing in the lot, on top of the garage, etc. It was just crazy. But we did get out of there with NO problem.

Link to podcast of Elliott's excellent interview at Red, Hot & Boom.

http://www.stickontheradio.com/cc-common/podcast.html

Thank you!