Jon Peter Lewis - Part 2

Rexburg - Part 2 - Concert and Meet and Greet

Teh Concert 

We got there an hour early to pick up our tickets and wait in line.  The concert wasn't sold out, but we had no idea how the seating would be and we wanted to be reasonably close to the front of the stage.  Waiting in line we noticed there were folks dressed in jeans and all manner of dress that seemed expressly against BYUI dress code.  Wow, so much for all that sturm and drang on the board about what to wear. 

The Offishul Fans were handing out fliers that came in handy when we were getting autographs later.  The flier featured a picture of Jon and this at the bottom of the page: "Draw on Handlebar Moustache for Foreign Flair!".  So of course, we obliged .  Well, Schmanda obliged. (left)  Ha Ha!!! Me Likey!  As somebody smarter said to me, "I love the fact that people who are fans enough to travel hundreds of miles just to see him are also willing to deface him."  I couldn't agree more.

I picked up our tickets and we hung around the lobby until seating began.  It was kind of fun to people-watch at this point.  The Offishul Fans had tables set up and they gave away fliers and free download coupons for Jon's single hoping to get folks signed up for the JPL Newsletter.  I'd bought the single and signed up for the Newsletter long ago.  That makes me a good fan, right?

Finally, we were let into the auditorium which was actually a gym with bleachers.  I worried about the acoustics, but for a gymnasium, they were OK.  We weren't quite sure where to sit--we wound up on the right side kinda near the front.  Some folks who were standing on the floor in front of the stage were shooed back to their seats by staff.  The PA played a nice mix of Van Morrison tunes.  I thought maybe the Van warm-up was a hint that Jon would sing "Crazy Love" that night, but it wasn't to be.  No problem, as he managed to select a real nice mix of originals and covers anyway.

When the concert started, they let folks down on the floor.  I wanted to go down front, so I kinda nudged everybody else into following me.  By the time we got there, we didn't get prime spots, but it was definitely good enough.  And anyway, I'm more the standing-off-to-the-side-with-my-arms-crossed-watching-and-observing type 'o gal than somebody who prefers to be right in the thick of things, so it was all good.  There were some really nice people standing in front of me who were really, really polite when I peeked around them to take some pictures.  Geez, if it were the Avalon in Boston, I would have gotten an elbow in the face, fo' sho'.  In fact, they eventually allowed me to stand in front!  I was continually amazed by the kindness of Rexburg folk.

The ever-observant Inga was impressed by the "Barbie-Doll" get-ups the girls were in.  She thought they looked like something out of a pageant.  I didn't notice this, but apparently, when Jon encouraged everyone to "come on down" to the floor and dance, the couples danced modestly apart as required by school code--except for one couple behind Inga who kept making out.    The girls standing in front of Inga were scandalized!  

The members of Jon's band were:  Ben Mathews -- guitar, Sam Howard -- bass, Danielle Aslett -- drums chick drummer whoo hoo! and Kurt Reeder -- keyboards.  Ben and Sam are permanent members of Jon's band, while Danielle and Kurt were filling in for this particular gig.  Like I already mentioned, they were surprisingly tight and professional for a band that hadn't played much together.  Really, I was expecting garage band quality, but was pleased to find otherwise.

Jon looked great.  He wore the infamous Green Velvet Jacket.  More on that later .  Ben wore a fabulous Beatles T-shirt he later told us Jon gave him. we suspect that this is another Harem T. Evidence--the original T was too large for Jon, and then we found out right after it was sent that Jon already had one.  It would make sense that he'd give a duplicate too-big T to Ben, who it fit quite nicely, btw.   The show was cleverly put together and very well-paced.  There was a nice mix of original tunes and covers that ranged a wide variety of styles showing off Jon's eclectic taste in music.  Jon's vocals sounded kind of ragged at times.  I hope he's taking care of his voice.  Remember when Simon told Jon he needed voice lessons? I agree with him.  Voice training is good, cause proper technique will protect that beautiful voice.

A small disclaimer--I've been listening to pop music for a long time and can be pretty critical.   Seriously, If I met Paul McCartney, (I've been worshipping at the alter of the Beatles since I was a 5 year old) first I'd tell him all the reasons why I love his music. THEN I'd be like "So Paul, what's the deal with Wings? What could you have possibly been thinking?" I'm not kidding .  I don't believe that being a fan equals being uncritical.  Just a little fair warning to those who might find me negative.  Here is a rundown of each song with pictures.

Benny and the Jets - (left) Opening the concert with the cool, retro "Bennie and the Jets" was a very good choice.  I think Jon's voice is well suited to sing Elton's music.  He and the band did an excellent job.

Hard to Handle - (right) Check out the picture!  I kind of chuckled when I heard this song, cause Mr. 6th Place this year, Constantine Maroulis (who I happened to dig) performed this on AI4. I have to say, I prefer Jon's version.  When Con sang this song,  I thought some poor kitties were meeting an untimely demise. -ed note:  I saw Constantine perform this live on the AI4 tour this summer. I have to say his live version was better than Jon's   Featured  were Jon's signature "crazy faces" and dance moves.  Pretty good, but he was just getting warmed up.

Turn To Grey - (below left) Jon's voice is incredible on the recorded version of this song.  However,  I don't like the backup singers or the Casio-flavored backing track very much.  The live version sung with a bit of a rock edge, a real band, and no backup singers sounded terrific. Although Jon's voice was a little ragged on the high notes, I still really dug it.  Jon has an ear for a pretty melody and can turn a nice phrase, as this song proves.

Stories From Hollywood - No pics for the next couple of songs, so random photo ahead. (below right)  Actually, it could be from "Stories from Hollywood" or "What's Wrong", but I can't be sure. "Stories From Hollywood" is my  least favorite of the originals I've heard.  To me, the live version wasn't much of an improvement. Hmmm.  It kind of reminds me of a Billy Joel tune, and me no likey Billy Joel.  I guess I don't have much to say about this song.  I'll be interested to hear the entire recorded version when it makes it's way onto the CD.  ed note: i wrote this in april.  I've since heard the recorded version and i like it a lot. it does not sound like Billy Joel, thank jeebus

What's Wrong - Out of the three original song snippets that were posted at MTV and on the Offishul Website, this song was my favorite.  Even though it doesn't show off his vocal talents like "Turn to Grey", it proves that Jon can rock.  I suppose I just like loud angry music.  Ha!  I absolutely LOVE the guitar riff--great melody--GREAT hook.  And the lyrics--I'm assuming a little dig directed at the "machine"? Heh. The band sounded awesome, with Ben's excellent guitar work leading the way. 

Hoochie Coochie Man - (below right) This is the classic blues tune by Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon.  Jon dedicated it to a friend for her birthday.  Sitting down on stage,  Jon sang, while Ben strummed an acoustic guitar.  This was a good choice to follow the somewhat bluesy "Sweet Talkin" and allowed Jon to show off his lower register, which was pretty damn hot.  He managed a cool mix of humor and sexiness here. 

The concert was great so far, but the next three songs were, well,  unexpected--each for different reasons. 

Ukulele Song  - (below) Jon played ukulele on this self-penned tune. i woulda never guessed  He mentioned he wrote it while in Hawaii.  It's sweet and whimsical, with a melody that sticks in yer head.  Since the tune is way catchy, that's not an unfortunate consequence.  Song is just cute as a button.  Jon may find that description a little embarrassing, but heh, what can I say?   The lyrics include allusions to Superman and Lois Lane and getting married. And it's just adorable.  I was charmed.  It's a chick song, and there's nothin' wrong with that.  SO, at this point, I'm thinking--COOL, he continues to write good songs and he's totally delivering on the promise of that first audition.   If I may digress, please. I thought Jon's audition in Hawaii was awesome.  His round three performance of Tiny Dancer underwhelmed me--but when he came back in the Wild Card with the audacious A Little Less Conversation, I was confident he'd turn out good performances and go deep in the competition.  Unfortunately his Top 12 performances, in my opinion,  never delivered on that initial promise.  I kept waiting for Crazy Love-like greatness, and it never came.   Kill me now, TruFans, but that's my truth.  Back to the present--once I started hearing these original songs, I realized that Hawaii wasn't a fluke, and it wasn't everything.   I suspected as much all along, but standing there in that gymnasium in Idaho, I knew for sure. -ed note: and since april, he's played idaho again and there are more good songs. and his christmas song is excellent...

Luckiest - (below right) I'd never heard this song before.  remember this factoid as I stick my foot in it later on at the meet and greet  This is a Ben Folds song, and he obviously wrote it for someone that he loves very much.  It's an extremely emotional song--and I have to admit I got a little emotional listening to Jon perform it.  The song had Jon, standing at the mike with only piano accompaniment.  I was totally caught up in his heartfelt rendition when--incredibly--the folks around me thought "quiet song" meant "time to talk".   There were a couple of people I seriously wanted to smack.  In the face of rude noisy people, I did manage to keep my focus on this beautiful ballad.  Jon's ability to interpret this deeply moving song was impressive.  He definitely has the ability to get to the bottom of a lyric.  Even his flawed AI performances managed to display some emotional truth. 

I Wanna Be Your Lover -  (below left) Hee.  Ok, is it just me or did anybody else think Jon choosing to sing this particular song at his Very Mormon School was a bit of a tweak?  .  Maybe I'm just too Heathen Harloty for my own good, but that's my conclusion, and I'm stickin' to it.  Regardless, I hope that Jon makes this Prince cover a standard in his live set.  Not only did he play a rad looking red electric guitar, but he sang the entire song in falsetto and he more than pulled it off.  Plus, the facial expressions as he sang every word of this extremely hawt tune were priceless.  PRICELESS.  I was tickled, I tell ya.  Jon, come to the East coast and make sure this song is part of your set.  Oh. and...  Best Guitar Riff EVAH...

A Little Less Conversation - (below right) The obligatory encore would naturally include this crowd-pleasing tune from AI.  Honestly, at this point?  Other than Crazy Love, I'm not really interested in hearing his Idol stuff.  Well, This Old Heart of Mine, maybe, cause that one was my favorite--but I could live without it.  Somebody dug up some old cheerleading sweaters with "Ricks College"--the old name of the school--emblazoned on the front.  The students seemed to get a kick out of that.  This was pretty much Wild Card performance plus parts of the song we didn't see on TeeVee cause Idol versions are abridged.  It was fun.  But I don't care if I ever hear or see him do that song again. -ed note: and I heard that idaho part deux was mostly originals.  he's got so many he doesn't have to recycle the AI tunes.  YAY

Overall, the show was short, but sweet.  The Harem contingent (plus the awesome Inga, of course) rocked their little corner of the gym.  We danced--Schmanda and Yoro did the "Beavis and Butthead" dance -- took tons of photos and whooped appreciatively when we heard something we liked. Some fans screamed. Often. Like 13 year olds. Through every song. Makes it hard to hear the music and that's real annoying. IMHO of course.  At one point, Schmanda held up our "Your Harem is in teh House" sign. Jon saw it--he pointed at us and smiled.  And Snarkin waved her "Ben Matthews Fan Club" sign. Jon seemed to be relaxed, and having much more fun than he ever did on Idol.  He was in his element, and it showed.  It must have been really cool for him to perform live at his old school.

Jon's portion of the concert ended. Sorrow. It was back  to our seats for the 15 minute dance presentation that would end the show.  A group of kids came out to perform, and unfortunately, the recorded music malfunctioned and they had to start over.  Yikes.  The technical crew sorted out the glitches, and thankfully the kids were able to finish their routines.   A couple came out to dance.  They were very good.  The girl was a natural talent--incredibly graceful.  Her partner was impressive too.  The Pr0m was scheduled to start at the end of the performance.  But, suddenly, an Offishul Fan appeared in our section and she motioned us to follow her.  Heh. For a moment, we thought we were being removed from the premises.   But actually.... 

Teh Meet and Greet

....we were led through a side door, up some stairs and down a hall to a small rectangular shaped room with a couch along the wall and some chairs scattered around.  Jon was sitting on a counter in the front of the room.

He addressed us all, thanking the travelling fans for making the effort.  Then he asked what original songs we liked best, and the consensus seemed to be "Ukulele Song", which was actually one of my favorites.  Then, like a complete dumb-ass I piped up with "Luckiest" and he very nicely said "nooooo that's a Ben Folds song, but it is really beautiful"  Yeah, go ahead laugh at me now.   I thought Jon wrote a Ben Folds song.  And I'm supposed to be like, Miz Music Fan. Inga told Jon that since she wasn't a fan of  AI, she didn't think she'd enjoy the concert--but then it was way better than she expected.  Yoro mentioned later she thought his face fell a little at that point.  Awww, Jon, that was a compliment.  Really!

Moving right along.  Snarkin and I start peppering him with questions, cause we're like that.   Are you looking for a label, or will you release the record on your own?   He's looking for a label.  He may have a meeting with Clive Davis later in the month when he gets more music together.  Are you going on tour?  Yes, he'll tour, probably when he has a label.  Will you do a tour in the Northeast?  The band's bass player is from New York--the band could very well end up doing a gig there.  Inga asked him who he's still in touch with from AI?  He'd just spoken to Lynn Stevens (John Steven's mom).  He was supposed to be in the Idol audience the previous week, but had a scheduling conflict. 

After our eleventy-billion questions, which Jon patiently answered, the subject of clothing came up.  Somebody mentioned the fabulous and legendary Green Velvet Jacket (Elton John night, Pre-Finale show AI) and all agreed it was truly awesome.  At that point, I'm not sure what got into me, but I blurted out, very tongue-n-cheek I might add, "Would you mind if I touched your jacket?" I was like "I reaaally want to touch your jacket"   and he was like "Sure" so I stepped up and very gingerly touched the sleeve of his jacket--which he was still wearing.  And then I was all "OMG I'll never wash my hand again!!11!" and giggling.  The crowd seemed to enjoy that.  Hee.  At one point, one of the teen-aged girls said, "He's not a pet at the petting zoo!" From then on, we referred to "petting the jacket"  Good stuff.  After, I mentioned the yellow (barf) outfits the top 12 were forced to wear for the finale. The Harem agreed that we loved the big finale medley purely for it's cheesy goodness.  He laughed and said the fugly yellow outfits were Ken Warwick's idea.  Then he added that he liked the t-shirt, and wore it later.  I started to say "oh yeah, you wore it on the Seacrest show the next day..." I stopped myself, a little horrified, and said, "uhh, really, I don't have all your outfits memorized."  He laughed and said, "that's ok." Yikes. I sounded damb craxy right there!

Inga asked Jon where he got the Rolling Stones shirt he was wearing.  I mentioned that it might have been a gift from one of our Harem girls and then an Offishul Fan mentioned that she thought it was a PenPal gift.  And then poor Jon looked sort of flustered and was all, "I LIKE ALL FAN T-SHIRTS.  I just pick up whats on the floor."  Very diplomatic.  And I have no doubt that's probably true.  Remember I said there was tension between teh Harem and the Official Fans?  Well, as I was making the t-shirt remark, apparently one of them started mimicking me.   And I know this cause she was loud enough that one of the chicas heard it clearly.  Ooooh, Official Fans bringin' the snark!  And, I was led to believe they were all about teh Joy! Peace! and Love!  And totally above that sort of thing... Guess not!  Damb, I said I was sorry about that dang picture...GEEZ!   

After Jon addressed  the crowd, folks queued up to get pictures and autographs.  At some point I wandered to the back of the room to talk to Ben, who was awesomely awesome.  He signed Snarkin's "Ben Matthews Fan Club" sign.  Here's a pic. (right). We chatted a bit about a mutual friend, and member of the Harem, enjolras.  Then we talked about music, specifically a few bands we both enjoyed--the Strokes and the Fountains of Wayne. Then he graciously posed for a picture with me ("You're just my size,"  he said to me.  I'm sure he was referring to my height ) Here's the pic. (below left) Heads up, I'll be cropping or pixilating myself out of these pictures.  Don't worry, you aren't missing a thing.

Autographs.  Jon didn't have a pen He didn't have a PEN??? WHAT?? Har. Did you know that Johnny Depp was once a pen salesman?  It's true! Uhhm, anyway.  Yoro "lent" him her sharpie meaning she didn't get it back--a souvenir for Jon for the autographs.

My turn came, and I handed him my little flier to sign and he asked me my name.  When I told him he stopped for a second, turned to me and said "I really like your letters" !!!  Ok, I wasn't expecting that.  Inga's all "What letters?" and I'm like "Shut up Inga" .  Ok, I sent him a few letters.  I mean it. Shut. Up. Inga!  I sent him a note when "Turn to Grey" was released.  I might send one after this trip. ed note: I did. It was cool that he remembered, and I was really relieved that he actually liked them, because my notes are my usual Harem mix of snark and observations--both positive and negative.  So there you go.

He signed my little flier thingy.  First he signed his name, and then wrote a little note.  Then he signed it again, you know, forgetting that he had just signed it like 2 seconds ago.  He realized his momentary spaciness--duh--and wrote "just in case" next to the second signature. Just in case what? That cracked me up.   Here is a pic of the autographed flier. (below right) 

Jon posed for a picture with me.  Inga took one with her camera, and then somebody grabbed my camera and took another. I wasn't ready, so I said "I looked weird. Take another picture!"  And then Jon said "So did I."  That was cute, 'cause I'm pretty sure he wasn't humoring me. Here are both pictures. I do think the second picture is better (I look better too).  You can decide for yourself.   (below left, 1st pic, below right, 2nd pic)

Inga piped up and insisted that she must have a picture of the Green Velvet Jacket Touching.  Jon gamely consented to a Dramatic Reenactment of the Big Moment.  Again, I'm cropped out of the picture (below left). I attempted to look all sarcastically mock-swoony, but just couldn't stop laughing.  Jon had no problem recreating the "exciting!" moment.  And as you can see from his expression in the picture (below left), he played right along. What a sport! At this point, most everyone was laughing.  And, everybody who wanted, got to touch teh jacket.  The requests continued, even after we left the room.  

Here is what one Haremite had to say after meeting Jon.  I culled these remarks from extensive interviews I conducted after the trip:

Yoroshiku: "So I show up with my poster the beavis and butthead poster from Part 1 and he goes, 'Oh I think I saw this one before,' and I said more condescendingly than I'd hoped 'Yes, you did, in Manchester.'  So I told him he was Butt-head by default since Johnny is Beavis.  He said he and John had a laugh about it backstage and I said, "YESSSSS!" So he autographed his pic, then Butt-head's pic, and then I asked him to write "Nachos Rule".  Which he did, and then the showoff wrote it in Spanish too.   I didn't want his picture, but he insisted...."  Yoro got her picture taken with Jon, and it's adorable.  Ditto for Schmanda, who had met him once before in Hershey PA, and despite a bad headache, took a really cute picture.

"Nachos Rule" in Spanish?   Los Nachos Son Los Mejores 

Snarkin might have had the funniest line of the night.  A young girl asked Jon if he would take her to her school dance.  Jon got embarrassed, sputtered for a bit, then asked her if it was high school or college (I couldn't believe he was taking the question so seriously, but I think he was caught off guard and was trying to be kind).  He finally said that he wouldn't be comfortable at a high school dance--that he would feel out of place.  So then there's this dead sorta awkward silence in the room, and Snarkin pipes up "OK, then Jon, will you come to the senior citizen dance with me?"  The room erupted.  

Oh, and at one point, Jon mentioned that he was a "micro-manager".  That sent at least one Offishul Fan into major spasms.

Jon was swell.  He took the time to speak and take pictures with anybody who was interested. The room was small and overheated, but he stuck around and was very patient.  That was cool.  On my way out, I made sure to thank all the responsible parties. The Offishul Fans could have easily left us out.  well maybe not.  we chicas like to bitch.   Regardless, there were some real nice people on the other side, and I did appreciate that.

Dinner, and teh Harem Hangs Out

On our way out we ran into Ben, who was with a friend.  They were also heading out. He introduced himself to Yoro, who he hadn't met yet and introduced us to his friend. Inga made a joke about Ben's "Offishul Fan Klub" leaving and everybody laughed.  It was 9:30 and we hadn't had dinner yet, so we asked him what restaurants might still be open. He spent quite a few minutes detailing all the various places we could go.  And then, like the heathens we are, we asked if he knew a place that sold alcohol.  As it happened, Ben knew of the one place in town that sold alcohol.  Ben Matthews--a heathen's friend.  Oh, in case your wondering--Ben read it in a newspaper. 

Once again, I found myself driving around Rexburg in a confused state--thank God for unconfused Harem chicas.  Finally we settled on a family-style restaurant.  The wait-staff there was extremely nice.  I prolly had a hamburger and french fries.  We ate, re-hashed our fun-filled evening, talked to the staff about the concert and then drove back to the hotel.  As soon as I got back I realized I'd left my camera at the restaurant.  ARRRGGHHH.  So, after dropping the chicas off, I drove back to retrieve it.  Wouldn't ya know, the nice waiter was right there with my camera!  Rexburg people are definitely cool. 

Back at the hotel, we hung out in the big room that faced the lobby.  Not quite sleepy yet, we did the girl-talk thang for a few hours.  The Official Fans were out in the lobby.  We could hear them.  They appeared to be having quite a party out there.

On to Part 3

Part 3 - Sunday and Monday
Back to Part 1