Subjective Experience: December 9, 2000

santana is a gutarist first, so this show was 90% music, 10% show. his
band and singers are very
tight. im not familiar with his other work but it seemed like i knew
all the songs he sang so i think 
he only did stuff from his supernatural album on this supernatural
tour. high quality music and
rhythms, all very tight. now the crowd…

the biggest thing about this show for me was the crowd. my seat was
front row terrace far right.
below the rail in front of me was the first main walkway behind the
garden boxes and to my right 
off to the side was the open space for the terrace stairway landing.
the point: there was a time when 
i was standing in this open space groovin to the music looking back
up over maybe 300+ people 
who were just sitting there!!! i was the only one standing and dancing.
99% white folx and it was 
statue land extrordinaire. they were just sitting there as this funky
funky music with all these different 
rhythms blasted from a top notch sound system!!! and because of the
slant of the seating i knew they 
all had a clear view of me too. we’re talking like maybe 4-500 people!

when i first noticed this i got a huge rush, it was kinda overwhelming.
then it tickled me, and i
screamed a laugh of exhilarition. i felt it all thru my body. i was
doing my dance for maybe my
biggest audience and i was on it. i turned and faced the crowd. i felt
it. eyes closed. i would 
open my eyes and glance every so often and it would give me a huge
rush. i knew i was standing 
out because of my ability to let the music move me. move me to a nice
gentle groove. an easy 
sway popping my fingers with smile as i showed the statues how good
the music makes me feel. 
as i showed them how free i was, how uninhibited i was and how happy
i am.

i even got the people around me groovin and dancin. at one point we
clapped in sync to a moderatly
moving  music flow- not to fast, not to slow…the synenrgy was
there, im sure they could feel it.
we were in sync as we clapped. during one of the more sprited faster
moving music moments when 
the crowd got up, a couple of girls came up and started dancing with
me. (my ego digged that cause
i knew the fellas around me saw it). the hispanic girl had her groove
together but the white girl who
probably had a beer or two was trying to follow my steps. it was cool
cause i had seen this before
but i wasnt in a slow it down for the novice mood, she had to keep
up or do her own thing. she
danced to her own groove next to me as i g-rated freaked her and her
friend…

after the show while walking out i felt the finger on my back of somebody
reading my shirt. i turned 
to meet 2 more girls who probably had one or two beers. the three of
us walked arm in arm singing
outloud. as we parted i pointed to the sky to show them jupiter &
saturn. judging by their comments
they may have had 4 or 5 beers, but im sure i got my point across…im
use to p-funk 4 hour shows, 
everlast started after 7 and i was on the return shuttle at 10:30sum’n….
 

these boys are serious deep into sports and we bet on everything from
coin flips to dog races to the time we arrive. there is even usually
bingo 
and one of the highlights for me is to call a couple games. me with
a microphone and a captive audience. i am good and i enjoy it. this
time
they forgot the bingo cards so no game, it was coooool.

we chill in the sportsbook betting horses and college games and
then a few of us will fill a blackjack table. we try to keep a good
positive 
energy at the table with aggressive spirited fun. this is karma and
it helps us
win. this year my favorote dealer was linda. she was the tough kinda
fun. 
the kinda dealer that playfully atagonizes you. i asked her what she
did for 
kicks, she reads. i asked did she read fiction and she said no, she
reads the 
bible…i said “i thought you didnt read fiction.” i didnt say it that
loud but the
whole table heard me and understood my humor…it was quick and cool

the end of my $200 eneded with me and her- one on one, mono on mono. 
she was tough. as i cut the cards with other people still at the table
i called 
her out “my name is jeffery and im not afraid of you. lets do this”
i raised 
and focused my energy and i felt it. my first hand was blackjack, my
second 
blackjack. she got a blackjack too and i looked into her eyes, struggling 
to maintain my focus and concentration. (it was too silly and playful
to be 
too serious). i tried not to get excited. 

im not sure of the actual events, but it was something like the 4th
time she
hit to a 21. i think i had a $20 bet and held a 20. she had a six showing
and 
took like 37 cards to hit 21. that broke me. i screamed “KISS MY ASS!!!” 
loud enough to quiet the casino. it was a true explosion of energy.
it was a 
combination of frustartion, amazement and the relaease of  concentration
and 
focus…after about a second a dealer close by made a playful comment.
the 
charged energy left me and i smiled and did a sheepish “excuse me”
to the
people around me…

linda’s husband came over to see what was going on. i said “he’s probably 
use to this huh?” “the dealers and pit bosses expect this at your table”
my 
intensity gone and back to silly we all laughed…as i left linda said
i was a 
sweetheart and i let her know i enjoyed our experience…she made loosing
fun…

the weather and temperature were perfect. the air was crisp autumn with
a soft moist warmth. the sun made it beautiful and the night retained
that 
pleasant warmth , just being close to the river was very nice and refreshing. 
we used the water taxi to chill and go from the river palms casino
(0 cuties) 
to the flamingo where we finally saw some female proper…
 

it was either this or the west hollywood parade. i chose history. 
gates opened at 4:30, metal detectors and searches. lots of people
but it went fast. my ticket had me in the back but ive worked
enough crowds to do much better, hung out and waited for a break.
background music was  was U2 joshua tree cd “where the streets 
have no name.” 

whoopi goldberg was the main mc and she was good. she got the
gore point across, was funny and very real. she hit the rich white
man issue and the women’s choice issue. she even said the 
“s word.” cher and john cusak did too and they both almost 
used  the “f word.”  lots of other stars; debra messing (i
love her), 
sharon stone, quincy jones, ben affleck (who didnt wanna speak),
ed begley jr, harry hamlin, martin sheen, jesse jackson. jewel 
performed as did joe walsh. 

govenor gray davis spoke. watching him during gore’s speech he 
stood perfectly still, like a statue. he showed signs of life and scanned 
the crowd when gore brought up school vouchers.

rob reiner was the last speaker and he introduced the gores. he was
funny too. he harped on the rich white male thing in the republican
party. he called the republican convention a lets keep black men
from office convention or sumthing like that… 

gores 23 yr old daughter is cute. she is also a very good
speaker, though you get tired of the “i love daddy thing-”
“where was mommy?” somebody said. listening to her he did
everything…but she was cute and very articulate…

then gore spoke. it wasn’t hurried, but it was borderline 
mechanical. you could tell he had done this before and that 
he had many more to do. but he was still good…
he had just done leno and was limo’ed to westwood…

key points: 
-republicans are rich white males out for themselves
rob reiner compared the republican convention to a
utah jazz basketball game, all white people in the stands
and a few blacks on the court

-pro choice. busch is anti abortion and will appoint supreme 
court judges that will be on the bench for maybe 40 years-
roe v wade may fall among other things

-school vouchers

the thing that most got me was hearing a bunch of white people 
being anti rich white male (RWM). rob reiner actually gave kudos
by name to every demographic except the WM. it was almost like 
discrimination! he is a RWM and he said he was in the 1% that 
the republicans are planning to give the tax break too but he 
doesnt want it. i remember whoopi on letterman wearing a shirt
that said “whiteboy” and we all know about her and ted danson.
cher is part indian but what about sonny? i know these things
dont really mean much when it comes to the individuals opinion,
but it was very strange to be one of the few blacks in a huge
white audience and hear white people bash other white people!!

dont get me wrong i understand what they mean, i
even had a  scattered
mental burst about it, but it was still very weird…
being a black man in a predominatly white audience and hear 
white people put down other white people. maybe if they used
a better term to describe the particular RWM they meant…

also i thought the tatics used to appeal to voters is not good.
its a very unintelligent way. both parties do this and i think the
whole political system needs revamped. they dont use the best
logic or smartest points. they hit the key issues but they broadcast
them in a very basic “primitive?” way (im tired and cant find the 
words) in fact im gonna stop and maybe finish in the morning…

blackberry didn’t work until gore left
the secret service biys were cool…

the show starts off with rafiki (the witch doctor)
“proclaiming something deep” about the cirlce of life 
and the future lion king. im guessing about her subject 
cause she sang with a deeply spiritual tone, heavy with 
african soul and in an african language (i think).
the first sound from lion king is a black female voice
very exuberantly expressing a gospel flavored,
african styled celebratory release. i felt it through
out my body. this goes into a very soulful african 
type song/chant with a lot of spirit and movement. 
the whole stage then comes alive as performers costumed
as animals make their way to the stage from all over 
the theater…

the pantages theater is a rich, beautiful place. the size 
and huge spaces in the architecture is stunning. high ceilings,
huge stairways, lots to look at and enjoy… 

very very intricate costuming, moving masks.
mechanical attachments creating 4 legged creatures-
(the hyenas were good) very very very clever

kids playing simba and nala as young lions were good.

the dance and the movement of performers and flow
on stage was good. more rhythmic and sensual than
most plays ive seen.

and i loved the black female pride of lions.
the play showed death as a part of life.
it also put modern human feelings in the lion’s social 
situation as humor. even had jokes from current events 
and even a gay joke.

music was very african soulful, tribal maybe. i didnt
get the “god” feeling, but a feeling of oneness with
nature. it felt as if it was more about nature and
life than about a god in the sky. definite african flavor

show seemed to be a black production created under the
rules of a white broadway. there was the black (little 
nala had a little sista in her) and african influence and
flavor but they had that white theatre squeaky cleaness
to it at times. a little less black gospelized and more 
white theatre mainstream. (over enunciating and speaking
with a very clear distinct “white like” tone).

it was very very hard for me to sit still with all
the energy and music and rhythms. the movement and
spirituality of the music was all thru my body and
i wanted to dance celebratory with it.

also i didnt get my $125 orchestra seat. i didnt want
to pay that much so i justified by saying i want sit
back and see the whole stage. back far enough to feel the 
performance as a whole stage, 

during the final bow one of the performers made a 
“commercial” request for donations to charity. he did this
during the standing ovation and the stoppage was kinda 
uncool, kinda ruined the mood…kinda.

started promptly at 8, 20 minute intermisson, ended 11pm.

this was the best stage production
ive seen by far