So I was in NY Today.....

[Tusk]

If you're looking for "Just the Facts" Ma'am, you've come to the wrong place.....(mostly because my memory sux as I've said )

The night was FAN-FRICKING-TASTIC

OK...."Que Sera Sera"...Everything happens for a reason. Let me explain

This leg of the journey started when the date for Ticket Sales for Carnegie was announced. I realized that I might be at the airport or on my way home from Chicago, I might not be able to get tickets...I assumed they would fly out the window....sold out before I could get home. Luckily, there were a few Haliens I knew I could trust. Haleyholic was one. I PM'd her and asked for a HUGE favor... I knew she was one of Haley's big Jazz fans, so I knew she was going...we had sort of promised each other way back when that we would. So this favor..."Could you please get me a ticket and I could pay you back when we're in NY?". Thankfully, she trusted me enough to do this for me.

A few days later, I got a PM back from her..."I couldn't help myself...you should see the tickets I got!! If it's more than you wanted no problem, I'll sell you to them discounted, but I couldnt resist" (Paraphrased). After I asked such a big favor, how could I tell her I would pay less than value. I told her I trusted her judgement. I expected them to be 'pricey' but what it cost wasn't bad at all.

So after some consideration, I decided to buy a 'spy camera'. Against my better judgement, and having read the poor reviews, I bought one anyway. For the record...waste of money .

I arrived in NY at 7 am got shuttled to my hotel, only to find out that they can't check me in until noon...maybe 3 !!!! I had to sit in their lobby for 4 hours +...finally I got a room, and settled in. Found a Starbucks and posted from there. The hotel charges for Wifi. I didn't want to pay another day, today...but my memory sucks, and I wanted to get what I can down before I forget, so I paid for today anyway even though my Shuttle picks me up in 4 hours

I went to Carnegie yesterday to check on my ticket. Haleyholic told me she would give my name to them at will call....they didn't have it!!! and they couldn't confirm the purchase without her here so..... I hurriedly walked back to my hotel to PM her and let her know. She had emailed me and said Carnegie's Will call rules were strict and she couldn't give my name, they would only be released to her ....phew, at least I knew there was a ticket for me. She had to work then take the 1 1/2 hour train ride here, so I gave her my phone number and we would meet, hopefully an hour before the show.

I also noticed Funglaw wanted to meet as he was going to Carnegie as well. We discussed meeting on the Stageit site, but never got together for one reason or other except on the site. We finally got in contact and decided on a meeting place, The Russian Tea restaurant next to Carnegie.

I left for the show early, bought a new jacket...can't look like a bum at Carnegie Hall, and meeting the Reinharts (Another waste of money... I always have a high body heat, so never wore it ) I arrived at our meeting place, called the number he gave me and left a message.... A little embarrassing because I thought Funglaw would be there early for dinner. I guessed he was asian, so I asked if I could check to see if he was in the restaurant. I spotted an Asian couple..."Excuse me, are you Funglaw?" ...they looked up at me with an confused look... Nope, not Funglaw...

So I decided to sit at the bar (we sort of had a loose agreement about our "Reinhart" toast.) So I checked to see if they had the Scotch required.... Very expensive...the oldest version was $48 for a drink!!! BUT they didn't have the cinnamon for the garnish

Funglaw finally called me...I asked if he had time to pick up some cinnamon, but he was already late for his reservation. I don't drink often, but when I do, I drink Maker's Mark on the rocks, splash of water...and settled in.

Soon enough Funglaw showed up with a beautiful date. I told him I was waiting for Haleyholic and he should go have his dinner and we will toast when she gets here. Soon, Haleyholic called, she got the ticket and is settling in, grabbing a bite, then heading down to meet me. When she got to the bar, we had a quick drink, caught up, then went to join Funglaw and his date.

The toast didn't turn out what we thought...Haleyholic just had a drink and wasn't a fan of Scotch, Funglaw's date said, he had drank enough already, and he agreed, he told me he didn't want to fall asleep during the concert. I ordered the drink...it called for 4 oz of the Scotch...Haleyholic said, wait...that's like 4 drinks!! Good catch... I'll just have one shot then (Thank God she was paying attention) So she had a ginger ale, and Funglaw and his date had glasses of wine and we toasted to Haley. I went to pay for the drinks, but Funglaw said he would cover it, and thanks for the T shirt (I gave him my Tshirt (II) This one has the Haley image over the heart in the front as well as the original design on the back).... So we would adjourn to the show, 20 minutes before it started.

Next up....Why I explained about 'everything happening for a reason' and the pay off.

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Part II

So we made our way to our seats...they were amazing. From the diagram, I thought we would be further back but we were 10-15ft from the stage!!

I thanked Haleyholic for her great choice of seats...not too close, just right. The gentleman sitting to my left was also in NY for the first time to see Haley. He came from DC. We talked a bit, I told him I brought some stuff to hopefully give to the Reinharts myself (My Lollapalooza DVD's), that Harry said to say Hi. I started to worry (I'm a worry wart...an overthinker)...If they sat in the front, how could I get up from the middle of the row and approach them..what if they were sitting in the balcony? It would be hard not to mention, rude to approach them up there..... The gentleman to my left, started scanning the balconies with me to see if the Reinharts and the Abrams were in the balcony (Harry emailed me saying he didn't know where their seats were, that the Abrams took care of that)...Oh well, the prospects of the meeting didn't look good.

Then the gentleman to my left tugged my shirt, and pointed BEHIND US!!! The Reinharts were sitting RIGHT BEHIND US!!! Harry looked dapper, and Patti and Angie looked AMAZING!! (This is the 'everything happens for a reason' part.) If I hadn't been desperate and contacted Haleyholic to get me the tickets, that she got the ones we got... We were sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM!!.

I turned around and stuck out my hand, "Hi, Harry...Tusk!" I said with a grin.... Harry beamed a big smile and leaned over to Patti...."This is Tusk, you know with the T Shirts and the videos" Angie and Patti gave me this big smile "Oh yeah" I told Patti I also sent the calendars ....Patti's smile got bigger and warmer.."Oh I loved those, I use it every day" Angie smiled "Really? cool" Harry told them I knew Himm2 and Babbs and they seemed genuinely happy to meet me (conversation paraphrased...remember? bad memory?)

I gave them 3 DVD's, two for the family and one for Haley...and two more T-shirts(II). "Did you see Haley? She looks gorgeous" said Patti proudly "You should take a picture" I told her they didn't allow it, so I shouldn't. Patti laughed and said "tell them to blame it on me" . I introduced them to Haleyholic and they shook her hand too. I asked for a picture, they agreed and asked me to take a pic of them with Angie's phone. Her pic was kind of dark, but I told Harry I would send them mine, which was better. We conversed awhile longer, then it was time to for the show, They thanked me for the support, Patti scratched my back in thanks too .

As I said before, 'spy cam' was worthless, kept on stopping and no way to aim. When Haley and Casey came on, I raised my regular camera to my chest and pressed record without aiming (also a waste, got the tops of peoples heads and some of Casey and Haley performing) I later noticed people recording in the balcony, without fear of getting kicked out, but being so near the front, I didn't want to push my luck...so did what I could knowing that there will be videos from others (I haven't checked them yet)

Haley was resplendant...straight hair in a golden dress...beautiful . Casey only had one song, "Hit the Road Jack"...probably because he didn't have time to rehearse (I forgot to mention, his parents were there too, to the left of the Reinharts).

Next thing I know, a few people in front started turning to look at something behind me...the gentleman to my left, tugged my shirt again, "Look...Haley"... She Sat RIGHT BEHIND ME. I heard Harry tell Haley who I was, I turned and flashed a smile and a wave, she smiled back. The last thing I wanted to do was go "Fan crazy" and left it at that. Carnegie was special for her too, she didn't need me to go gaga, so I turned to enjoy the show. It was cool listening to the wonderful music in front of me, while hearing the warm raspy voice laugh and cheer behind me.

I don't know much Jazz so I'll relate what I can remember:

Irvin Jr's 'stank' face, looked like he smelled something bad, but you know he was FEELING it... The crowd reacted with laughter and applause. It was his way of telling the crowd "Come on, now that was goooood!! imploring the crowd to applaud. The man was amazing.

Irvin Jr said next time they come to Carnegie (this was the first time for him), there would be changes....like adding a couple bars, to which the crowd enthusiastically agreed. He is one hell of a showman and a representative for New Orleans culture. He never allowed it to get stuffy and 'high class', there was a humor to everything he did on stage.

There was a sax player, (pardon me for not knowing his name), Harry leaned over and tapped my shoulder, "He's from Chicago too" he said proudly...

Typical musicians, Harry and Patti were clapping and whooping in approval, they were loving the show

Dee Dee was Amazzzzing. She had some kind of pink eyelashes that extended out into feathers...she, like Irvin, injected some humor, making some faces to friends in the crowd...I'm a fan now...Wow did she bring it.

Aaron Neville and Branford Marsalis were amazing..."Ave Maria" was heavenly as was "Summertime".... The members of the NOJO band each had time in the spotlight, and they responded with fantastic music. You could tell they were loving every minute. When someone was soloing, you could see it in their faces...eyes closed feeling each others music.

The capper was the last song which Irvin dedicated to his father who was one of the victims of Katrina, one of the few times, Irvin spoke with a seriousness, when talking about his father. If I didn't know better, I swear he was tearing up. This....This was THE performance...the soul Irvin poured into his horn....sitting where I was, I FELT every note, his pain was put into every note....Wow... Then he shifted into "When the Saints come Marching In"...then the others who performed started entering the stage, waving their NOJO handkerchiefs (Haleyholic and I were never given them ) Haley had left her seat behind me to join the farewell march around the auditorium....this is how they do it in N'Orleans !!! The crowd was up on their feet in jubilation This is how you end a show.

Next...The story is not over....

[Tusk]

Part III

So the show was over, Carnegie's employees were ushering everyone out...we need to clear the auditorium, please move to the exit.

"Did you see Haley? She was sitting right behind you" Asked Patti. I nodded that I did. "I tried to tell her who you were during the show but she just ...." as Patti mimicked a "so what do you want me to do?" Shrug LOL

I told Patti, it was alright, that I didn't want to disturb her watching the show. I asked Harry if it was alright to take a picture of me with the family and he said "Of Course" In the mean time, the ushers were being more insistant...Please make your way to the exit. I had Patti, Harry and Angie sign my ticket. Patti gave me a big warm hug and a kiss on the cheek and we started to move to the aisles. Despite the continous urging or the ushers, I got my picture with the Reinharts . In the mean time, two young girls and their mother approached Patti and said they came all the way over from Philly and could they have a sec to meet Haley. Patti said of course...also Haleyholic said something to Patti, Patti grabbed her along with the two young girls and their mother, making their way to the back as the employees were REALLY getting insistant. So I followed along. The Reinharts and the Abrams were trying to meet up with Haley and Casey. Casey's Mom was trying to text him, there was a lot of confusion, but we stuck along.

Finally, they had enough...NOJO told us, NOONE is allowed back stage, you can go up a floor for the CD signing, but you must leave this hallway. So Casey's parents headed up towards where they were pointing, and we followed. Soon we entered a room. Haleyholic and I were doubtful this is the right place. I kept an eye on the Abrams, but the Reinharts were nowhere to be seen (the two girls were still with them). Then I noticed Casey's Mom gesturing to his Dad and start down the hallway we just left. I tugged on Haleyholic's arm, look! Let's follow.

So we acted as if we belonged. Security didn't give us a second glance. I told Haleyholic, are you feeling like a lemming too, is there a cliff at the end of this? But soon enough we spotted Harry, then Angie then Patti and the two girls. Casey's parents were still trying to locate him....apparently he was back inside, so they went in. Patti went inside too, then a guy called to Patti, "Did you want to see Haley? She's over here" We were outside Carnegie Hall at this point, on the street. Again, we followed, acting as we belonged. Then we saw her, all smiles and resplendant as ever in a jacket. Chiara was there too. Angie introduced the two girls and their mother to Haley....they conversed, took pictures, Haley graciously agreeing to hug a girl a second time because her mother missed that shot. Other old friends greeted her and talked a bit, while Haleyholic and I waited. Haley did look up and wave at me in recognition, during this.

Harry, interjected to Haley "Great song, right?" Haley replied "Yah, and I paid for it too" I asked, you had to pay for the song you performed? (I didn't ask which one), she smiled with resignation "Yah"

Soon it was our turn. Having been in the background most of the time, Haleyholic took this opportunity to talk Jazz with Haley, imploring her to go that direction in the future. She compared Haley to some of the greats, which Haley embarassingly thanked her for, humbly saying that was really nice, but she was just starting and had a ways to go. I mentioned that Dee Dee was AMAZING and Haley agreed, see how loose and free she was when performing? I wish I could be that free and loose when I performed. I told her she did great and don't tell us you were nervous up there, we love her jazz chops. She smiled again in thanks. We talked for a good 4-5 minutes. I asked Angie if she could take a picture of us with Haley, which she did. A guy asked Haley if she would be willing to do a phone interview with him, he had interviewed Siobahn (sp) before, to which Patti said they LOVED her. In the mean time I got my camera back from Angie. She squeezed my arm and said "Thank you, thank you for your support"

We finally let them get on with their business, and I told Haleyholic..."See, if you stick with Tusk, things are going to happen..." She looked like she was walking on air she was so happy. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to our Hotels.

I was actually worried that I wasn't going to have anything to report...just a show..this is what they performed, THE END. I could 't have been more wrong.....IF I hadn't asked Haleyholic to buy the tickets because I would be flying back from Chicago....and IF she didn't get the seats she did for us.....I wouldn't have this story to tell.. Everything happens for a reason

I'll post what pics I can....Neither Haleyholic and I are keen on releasing our images, so I will keep those between us and the Reinharts... The other pics I will post, don't know how good they will look...it seems there are better pics posted already, but hey, I don't care...this night could not have gone any better

ALSO...as we were leaving, I yelled to Haley I would see her on the Stageit performance, that it was my birthday, and could she please perform "Wonderland"...She smiled and said "I'll remember that"

[Babbs234]

Sounds like you had a great night Tusk! I'm so excited for you. I was laughing and enjoying every bit of your story. Thanks for sharing.

[suggahinyerteeth]

wow just wow! thank you so much for sharing that Tusk. so happy for you and jealous of you all at the same time.

[john]

Great recap Tusk, I glad things kept going your way! Do you have a sense as to how the audience responded specifically to Haley? Feel free to talk a little about her performances.

[Tusk]

Great recap Tusk, I glad things kept going your way! Do you have a sense as to how the audience responded specifically to Haley? Feel free to talk a little about her performances.

She was flawless IMO, even if she didn't think so. With our conversation, I think you sensed that it was a big thing for her, so maybe that factored into her self critique.

Thinking back on the performance, perhaps there was a little less fluidity and 'just riding her talent' that we've seen Haley perform with in the past. She might have 'stuck to script' more than we're used to. We are used to seeing the talent flow from her. I only say this based on her own comment.

But, of course she is going to be humble, that's our Haley, she was performing in the midst of some real Heavy Hitters, people she looked up to and in CARNEGIE HALL!! Our Haley would never be so proud as to say she nailed it. She has always had respect for the music and musicians that came before her, it wouldn't be Haley without that sprinkling of humility and perspective that is so evident in her parents.

Regarding the audience...there were many there that were there to hear the Jazz and NOJO, but it was clearly evident that many came to see Haley, especially the folks in front of me, who many times during the show, looked behind me to glance at Haley. She got as good a response as the other guest performers, but then my Halien lenses are firmly affixed.

She killed it...bottom line

Now I have an hour to prepare for my shuttle to the airport so goodnight and I'll post the pics I got later(probably not as good as the ones posted, but we'll see)

Freaking Awesome night

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[Miguel]

Great pic. Fantastic recap. Glad you had a chance to rub shoulders with the Reinharts and meet Haley.

Did Casey sit with his parents during the show as well? Shame he didn't have a solo given how far they traveled.

Speaking of travel, I hope you only had "an hour to prepare" for your shuttle because you intended to get some sleep.

[Tusk]

I knew this was going to be an all nighter, no sleep

Well, I knew it went too smoothly...when I made the reservation for the shuttle back to the airport, I wondered why they wanted the pick up 4 1/2 hours before my flight!!

Turns out it was a good thing...Super Shuttle has their system all messed up. I was told twice, once by two different people I didn't need a return voucher, I was in their system. Then when I got to my gate, the driver refused to give me my bag without a voucher. I told them the other driver AND the operator said I didn't need one.

He told me that I had to pay without a voucher ($25 or $30). I told him I prepaid and refused (Super Shuttle driver in LA did the same thing dropping me off at the hotel...I found out he ripped me off when I spoke to Super Shuttle afterward) So I refused. He said he had no recourse but to drop the others off then drive me to the port authority and let the cops deal with it. I was being extorted. An hour later after a lot of yelling and threatening, they 'found' my record.... Total BS ....needless to say, I'm wide awake now .

Killed my happy buzz

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Casey didn't appear again until the end, with his melodica, last in line of the parade making the circuit around the hall. When I think about it, there was an empty chair next to the Reinharts. When Haley joined them, they all moved down one spot so Harry was right behind me and Haley was next to him to my left. I didn't see an empty chair next to the Abrams, so I think the Reinharts expected Haley to join them, but not so for Casey and the Abrams

Without rehearsal time, it might have been a difficult decision to go forward with a solo performance.

I forgot to mention. When I talked about how Haley and her talent had affected me so positively, Patti pointed to Angie and said "you should watch this one....she's very talented" and listed a few of her talents which I don't recall right now. I told Patti that we had heard that there was a rumor that Angie tried out for Glee. Patti shook her head...no. Patti would never let her do that. Angie was still very young and needs to enjoy her youth....

All these terrible parents who ruin their kids by vicareously living through them pushing them to fame, leaving them disasters as adults (Lindsay Lohan and the like)...this is what I want to hear from a parent...let my kid be a kid, enjoy their youth. Makes me even more impressed with the Reinharts (if that was even possible)... Wonderful people

OK, I feel better thinking back on that...feel better now

[Babbs234]

Harry and Patti really are genuinely nice people. They treat everyone like like they are their friends. The first time I met Patti, I was with a friend of mine. We were sitting at the bar where Midnight band was playing. I had gone up to Patti to introduce myself to her and say hi while the band was taking a break. Patti had smiled at me, and said "Oh, a halien, how nice to meet you". i
It was the first time I had heard myself called a halien and never considered that about me before then.
Patti then came up to the bar where I was sitting and talked to my friend and I for a good 20 minutes telling us all about Haley when she was young and such. She gave us a hug and thanked us for coming out. I will always remember that.

[NUG]

{{{HUGS TUSK}}} Thank you so much for your recap!!

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When she said she had to "pay" for her song, I wonder...meaning someone else wanted it and she had to trade, or did she really have to pay someone for the right to sing their song? Wonder how much something like that costs?!? It was worth it