Haley w/ The Band Perry in Oregon - Feb 20, 2016

[Miguel]

I'm glad you were able to capture one of her CHFIL performances before a larger crowd. You did an excellent job.

[Tusk]

There was a time, not too long ago, I would've jumped at every oportunity to see Haley. This was almost the case with going to see her in Scottsdale, as it was the first of her radio tour shows announced. I started looking up airfair, hotels etc to AZ

Shortly after the AZ announcement, to my delight, they announced that she would be opening for the Band Perry in Portland... that's Portland, Oregon...in the actual Northwest! Every other time I've talked to Haley, I've 'joked' w/ her that she needs to do a show in Washington State, do me a solid, so I wouldn't have to fly everywhere to see her perform. Portland was the closest she's come to Seattle since the very first time I ever saw Haley perform live almost four years ago, when I made the drive to Spokane to see her when I won tickets by KCDA.

AZ and Oregon shows were back to back, the 19th & 20th....so obviously, I need to make both shows right? I began thinking about the logistics of how to make this work: I would fly in to AZ Friday morning, see her in Scottsdale, after the show, take a late night flight to Portland, rent a car, drive to Revolution Hall, see her, then drive back up North to Washinton State....

As crazy as that sounded , the 'old' me from a few years ago, would have done it...

This time, I took a step back... we had very little information as to what to expect for these shows. I'd been to the KCDA 'radio show'... would AZ be the same? a quick 3 song set? Was I willing to spend the money to fly into AZ, rent a room, rent a car and stress myself out to make the show the next day in Oregon? It felt more like an endurance test rather than going to shows to enjoy seeing Haley sing.... I might be too tired after Oregon to make the drive back to Washington after a flight from AZ. That would mean more money to get another hotel room, just to be safe....it started to dawn on me, that this, even though logistically possible, was a fairly ridiculous and 'not fun' plan...

The "Old Tusk" would've probably done it. After four years, and alot of money traveling all over the US as well as the UK (I don't want to even think how much ) Today's Tusk is a little bit 'wiser'... I could do this,but how 'fun' would it actually be?

---

Let's back track a little bit. As you know, I've been doing marathon sessions of posting PMJ videos thanks to the generosity of "TeamHaleyFans" Lyca, Ken, ISCAT and airhigh.... there was a down side, as much as I enjoy and appreciate the 'work', my main and initial motivation, what drives me to be where I am in respect to Haley and being an #OGHalien is Haley. As much as I enjoy many of the performers of PMJ, as much as I appreciate the content provided, helping me grow my channel and subscribers, it is and has always been about Haley. It's the passion that Haley inspires in me that gives me the joy, anticipation and satisfaction of working and posting videos of Haley.

The volume of videos I was putting out, though much appreciated, was starting to wear on me... how many videos of "Burn" , "All About That Bass" "No Diggity" "My Heart Will Go On" do I need to post? I kind of felt an obligation to put out content as the impact of my channel from the numbers kept me motivated to continue putting out content.

Then there's the good side, doing the volume of videos, I learned my software better. Having to adjust my editing to each person's videos, the quality, types of cameras they used, I could not edit each video the same way. I also began to think about the audio presentation. Up to even over year ago, I would just work on making the video 'look' better, then use the audio that came w/ the performance, untouched.

Having multiple sources with different circumstances forced me to work as much as I can, on trying to improve audio, something I was completely unfamiliar with, but it needed to be done, each video submitted offered different audio challenges. Ther first two years of my channel, I averaged around 300K views a year. Since Haley joined PMJ, since "Creep" Happened, that changed... In 2015 there were over 2 million views to my channel... the pressure was on...

I have always told Haley that I would never post something that would be embarrassing to her. If it couldn't be fixed, especially the audio, I wouldn't post it. The most recent time I told her that was Laguna Beach. Haley arrived late because of traffic. She had time to practice one song w/ Dave Damiani's band. If the traffic and arriving late wasn't bad enough, no rehearsal made it much worse. You could tell Haley was concerned. I walked up to Haley and told her. "Look, if this doesn't go well, I'll make up some excuse as to why I couldn't get video" she smiled and thanked me. After the show, I told her how awesome she was.. she replied, 'well I don't know..." I said, "come on, you got a standing ovation, but if you don't think it was good, I won't post it"... she considered what I said, smiled and said 'go ahead'..."At Last" from Laguna beach is rapidly approaching half a milion views

Audio is important

---

A big consideration, as far as 'quality' of video, is the cameras I was using to video the shows. My phone camera is a joke, no way would most venues allow my camcorder or DSLR in. Haley's profile was getting bigger, the intimate, Room 5 shows will probably be fewer. If I was to continue to be able to video shows, I couldn't continue w/ the equipment I had. As much as I've spent the last couple years on equipment (on top of travel expenses) I had to really think about future shows, they would get bigger, more security. What I had would not do.

Recently, I had been working on and posting ISCATS videos from Vegas (and Austin)... the audio was good enough, minimal distortion that I could enhance it w/ little effort. What was especially noticeable was how well it took zooming in, barely losing focus. The video was 'above average'. Ken's video was also great, but I believe he told me the price of it, more expensive than I was willing to spend. It was a 'bigger' camera than a 'point & shoot' so there's still a fair posibility of it not being allowed. Because of the Vegas vids I asked ISCAT what he used. He told me, actually, I helped him make the choice of cameras. If you recall, there's a video of Creep shot from the balcony w/ great close ups. I had asked them what camera they used. That was the one ISCAT bought.

By now, I'd decided that I've seen more than my fair share of shows, there was no reason to 'kill' myself to see a show. Doing both AZ and Portland would be expensive and I wouldn't be able to enjoy either shows because of the travel and expense involved as well as the fatigue factor. As badly as I wanted to see Haley in AZ, I forced myself to just be happy that the Portland show was just a 3 hour drive away, no Airports, no Hotels, no 'convenience fees'

To be continued.. got some stuff to take care of

[john]

Tusk, the CHFIL video is a gem. Haley gave a wonderful performance and the video is top notch. Thanks for capturing and uploading it.

[dswim2]

Thanks so much tusk for posting this amazing video and all your other videos. Also thanks to everyone else for providing your videos as well. This performance is probably my favorite of this so far. She seemed really invested in the emotion of it. Loved the scat and the growl at the end too. I think you made the right call about not going to both shows. You probably would have been really tired for the Oregon show.

[riley]

WOW just WOW. Thanks so much Tusk. Haley has come so far in 5 years, I am blown away by this video.

[InItToWinIt]

Buzz 105.1 Facebook: Haley interview after the M&G in Portland

Haley - Hopefully a summer tour.

[Tusk]

Once I decided that I should forget even thinking about going to Arizona, I looked closer at what Portland had to offer. The first web posting of the show was at some kind of reseler, showed the tickets on sale for... $60+ or something? Then I saw there was a button that you could also buy tickets at Ticketfly events. Turns out this is where the venue linked to. I think a 'general admission ' ticket was $35, I chose next option, seats in the first 10 Rows. There was a third option, seat in first 10 rows and a "Meet & Greet"... great! But then I thought about it longer, would that be a Meet and Greet w/ Haley AND the band Perry?

I got a hold of the venue number and called. I learned that there are about 100 seats in the first 10 rows and that the Meet and Greet was for the Band Perry only. It was up to the radio station and the artist whether there'd be one for Haley. So I decided to inquire w/ whomever Haley's management was. I was surprised when I got an answer back the next day. They had not determined yet if they were going to do a MnG for Haley....maybe they wondered or were checking on a demand for one. Haley's rep linked me to a facebook page. If and When they decided to have one, this is where it'd be posted.

A few days later, a page was put up, there would be a meet and greet with Haley. The decision to focus mainly on Portland was looking to be a better and better one. The Meet and Greet would happen 4 hours before the show, meaning if I decided to do AZ and Portland, I would've had to fly back at an earlier time than I would have booked.

Later on it was learned that Haley will be having a show in Chicago in April, a no brainer that she would perform w/ the Reinharts, I thought... I'd told Harry a few times I hope to get an opportunity to see them again if a show came back to their area. Turns out, the cost of airfair and lodging was just a bit more than it would've cost me to fly to AZ and hotel stay then to Portland. A better use of the money, a potentially more enjoyable event

I then looked to see if the venue had a camera policy. It did and like most, 'video recording and 'professoinal' cameras were strictly prohibited' There was no way I could get my DSLR in, only option was not an option at all. my Smartphone camera

Bringing us back to the camera ISCAT used to video Vegas. It had above average reviews and it proved itself as being actually great video from editing them and deciding that was really my only option. I ordered it in time to have it in Portland.

---

The plan was to rent a car for the drive, as to not put the miles and wear on my own car. Ken sent me a couple panoramic Posters shot by Greg, of PMJ w/ the cast's signatures on each, from the last PMJ show in LA. He said one was for me, the other was for Haley, so I had something for her as a keepsake.

A couple days before the show, I received an email regarding the Meet and Greet. It gave instructions of where to go, be there, at the latest, 3pm. "music by Haley will start promptly at 3:15pm" Music by Haley? I knew there would be refreshements, a bar and snacks, but things started looking better and better

Init had indicated he was going to the show too, also the meet and greet, so we agreed that we would meet in Portland before the Meet and Greet.

The night before the trip, I had alot to do. Always been a procrastinator, I ended up not being able to properly try out the camera in 'concert situation, like at a local show or something. I'd be using it 'cold'. I had nervous energy in anticipation of the show, ended up sleeping at around 4 am even though I planned to pick up the rental at 9 am. I ended up not getting it until 10:30. I should still have enough time to make a 3pm appointment

After picking up the car, I headed to I-5 South... sure enough, on a Saturday, stop and go traffic... sweet, I started off late, and now I-5 is stalled There was a traffic accident on I-5, but going North... I HATE people who have this need to slow down on freeways to look at accidents on other side of the freeway... that was why it was stop and go on I-5 South, an accident on I-5 North

Soon enough, we got back up to freeways speed. OK still plenty of time. Because I wanted to know the reason for the stalled traffic, I had my radio on to a news station to get traffic reports. Finally making some progress, a report came on the radio. Some crazy attacked and killed someone in a retirement home. There was police car chase, gunfire exchange resulting in a terminal end to the assailant. I probably wouldn't have thought a second about it, except right after I heard this report... all cars came to a Halt AGAIN

[Tusk]

Now I'm annoyed... I still had time, god willing the slow down doesn't last long, probably should still arrive around 2, hopefully. Eventually, I saw the reason for the slow down. Again, it was an incident on the Freeway, Again, the incident was going North, the Lookiloos going South needed to slow down and see...

This time, it wasn't a traffic accident. This time, it was the location of the police chase and subsequent shoot out. Going North, they closed all but one lane down, a large number of police vehicles, fire trucks and and ambulance. There were many people in uniform with reflective vests combing the ground, placing markers along the road....

So as bad as it seemed, the delays to my trip, it was much worse heading North, multiple car accident AND a significant violent police investigation that will take who knows how long to conclude

After that, the rest of the trip was as 'normal' as I thought it should be. As soon as I was in range, I changed the radio station to 105.1 The Buzz. They're hosting Haley's show tonight, they're going to play CHFIL, right? Never heard Free on the radio, would be awesome if I heard CHFIL. Unfortunately, I wasn't fortunate.

I'd planned to scout the show venue first, but because of the delays, I plotted my GPS to take me to the location for the Meet and Greet. I didn't bother to look for 'free' street parking. There was a parking garage across the way, that's where I parked.

I got there just as the radio representatives began to set up their greeting area, I was the only one, there for the MnG. Init wasn't there yet, I started peppering one of the ladies with questions about the MnG to pass the time. I told the radio rep that I was hoping to hear their station play CHFIL, but didn't get to. She said she's pretty sure their station has played Haley's songs on their station before, but couldn't tell me which ones. She said maybe it's because the song is tied to and ad, sometimes songs don't get played for that reason.

Haley was downstairs doing mic check and yes she would be singing 2 to 3 songs There were 20 to 30 MnG'ers. The venue was only 7 minutes away, it would be finished at 4, so we get a good hour, a heck of a deal IMO. I'm feeling really good about the meet and greet.

---

Eventually, folks started checking in for the MnG. there were many young girls with their parents, well dressed, grin on their faces w/ excitement. There were almost as many children there as there were adults. That's one of the cooler things about these small tours, Haley getting to meet and make an impression on her young fans..

Keith Hill* ‏@dormgod Feb 20
Thank you 2the incomparable @HaleyReinhart 4 spending time w/ my daughters Gabby & Izzy. You are our #AmericanIdol!

*Host of #SinnerAndSaint on @ESPN's @1080thefan.

Among people checking in, was Init. He had a colorful bag that held a couple things that he brought to give to Haley..

Tusk ‏@HaleysTusk Feb 20
.@HaleyReinhart with her gift from @HaleyInHart made by a Pennsylvania #Halien artist @1051thebuzz MeetNGreet

[InItToWinIt]

InItToMeetHaley

It was so good to finally meet Haley Saturday in Portland. This was my fourth time seeing her perform. The first time I saw her was also in Portland, an outdoor concert at the Rose festival in June 2012, when she was w/Keith Phillips and Courtney Leonard (on drums). The other two gigs I saw were in Las Vegas, w/Keith and Courtney (back on bass) in December 2012, and with PMJ in January 2015.

The Portland M&G had been moved from 3:30 to 3 pm. Not wanting to miss it, I arrived in Portland just past noon and headed to southeast Portland to scope out Revolution Hall and the surrounding neighborhood. A little vanquished I pulled over when I spotted a pod of food carts, for which Portland is well known. Luckily in the group was “Fried Egg, I Love You”, a well-known cart I had tried to go to a few years ago but at that time the 1 hr. wait was too long. This time the wait was 15-20 minutes so I finally got my long-denied breakfast sandwich.

Revolution Hall, formerly the auditorium for Washington High School, reopened as a state-of-the-art music venue just a year ago. As a former high school, the Hall sits on the edge of a largely residential area so driving to the venue is discouraged. My scouting trip showed there was some nonresidential area street parking to be had but an early arrival would be needed.

I headed downtown to the Hotel Rose downtown where I had placed my Hotwire reservation but my king room wasn’t ready and wouldn’t be until about M&G time. I did a test run (walk) to the Hotel Vintage Park, site of the M&G, and then back to Hotel Rose. I was anxious to get check in done and knowing Tusk was planning to drive back to Seattle after the show, I asked the hotel if perhaps a double room was available. It was and I gained a Willamette River side view.

I arrived at the Hotel Vintage Park at 2:45 and met Tusk. The M&G of 25-30 folks, about 1/3 of which was preteen to teen girls, gathered near the lobby before we headed down to the Wine Cellar. There we were greeted with a nice little buffet of Italian meats, satay and other finger foods, marinated vegetables, and fruits, and a cash bar. Soon, Quinton came in then Sheryl(?) from Buzz 105.1 introduced Haley. She looked beautiful, of course, and very vivacious. We were sitting in the front row about 7 ft. away so she didn’t look as tiny (short) as I expected (us sitting down and her heels affected that). But she is tiny and the old camera and pounds adage certainly applies.

She sang My Cake, Better, and CHFIL. Wow, she has gotten so good. It was such a pleasure hearing her in person without it being outdoors or in the middle of a casino. Her stage presence has grown so much over the past year and that would become even more evident in the evening, . It’s almost become as smooth and natural as her singing. It was then M&G time. Haley really gives her full attention to each individual, most notable with the young girls (I don’t remember any boys being at the M&G). I was glad I didn’t freeze up when it was my turn but no doubt I probably said something dumb. As everyone says, she’s a sweetheart.

After the M&G, Tusk and I headed over to Revolution Hall. We parked a block away and then walked down to Hawthorn Street to grab a bite. We ended up at Thai Spoon, a casual neighborhood joint. Our dinner conversation lasted a bit too long as by the time we got back to Revolution Hall 2 long lines had formed. We chose one line and, of course, the other line poured into the performance hall as we stood still. By the time we got in, the front of the hall was largely filled. After selecting non-adjoining seats a few rows back, we moved to the last 2 seats at the right end in the first row. As Tusk’s videos show, it turned out to be an excellent location. Next to us sat a father and daughter who Tusk noticed had been at Haley’s M&G. They were Band Perry fans that went to both M&Gs. As Tusk went into Haley promoter mode I went off to the bar to grab a Revolution Whiskey for the show. Haley sang My Cake, Love is Worth Fight For, Good or Bad, Can't Find My Way Home, Better, and CHFIL. It was amazing, expectations exceeded. Any notion that Haley’s music might not fit well with a crowd supporting the country Band Perry was dispelled immediately. The entire crowd seemed to enthusiastically cheer on every song.

Tusk and I headed back to Hotel Rose so he could process and hopefully upload a video. After processing CHFIL, Tusk sent the video off to his sounding review board, and we headed downstairs for some happy hour bar grub. Back upstarts, the sound board recommended holding off the upload until it could be processed on better quality speakers. Tusk and I said our farewells and he headed off for Seattle.

Sunday morning, just as I drove out of Portland and was about to enter the radio abyss of the Columbia River Gorge, the DJ on Buzz 105.1 announced “Haley Reinhart, I Can’t Help Falling in Love”. It was the only time while listening to the station, for about 3.5 hours over the 2 day period, that I heard CHFIL or that I recall any artist or song being called out. What a great way to end my trip to meet Haley.

[Tusk]

Eventually, it was time. I was glad to see the number of atendees was closer to 20 than 30. We were lead behind a door down a couple flights of stairs that lead into a room. There were what migh have been wine barrels, about 20 chairs in two rows, some standing cocktail tables w/ a lit candle on a white table cloth. The front was decorated with pictures, it was where the performance was going to take place

Behind the chairs, off to the side were the hors d'ovres. prosciuto ham, salami, chees crackers and fruits.

The hostesses encouraged us to eat some food so i went and bought a drink from the bar at the back, then got a plate of food. Before I knew it, the hostess stepped to the microphone, introduced herself and began to introduce Haley. I was in a front row seat, second seat from the entry door, Init sat in the seat closest to the door. I put my plate beneath the seat. I wasn't ready w/ my new camera so went to my phone (with underwhelming results, audio is horrible ) She sang My Cake, Better and of Course Can't Help Falling in Love, after which we were directed to an area to get pictures taken. ( I had figdgeted w/ my new camera settings and forgot to set it back to default, so those photos were mostly terrible. All the photos I took would be from my phone after)