Rockapella Concert - Lewis Family Playhouse, Rancho Cucamonga, Ca - June 14, 2009

This was actually a show that I wanted to go to, but just neglected to purchase a ticket in advance for. I headed over to Rancho Cucamonga around 5:30pm. There wasn’t much traffic at all on the way and I got there without a hitch. I parked my car and then headed to the box office to purchase my ticket. Thankfully, there were quite a few tickets left, so I picked where I wanted to sit, paid for it, then with a few minutes to spare, headed over to Forever 21 and bought myself a cute pair sandals, which I immediately wore. After I made my purchase, I headed back to the theater and freshened up in the bathroom. Walked in to the theatre, found my seat, and just waited. I sent Sherry a quick text to find out where she was. I look up, looked towards the front and found her on the 2^nd row, somewhere in the middle.

The show was great, as usual. But for some strange reason, it was just a little more sentimental for me this time around. I was enjoying it a little bit more, more than usual & I was singing along to pretty much every song. When they sang, “California Sad-Eyed Girl”, I got very teary-eyed. Kevin sang it so beautifully! It tugged at my heart-strings. I’m still getting a bit teary just thinking about it. The off-mic stuff was just plain incredible! I kept trying to hear Jeff’s part. I know exactly what part he sings and try to hear it. But he blends so well with everyone though, it’s really hard to hear him.

After the show, I wandered around for a bit, and then proceeded to head outside, just for some fresh air. As I was walking out, I saw out of the corner of my eye, someone who looked very familiar. I couldn’t see his face that well because he had his hat on. I kept walking closer to the door, then, finally looked and realized it was Jake Moulton, former vocal percussionist and baritone of m-pact (my other favorite a cappella group), now with The House Jacks! I stepped out for a bit, to make a phone call, then walked back in and decide to look for Sherry and co. On my way to look for Sherry, I walked past Jake, but didn’t have the guts to say “hi” to him at the time, as I didn’t want to bother him. I just went and looked for Sherry.

I saw Wendy & Jeff again, gave them a quick hug, and then, found Sherry with her other friends, whom I hadn’t met before. Quick introductions were made and then we just stood in line, waiting to say “hi” to Pella. As I got closer, I decided to get out of the line, and give other people a chance to say “hi” to them. I have seen them a couple of days prior anyway, so that was enough for me. I waited behind the rope (their MnG table was roped off) and watched Sherry introduce one of her friends, and first time Rockapella concert-goer, to the guys. I did manage to do my wave/smile combo to both JB and Geo, and then, Kevin. I gave a quick wave to Jeff, who said “hi” back. Talked a little bit with another friend of Sherry’s (his name escapes me at the moment), then decided to leave. As I was saying my goodbyes to the new Pella friends I had met, I saw Jake Moulton again, walking towards me this time. I decided to just go up and say “hi” to him. I said, “Hello, Jake. Just wanted to come up and say, ‘hi’.” He smiled and shook my hand, very firmly, and held it for a while. He then, asked me what my name was, so I said, “My name is Aura.” Then, something clicked in his head, I guess. He said that he remembers me. At first, he thought my name was “Aura Lee” then he realized it was the title of a song. LOL Anyway, I told him that I’m a huge fan, and had seen m-pact quite a few times, and he is my other favorite vocal percussionist, besides Jeff. (And that is the truth!) We talked for quite a bit, asked him why he left m-pact, how he got the gig with The House Jacks, where he went to school, Kickshaw (which he founded), his vocal problems (poor thing, he’s having a hard time singing!). I told him that he needs to take care of his voice because it is just beautiful (another truth!). It was quite a long, and enjoyable (for my part, at least!) conversation. We must’ve been talking for at least a half-hour. He said that he was there to see Jeff, with whom he’s been friends for a long time. He also said that he’s been a fan of Rockapella since the “Spike Lee & Co.: Do it, A Cappella” days, and wanted to do what they’re doing. I thought that was really cool. Finally, Jeff approached us, and I suppose he was quite surprised to see me talking to Jake (or vice versa). So, he asked Jake, “Do you know this young lady?” Jake said that he did know me. Then, he looked at me and asked, “So, are you a fan of his many, many groups?” So, I told him that I am. Then, they started making plans, so I excused myself, so they could plan where they were going. But before I got a chance to walk away, Jeff grabbed me and gave me a hug, another nice one, and said, “Thanks for coming, sweetie. It’s always good to see you.” I said that it was good to see him too, and that I will see him again at the next gig. I tried to pull away, but he was hanging on tight, so I stayed there, in his arms, for a little bit. Then, I finally wiggled my way out, and looked over to Jake and said, “It was nice talking to you.” Offered to shake his hand. I’m not sure if I was imagining it, but he just stood there, looking at me, with arms wide open. I guess, he wanted a hug, so I said, “Oh, let me give you a hug too!” So, we hugged it out. He gives good hugs too. Then, as I walked away, I reminded him to get to working on booking gigs for The House Jacks here in the Los Angeles area (which is his job, booking gigs) and he said that he would.

I went to find Sherry one last time to say “bye”, found her talking to Scott, so I stood there for a bit and listened in on their conversation until Scott finally had to leave. He gave me a hug. Then, he was off.

As I walked out, I, all of a sudden, realized that I was sandwiched between my two most favorite vocal percussionists in the entire world! Wow! I couldn’t believe it! I was walking towards Starbucks, thinking to myself, “Jeff and Jake just gave me hugs!” Soooo looney! A very memorable Rockapella/m-pact/The House Jacks rendezvous, indeed!

Rockapella Concert - McKinney Theatre, Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA - June 12, 2009

When I first found out about this show, I originally hadn’t planned on going at all. I’m not sure why, and I never purchased a ticket in advance. However, it sort of worked out because I found out a few months later that my 4-year-old nephew was to graduate the same evening from preschool. This further confirmed that I wasn’t going to attend this show.

Then, a couple of days before the show, I sent a text to Sherry, and told her that I might try to make it to the show, but it all depended on what time my nephew’s graduation festivities will end. I left it at that, and just kind of let it simmer in my mind.

The 12^th came. I went to work, as usual, then left early so that I could make it to my nephew’s graduation ceremony in time, but got a bit confused in the process because there were two preschools in the same area in Cerritos, and I went to the wrong one! After making a quick phone call to verify the actual location, I headed over to the school with plenty of time to find family and settle down from being a bit frazzled.

The ceremony ended around 7pm, with a small reception after-wards. Around 7:15pm, I sent another text to Sherry to ask if it’s worth it to drive out to Mission Viejo and catch the show. She replied and informed me that it might not be worth it, because earlier that evening, the 5 Freeway was a pain, they were stuck for a while, and the show was to start at 8pm. My family/relatives all stayed for the reception and we ended up just hanging out. Then, they all started to leave, one by one. I found myself standing next to my car with nowhere to go, so I just decided to hop in and drive to Mission Viejo in the off-chance that they would have extra tickets and possibly just miss the first 15 minutes of the show. I tried calling the box office at McKinney to see how long they will be open ‘til and if there were still tickets to be purchased. However, no one answered, but the automated voice announcement said that the box office will only be open 1 hour prior to the start of the show! The show started at 8pm, I didn’t leave Cerritos ‘til 7:45pm, by the time I would get to the theatre, the box office would’ve been long closed already and I would’ve missed 45 minutes of the show! I had to decide quickly, as I didn’t really have much time to think about it, so I just told myself to just go anyway.

The flow of traffic was smooth all the way to Mission Viejo, but it felt like I was driving forever! I kept looking at the clock to check what time it was. I finally arrived at Saddleback College, but I ended up on the wrong side of campus. I had no idea where the theatre was! I believe, I arrived at Saddleback some time around 8:20pm, but since I didn’t know where to go, I ended up driving around for another 10-15 minutes, just looking for the theatre! I finally found the place, and just ran to the theatre. Obviously, the box office was closed already, but I was hoping that people that worked there would be walking around so I could ask them if it’s possible to buy a ticket. There was no one in sight, but I saw that one of the doors into the lobby was wide open. I looked around to see if anyone was there, but there was no soul in sight. So, I walked in, but hesitated to just walk into the theatre, so I waited for another 5 minutes to see if anyone would show up. No one did, so I finally walked in and found a few empty seats on the fourth row (from the back), and just sat in one of the seats. I can’t remember which part of the show I walked in during. Anyway, I was just happy to have made it, and actually get a free show in the process!

“My Girl/”Beg” – this was fun. The fake-out was actually pretty good. Of course, Geo made me swoon when he rumbled “Hey, how you doin?” to the girl they picked out (Still waiting for my turn, guys!). Kevin was fixated on the girl’s “cork” shoes, and called them “boat shoes” (am I right, Sher?)! Kevin’s just random like that, and that’s one of the things I love about him.

Before one of their songs, Kevin pointed out that not only does Scott have nice hair (which he does, I have touched it, Bumble and Bumble!), and a voice that only dogs can hear (‘tis true), he also has a 28-inch waist, to which Scott corrected Kevin and said, “26-inches”. Ummm… I almost died! His waist is as big as one of my thighs! Good lawd, I may have to feed you next time, Scott!

Jeff’s VP solo during “Carmen” – for some strange reason, it just struck me at that moment how much I really admire this man. Seriously, he never ceases to amaze me and that night just reminded me why he was my initial favorite (they all are, now)!

After the show, I caught up with Sherry, et al. Then, I checked out the merchandise table to see if they had anything to sell that I still don’t have, and I found a sheet music of “People Change”. It only cost $5 so I bought it to have the guys sign. I got back in line to meet the guys, and finally met Wendy and Jeff (Sherry’s friends) and chatted with them for a bit. As I got closer, I felt myself getting a bit nervous. I’m not sure why. It’s probably because I hadn’t done a meet-and-greet in a while. The last MnG that I did was probably in Dec of 2007, at the Lewis Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, and I didn’t even get to say “hello” to all of the guys, only a quick hug to Scott, and a brief chat with Jeff. I took out my phone and asked Sherry, who was standing behind me, to take a pic of me with each of the guys. After giving me a hard time about it (thanks, girl! LOL), in jest, of course, I finally found myself standing a few inches away from Scott, who was the first one at the end of the table. However, before I was able to say “hello” to Scott, Jeff saw me, so I smiled and waved at him. He mumbled something like, “I’m going to get up and say ‘hello.’” So, he got up and went around, and gave me a really nice hug. He said that it was a pleasure to see me, as always, that I looked good and that he liked my hair. This, of course, made me “squee” inside. He excused himself (after saying “hi” to and hugging Sherry behind me) and went about his business, not sure what it was. Now, that I think about it, I’m not sure when he signed my sheet music, because he did. Hmm… Anyway, I digress. So, I stand in front of Scott, did my wave/smile combo, and he immediately says, “Aura”. He is too cute! I love the fact that he remembers my name! As he was signing the sheet music, I pointed to it and asked him if he was ever going to have sheet music for “Don’t Tell Me You Do”. He said that he’s working on it and remembered that it is my favorite Rockapella song ever (can’t believe he remembered that too!)! I asked him about his shirt, a pink shirt, with the words “purple and yellow” on it. Sherry wanted to know if he wore it because of the Lakers. So, I asked him if he did wear it because of the Lakers, but he said that he didn’t realize it until I pointed it out. I proceeded to ask him if it would be easy to transpose “People Change” to a key that’s suited for a women’s ensemble, because my group and I would like to attempt to sing it. He said that it should be easy, especially now that we have the sheet music. Then, he went into more of the technical aspects of ensemble singing and said that we wouldn’t really need the bass thumping through, or some such. He kept going on, but I noticed that I was holding up the line (yes Sher, I was the one holding up the line, which is not entirely my fault because Scott kept explaining stuff to me, I didn’t want to just walk away! *winks*). I apologize to those who were behind me.

I was hoping I would get to talk to JB but by the time I finished talking to Scott, he had left his seat and was talking to someone else. Bummer! However, next in line was Kevin! So, I immediately went around and said “hello” to him and gave him a hug. I, then, asked him, “What? No straight hair?” This was in reference to a conversation we had about a Kevin look-alike I saw on the BART (Bay area’s transit system) a couple of months ago, that had straight hair. I asked him if he ever thought about straightening his hair and he said that he thought of it, and asked me if I thought it would look good. Anyway, when I asked him at the MnG why his hair wasn’t straight, he chuckled and said, “Noo… I got a lot of e-mails about that and they didn’t like the idea.” Too funny! I wouldn’t want him to straighten his hair anyway. His curly hair is one of the many reasons I love him. We were just having a silly conversation about straightening his hair, that’s all! We took a picture together, and then I told him that I would post it up so he could see it. I gave him another hug, and before I walked away he said, “You smell really good!” What is up with ‘Pella smelling me?! This isn’t the first time I got the “you smell good” comment. LOL He asked what the scent was and where I got it, so I told him.

I walked around Geo and just said “hi” to him. I didn’t really have much to say to Geo since I am not as well acquainted with him as I am with Scott, Kevin and Jeff, but I thought, “what the heck?!” and asked him if I could take a picture with him. So, I grabbed my phone and took our picture, “self-portrait” style. The first one didn’t turn out well, and I was cut off, so he suggested for me to take another one. I thanked Geo and walked over by the merchandise table once again, stood there for a bit, while checking out to see if the pictures that I took turned out well. While I was standing there, I saw Jeff walking towards me, so I went up to him and asked him if I could have my picture taken with him. I was going to do it “self-portrait” style again, but I saw Rudy (one of Sherry’s friends, who I hadn’t met yet at that point) and asked him if he could take our picture. As I stood next to Jeff, he tells me, “This is your color.” – pointing out the color of the sweater I was wearing, which was purple. After three attempts, Rudy gave up. He was shaking! It was too funny! He actually got one OK one, a bit blurry, but I still like it. Jeff and I had a brief conversation about iPhones (since I have one), and asked me if I knew about the 3Gs that was coming out this month. I told him that I knew about it, but I probably won’t upgrade since I had just gotten my iPhone (regular 3G), and I didn’t want to pay $399 to upgrade to a 3Gs. After that brief convo, he gave me another hug (which I love!), called me “sweetie”, and excused himself to handle the money, I’m guessing from the merch & ticket sales.

After Jeff left, I thanked Rudy and introduced myself to him, and Jeff (not Thacher), Sherry’s friends, who are incredibly nice and fun to talk to. I was about to leave when Rudy insisted that I hear the “octopus” story that Kevin told during the show. So, he walked up to Kevin and said, that he had a friend who got there late and missed the first part of the show, and didn’t get to hear the “octopus” story, and if he wouldn’t mind telling the story again. He asked Rudy who the friend was, and he pointed to me! I didn’t know Rudy did that! So, Kevin looked at me and said, “You missed the first 20 minutes of the show? Well, that’s too bad. I’m not going to tell the story again!” So, I said, “Fine, I’m never, ever coming to see you guys again!” Then, I turned around, pretending to leave. But then, I went back and I said, “C’mon! I would like to hear the story, please?” So, he said, “OK, OK, I’ll tell you the story.” He, then, proceeds to tell me the whole “octopus” story, which was hilarious! One-on-one, story-telling time with Kevin. It’s the best thing ever!

So, I chatted a bit more with Rudy and Jeff, then, decided that it was late and I had to go home since it was still a bit of a drive for me. Didn’t get to say “bye” to Sherry since I didn’t want to interrupt her conversation with Scott, but I sent her a text to let her know I had left. Rudy and Jeff walked me to the car, which was really nice of them, gave them hugs and said my goodbyes. Another Rockapella Rendezvous to remember.