We got there just in the nick of time for Alex's 3rd Dan Zanes concert. It was a full house filled with stylish SB parents and children. The ceiling of the theater was old world and beautiful as were the vintage red velvet seating.
The band gave Alex a high five on their way out the door.
After the concert, Alex met his favorite singer Dan Zanes - again!
We went to Paradise Cafe for dinner before the drive to Santa Ynez. Had to take a picture of this decorative staircase. David and Alex had a delicious chicken dish with mash potatoes and I had the salmon chowder and salad.We were in paradise for sure - it was an incredible day.
This past Sunday we went to another Dan Zanes concert. Last time only David and Alex went, so it was a brand new experience for me. It was at Samueli Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, a very small, intimate place--probably holding 200 people max.
To Alex, we aren't watching Dan Zanes, we are watching Mr. Jump Up (Alex's favorite Dan Zanes song). So after the first song, there is a little bit of a pause, and Alex starts waving and saying "Hi, Jump Up!" repeatedly, causing David and a few adults around us to chuckle. Dan invites everyone down to the floor in front of the stage during the second song, which is where Alex stayed for the rest of the concert.
Alex and David enjoyed the concert a lot. Don't get me wrong-I liked the songs, but it was tiring with all those kids. The concert was only a little over an hour, but it felt a lot longer with the kids.
Waiting for the concert to start
Alex watching from the side of the stage as Dan approaches
It's a bit blurry, but that's Alex saying hi to Dan during a break between songs and Dan saying hi back.
Getting Dan's autograph after the show. Check out that smile on Alex!
Our little drummer boy checking out Colin on the drums.
A little video of when Alex and David were in the pit, right in front of the stage:
Last Saturday, I took Alex to see Dan Zanes perform at Royce Hall at UCLA. It was a last minute decision and took us over an hour to get there, but we arrived 20 minutes before showtime. We got to the ticket window and as the attendant was searching for tickets, a lady came up to me and offered us free tickets. Apparently some of here friends had not shown up, and she had an extra adult and child’s ticket. So we got in free with 10 minutes to spare!
The concert was general admission, so you can sit anywhere. Dan Zanes’ concerts are reknown for a family party atmosphere, where everyone is allowed to wander around during the performance. No matter where you sit, at one point you will end up in the “pit” right in front of the stage, where kids are dancing and the parents are off to the side, keeping an eye on the kids while listening to the music.
Dan's music is heavily folk influenced, with an early rock-and-roll feel, with some Jamaican and Mexican bits thrown in. He says he doesn't write kids music, but rather family music for all ages to enjoy. I think that’s true, as Armilyn and I enjoy listening to the music as well. We can’t say that with other kid’s music.
He kinda looks like Steve Martin with Albert Einstein’s hair:
Alex's favorite song is “Jump Up” (the above video) so when I heard Dan start the song, I rushed Alex down to the front. Up until that point, Alex wasn’t exactly sure who we were watching perform, but when the song started, Alex had a look of recognition on his face. We stayed up front for a little while, enough time to see an all-female 12 piece mariachi band that performed a few songs with Dan Zanes. Very cool.
The Dutch word “nix” literally means “nothing” in English. Nix also happens to be our last name. So something from us would kind of be like...oh never mind.
