Although many people I know make fun of me for it, I am a HUGE fan of daytime tv. I’m not talking Oprah, Ellen or the Nate Berkus Show. I’m talking SOAPS. I record my stories every day and watch them religiously, though I don’t consider myself to be one of the “typical” daytime uber-fans that pay large amounts of money to have access to getting autographs and taking pictures with the stars. I'm not judging, I do follow a few of the stars on Twitter and I’ve seen a few around town, bringing pleasure to me, and to others in that they get to laugh at me somewhat geek out.
So, I was super excited to find out that a band comprised of actors from General Hospital, called Port Chuck (get it? GH is based in Port Charles), was playing locally at The Grove for a taping for the tv show Extra. This would be the perfect opportunity to get to be a looky lou, while pretending that I just “accidentally” had shown up, and to get to see what this was all about. I wasn’t sure if I could fly solo, so I recruited one of my bff’s who used to watch, and was somewhat familiar with the characters. She would appreciate it enough to not think that I was a total stalker or crazypants. And, I think she was just as curious as me.
We arrived at The Grove just like any other day. I was expecting the place to be packed and somewhat akin to an aged Jonas Brothers concert, with throngs of ladies holding up Soap Opera Digests and screaming their brains out. Yeah, it wasn’t like that. And, only two people held up their prized mementos. One had a hardcover book about General Hospital and another had a book based on one of the characters on the show, the Secret Life of Damian Spinelli, written by one of the actresses from the show. Homegrown fan fiction, as Carlyn pointed out.
The band consisted of:
Steve Burton (Jason Morgan, the sensitive mob enforcer)
Brandon Barash (Johnny Zacchara, the up and coming mobster with a penchant for older women)
Bradford Anderson (Damian Spinelli, the uber-nerdy computer geek who can hack any law enforcement computer system)
Scott Reeves (Steve Webber, the Chief of Staff at General Hospital)
After waiting for what seemed like forever, Port Chuck finally took the stage. I might be jaded, indie-rock chick, but I think that it’s pretty common knowledge that a band is usually comprised of people who play instruments and a lead singer plus backup. Port Chuck is actually a band fronted by four lead singers. The only one who actually played an instrument was Scott Reeves. My expectations were pretty low, yet now even lower.
Have you ever been to an event or witnessed something that is so embarrassing, but you’re the only one who recognizes it? Well, this was kind of like that. They opened with a rawk n roll reimagineering of “Devil Went Down to Georgia.” It wasn’t too bad, but you really got the feeling that you were at karaoke with a live band. Who decided this was a good idea? Apparently, Steve Burton did. He said that he dreamt about it, and was like, “Hey, let’s start a band” (but not play any instruments). This is the same guy who literally made millions off his fans by getting into the Monavie pyramid scheme, so it doesn’t surprise me that this is just another way to bilk even more money. The rest of the set was “Here We Go Again,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” “No One Like You,” and what seems to be an obvious choice, “Jessie’s Girl.” Too bad Rick Springfield wasn’t there to save the show.
I wish that I had true visual documentation of the crazy faces that Scott Reeves makes when he is playing the guitar. It was somewhere between wincing and feigned excitement. I know these guys are actors and not true musicians, so I understand that they aren’t going to have the same swagger as Robert Plant when they’re on stage but they could at least use their acting chops to pretend.
Needless to say, I will not be attending another Port Chuck gig. I wanted to like it, I really did. Low expectations and all, I thought maybe it would be as good as any random cover band I've seen play at any street fair. I have to think that there is potential here for the band to get better (yes, I know they play covers), but once they are on stage together more they should start to gel as a “band.” Maybe their game was off because it was cold and awkward to be playing at a mall and not in a club. Naah…I think it’s more that these guys have big egos and no one has told them that this is not an act you take out on the road. The true test is to gauge whether seeing behind the curtain will ruin my love for General Hospital. Let’s hope not..I’m dying to know if Sam and Jason are finally going to have a baby!
Laura Wright (Carly) was there. She's my fave.
No comments:
Post a Comment