the OFFICIAL thing: live from a crowded opera house in new zealand…it’s…a whole piano concert.
{public post}
Hallo Loves.
Short version: here’s the Official-Thinging of the super-fancy live-streamed full solo piano concert I did on Nov 14th at the Opera House in Hawke’s Bay, Aotearoa New Zealand. It’s here: https://youtu.be/5MMNno1XwyA.
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Greetings from Havelock North, Aotearoa. I’m just finishing a day of phone calls and about to pick Ash up from school.
The shot you see above here, wine and kiwifruit held aloft, was taken by Alex Hallig right before this now-archived streamed show (or was it during intermission? it’s all a blur) backstage at the opera house in Hawke’s Bay, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Even being in a Theater…even seeing the stages and backstages and knowing there are hundreds of people all sitting together:
I feel like I’m on another planet. Planet Show, Where The Shows Are Allowed to Go On.
I hope it doesn’t hurt to watch, and if it does, don’t watch.
For those of you who are craving this kind of thing, even if it’s virtual, I hope it brings some comfort.
The whole show was streamed globally with a six-camera crew and dedicated sound, and now it us UP FOR POSTERITY, funded completely by you patrons.
It was a high-end production with a huge tech crew….and just would not have been possible without your dough.
And the fact that people all over the world in various states of lockdown could watch it….well, it was bittersweet and special.
So: thank you for your patronage, and thank you for making such impossible things possible. I never take it for granted.
(I made a post to announce the show which was not a paid post…THIS is now the official Thing post.)
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photo by Alex Hallig
This show was a hard one. I made mistakes. My voice was weary. There were some bumpy moments. But overall, it was a killer set in a fabulous venue.
And nobody forgot for a moment how miraculous it is that we could even do a show at all.
There was one weird thing: many people in the audience weren’t “fans”. Many had never heard of my music until recently, and many had never heard me sing a note. I found myself thinking “Is this a Kiwi thing? They’re so QUIET…” and then I realized…over half the audience was made of people who had no idea what to expect of the show.
Why? Because they only knew me as “Amanda from the post office”, “Amanda who is Judy’s American Friend”, “Amanda Ash’s mum from playgroup” or “Amanda who is living at Nick’s house by the stream”.
It was not your normal, wild AFP crowd…it was more like, a neighborhood of curious and supportive nice people I’ve met over the last nine months.
Nine months. Jesus.
Anyway….that’s also why this show was so important to me. This was not just a “hometown” show, it was an “adopted hometown” show. Super emo, that.
SO
If I may recommend, the highlights were definitely Boudicca Farquhar’s dance to “Drowning in the Sound”, which she choreographed herself. Bou is an emerging dance artist – she’s 17, and the daughter of my university friend Kya – the reason I came to this town in the first place.
It felt magical to watch Bou create this dance. I’m so proud of her.
The Lorde cove (“Liability”) is very get-your-hanky, and “The Man Who Ate Too Much”…by then I was basically a tear-stained mess.
I fucked up “Runs in the Family”. Doesn’t matter how many times I play that song, sometimes I fuck it up. I fucked up the (New) New Zealand song too. Nobody’s perfect, betches.
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HERE IS THE LINK TO THE WHOLE SHOW:
here’s the set list and timemarkers, thanks to tristan on youtube:
46:22 – Creep (Radiohead cover)
52:40 – In My Mind
1:06:06 – Astronaut
1:15:54 – Mrs. O (Dresden Dolls)
1:25:30 – Drowning In The Sound (with a dance by Boudicca Farquhar)
1:33:10 – The Killing Type
1:38:20 – The Bed Song
1:46:40 – Vegemite (The Black Death)
1:54:10 – A Mother’s Confession
2:35:45 – Runs In The Family
2:41:20 – New Zealand
2:45:16 – Hello Aotearoa
2:52:45 – The Man Who Ate Too Much
3:04:34 – Liability (Lorde cover)
3:08:35 – Coin Operated Boy
3:17:20 – The Ride
ENCORE
3:33:15 – Ukelele Anthem
*Amanda Collapses*
…..
We simulcasted this live stream on multiple channels. so if you prefer other platforms, here’s those links, too: crowdcast and facebook live.
All photos below by Alexander Hallig (@themusicistalking) except where noted.
Me with Sophie (left) and Rosheen (right) the StreamQueens, splayed at intermission….
Here’s Boudicca warming up backstage…
photo by olivia robertson
Bou…on stage….
Our hype and intermission hosts, Rosheen and Sophie…
photo by olivia robertson
HOWL.
The show started up in the rafters…
photo by olivia robertson
Signing, after….
photo by rachel poulain
These huge archival art posters are $250 (NZD, which is about $175 USD), btw, and signed by me and the artist, V. Hoy. The profit is all going to Hastings Women’s Refuge…if you’re interested in one, we have about 3 left if you’d like to order one. Email jamie@macphails.co.nz if you want one, and he’ll arrange shipment and payment.
Thank you for funding this, so that people all over the world can watch it for free with no sponsors, and no paywall….thank you.
I love you all.
xx
AFP
——THE NEVER-ENDING AS ALWAYS———
1. if you’re a patron, please click through to comment on this post. at the very least, if you’ve read it, indicate that by using the heart symbol. that’s always nice for me to see, so i know who’s reading.
2. see All the Things (over 100 of them) i’ve made so far on patreon:
http://amandapalmer.net/things
3. JOIN THE SHADOWBOX COMMUNITY FORUM, find your people, and discuss everything: https://forum.theshadowbox.net/
4. new to my music and TOTALLY OVERWHELMED? TAKE A WALK THROUGH AMANDALANDA….we made a basic list of my greatest hits n stuff (at least up until a few years ago, this desperately needs updating) on this lovely page: http://amandalanda.amandapalmer.net/
5. general AFP/patreon-related questions? ask away, someone will answer: patronhelp@amandapalmer.net