Hay's Wife is Dancing

I don't know crap about recognizing a brilliant lyricist, singer, band...bla bla bla. Most acts that I have been told are perfection incarnate - don't usually do much for me. Sometimes stuff grabs me, and it's absolute trash. Sometimes it's recognized brilliance. I'm not claiming to know the difference.

Last night Mr. Zoom took me to see Colin Hay co headline with Howard Jones at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center. I wasn't overly ecstatic to go to this show on a week night, but I am ever so glad tht I did. I owe Mr. Zoom a great big "You Were Right". Colin Hay rocks any and all parties so hard that Brad and Angelina wish he was a deprived orphan child so they could adopt him. And I bet he could blow the combover right off of Donald Trump's head.

I'm generally not a fan of the once huge, not quite one hit wonder, yet not occupying a ton of space in my music database, back from what feels like 10 years of gone missing band. I find it painful to see people holding on to what made them huge all those years ago when it just isn't appealing anymore. And I realize this is a very individual thing. For some fans, it might be the best thing ever to see a once huge band in a little location all those years later.

I'm not immune to cling myself. I'm positive I've held on to many things far past their expiration date - clothes, hairstyles and other things - yet people were kind enough not to point it out. But I'm not charging admission.

Mr. Zoom has followed Hay all these years, has all the albums. Aside from seeing Hay on Scrubs, I wasn't incredibly familiar with his music. Last night's show was Hay on a stage with probably 3 acoustic guitars. He spoke in between songs. Normally that talking too much thing drives me mad, but he was downright hysterical. A somewhat stand up type performance without the Laff Factory type atmosphere - mixed with stunning music. He's sarcastic, self depricating, funny, subtle, and genuine. His songs have all of those qualities too. I found myself really excited to hear the next "bit", song or talk - it didn't matter. The venue was so small it felt like being at a dinner party where a very charismatic guest steals the attention of everyone at the table without trying.

And his wife performed with him too. Now, when I say performed - I'm not sure that's the proper word. She does this thing where about halfway through his set she seems to sneak on stage and combine all forms of dance into this interpretive type accompanyment. It's so very hard to describe. And it's hard not to giggle at. You can tell she's literally compelled to do what she's doing - as if she's channeling. A mix of line dance, belly dance, rain dance and the worm, with some sign language and yodeling mixed in. As friends who also went described, she's impossible not to watch. I have to give it to Hay and his wife. They are obviously having a really great time doing what they are doing up there, and despite the giggle factor, they pull it off wonderfully.

It was nice to see someone who was so big in the past out performing, doing what he obviously loves, and doing it well without the aid of "Shooting Seizmore Flavor of Love Breaking Bonaduce" type exposure. Don't get me wrong. I adore the crazy of those shows. I am usually left horrified and amused at the documentation of all too real and disturbing difficulties in life. Hay's lack of "in your face my hard life" style of entertaining left me respecting him quite a bit.