Friday, November 5
Vienna Teng house concert
Preblog flashback:
A Vienna Teng house concert is as cool as it sounds.... we arrived a bit early on Oct. 5 to help the Tabers set up some more chairs and make coffee, and Vienna (piano) and Alan (violin) and Marika (cello) were there, the instruments already set up and we got to talk for awhile. Alan's probably in his mid-30s and until January had worked for a software company until he gave it up to pursue being a professional/traveling/musician. Vienna herself worked for Cisco for two years, according to her bio. Marika gave Kristen's some cello bow-hold lessons/exercises (K continue to teach herself how to play); the kids smiled and had photos taken with them (Reade and Caitlin both had Vienna Teng shirts and matching gray pants -- look for a photo on her website someday....), and Reade gave Vienna a bead bracelet she'd made for her. The Tabers gave them "Greeley" gift bags, half joking, have serious attempt -- a Greeley Homes brochure, a book from Connie Willis, other stuff.
Then everyone else arrived and people chatted with Vienna and ate cheese and wine and whatnot. Most were friends of the Tabers, but at least four people showed up who learned of the show from the net, and it was fun to see these true fanboys get to see her in such a small setting.
Then we sat down, Vienna at her keyboard, the other two with the backs to the windows, the rest of us in folding chairs and couches, and Mike the meteorology PhD squeezed 35 people into his living room, entry and hall, and they played for about 90 minutes, mostly wonderful versions of songs off their two albums, two new songs and a couple of covers; they even played a sing-along encore, with us the 'crowd' singing the background chorus for her. Emma the two-year old finally fell asleep in Mike's car, and the sitter they hired to watch her sat in the car in the driveway with the sleeping child during much of the concert.
When it was done, we all ate cookies and brownies and people trickled off, Marika and my friend Jonathan the music professor had a friendly debate about the evils of corporate America and the needs of flyover country (a precursor red-state/blue-state conversation)(Starbucks/Borders prompted it, she hating them, he taking the position that yes they're evil but at least we in middle America can now get a good cup of coffee) and we helped them pack up, and Reade and Caitlin performed the hastily arranged Vienna Teng Dance in the now-cleared living room for Vienna and Marika while Alan counted/balanced the merch table and sorted/lamented the stickers, and Connor and Ben recited Monty Python bits, with Vienna joining in on several of them, and it was just a swell swell time.
They graciously sat for more family pictures and autographed posters and then we helped them load their minivan .... They play a Denver club tomorrow, AlbuQ this weekend and then on to Texas.
