JoCo Concert DVD
On February 22 I’ll be doing a show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. I’ll be accompanied by a crew of video production people who will capture whatever magic happens there, and later, re-assemble it on a DVD that hopefully the entire world will purchase. With any luck, this will also lead to a proper live CD.
I’m telling you all this because it’s important that the show be fun and special and generally awesome. Mostly this means I need a big enthusiastic crowd, which is usually not a problem in SF, you folks are always very large and generous. It also means that fun things should happen – I’ve got a couple of ideas, some guests and gimmicks (Paul and Storm: yes please), nothing too crazy. But if someone out there has the power to, say, get Steve Jobs to dance around on a Segway while I sing “A Laptop Like You,” or maybe to get Sir Mix-a-Lot to fly in on a zip line and sing “Baby Got Back” with me, I’d like to hear about it. I could also use a marching band, a robot that breathes fire, a swimming pool and a team of synchronized swimmers – that sort of thing. I also hope you’ll bring your own video cameras and send me whatever you get from them.
This will be fun! And expensive and terrifying!
Buy your tickets here: www.gamhtickets.com
January 9th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Oh, man … I am hardcore jealous of everyone who gets to be at this show. I’m stuck here in Jersey, and I can’t wait for ya to come around here so I can go see ya. I expect to pick up that DVD the second it’s made available, though, if that counts for anything.
January 9th, 2008 at 10:40 am
YAY! An idea I started int he forums a long time ago is coming to pass!
(Aug 29 2007 to be exact!)
I am so excited! We will finally get to see AND hear the whirring of his servos in crystal clear quality !
Woop-De-Doo !
Jason
January 9th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Dude, you won’t get Jobs on a Segway, but if you ask Woz nicely I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to help out., with an entire polo team on segways.
Dig through woz.org and find a contact address. By all accounts, he’s a lovely guy who’s more than happy to help out.
January 9th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Assembled in iMovie ‘08 of course. LOL Yesssssssss
January 9th, 2008 at 11:03 am
I have a team of synchronized-swimming robot monkeys. I haven’t tested them in actual water yet since the big electrocution accident last year, but you’re welcome to them.
January 9th, 2008 at 11:15 am
If only I could afford the ticket to fly to California… anyway, it’s bound to be amazing. Where can I preorder the DVD?
Evil(ish) thought, but will the DVD be under the creative commons license?
January 9th, 2008 at 11:19 am
This is huge news. If it came to it, I was going to pay for the crew my self when he came to the UK on tour, I guess I won’t have to now. Phew, it wasn’t going to be cheap.
January 9th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Yes! The Woz! More ideas please. I’m kind of serious about the marching band…
January 9th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Kerrin, do we have any more news on the UK tour side of things or what?
January 9th, 2008 at 11:35 am
as the plane should travel across several states with different laws,I dont know if I risk death penalty or only a life sentence if I hijack a plane to get there…
January 9th, 2008 at 11:37 am
*looking at train ticket prices*
I took the train up to see the show in SF last time. One of the best. nights. ever.
January 9th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I feel like it’s Christmas again with this post today. And now I know what to get my wife for Valentine’s Day.
January 9th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Song suggestion for the concert from myself and a friend of mine:
“He should write a song and have Ballmer perform some screaming for him.”
me: “.. and call it ‘Dance, Monkey Boy, Dance (Developers, Developers, Developers)’ ?”
If you can get Woz to ride the segway during “A Laptop Like You” …and then manage to get Ballmer to come and scream during the as yet unwritten aforementioned song suggestion, the live DVD will just fly off the virtual shelves as geeks around the world order them by the boxful! (JoCo Live!: Makes a lovely holiday, birthday, or ‘just because’ gift for the geek in your life.)
January 9th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
*sitting in New York City watching my fire breathing robot shuffle sadly away from the computer to go hibernate in the closet after reading this post*
Also, this is the second time you’ve called your audience rotund due to a vague modifier. Don’t make me give you a grammar lesson. Because I don’t know grammar. So the lesson will most likely degrade into a shouting match to see which one of us can name more X-men.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
No suggestions from me other than that the zendrum be well incorporated and in cruel and unusual ways. How about a 17 minute mashup of Mr. Fancy Pants/In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida?
Either way, you’ll have no trouble making your money back on this one. I think the idea of editing in fan footage is fantastic. Break those legs, man.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Scott Sigler lives in S.F. Maybe he’d be up for some cross-promotional zaniness.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
If a friend of a friend can get you a fire-breathing robot, can you get the insurance covered to use it for the show?
January 9th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
My cousin and I are Cal graduates, and this is sooooo the marching band’s type of gig. Let us see what we can do!
January 9th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
No, really, I’m serious…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QNI3W8UB-s
January 9th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
heh… you could get the Stanford band too and have a battle of the marching bands. Or you could just go with pros and call SF’s very own Extra Action Marching Band (http://www.extra-action.com/). They’re crazy.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
The Great American Music hall is a great choice for fire breathing robots, etc. Some of the clubs in SF have issues with that sort of thing, but the Great American Music Hall is pretty cool with whatever.
The 22nd is so soon. I better start looking for parking right now!
January 9th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
If you had some sort of Daft Punk-esk robot mask for “Still Alive”, that would be blow some minds.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
If all these people that you plan* on being there do go, this will be the most surreal and wonderfully enjoyable night on the planet.
*By plan I also include hope. And don’t forget the doritos!
January 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I was going to suggest the Cal marching band, but I have been beaten to the punch!
January 9th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Oh, and BTW, if you get desperate for a band, Dwight Schultz and I are happy to fill in on drums, just as long as you get Mr. Petkaitis (or another similarly high-strung conductor) to beat the crap out of us with a baton when we aren’t in time.
January 9th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Right – pirates it is, then.
I’m REALLY looking forward to buying the DVD and hopefully CD when finished – wish I could make the show!
January 9th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
My idea is to call upon the bretheren. Open the show with the Whiffenpoofs singing, “Camp Bachelor Alma Mater”. Then the curtains open and you launch into The Future Soon… ah, i may have to fly to SF to see it.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
robgonzo: Remember the Baker’s Dozen! No Yalie all-male a capella groups in San Francisco!
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2007/01/12/a-cappella-assault/
January 9th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
It’s Karel Čapek’s birthday! Robots rejoice!
January 9th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
quote: I’m kind of serious about the marching band…
Hey! I’m a Marching band DIRECTOR! I would be absolutely glad to have my high school marching band play in your concert….
Only one minor problem…. We live in Michigan. But if you could arrange transportation, food and lodging…. well – it’s a deal!
let me know
January 9th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I would SO love to come to this. To bad it’s across the country. I have a great marching band to, but they’re fife and drum, and that’s way to loud indoors.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Maybe you can track down Pink Man – he wears a shiny pink spandex unitard (including a hood) and rides his unicycle around downtown Berkeley while also dancing to the music he’s listening to on headphones. He’s quite a sight.
January 9th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Oh man, its always been a dream to show up in a musician’s concert DVD…
Come to NYC next time you’re making one!
January 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
woooooot!! i’m so terribly excited about this!!! it’s gonna be great!
January 9th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I cannot make it. However, here are some other hair-brained ideas for your show (in order):
- a depressed pizza delivery guy, morosely delivering pizza to a few members of the audience
- a monkey wearing thick glasses and a tie
- a series of QRios dancing some kind of kabuki dance
- a jet pack
- fireworks
- John Hodgman
January 9th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
i want to go but i cant, but i will buy the dvd, i might buy 2.
January 9th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Oh man!
I will do everything in my power to get there. Woo Hoo!
January 9th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I think we should have an army of fans wearing squid hats if you sing “I Crush Everything” for us. Well, I’ll be wearing a squid hat anyhow.
Also, for fire-breathing machinery you could try to contact somebody at The Crucible in Oakland. They’ve become a staple at the Maker Faire with their flame-throwing fire truck and they do a lot of other neat stuff with fire.
January 10th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I am now heavily considering visiting my grandparents in San Fransisco in February.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:42 am
For the live CD you can say something like “there’s no video with this CD, so the people who bought it will never see this cool thing I’m doing with my hands right here.”
As for the live video one.
I recall the Beastie Boys did an experiment where they gave people in the crowd video cameras and told them to just record. Then they compiled everything into one, and released it under the title “Awesome; I F***ing Shot That!”. Maybe you can do something similar? (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesome%3B_I_Fuckin%27_Shot_That%21 or the official site, http://www.beastieboysmovie.com/)
January 10th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Any interest in having an a capella group? I’m a student at Cal and I have friends that are in a few a capella groups that perform regularly and love to do fun and creative stuff. Try contacting groups like Noteworthy or Decadence or Men’s Octet. Or ask me to ask them.
January 10th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Gle3nn: Road trip!!! (I’m only *sorta* kidding.)
January 10th, 2008 at 4:33 am
I suppose that not only a DVD will be available, but that the entirety will be available for download (at a price). Question mark.
January 10th, 2008 at 10:55 am
maybe a drummer and/or a bassist on a number or two. And take the Strat!
January 10th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
The band Smashmouth is semi-local to S.F. (they’re based in San Jose). It’d be awesome to have an actual band backing you up.
You may not want to get *too* nutso with your show. Tossing in a bunch of elements you’ve never really rehearsed with may mean the DVD will have to be one big long blooper reel.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
and there’s a problem with it being one long series of disasters how…?
I kid. But maybe you shuold come and do one in England, if i promise beforehand to spread the word, play songs loudly, hijack radio stations etc…
as for ideas, you should contact somebody who has a monkey that works in movies. Could happen… and it would be required to wear a hat. A top hat.
And you should play I Feel Fantastic double-time!!!! Urm, good luck with that one, but it sounded great on Media Player…
January 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
My brother, who has been to a ton of shows in his college days in Boston and in the Northwest, went to the Portland, OR show and said it was the best show he had ever been to. I concur. I wouldn’t change too much or have too many gimmicky things that are out of character. You are a wonderful performer live!
I can’t wait. I’m still scheming to get down there from Portland. You really know who your real friends are . . .
January 10th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I sooooo want to go to that show!
January 10th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Please, for the love of everything good and holy, make sure you play Mr. Fancy Pants with the ZenDrum for that CD! It’s honestly the most satisfying live version of any song I’ve ever heard.
January 11th, 2008 at 4:58 am
I have passed this on to the LSJUMB (Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band).
If you are not aware of their shenanigans and generally perfect temperament, please peruse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Band
I hope that someone contacts you about this from the current management, as I think it would really be a great match. And this is coming from a former member of the staff.
January 11th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I believe a battle of the marching bands would result in booty-shakin’ bedlam and leave naught but charred ruins in its wake. Do it!
January 13th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Oh. My. God.
(buys tickets)
See you there!
And people, let’s dial back the pirate business during JoCo’s set this time, m’kay?
January 13th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Agrees w/Luke. Pirates was fun… for a while.
January 13th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Also, I agree with other commenters that your act has gotten to a good place and you don’t need to tart it up too much with less-rehearsed stunts. Plugging in the Strat might be cool, though. But trust what has gotten you to this point — the material is solid and your performance of it delights your audience. That’s the important bit.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Would this be a good time to play “Vienna” again?
January 14th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Robot guitar! Maybe Gibson would lend one for publicity.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Well, it’s not a marching band, but could you use a flying, screaming slingshot monkey?
I just visited a friend in Roswell (a town that embraces its freakishness with glee, I must say), and she had one of these in her office (which is more amusing when you know she’s a minister and she shoots this thing across her church office). I found them in the spectacular tourist crap shop on the road to Santa Fe. The craphound brain took over (it’s just a milimeter from the lizard brain, after all) and I bought two.
Can it be possible that you don’t have a flying screaming monkey already? And if you do, you could have a synchronized flying screaming monkey effect! (Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t think these would synchronize well. They’re random monkeys.) Say the word, and there’s a flying screaming monkey with your name on it.
January 14th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Tickets are sold out, according to the Great American Music Hall website.
DANG.
This was going to be my first time seeing JC! I shall go slit my wrists now. Remember kids, down the block, not across the street!
January 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Hold on with the razor blades Heather, I don’t think that’s right – it may just be that they hadn’t allotted enough for their website. Check back because there should still be plenty more tickets.
January 14th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Dude, you are going to have enough on your plate without a marching band. Just play an extra-good show, go long so you have room to edit, and make sure the crew has room to move around. And, although Satan’s tempters may whisper in your ear, DO NOT give the whole audience kazoos. I have seen it and it ain’t pretty. Random kazoo bleats all night. Eck.
January 14th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I appreciate everyone’s concern about me screwing up the DVD by trying to do too much – rest assured, I am far too afraid to attempt anything very interesting. There will a couple of fun things, but it’s going to be 95% standard show.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
What’s that??
You’re gonna have a contest to design the sleeve for the DVD packaging?
That’s awesome!
I’m gonna work on my submission now!
January 15th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I still have not seen an email alert about this.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I just got the email alert (oddly enough I got an email alert from Paul and Storm a couple days ago). Fortunately I got my tickets yesterday since the nice lady on the phone told me they were the last of the dinner tickets available.
Sounds like the place will be pretty packed, no pressure or anything.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
OKAY, THIS IS BULLSHIT!
What about SEATTLE?
Why do the audiences in San Fran-Freakin’-Cisco get the nod?
You know Seattle will give you what you need including, perhaps, Comrade Mix-A-Lot. We have eccentric cyber-billionaires here too, ya know.
Okay, nice weather, Silicon Valley, beaches, fancy city, sure, San Francisco rocks but you know Seattle would come through for you.
Come see us if California decides to go all LAME on you. We’re not the type of people to hold a grudge.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Tickets aren’t sold out yet!
I’m so there.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:02 am
San Francisco rocks but you know Seattle would come through for you.
No argument. We cannot help it that we rock. It’s just this thing we do.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Some of us would still be happy to buy the flawed lived CDs you were talking about releasing a few moons back, by the way…
January 16th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Some of us would still be happy to buy the flawed live CDs you were talking about releasing a few moons back, by the way…
January 16th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
But, if he plays in Seattle then he doesn’t get the uncomfortable feeling of playing “I Hate California” in front of Californians.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
But, if he plays in Seattle then he doesn’t get the uncomfortable feeling of playing “I Hate California” in front of Californians.
Actually he’s fine on that score in S.F.; as he said at the last GAMH show, “it’s about Southern California and has nothing to do with you,” which got a big cheer. Many people from out-of-state do not realize that Norcal despises So. Cal and bashing Hell A. is sure to be met with hearty approval ’round these parts. They steal our water, fuck up our state politics, embrace one dumb-ass fad after another and are generally an embarrassment. (No offense to JoCo’s L.A. fans! I kid because I love!)
Also that song has a killer hook.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I just bought two tickets for the show! It’s perfect… Wondercon is also that night (weekend actually) so I was going to be in S.F. anyway.
I’ll be wearing my zombie Spider-Man t-shirt is seat #404 (file not found!).
I can’t wait!
January 18th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Argh! With GDC ending, Wondercon starting and the Video Games Live concert that night, I’m going to miss this. Why do so many things have to happen on that specific day?
http://comic-con.org/wc
http://videogameslive.com
http://www.gdconf.com/
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 am
The robots-flambe and marching bands might show up with tickets in hand, you know. I know I will. But swimming pools are strictly L.A.
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:01 pm
SO,
I have a suggestion, though it be without robots or monkeys, or marching bands, or other things you’re unlikely to actually do, because it was unlikely that you were speaking literally when you mentioned them.
This time,
John Hodgman introduces you.
(It’ll be just like Soviet Russia.)
This is a good idea, and you will act on it.
(that is all)
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Just went by the GAMH box office to pick up my tickets after work. Got the last three tickets. Totally sold out now. The gal at the box office window looked kind of surprised.
February 8th, 2008 at 3:41 am
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