When I woke up to the rain coming down this morning, I was worried about the scheduled outdoor performances at NAMM. But it seems that God loves music, cause the sky cleared up and the rain went away just after the doors opened at NAMM. The outdoor performances went off without a hitch - good thing because Elton the Early Years was a smash hit! Kenny Metcalf as Elton John performed to a large and cheering crowd. With a four member supporting band (two guitars, bass and drums) and three back-up singers (including Kenny's daughter, Shar), the performance felt like a real live Elton John concert. Even more impressive was the fact that Caleb Quaye, Elton's actual guitarist, was in the audience, watching Isaac Johnson portray him on stage. It was a magical memorable show that will definitely go down as one of NAMM's best.
But that wasn't the only outstanding performance of the day. Raining Jane turned in two solid performances at the Sennheiser booth, drawing a large crowd each time. RJ is gearing up for their next Hotel Cafe performance on Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Besides Raining Jane, Debby Holiday, The Material and and Blame Shift also provided stellar performances for Sennheiser.
Tomorrow at the Sennheiser booth will be Honeymoon at 12 and 2:15 p.m., Chloe Lear at 12:45 and 3:45 p.m., Chantelle Berry at 1:30 p.m., The Baron Sisters at 3 p.m. and Marcus Eaton at 4:30 p.m.
Outside of Sennheiser, other great performances were turned in by Kelly McGrath at VocoPro, Javier Colon (champion from The Voice) at Taylor Guitars, Scilla at Lampifier microphones and Marcus Eaton and of Verona on the Mariott lobby center stage. Rumour also has it that a jam session featuring Jackson Brown and LeeRoy Parnell broke out on the Gibson stage.
Speaking of the band of Verona, they mesmerized the audience with their dynamic rock stage show. The people just came pouring into the lobby as the music grew in intensity and the power of Mandi Perkins' vocals rose to new heights. It was a breathtaking performance.
Not only was it a great day for performances but we also discovered some gems among the many exhibits scattered through the convention center and the Marriott. Among those gems were the Lampifier microphone, with a processor that adjusts to changes in volume and tone, the incredible stained glass artwork of ReVamped Designs, the efficient 8-pound Four Force amplifier and the simple yet efficient design of Cole Coleman's breakthrough ThimbleSlide.
We also visited other booths, including Noteflight (online music notation); Symphonicsphere (software for creating a symphonic sound); MusicMan Photography; Onboard Research (creator of Freedom One, a digital wireless tuner); Ibanez (where Chelle got to meet one of her musical heroes, Joe Satriani); Alfred Music Publishing; D'Addario; Ernie Ball; Peavey; Luna Guitars; Dean Guitars (and those crazy Dean Girls); VocoPro, Sennheiser, Jaguar Amps, Vater Percussion (endorser of Raining Jane's Mona Tavakoli), Kitara (maker of a touchpad guitar) and Santa Cruz Guitars (featuring the lovely and talented Hope Hazy).
Last but not least were all the incredible musicians we saw roaming the aisles at NAMM, including Natalia Zuckerman, Meghan Toohey, Josh Damigo, Mike V, Elyse Haren, Jason Epps, Kamille (of Karmina), Bobbo Byrnes (of The Fallen Stars), Mike V, Gina Venturini and Jimi Yamagushi, Lucy Levisohn (of Evolove) and Tim and Susan Moyer.
Thanks for another great day at NAMM that started with the amazing Elton the Early Years and climaxed with a stellar performance by of Verona. Sadly, tomorrow is the last day. However, this year's NAMM will leave me with great memories and a promise of an even bigger 2013.
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