Concert Diaries Chapter 18 ~ Leading Man

I'm rather impatiently waiting for December holiday concerts and acutely aware of how lucky I am because I have two concerts in December on top of the several times I've seen Gavin DeGraw already this year.  I have no business being impatient.  I should just enjoy this time of anticipation.

And there is much to enjoy while waiting for the next round of concerts.  There's been lots of promotion of the new album, Make A Move, so there've been glimpses of our Leading Man here and there and everywhere since the summer tour ended.

There have been some fun interviews like this one that was live on Cambio:  Room Temperature Cheese.  I love his recent observations about how supportive the mainstream music community has become and how there is less competition and more collaboration lately.  It was so evident during the Train tour this summer and at the WPLJ summer blastoff where Gavin and Ed Sheeran got together for the first time.  And I like cheese at room temperature best too.

The interviews from the brief trip to Europe were good.  It seemed like a different place every day and the performances and talks with radio and other media personnel made each day of that week a little special.  I liked this one:  I Failed Algebra.  "If it doesn't rhyme, it's not a song.  So  .... at the end of the day it's this version of sociology and psychology.  It sort of an uneducated version. And that's songwriting."

This interview with CBS where he talks more about the songwriting process sheds light on all the cowriting he decided to do for this album despite the weirdly worded questions from the interviewer--"Was it hard to relinquish the creative process?"  What artist relinquishes the creative process?  He's good though--he answers her with details about what it's like in the give and take of writing with another person.  He also explains, I think to those fans who were disappointed that this record wasn't in the vein of Chariot or Free, why an artist needs to grow and try new approaches.  

There have been lots of US television performances with more to come.  The day the record was released Gavin was on the Today Show.  I love how they played "We Belong Together" during the introduction.  Somebody on Kathie Lee and Hoda's staff is pretty familiar with his discography.  I'm kind of sorry I didn't go into the City and hang out that day.  I also loved the amount of camera time James Cruz had on this stop.

Then there was his ill-fated co-hosting appearance on The View when the hosts wouldn't let him get a word in.  Charming as ever, though, Gavin just rode with it and allowed those five women to cut him off and talk over him.  Frustrating for the rest of us who had thought this would be an hour-long opportunity for everyone else to get to know him.  The cooking segment with his friend Sheri Shepherd was funny though and he sang Best I Ever Had Again and kissed Barbara Walters.

Last week he appeared on the Rachel Ray Show, with an acoustic performance of Best I Ever Had.  His parents were in the audience that day.  Hearing him speak about his close knit family is one of my favorite topics of his.  I admire how he wears his heart on his sleeve where they are concerned.

I've decided that one thing that really irritates me is the rather fake way that TV hosts clap along to guest musicians.  It just looks odd.  Their "enthusiasm," I think, achieves the opposite of what they're intending.  Rather than appearing to be fans, they appear clueless.  They should just be more natural. That over-the-top flamboyant act is embarrassing.

With paralympic alpine skier Alana Nichols.

How about this...  Gavin performing in Times Square 100 days out in front of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games.  There was literally no notice of this appearance or I'd definitely have take the day off and headed into New York.  His gorgeous anthem, Everything Will Change, has been selected as the US Olympic Team's song--a completely fitting choice.

Hey, before it gets too late,

Before the night is over, before the world's awake,

Everything will change.

Hey, I feel it coming on

Starting like a fire, tonight you lit the flame

Everything will change.

Last night there was this appearance on the Conan O'Brien Show.  I think this must have been the television debut of the new single Make A Move.  And by the time I hit the "publish" button on this post, he'll have reprised the performance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  Earlier tonight Direct TV broadcasted an episode of Guitar Center Sessions featuring Gavin and the band.  Beautiful direction and sound in this and I loved the Behind the Scenes interview.  And he's not terrible on the guitar.  He has to stop saying that.  He's really pretty good.

More to look forward to:  Riding on a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  He's participated in the parade in the past.  2004, actually. A friend and I were chatting on twitter this week and concluded he must really hate lip syncing in these situations--he's such a consummate live performer.  Then in early December an appearance on the hysterical NBC game show, Hollywood Game Night, hosted by Jane Lynch.  It's a perfect show for him and I think he'll have a blast doing it.

So ... no concerts on the East Coast right now ... but lots to tide me and my fellow fangirls/guys over until we find our way to live events.  I feel my patience returning.

~~~

A fan made this video montage for Leading Man, the last song on the new album.

A few of weeks ago I had a fun twitter exchange with Jim Shearer, the host of the Saturday morning show VH1 Top 20.  The video for Best I Ever had been entering that chart at the time and our back and forth tweets resulted in this:  A little fun with Jim Shearer . Oh, and for the record, I did not "yell" at him like that ... Bottom line:  I've now had both my quasi radio and television debuts thanks to Gavin DeGraw.  Loosely speaking, of course.  Really loosely speaking.

Earlier this afternoon, I felt
the need to straighten out
the racks at Walmart.

Pretty happy when he shows
up in my living room.