Posted on December 3, 2010 at 9:57 am
This doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while, I’ll completely get lost while I’m performing a number, and I have to make a decision very quickly about whether to move on and pretend it didn’t happen or stop and apologize. In this case, you’ll see, I did neither.
After a similar experience at another show of mine, a friend asked me if all that stuff really goes through my head while I’m playing. The answer is: ALL THE TIME.
7 comments
Are you Jewish?
[FROM JRB: Amen, sister.]
Haha, you are still a genius! This just made that performance even better! It shows the audience that you are actually a human being and not a God!! lol 🙂
And if you’d like to see what it was like when I actually got it right ten seconds later, here’s the clip. Happy Holidays to one and all!
Thanks for sharing this with us! I’ve always wondered, do you often transpose songs like this for the singer? Or is this just the current evolution of the piece…
[FROM JRB: Different songs take different journeys. “King of the World” was written in G (the key I’m singing it in here), but was transposed to C for Billy Porter, who created the track of Man 1 in Songs for a New World. Because the tessitura of the rest of the songs for that character is essentially gospel counter-tenor, it’s almost impossible to do “King of the World” in a key other than C for the show itself, but outside of the show, I always think that songs should be in the range of the singer – there’s no fun in watching someone sing something that’s too high or too low for them, and even less fun in listening.]
This clip disturbs me a bit. When you did your concert in Portland, OR, this summer, you faltered at the same place in the same song, stopped, and issued a rant similar to the one on the clip. Is this just a song you have trouble with…or a rehearsed shtick? Either way, I still adore you as songwriter and performer!
[FROM JRB: Really? I’m not entirely surprised, but no, it’s hardly a rehearsed shtick. “King of the World”, as anyone who’s had to sing it will tell you, has a lot of words, and I’m always concentrating on a lot of things at the same time so I sometimes get lost. (And if I do get lost, it’s always in the first verse.) I do like to let the audience in on the times when I totally lose the plot; it’s more fun than me just pretending it didn’t happen. Anyway, don’t be disturbed, it’s just me getting early onset senility.]
I should try it in G, I might able to get it. I’ve tried it in A an it’s still too high for me. Awesome video though, thanks.
I just performed at my districts thespian competition. I watched a young man perform this song and it really made me realize how taxing “King of the World” is emotionally and vocally. I love how as the composer you see that and are completely open about it. I also wanted to mention that The Last Five Years and Songs For A New World were the most popular shows for song selection. I love how your music speaks to the high school generation as well as adults. You are a musical genius. I absolutely love your work.
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