Splendor on a Gloomy Monday

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Portland is such a beautiful city during the sunny summer months, but the transition into the darkness of winter is not a pretty one. My Monday morning Twitter stream was full of tweets about heavy rains and self-diagnosis of various diseases. It was as if I could actually hear bottles of Zoloft being opened all over the city. And then I saw this tweet from @PinkMartiniNews:

“First ten people to tweet us win a pair of tickets each to tonight’s Pink Martini CD Release show at the Crystal Ballroom!”

OMG! I hit reply, tweeted “Hello”, the clouds parted, and the next thing you know I had two tickets waiting for me at the Crystal Ballroom box office.

But I said to myself, “Self, you kind of blew it last week when you acknowledged your parents 47th wedding anniversary with just a congratulatory tweet – no card or gift. No one loves Pink Martini more than Dad does. You could totally redeem yourself by giving the tickets to them.” And so I did, but I also purchased a ticket for myself because, well – it’s the Pink Martini CD Release show and I didn’t want to be left out.

I’m kind of new to the Pink Martini fan club. I had never actually seen them live until I saw Oregon! Oregon! (or Shut It, Margie Boule! – as I like to call it) at the State Fair two months ago. It’s hard to say how good Oregon! Oregon! actually was because a certain cast member’s voice was nothing short of an auditory assault. The Pink Martini portion of the show, however, was so divine that your ears were completely willing to forgive you for what you had just put them through.

I’d also never been to the Crystal Ballroom before. My parents and I arrived early enough to snag the bench closest to the stage, thus avoiding most of the personal space violations that come with general admission. For example, one lady had the balls to ask my 70 year old mother to move so that she could sit on the bench instead. Keep it classy, Portland. Or, more accurately, keep it disgruntled.

In contrast, 12,000 brightly colored helium balloons decorated the ballroom ceiling, somewhat reminiscent of the Chihuly installation at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Long sparkly ribbons dangled from each balloon, filling the ballroom with twinkles as the lights went down and the stage lights went up. Everyone was given a flower. Seriously. It may sound a little Pollyanna-ish – but if you want to cheer up a rain soaked Portlander – give them a colorful balloon and flower.

Pink Martini took the stage to the cheers of an enthusiastic but somewhat subdued crowd. The band played as China Forbes’ voice melted over us like drops of sunlight. Thomas Lauderdale punctuated the set list with his playful explanations between each number. Couples canoodled. Single ladies swayed. Those who could really dance, did. Everyone else seemed to be nodding their heads in agreement with each beat. The evening ended with the show-stopping Brazil, much to my Dad’s delight. (The man has a home-made CD with 18 versions of the song.)

Following the show, the entire ensemble signed autographs and posed for photos. Class acts, all the way.

It’s kind of a bold move to release an album titled Splendor in the Grass on a textbook Portland rainy day. Frolic in the grass today and you’ll find yourself soaking wet and covered in a mixture of leaves, bugs and mud. It’s hard to turn that experience it to a romantic lounge number. Actually, Pink Martini could make it work. But while Pink Martini is based in Portland, it is not of Portland. The liner notes of their latest album read like a travel guide and the list of collaborators would make Joseph McCarthy spin in his grave. I suspect this is a large part of their appeal.

Pink Martini takes you away from where you are to a much much better place.

Personally, I’m not ready for winter this year at all. I can’t believe I’m putting myself through it again. But, like a good native Oregonian, I know it is my duty to suck it up and endure. But this year I’ll be cueing the Pink Martini, my new secret weapon against the color grey.