What could be better than a surprise visit for the one you love AT a concert with THE Leslie Hall? I submit that NOTHING is better.
Leslie Hall is an amazingly hilarious performer, probably best known for her Gem Sweaters and Gold Pants. If you have not yet seen "Tight Pants/Body Rolls," I suggest you do so NOW.
I was going to be unable to go to her concert in B.R., which was originally on Wednesday of this past week, but it got moved to Thursday. Me, being crafty as a fox, took this as an opportunity to see the master at work AND surprise the boyfriend (oh yeah, I have one of those now...more on that later!) as he had planned to be there.
The concert was at the Here Today, Gone Tomorrow Thrift Store in Baton Rouge. I was hoping it would be a small venue (more Leslie Hall time for ME!) and it turned out to be just that. There was me, Trey, a couple of his friends, a few hippie-ish folks, some stranded Gaga fans, and a really...uh...unique opening act. They were...loud.
The store's performance area was pretty cool. They had decked out the walls with some select gem sweaters. It was precious. It turned out that Leslie Hall herself had been lurking around the whole time--she wasn't hard to miss because there weren't more than 50 people there. She was pretty normal in jeans and a cool shirt--a lot thinner than I thought she would be, actually. But I saw her eyes...and I kneeew... Trey pointed out that it was in fact her. I tried not to gush...but I was so excited ya know?
We ended up approaching her as she set up her swag table. I told her I was a little emotional because I was a very big fan. She patted me on the back to help me hold back tears. Lol. We were totally joking around, but the three of us seemed to have kind of this natural humor between us. Yeah I know...I met her like, one-half time. But she just seemed so totally cool...like someone I would hang out with on a normal basis. Trey and I both had that to say about her.
Before Leslie started her set, Trey's friend Alli had bought one of the decorative sweaters from the store for herself, but had Trey wear it for the evening. More on that in a second.
And then LESLIE HALL APPEARED! Fully dressed and decked out as the "Leslie Hall" character we know so well.
The show was amazing and HILARIOUS. She really integrated a lot of video and improvisation into her set (albeit a shortened set). It was totally exhilarating.
Towards the end of the show, she asked a few of the bejeweled men in the audience to come forward for a dance contest. I screamed at her to pick Trey, who was quickly putting his hot sweater back on, and after she asked me if it was okay to borrow him, she snagged him up. Trey, along with two others, had to dance with Leslie for an unknown reward.
Trey, clearly being the most awesome dancer on stage, won by a very evocative landslide. He and Leslie made sweet sweet magic on the floor, with dancing that featured page turning, window washing, and various other domestic motions. She was all into it. His reward? A name for his sweater. YES!
She officially dubbed his rescued gem sweater "Parlor Mittens Lebanese Satchel."
After she ended the show, we got a pic with her, she signed some stuff, and I vowed to her that I would email her and tell her more about Labertha Jenkins, who I suspect would LOVE a collaboration with Ms. Hall...I suppose we will see where it goes next!
All in all, I had one of the most EXCITING nights of my life, and the COOLEST t-shirt and ink pen combo to prove it. Meeting Leslie Hall was like meeting Oprah for me. Haha. I just adore her...and being able to do so as a surprise for Trey made it so much nicer.
For more photos, check out this.
