Legendary
Another amphitheater evening, this time in celebration of the 90th birthday of one Mistah Quincy Jones…JONES! One of the performers was, yes, of course, Mistah Stevie Wonder, known more familiarly to Thoroughbred horseracing fans as the namesake of the champion Stevie Wonderboy. Stevie Wonderboy!
A very nice show, lots of energy and genuine love & admiration for the performers’ mentor. The lush strings of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra made the early jazzier numbers pretty decadent to the ear. Siedah Garrett & Angélique Kidjo were standout performers. Then the background singers took stabs at the Michael Jackson numbers like ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Rock With You’; they gave those songs what they could, but how can you not be reminded of the permanent absence of the original performer?
Now, in our quarter-century of attending performances at the amphitheater, we have given nearly all the performers top marks, or at least neutral gradings. However, last night was occasion to add one negative review to our collection, bringing that number to two. Two!
The first was way back when. Rufus Wainwright was on stage. He was reportedly a singer, but all he pretty much did was wail & caterwaul the way Christ himself might have during his dying moments on the Roman cross, plus Wainwright threw in some tortured writhing & twisting to add to the cosmic angst of his theatrics. It was just so overwrought & unmusical. Ugh. We wish to have forgotten how bad his part of the show was, but it lingers in the mind like a trainwreck or a missed answer on the quiz shows.
So, fast-forward to last night, there was this barely post-adolescent kid dressed in a junky tie-dye sweatsuit completely unbecoming the high fashion & sparkle of the birthday celebration. This kid went to the piano to do his interpretation of ‘Human Nature’. The pianist’s mother conducted the orchestra.
He was never in tune with his vocals, and his piano was not much better than what you might get from Bruce Hornsby, truly. Then the thing regrettably devolved into his retarded version of a jerk Coldplay concert, and he was trying to be Chris Martin. It was utter sacrilege & garbage.
Apparently, this kid, someone named Jacob Collier, is a Grammy Winner, five times over! Yet so were, once, Milli Vanilli.
It got better at the end when Stevie Wonder & Co. all joined for a finale of his well-known ‘Happy Birthday’.
Oh, yes, this guy performed too:
Legend…ary?
Now here was a talented man, 12 Grammys and counting, and an EGOT! An EGOT! Throw in his looks — gaze upon this person! he is a handsome man! — and a bespoke suit probably priced in the five-figure range, and you get the entire package! Maybe one day this Jacob Collier will outgrow his faddishness & step-up to John Legend-type heights, but we have a hard time seeing it. Ladies & gentleman, John Legend…LEGEND!
BestLine Racing Society Recap:
Chas. Town (early-card), Del Mar, Evangeline, Louisiana, Laurel, Monmouth & Saratoga from before.
Starting in Chas. Town, W.Va., for the opener, in which #1 Cruz in the Castle (.355 Win Prob / 1.82-1 Fair Odds / 2.38-1 Premium Odds) and #7 Bonnie Bluetooth (.172 / 4.81 / 7.14) combined on your winning $41-even; the premium price on that comboa (comboa!) was $38.74.
In Race 4 from Opelousas, La., #3 Mally’s Monsoon (.318 / 2.14 / 2.77) blew into the winner’s circle at $27.20.
At Oceanport, N.J., #8 Hope for Gold (.142 / 6.04 / 13.08) took the fifth at an unimpeachable $36-even. Then in the 10th there, #3 Made Birdie (.211 / 3.74 / 5.64) was the winning shot at $24.20; completing your winning $127.20 exacta was #9 Amirati (.231 / 3.33 / 4.19), with the premium price on that comboa (comboa!) being $58.54.
Over to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for Race 2 there; in it, #6 Scocciatore (.142 / 6.04 / 8.86) and #2 High Oak (.138 / 6.25 / 9.14) combined on your winning $199-even exacta whose premium price was $179.68.
BestLine Racing Society Nightcap:
Chas. Town again.
Strongshots
Race 5
#1 Herecomes Scarlett (.464 / 1.16 / 1.59)
Race 7
#3 Great Spirit (.377 / 1.65 / 2.18)
Longshots
Unavailable at press-time; regrets!
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