Jun 26 2008
Richard Cheese Puts on a Hell of a Show
Michael and I went to see Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine last night at the 9:30 club.
For those who have never visited 9:30, it’s a pretty small club in Washington, DC. I used to visit frequently, the shows are pretty reasonably priced, they’re all-ages unless otherwise specified, and they’re pretty well run. The only problem is parking, which isn’t an issue if you see a show on the weekend or an earlier show during the week because metro will still be running.
They always have free water out, and they have a couple bars (with good beer on tap), food and coffee. Speaking of, the drinks were strong. One gin and tonic got me pretty wasted… granted, I have no tolerance for alcohol anymore, but still. We managed to get seats to the right of center stage in the third row. This is the first time I have ever attended a seated show at 9:30 and those seats are really uncomfortable. Of course, there were plenty of people standing along the sides and back and on the balcony (as always).
Richard Cheese plays popular songs in a cheesy lounge style. He also perfectly embodies the cheesy lounge singer. He walked out with a martini glass in hand, and a tuxedo on, with his hair slicked back. If that wasn’t enough to make you laugh, he’s just funny. He hit on women (and some men) in the audience. He laughed at parents who brought their kids to the show. He walked through the audience a TON. He changed his tux 4 or 5 times. He interacted with the staff at the venue (named them, demanded applause for them). He drank a lot. He ranted about how the valet at the hotel in town dented their van. He gave out cds and tshirts to the audience. Among my favorite moments of the night was when he covered the Spongebob Squarepants theme. He passed out some containers of bubbles to the audience, had the staff turn on blue lights, had the crowd wave their arms and pulled out a bubble machine and ran around the stage with it on. It was great.
If you get the chance to see him on this farewell tour or at one of the highly paid gigs he will still do after this farewell tour - take it. I guarantee you will laugh the entire time. This man is an incredible performer (and his band is pretty darn good, folks). This is the closest you will get to the best shows in Vegas without going to Vegas.
PS: Michael just reminded me of his favorite part of the show. Richard Cheese went into the audience looking for two girls who were together but weren’t together and told them to “Make out!” When they did briefly, he remarked, “No one has EVER done that before. I love this city!” haha, indeed.
awesome! I know a few people going to see him on this tour.
I wonder if you guys have seen this (http://paintedfishstudio.com/?p=174)? Kara! we should have a crafty party too.
The rant about the valet was hilarious — at first I thought he was doing a routine but it became increasingly obvious that he wasn’t. Then he found the hotel manager in the crowd and offered to buy her a drink, then said “Oh wait, your hotel dented our van. You can buy me a drink.” Hilarity.
Dick and the drummer also briefly recreated Michael McDonald and Patti LaBelle’s duet of “On My Own,” with both of them singing in ridiculous but surprisingly accurate falsettos. That was pretty amazing.