LIVE FROM CALTON HILL IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND /
March 2?, 2010After the band beforehand exits the stage, a slick white curtain falls in front the stage covering it. The lights dim down to just one light shines bright through the curtain. The audience awaited in excitement to say who was next up to perform in this already great miniature festival. After about a minute of silence on stage, a half-dozen of red lights start to flash over the curtain. The slick curtain starts to rise slowly, when it is about halfway up the sound of a symphony tuning up is heard with a clinging sound of a out-of-tune guitar. When the curtain rises up completely, it reveals Ryan Ross Hernandez and his band up on stage with their respective instruments. It is met with screams and cheers by the crowd present, mostly by the women. Hernandez starts to play a simple riff but adds to it the wah-wah pedal, every time he steps on the pedal along with the guitar effect heard through his amplifier, a sound of bombs and gunfire is heard. The huge screen behind the band shows a maroon-colored radar with a heart image being detected in it. Ryan starts to play a heavier riff that causes the lights to flash more consistently and with more distortion across the stage. The bombs sounding off are heard more across the venue, and with more intensity.
All of a sudden everything stops and the lights go out once more, returning to the silence on stage. The limelight moves across up to where Hernandez is standing, sending the women in the audience to cheers again. He starts to sing a snippet of the track, a Capella he is about to perform to let the audience know.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
It's heartbreak, heartbreak, heartbreak. Never-ending heartbreak."
That sent the audience in a surge since the audience gives notice that he will open his performance by playing "
A Never-Ending Trip to Heartbreak," the current single off his second studio album. Ryan once again begins to play the rising riff with the wah-wah pedal again but this time some grooving drums join in to chugs along with its atmospheric soundscape. This time though, Hernandez starts to speak over the sound to the crowd.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
A lot of people ask me what this song is about. More specifically they want to know who it's about. The best way I can sum up what they song is, in my mind, it is a concept song of the war of love - the art of war of love. Sometimes instead of saying 'I love you,' people can't recognize that. They recognize how much you come to their aid when they are in pain. I am a positivity man. Sometimes people try to recognize love in terms of negativity. When you are in that situation, that is not a lot of fun. Take it as you want, it is the best way I can explain this song without taking a cheap shot at the girl it is about."
Never does the instrumentals behind him stop playing through his mini-banter. The groove drums speed it up a bit, which feels like a slow train carrying the song on top of it. Soon after Ryan starts to sing his famous falsetto voice range that sends the women in the crowd in a swoon, most of which sing-along to him. By the chorus a chugging bass line joins in the laid back rock performance. Since the lyrical meaning of the track deals with how explosive relationships can be, it is only appropriate that the background screen is decorated with war battlefield imagery being displayed. Now can one relate a relationship to be as bad as the bombing of Tokyo? Apparently, Hernandez can. But that really doesn't seem to bother the audience in hand. Ryan plays a guitar solo towards the end of the song but it is barely audible since it was quick and heavily layered by the other instruments. The end of the song is closely resembled to the intro with the wah-wah pedal echoing guitar coming into play again.
The opening track is received with a hugely positive reaction, as the audience showers the soft rocker with cheers and applause.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
Thank you and good evening, Scotland and beyond."
Hernandez's band tunes up and gets ready for the next song, which is the part of the show that gives Ryan a chance to give one of his banters as he is handed his custom Fender Signature Stratocaster Electric Guitar that is designed in a beautiful Olympic white color.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
My name is Ryan Ross Hernandez and I'm finally being judged by my music. Although this mini-festival is made up of mostly metalheads which means that 70% percent of the people here do not want to see me play here. Which is why this the intermission of the night for those who do not want to see this soft, blues rocker perform. You're free to go to the bathroom and shoot up on heroine or any other form drug. But this is the section of this festival just for the women here, because truth be told all you women in the audience just put up with these crazy motherfuckers for two hours or so just to see me perform. And I really, truly thank you for that.
To the other people in this audience that might not like my music or my style of music, better said. It's understandable, you got a rep for being all hardcore and shit, and being a dude and listening to Ryan Ross Hernandez would probably cause you to get your ass beat a couple of times. I can't promise you, everything that a metal or heavier act than me can. The only thing I can promise you is what I do best, play my style of music. Rock, blues, soul. I will entertain you with my music not wild antics."
Once he finishes his statement, he takes a quick second to correctly tune up his guitar for the next song. His comments were recevied divided by the crowd, all his fans applauded him while the fans of metal and such weren't too quite happy but then again if you weren't a Hernandez fan already that wouldn't change your mind.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
Alright. This next song is off of my latest album called Dark Secret Love. And this song is the most upbeat song probably that I've written and ever will write. It experiments with this idea that you don't need a companion. That one can be perfectly happy being perfectly lonely. This is the only one song in my discography that will actually make a part of you want to move. For the next 4 in a half minutes everyone here is single. Everyone here is perfectly fine, being lonely and they just want to have fun."
Hernandez counts the band down as they get the intro of '
Loneliness Is My New Best Friend,' down perfectly, with the slick jazzy drums leading the way. As soon as the full band joined and set the course for the groovy jam, it got the audience clapping along to the snappy drums or moving to the earnest guitars led by Ryan. Like the album version, at the chorus point Hernandez pitches his vocals up to go with the mood of the song. By midpoint, most of the audience was singing along and moving to the only song composed by Ryan that is capable to do so. The strong gang-vocals outro isn't conducted in the live version, although his two female backing singers do sing it along and the audience as well. Most of the focus of the audience is at the instrumental jam led by Hernandez's guitar solo that sends the song off. This performance receives even a bigger praise from the crowd than the opener.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
Woo! Scotland, you wanna keep the momentum going?!"
The audience really doesn't respond in a yes or no matter, instead they cheer and scream which Hernandez takes as a yes.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
(chuckles) Alright, alright. You got it. Right now I feel like performing, what in my opinion, is one of the best blues songs ever gotten down on tape. The original musician is Robert Johnson but I changed it up a bit to fit my musical skill. This is, 'Crossroads'."
As soon as Ryan plays the first riff, it was made clear that is was going to be an all-out blues jam from young artist and his band. Unlike earlier songs, this cover song is opened by the three guitars upfront led by Hernandez's lead. Everyone that wasn't moving with the previous song, now they certainly were. Soon after the jumpy drums join in along with the slick basslines. When the whole band is finally incorporated, Hernandez starts to sing as low as his falsetto vocal range allows him to with some leaning room thanks to the female backing singers. The highlight of the song seems to be the instrumentation with many layered guitar solos incorporated into it. Hernandez seems to be very protective of his vocals in this performance, not really trying to go out of his ways to show off his pipes. Instead letting mostly the instrumentation do the talking for him. Right before the outro, for the breakdown of the song, Hernandez plays a very slick and risk-taking guitar solo that clearly shows off his guitar skills that hasn't really been showcased in the past. The instrumentals are top-notch, even getting Hernandez to arch his body back and forth as he stands high above an amplifier playing a guitar solo.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
(spoken) Alright Scotland. I want everyone singing this last part with me, okay? High and might! Let's show those metalheads what we got.
(sung)
You can run, You can run, tell my friend Willy Brown
You can run, You can run, tell my friend Willy Brown
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willy Brown
You can run, You can run, tell my friend Willy Brown
That I'm standing at the crossroads, I believe I'm sinking down"
It only took a couple of verses before the audience was singing along with Ryan and his backing singers. As soon as that final note is sung the whole band stops right on-queue. It is starting to seem that with each performance that praise from the audience at hand gets larger and louder. By this point of the show, Hernandez already has the crowd in his hand, right where he likes them to be.
Ryan Ross Hernandez: "
Settle down, settle down everyone. 'Cause I gotta tell you all something, a little a background check on the song I'm about to perform, which now we are back to my discography. I was having drinks with a good friend of mine, last summer. I was talking about my life and my personal situation. And I was like, 'Dude, it is friends, lovers or enemies. There is no in-between. And if you're currently in a situation where you think you can bend time in space and somehow come up with another form of relationship, some special customized relationship. Let me tell, it will never work. Never, because there can only be one. I will either be your friend, I will be your lover, or you are just another stranger to me.
We send you off with this one. Thank you very much."
Kicked off by a rhythmic keyboard notes, but not two seconds later does the rest of the band join, wasting no time and hitting the song at full speed. Although musically, it is very laid back and relaxed. The song quickly turns into a full-on, hands in the air, singalong anthem by the Scotland audience. The guitar solos are many inside the performance, all of which are very multi-layered. Soon Hernandez's guitar riffs go into a earnest frenzy, along with 'Yeah-Yeah-Yeahs,' sung by his female backing vocalists it is hard not to singalong with the perfect closer. The song is extended very much more than the studio version due to the full-blown gospel-like outro sung primiarly by the backing singers and the audience while Hernandez focuses on a monster ala-Jimi Hendrix type guitar solo. For the first time, well in a while at least, Hernandez slides his guitar off the stage just to focus on his vocals. He sings the outro very high pitched, almost Prince-like vocals.
Ryan Ross Hernandez:
(sung)
"
Anything other than 'yes' is 'no'
Anything other than 'stay' is 'go'
Anything less than 'I love you' is lying... [sung by backing vocalists until fade]"
Ryan jumps around the stage, free from his guitar, like his old PANIC! days. He gets the rest of his guitar picks and tosses them into the crowd as his band keeps playing behind him. Every once in a while when he goes by a microphone, he sings the outro along with his backing singers but mostly just jumps around interacting with the audience. Right when the song is about to end, Hernandez gets back to his microphone set to sing the final line, thankfully in his normal falsetto vocal range, almost a Capella aside from the soon fading guitar riff.
Ryan Ross Hernandez:
(sung)
"
Anything less than 'I love you' is lying.
(spoken)
Thank you very much. We will see you some other time."
With that, the limelight starts to fade as Hernandez quickly jogs off the stage. The slick white curtain starts to lower when the crew members run onto the stage to pick up the instruments and other musical goodies that belong to Hernandez and the rest of his band. Lights flash over the audience where fans are still applauding the performance Hernandez's and his band gave to the audience in hand. Even if it was a short one, the die-hard RRH-fans thought it was a musical showcase where Ryan gave his all once more. The rest of the crowd anxiously await the next band to hit the stage, which will more likely be a group that plays heavier music than Hernandez does.
Set List:
A Never-Ending Trip to HeartbreakLoneliness Is My New Best FriendCrossroads (Robert Johnson cover, in the style of Cream)
From Now On We Are; Friends, Lovers, or Enemies(
OOC: Did not like this roleplay at all. But anyways, I just wanted to get something up before time.)
