Just bought two tickets to see Jake Shimabukuro in concert in Austin, April 5th. Having only seen him via Youtube, I'm curious as to what his concerts are like, what music he's likely to play and how long his shows tend to be. Anyone?
Just bought two tickets to see Jake Shimabukuro in concert in Austin,April 5th. Having only seen him via Youtube, I'm curious as to what his concerts are like, what music he's likely to play and how long his shows tend to be. Anyone?
I have not seen Jake in concert yet, however, the theatre organization that I run in Southern New Jersey is hosting Jake in concert on April 15th. I am told by his management that he will play every style of song, especially from his new album, and I see on FB that he is doing "Don't Stop Believin". His concerts are expected to last for 90 minutes with an intermission. Please let me know how the concert is since you will be seeing him before we do, however, from all of the posts I see on facebook, he is loved everywhere he goes. I know that you are too far away to see him with us on April 15th but if anyone reading this can get to our theatre which is just outside of Philadelphia, Pa, you can get tickets at www.mainstage.org. And if you put the code "UU" in the coupon area you get $5/ticket for being a fellow UU member.
He is really Awesome in person! The concert lasted about an hour and a half and after the concert, he autographed, took pictures and talked to anyone who wanted to meet him. He is very humble and gracious!...He mostly played the songs from the Peace, Love, Ukulele album with Don't Stop Believin at the end.
he has amazing stage presence, is humble, likeable and sounds a lot more skillfull live than on the album. He is also incredibly precise and makes few if any mistakes.
he has amazing stage presence, is humble, likeable and sounds a lot more skillfull live than on the album. He is also incredibly precise and makes few if any mistakes.
Well said. I saw him last month and was really surprised by all of this. I'm not a huge fan of his recorded stuff AT ALL, but since there's no denying his skills I figured he was worth seeing at least once. The two things that impressed me most were his overall personality - he is so likeable! - and his improvisation, neither of which comes through on recordings.
The set he played was pretty short, maybe an hour? And he didn't do the meet-and-greet thing afterward as he had another gig to get to. He mostly played stuff from Peace Love Ukulele, and for his encore did the Adele song that he covered recently. And he played my absolute favorite thing he does - the Japanese song Sakura Sakura - which I wasn't expecting at all.
Ditto on him being a great guy and performer. As far as what to expect? Be prepared to ask yourself several times, "what was that?" I too definitely prefer his live stuff to his recordings and as a unexpected side-benefit, my wife, who usually shrugs at my uke obsession, loves the shows. If you can, leave plenty of time in your schedule and hang out afterwards and not only meet him but most likely some fellow UU'ers.
If you are the type who likes to get autographs, be sure to bring something for him to sign after the concert. He always hangs out with the fans afterwards and willingly signs stuff and pose for pictures. Really cool guy.
EDIT: Oh, when he asked "do you have time for another song?" after what was to be his last song, someone yelled "Freebird!" during the concert I went to last week. It was pretty funny and Jake actually improvised a quick facsimile of it. Maybe you should try yelling that at the concert.
I saw him in December, just before Christmas. Show was 90 minutes with no intermission, no opening act. We all had a great time - I took 2 non-uke players and they were blown away by his musicality. At times his right hand was strumming so fast it was a blur. I had him sign my Lanikai and put it on the wall - fun to look at a remember the good time we had at the show. I suppose if I see him this year I'll have him sign the tab book.
Just get a Sharpie that contrasts with the uke wood - I used a silver one on my Lanikai - similar to the picture above. Looks great and Jake gives a real nice autograph.
