Update: The UWM Post reviews the Milwaukee show.
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How Were the Shows?An open thread for reports from the Cinematic Titanic shows in Detroit on Friday night, and in Milwaukee on Saturday night.
33 Replies to “How Were the Shows?”Commenting at Satellite News
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I went to both shows last night at the Royal Oak Movie Theatre. Both of the movies were tremendously terrible and the Titans were really on their game, even when they had to ad lib for a while during some technical difficulties during the first movie (thank you Christie Digital). I thought the audience was very energetic, although the late show crowd was a little smaller than the first. Perhaps the late start time scared a few people off. Too bad though. The riffing of the Samson movie was great.
I did get a few pictures (not in the theater since cameras were strictly prohibited) and will put together a page on my website within the next day or so. I’ll post a link when it’s ready for viewing.
mst3ktemple- I was at the second show only, fourth row center with three family members. We arrived early and settled into chairs stolen from Royal Oak High School. The “DJ” played some pretty good stuff, The Dead, Zappa, Costello and finally the first hippie hit the stage. After a funny song from first and Dr. Earhardt, Joel came out- looked great Wow, it was so good. The sound was muddy when the action sequences were on, but the jokes were sooo good it didn’t matter. It was cool to see Josh having a Stella while riffing, and watching the guys and gals laugh at both their own material and audience reaction was priceless. Better than opening day in Detorit.
Very poor sound. Could actually hear only about 1/3 of the riffs. The cast was awesome, too bad the sound was so very disappointing.
I have to agree the sound was a little muddy. At the beginning of the first show the reverb was a little high, but it either got better or I got used to it. I didn’t have too much trouble hearing everything, but there were some riffs that I had to strain to make out.
The pre-show music was pretty good. It was fun to hear Allan Sherman sing You Went the Wrong Way Old King Louie wedged in there.
I concur with the other posts about the audio being muddy. Mary Jo’s seemed to be particularly bad as I only made out about 1/3 of her comments. Due to this I spent the whole show straining my ears to hear which didn’t make it very relaxing. I saw the show in St. Louis and didn’t have any problems hearing there. I’m still glad I went though.
I was at both shows. They were great but I sincerely hope that if they ever come back to Michigan they stay the hell away from the Royal Oak Music Theatre. I bought my tickets on the first day in order to get a front row seat. I happily arrive and make my way to my seat only to find myself in a crammed row of plastic folding chairs that looked like an over-crowded city council meeting in an elementary school library. I’m a skinny guy but throughout the first show I had to keep my arms folded close to me and my gut sucked in in order to not get absorbed by the two John Candy look-a-likes on either side of me. For the second show I gave up my front row seat and found an empty one in the back so I could take a few deep breaths.
And yes, in retrospect I realize that I should have taken my MST episode guide with me when I first got there. I had no idea if they were going to be doing any signings,however, so I figured I’d keep it in the car and get it in between shows if I discovered that they were signing stuff. Well, turns out they were signing stuff in between shows. I was told,however, that if I left the theatre then I could not get back in until they started seating for the next show, which would be too late for the signing. Also, nobody seemed to know WHEN the next show actually started. Our tickets said 10 but a few folks I talked to thought it was 11pm. I asked three of the people working there to try and clear up the confusion. Two of them told me it started at 10 and one of them told me 11. Turns out if was 11. Should it be that difficult to find out when the damn show starts?
And I agree with others here that the sound sucked. You’d think they’d have a better sound set-up in a ‘music theater’! And they also did their damndest to mess up Joel and company by screwing up the first film,as others have already mentioned as well.
Please guys….if you ever come back to Michigan please come to Ann Arbor, or even Detroit! Just steer clear of Royal Oak. You and the audience are worth more!
Went to the late show. Samson and the 7 Miracles was probably one of the most loopy movie I have ever seen. There were many “Huh? Wha?” moments through out.
The chairs were a problem. By the end of the show my butt was completely numb.
But the jokes were excellent, a couple of groans from the crowd when they did puns (“It’s a herd of Llamas!”) and the crowd went wild when they did a “Movie Sign!” yell when the camera started to shake.
“Cinematic Titanic: It’s not Ann Arbor!”
Looks like that unlike most commenters I read the recommendations by the theater that floor seating would be stools and chairs and got front row balcony.. Best Seats in the house by far for watching the movies but I agree there were audio issues. Had a fantastic time and definitely hope they come back again. It was a pretty sweet crowd and mad props to friendly well organized security that were never dickish or pushy..
Loved the little spiel from Gruber on all the sponsors, and the song as well. Crowd was smaller than anticipated (though it was the late show). Some of the highlight lines of the show I saw (spoilers ahead):
The “Herd of Lamas,” as mentioned earlier
Frank on Samson’s excess greasiness: “You’re sure you want an open flame near all that oil?”
When the snipers still attack after getting uprooted:
“He just kicked a tree’s ass. I’d run.”
When Samson’s entombed: “I don’t think his nipples are gonna fit through that opening.”
Josh: “This fight brought to you by the letter T.”
Aside from the expected Star Wars and Monty Python riffs, they threw in something from Blazing Saddles (“I work for Mel Brooks!) and even mentioned Russ Meyer.
And the “He’d be extremely irate if he ever heard it” line of the show came from:
Mary Jo, when a dancer wearing bengal skins appears: “Oh no, Tiger’s gonna eat more women!”
Back to the Royal Oak show, I’m 53 and went with three young men (my kids) between 19-25. Yeah, my rear was sore from the chairs, but my kids reminded me it was more comfortable than 3rd hour History class at Grand Blanc High.
When they come back Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Grand Rapids or Flint would be nice.
Milwaukee, Saturday night. First show: War of the Insects, very entertaining. As opposed to the Michigan technical problems, sound and picture were fine here this evening. Post-movie, Josh encouraged the entire crowd to serenade Joel with “Happy Birthday”, celebrating his “half-century of existence” (to paraphrase J. Elvis).
Second Show: After the entertaining warm ups from Gruber and J. Elvis, we were treated to a surprise guest performance by Patton Oswalt! He had appeared earlier in the evening at another theater in downtown Milwaukee (which is why we missed his show). He did approximately 10 minutes of comedy, after telling us he actually came just to see this show; he was goaded and prompted to come on stage, and it was a real treat.
Sampson and the 7 Miracles was completely incomprehensible, plot and dialog-wise, but made for an entertaining riff-fest.
I’ve been to the MST Conventio-cons, the 1992 MST ALIVE! show in Minneapolis, traveled to other states to see CT shows (including the Launch Party a few years ago), and it was really cool to have them perform at a venue only 12 minutes from my home. Both shows sold out, the crowds were enthusiastic and had a great time. Hope they return for future tours.
Just got back from the Milwaukee late show. The Sampson movie was crazy. There were no audio problems, but I don’t remember anyone laughing at ANY of Mary Jo’s lines. They just weren’t funny. The rest of the cast did well.
Wow! So jealous! From what I see here and elsewhere, it sounds like the Milwaukee shows were especially amazing, but I would have been thrilled to attend any of the above!
The Royal Oak 10pm show was my first Cinematic Titanic experience. I hadn’t heard of this until two days before, and I just had to go. I hadn’t been to the Royal Oak Music Theater before. I have to agree–the chairs were TERRBILE. I sat middle right and could see Joel, Trace, and Mary Jo pretty clearly. The Titans’ audio was muddy for sure, but there was a lot of laughter and I was smiling the whole time. One riffs involved Zaxxon (yes, the arcade game) and got a surprising number of laughs, to which Frank (I think) said “I didn’t expect that joke to do so well” and Joel replied “Nerds!”. The Titans also threw a bone to the crowd with an MST3K callback (you’ll know it when you hear it) and the crowd went a little crazy.
Next time CT comes to Michigan, I’m planning on hitting both shows, even if it’s at ROMT. Seeing and hearing the cast again, especially in a live setting, was wonderful.
Was at the earlier Milwaukee show. Apart from the sound being a bit harshly loud at times, the comments were mostly quite audible. Great stuff from the gang, loved it, it was our second CT live show. Movie was ridiculously bad, of course. Joel did a little bit of Milwaukee-area stand-up before the main show, which was very fun as he referenced a number of things I totally remember from growing up in the Milwaukee area. Gruber was very funny as always (kinda surprised no “Freaks & Geeks” mention during all his credits). “Convoluted Man” wasn’t as funny the second time around, sorry. Loved the hurriedly-delivered “Push the button, Frank!” during the movie, also the “Hey that joke finally got a laugh!” for a House on the Rock reference. Did Trace purposely mix up Milwaukee and Detroit at one point where he derogatorily says “At least it’s not Milwaukee” or something like that? Noticed Joel delivering one gag, getting no laughs, then saying something about having to cut that one out in future… and saw him take out a pen and make a mark on his script. Singing “Happy Birthday” to Joel on his 50th was a real treat. OK enough of my rambling. I had a great time and would love to see them again!
Was at both Milwaukee shows. I had a great time. I’m one of those weird people who prefer the Joel era of MST but today have a strong preferred toward the RiffTrax project.
I’ve been a critic of the snail’s pace of Cinematic Titanic releases and critical that they’ve done all this touring and (until last night)none were not close enough to me to be of use. Finally I’ve been critical because the studio releases there are didn’t quite have it. They were always missing a little something. The cast never quite had that “firing on all cylinders” chemistry on those releases.
Well last night had everything I’ve wanted from this this project from the beginning. It wasn’t just people reading lines. They were selling a spontaneous feel even though we all know it is scripted. There was also give and take and back and forth. This was truly the first time I’ve felt this group recaptured the old MST magic (something RiffTrax has had all along).
Now it appears it is going to be some time before we get another studio release from them. But when (if) they do another once they simply have to find a way to capture the magic they tapped last night.
I’m right there with ya, #16! I’ve preferred Rifftrax over CT overall as well. I felt the early CT dvd releases were lacking but I went to the Royal Oak show and thought that their performance had that special something that the studio releases lacked. Now I’m looking forward to ordering their two live DVDs.
trickymutha thanks for the update…been to Map Room before…closed that thing down hard Sat. nite!
Here’s my write up of the Royal Oak event with a few pictures:
http://www.mst3ktemple.com/ctliveroyaloak.html
@#15: Over here, Gruber mentioned a “Freaks and Geeks” cast member ‘cuz s/he was born or grew up nearby.
“Second Show: After the entertaining warm ups from Gruber and J. Elvis, we were treated to a surprise guest performance by Patton Oswalt! He had appeared earlier in the evening at another theater in downtown Milwaukee (which is why we missed his show). He did approximately 10 minutes of comedy, after telling us he actually came just to see this show; he was goaded and prompted to come on stage, and it was a real treat.”
Called it (Oswalt being at the CT show that is)! Man do I wish I was free last night. Of course I would’ve been torn over whether to go to both CT shows or hit Oswalt’s show and then march over to catch the later CT show.
Went to both Milwaukee shows on Saturday night and they were awesome. My wife and I sat up front for both shows and the sound was great. It was also a treat to see the actors so close up. You really appreciate the riffing more when you see them enjoying themselves so much. I would have to say that this is the most I’ve laughed in a long time. Even my wife was laughing and she’s not that big of a fan. We got autographs after the first show and they were awesome. They are the nicest and friendliest people you will ever meet. Even with a nerd like me who never knows what to say. The only problem was I wish they had more stuff to buy because I would have. But I’m now the proud owner of a signed photograph and DVD. If you have any thought of not taking in their live performance, think again. It’s awesome and I hope they come back to Milwaukee soon.
Just in case anyone missed it, here’s an interview the A.V. Club’s Milwaukee outpost did with Joel in advance of the performance:
Cinematic Titanic’s Joel Hodgson demystifies movie riffing
I was at the early Milwaukee show with my wife. We got there early, and they had little tables along the sides that had nice sturdy chairs, as opposed to the folding chairs in the middle. We both were very happy because it meant we had a lot of room, no one stuffed next to us, or tall people in front of us. We could have drinks, and it really felt like we were at an awesome comedy club or something. My wife was very happy not to be in the main seating, as it did look like a lot of people were really crammed in and not comfortable.
The sound was a little loud, but overall ok. My favorite riffs were also the quick “push the button frank” and before the show some dude yelled to Joel “I bet it’s better than Manos” which I guess was supposed to be HILARIOUS. However Joel responded with “YOU are going to heckle ME?!” In a “I heckle for a living, man” kind of tone, which was awesome and got a big laugh. The House On the Rock joke was really funny, and we had a great time. I can’t WAIT until they come back.
We went to the 7pm Milwaukee show. It was a great time.
Someone in the front row, had a 2 foot Tom Servo they kept waving around. Where can I get one of those??
The movie – War of the Insects (or, Genocide!), was absolutely AWFUL. The riffing was great. All five of them had some great lines.
I guess my only complaint, is that Josh used Jesus’ name in vain a couple of times. Other than that, the occasional swearing added a nice edge to the show.
It was GREAT to sing Happy Birthday to Joel.
We didn’t stick around for the second show, so we missed Patton Oswalt. That must have been pretty fun.
All in all, a great show. I’d see ’em again. It was wonderful to see Joel, Mary Jo, Trace, Josh & Frank live. Come back to Milwaukee!
Wisecracker
That UWM article is kind of terrible. Not only is Patton Oswalt’s last name spelled incorrectly, he calls James Cameron Kurt (!) Cameron. It took me some time to figure out what he was talking about.
Mark, it’s par for the course with UWM, my alma mater. Not exactly one of the pillars of journalism, the UWM Post. I’m surprised there were as few errors as they had, and especially surprised they didn’t refer to him as KIRK Cameron.
josh used jesus’ name in vain?!
Actually, Jesus used Josh’s name in vain…..it was a tad awkard.
Wow, and I can spell reel darn gud… :roll: AWKWARD….please heckle me….now.
We were second row (nearly) center at the Royal Oak shows. The shows were an absolute blast!! Having watched “East Meets Watts” a few times now, we thought we knew what to expect, but they just blew us away. Highly recommend that if haven’t been to a show and can, do so; you won’t be disappointed. From Gruber doing the warm-up, to the movie, to the meet and greet afterward, the Titans put on one heck of a show.
Badgerfansam…good quip, despite the spelling! LOL! Joshua = Jesus and Jesus = Joshua.
But, yeah, I heard it at least once, if not twice. It certainly caught my attention.
It’s funny how we pick on some things and miss others. I totally missed the “Push the button, Frank” line.
Wisecracker
“Samson” was DEFINITELY the best of the night, and arguably the best CT riff yet. The “morning wood” joke at the earthquake scene was utterly hilarious. The Zaxxon line was Josh’s. My brother & I, both arcade collectors, cheered at that reference, though I missed Joel’s nerds reference. Beaucoup kudos, Josh!
“War of the Insects” was marred by muddy audio, but it stands out for one scene: In a small wooden structure, the protagonist gets another man & two women to inject him with the insect toxin that causes hallucinations in its victims. Outside, one of the villainess’ cohorts is peering through a crack in the wall, and the camera cuts to a POV shot. It looked like the hero was getting… “serviced” from the waist down by the women. The audience erupted into laughter, and Joel remarked that the film doesn’t need riffing; it riffs itself.