You get me closer to Richard Cheese

Into every generation a Lounge Singer is born.
One man, in all the world, a chosen one.
He alone will stand against the Old Spice executives, demons (inner ones), and the forces of bad music.

He is the Lounge Singer.

I FINALLY got to see Richard Cheese live on Sunday night, June 10th, and what a show it was! This was easily the best show I have been to in ages, and next to Billy Joel, the greatest concert I have ever attended. But fans of Richard Cheese already know that his concerts are the best, so why don't we just fill in those who are less familiar with the power of Dick.

Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine is a cover band/lounge singing/comedy act. Formed in 2000, Dick Cheese, as he prefers to be called, has had nominal success, especially with the alternative rock crowds, thanks mainly to the DJs of the alt rock stations playing Dick's material. I first learned of him from Preston and Steve on Philadelphia's now defunct Y100 back in late 2000 when the first album, Lounge Against the Machine, was released. The album contained lounge versions of popular songs including "Wrong Way" by Sublime, "Suck My Kiss" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, my personal favorite "Creep" by Radiohead, and what is arguably one of his most famous covers, "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails. With a 7th on it's way, Dick already has 6 albums under his belt... or tuxedo jacket...

Enough about the past, you came to hear about the RECENT past, meaning Sunday night. As I said before, and you should already know, the show was AMAZING. It took place in AJ's Steakhouse in the Hard Rock Hotel, a place that ordinarily would hold roughly 30-50 people. I would estimate that there were 100-150 people present, but Dick's website says 255 tickets were available, and the only reason I doubt that number is because there isn't enough space in that room to fit that many people. This was a small, personal gathering, not a big concert, and Dick took advantage of this fact.

The band consists of Richard Cheese as the singer, a piano player, bass player (stand up, not electric) and drummer. I was only 3 feet from the stage, but everyone got to see the same show, more or less. The stage was small, maybe 15'x15', but Dick didn't spend a lot of the show up there, he wandered around the entire room (as you can see in the pictures below), singing to people directly (singing to women that is) and using the restaurant's features to perform. Dick climbed up into the booths along the back wall, walked on top of the serving station, and hung out at the bar quite a bit. He also had several costume changes as well. The songs and styles are not only very funny, but Dick himself is hilarious too. The show was many times less about the music, and more about the jokes and humorous situations. He plays a smarmy womanizer, and the women in the audience seem to enjoy the jokes just as much as the men. I have never laughed this hard in all my life.

This is supposedly the final tour before Dick puts down the mic and returns to... whatever it is he does when not performing, so I urge everyone to check out his touring schedule and see when he will be near you. They were recording a "movie" at this show, I don't know if this is a national thing or just a one time recording, but I can't wait to see what the movie will be. Tickets are usually only around $30, which is a steal, especially in Vegas. You can find links to his site and MySpace profile below, and I hope you visit them. Buy a CD or two, check him out on iTunes, just listen to his material and ATTEMPT to go see him before he "retires." Please don't leave us, Dick, you would be missed.

CRAPPY CELL PHONE PIX OF THE EVENT!

Richard Cheese on stage
Richard Cheese in the audience talking to woman
Richard Cheese standing on top of the banquet seating
Richard Cheese back on stage, new tux jacket
Richard Cheese with martini glass
Richard Cheese staring me down
Richard Cheese tshirt- the shirt is condensed into this shape!

Links:
RichardCheese.com
Richard Cheese's My Space