They are the rock stars of the strange, the not-so-secret masters of social media and the couple that millions of people really want to be friends with. Their lives are cooler than yours in nearly every way but here’s the good part and the secret of their success: they want everyone to share it with them.
Neil Gaiman writes comics, stories, novels, poems, songs, movies and whatever else amuses him, and is at the level in his career where his grocery lists have a fair chance of hitting the New York Times bestseller list. (Although to be fair, they would probably be brilliant and bring tears to your eyes even as you laugh, and you would never look at the world or grocery stores in quite the same way again…)
Amanda Palmer is an indie musician-performer-artist-art advocate-author who used social media to begin building her audience back when it was mailing lists and phone numbers. She regularly inspires, delights and really annoys people — sometimes the same people — and seems determined to see how many ways she can connect with people and create and sell art besides the traditional methods.
And because they have had terrible Valentine’s Days so far in their married life, they decided the best way to avoid another one was to invite a thousand people to share it with them as they read and sang sad things. It worked. And here’s what happened. (For a review that actually includes information about what was said and sang, try this one. And Amanda posted the set list here.)
Thank you so very much for sharing. I would’ve loved to be there, this was the next best thing
Thank you for your amazing shots of the night. I didn’t know we could bring good cameras into the theater and only had my iPhone with me. Naturally, those photos are atrocious. These are great memories of one of the best shows I have ever seen in my life. <3
Both Neil and Amanda are excellent about cameras, and usually the only restriction is no flash during Neil’s reading because it blinds him. I’m not a fan of using a flash in a concert anyway — I want those rich colors. Thanks!
Thank you for the extensive write-up and the high quality photographs. Really happy to be part of the experience (and in the photo with a billion other people).
Thank you so much for sharing! We came down from Orlando and it was so worth that drive. I do think it was the very best Valentine’s Day I’ve had thus far.
Thanks for posting these. My photos on my phone didn’t come out very good at all. I’m glad to be able to relive it through your pix!
Hi Orlando! I waved on the way home
What a wonderful detailing of the night’s energy. Far away, but got a great sense of “being there”. Thank you!
The energy, the audience, and of course Neil and Amanda. This was such an amazing evening, and it just didn’t seem to end. They not only put in what we considered a double show, but their energy level never waned and their genuine enthusiasm and love for the audience was never in question.
Thank you for capturing so much of the evening so well.
Your photos were really lovely. Thank you for sharing the experience.
Thanks for sharing. Great pics and comments. 🙂