Third TR's the Charm! (aka "Data goes backstage") (11-22-08)

[twobluestripes]

i love that you are so thrilled over a big red pipe! lawl.

[Datameister]

Thanks very much, all! Part II won't be nearly as long or interesting, but there should be at least a couple of goodies in there, I think...anyway, I'll get that done as soon as possible.

As for the chicken exit lighting conditions - the first two shots of it in this TR were with flash; the second two were just with available light. The area where the storm window effect is is pitch black. I couldn't get ANYTHING to show up without flash. It gets brighter as you go up the two ramps, to the point where I only used flash for a few of the photos up there. The signage is indeed nice...it's not a labyrinth in there or anything, but I could imagine being quite confused if one hadn't already studied blueprints of the area - - and if the signs were missing.

[Datameister]

Part II

When we last left our protagonist, he was standing outside Splash Mountain with a wet Skywalker Ranch T-shirt and not much time before he was supposed to get to the hotel to meet his old marching band.



Yes, I got it at Skywalker Ranch. How? By being a lucky bum, that's how. No, I didn't meet George. Moving on. Twenty-five minutes or so of power-walking with my backpack and camera bag ensued; en route, I took some obligatory Indy show building photos:



I even took a "backstage" shot of Downtown Disney. That made me feel kinda dirty. I don't think I'll do that again. More satisfying, albeit only somewhat so, were some shots of the hotel expansion in progress.



At long last, I finally arrived at the other hotel, the one that wasn't still under construction. I had a little trouble finding the band, just sure enough, they were there. And it turns out I'd basically rushed for nothing, because we didn't leave for another hour, but I did get to catch up with some friends, which was exceedingly nice. So ix-nay on the "nothing."



I boarded the bus with them, now in full-on roadie mode, and I was, as you might imagine, pretty excited. I knew I'd be backstage in a few short minutes, and those of you who've seen my work or read my posts know that I have just a slight interest in backstage. I'd done Magic Music Days twice before, so I knew what to expect, but that was a long time ago, before I really cared or knew anything about backstage. This time would be different.

I became very confused along the route, however, because instead of turning right on Ball Road, we turned left...away from the backstage entrance I was familiar with. We ended up in a parking lot I'd never really paid any attention to, where we just waited for about ten minutes. It was not wholly uninteresting, though, because all the old IASW boats happened to be sitting right outside the bus. Many were completely tarped, but some were partially or mostly exposed. They were upside-down, with their pairs of wheels clearly visible and their paint jobs looking pitifully faded, for the most part. Turns out you can see these in the new aerial photos Live Search Maps recently added to their service, probably from around the beginning of the summer.

Anyway, we eventually turned around and headed back in the direction I had been anticipating...and made that fateful right turn on Cast Place. With that, I was backstage for the second time this year. Naturally, I was again reminded how wrong people are when they suggest that fascination with backstage always dries up when you're actually there. Let me tell you, I was positively salivating. Things got even crazier when we made an unexpected right turn, instead of turning left and going straight to the rehearsal hall. This gave me some great views of several buildings and Circle D Ranch and so forth...it was amazing. Then we ended up in the parking lot next to the rehearsal hall. This is what our route looked like, if you're confused:



Then came the long process of being welcomed by our cast member guide, getting instruments out, warming up, rehearsing, and walking from the parking lot to the Plaza Gardens stage via backstage pathways, during which I was brokenhearted to NOT be breaking Disney's rules by taking photos. Believe me when I say that I collected a vast amount of useful information about the areas we passed through, though...I've got a lot to add to my model.

The band then performed and did a marvelous job. They may not be the biggest or the best, but they've got a lot of heart, and a lot of the members have improved enormously in the time I've known them. I was really glad to be there.



We then walked back to the rehearsal hall parking lot via the same route, and I had the privilege of holding one of the onstage-backstage doors open for the group. What's scary is...that thing's not locked or anything. (Don't sneak backstage! I don't condone it! I'm just sayin'.) So anyway, once the group had changed into street clothes and packed everything up, we were escorted into Toontown through this entrance, which I hadn't known about or seen, so that was obviously cool. It was a little weird for the others, I'm sure, since they hadn't spent any free time in the park yet, and they were now entering totally from the back...I mean, entering from the back of Toontown is quite a bit different from entering through Main Street! But it was cool.

I had convinced a group of six guys and a parent chaperone to go get dinner at Rancho Del Zocalo, and that turned out to be a very good decision, because guess who just happened to be eating there at the exact same time?



That's right...Tony Baxter was in the park again! Apparently he's been there a lot this week. I didn't say hi; he was talking to a few people already, and I'd already been fortunate enough to talk to/meet/listen to him just two days earlier, so I decided against it. It's really nice to know that there are Imagineers who definitely spend time in the park.

After a nice (albeit poorly lit) dinner, the group heeded my suggestion to hit up Pirates. It was my second time that day, of course, but I didn't mind - all the other lines were too long, and I only had another hour and a half left in the park. And...I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. You see, none of the six guys had been on Pirates recently. Some had never been, and none of them were big theme park buffs or anything. I was, of course, not getting my hopes up too much about their level of interest in the attraction...I'm so used to defending Disneyland when I'm with so-called "normal" people that I don't really expect people to take all that much interest in the stuff I love. But I was blown away by their reactions.

It started in the loading area. I was telling them about the Blue Bayou, and apparently, they didn't even realize we were no longer outside. It was nighttime outside, and they thought we were still out there. They were all amazed by the effect, which was gratifying. They got a kick out of the fireflies in the bayou, and then I noted even the slightest hint of trepidation as we came around the corner and saw boats disappearing beneath the Jolly Roger. They enjoyed the upper and lower grottoes - the wine being poured into the skeleton's rib cage earned some wide-eyed stares. Also, my opinion of the Davy Jones effect was somewhat improved by experiencing it with them...they were really trying to figure out if it was real water at first, which means the technological aspect of it is not as bad as I often think it is. Then one of them referred to the battle scene as "beautiful", which really made me smile, because it is! The rest of the ride went over well, too. Afterwards, I asked them what they thought, and they all really liked it! I gotta say...this was really a nice feeling. Seeing and hearing proof that old-style dark rides with AAs and songs and immersive scenery are still totally "relevant" to this generation was wonderful.

Then we hit up HMH, my last attraction of the day. I didn't take the chicken exit this time! I surprised myself by actually feeling some...pride. When we were in the stretching room. All these guys were new to HMH, and I actually felt like they were experiencing a quality product for a few moments there. Of course, that changed irreversibly once Jack's giant head appeared, but it was a nice feeling while it lasted. The friend I was riding with was blown away by the Pepper's Ghost effects in the ballroom, and he said the HHG crypt effect was the best part of the attraction. (I told him he'd be even more amazed if he saw it in its original state!)



After that, we headed over to Splash Mountain, but I wasn't in the mood to get wet again, so I just waited for them in the photo room. That was okay...it was really a wonderful day, and even though I had to leave to catch my 9 o'clock bus, I felt very satisfied.



Welllllll...I think that's about it. Make sure to check out the other photos on Flickr, like I said! And I of course appreciate comments, suggestions, questions, insults, etc. Thanks for reading!

[KAN]

Data, you are such a dork...

[Datameister]

Try telling me something I don't already know, KAN!

[MickeyMousePal]

Great Trip Report.
Data at least you were able to come to the park during the holidays.
I really hope you had a great time at the Disneyland Resort.

[mousechild]

I say this with affection, I am glad you got a lot of dorky shots.

[KAN]

Originally Posted by Datameister

Try telling me something I don't already know, KAN!

Well that rules out my minute backstage knowledge...

[Datameister]

You guys are awesome.

[KAN]

None the less, a great trip report by Datameister!!!

[BurtGummer]

How do you manage to see Tony all the time? Can't say I've seen him once in person, haha.

[Datameister]

Well, BurtGummer, that's the only time I've ever just unintentionally run into him...that was very fortunate. But I've had four other opportunities to meet him that I knew about beforehand. Feel free to PM me if you're interested in the details.

EDIT: I also forgot to say that if anyone wants to know more about my experiences while we were backstage, you can PM me about that, too.

[Coheteboy]

Cool report, Data! I only hope your band doesn't get banned from your exploits!

[Datameister]

Haha, never! Boy, was it painful when our cast member guide literally made me promise not to take any shots while we were backstage...and I'm a man of my word...

[IzzyInWonderland]

Aww Data you were a band geek, how sweet.
Your shirt is funny. My neighbor used to work for Mr. Lucas at Skywalker Ranch and said it was an amazing experience.
That aerial shot of the old Small World boats looked like a graveyard of coffins all lined up. Kinda creepy.