Saturday night is always, as you all probably know by now, one of my favorite parts of any con. I’ve written many a heartfelt post about why, which you can read on this blog (but have some tissues handy).
I wasn’t expecting this Saturday Night Special to be off the charts though – everyone was tired, Rob and Rich especially. Rob is so much the heart and soul of the SNS, I wasn’t sure how it would be considering he had a) just gotten there and b) was absolutely knackered. But somehow the force of nature that is the SPN Family and the brilliance that is Louden Swain managed to energize Rob – and the concert was amazing!
Kim Rhodes, who was terrified to sing in front of people for most of her life, once again shored up her courage with the encouragement of the crowd and channeled her inner Blondie – I found myself nearly in tears, I was so happy for her when she absolutely killed it!
The hugs that the cast give each other after something like that – their support for each other that has made such a difference – always makes me smile.
Ruth Connell has also struggled with wanting to sing and fearing she couldn’t, so every time she steps up to the mic and belts out ‘Preacher Man’ I get similarily emotional.
She’s comfortable enough now to be playful, slipping her oversized plastic sunglasses onto Rob with a smile.
And more hugs.
Briana owns the stage when she takes the mic to sing, and I’m repeatedly blown away by her voice and her stage presence. She sang ‘Valerie’ and made it her own – in fact, it’s still sort of stuck in my head. That’s how good it was.
And the other actors are just so damn happy for her. I can’t look at this series of photos without grinning.
Matt Cohen also was reluctant to sing initially – now he looks like a damn rockstar, and his repertoire is expanding. He also can jump off a chair like a boss.
Fight for your right to party, indeed!
Gil’s voice always makes first timers go OHHHHH when he opens his mouth to sing.
The entire room just sort of goes silent because everyone is so captivated.
Wonderful to have Jason as part of the SNS – he also has that kind of voice that makes you stop and just want to savor it. Gil and Jason sang together at this con, and their voices meshed beautifully.
I love having a ringside seat to friendships deepening among the cast as they travel together to cons and see the world together.
Richard played bass, and so did Creation photographer Chris Schmelke, who was a musician in a past life (why are they all so multi talented???) Same with Mark Sheppard, who was absolutely thrilled to have a shiny new drum set. When I asked him how the baby was, he quipped, ‘my new drums?’ Clearly his baby also, though it most definitely comes after the real one.
And then there’s Louden Swain and Rob Benedict. Rob, who had to be absolutely exhausted, gave just as intense a performance as ever, and the band was – as always – amazing. Billy Moran, Stephen Norton and Mike Borja — I really do think they can play just about anything and make it sound incredible.
They played some of my favorites, like Eskimo and of course She Waits, and some new songs which are already becoming favorites. When they left the stage, everyone was on their feet.
Then out came Misha! It was wonderful to have Misha join the SNS – with his hair artfully ‘styled’ by Alaina so that he looked like a total rockstar – seriously, maybe you should do his hair more often, Alaina.
Misha and Alaina came out to lead the fandom in yelling for an encore.
We were all excited when Rob reappeared – most of all Misha, who came close to making out with Rob when he returned triumphantly to the stage. Same, Rob, same. And same, Misha. Same.
One of the encores was Rob singing an acoustic version of Fare Thee Well, which both made me very emotional about Show and just blew my socks off musically.
Then the whole cast and the band joined Rob for Purple Rain. The song has emotional significance for obvious reasons, but the SPN cast make it even more emotional.
I was standing right in front of Misha, Briana, Ruth, Alaina, and Kim, and just watching them all interact, the obvious affection between all of them, was enough to make me emotional too. (Which included what looked like everyone playing with Misha’s nipples btw. As you do.)
Ruth included us in the moment, which only made me more emotional.
Rob, as I’ve said before, is often the emotional heart of the cons. Whether it’s because we nearly lost him after one, or because he just gives it all when he sings, putting his own fears and heartbreaks and triumphs right out there so we all can see them, everyone – cast and fans alike – get emotional when Rob does. This time was no exception.
Look at Rob, looking (and sounding) like an angel with a glowstick halo.
And like a total effing rockstar!
Saturday night always ends with me wandering out of the hall, unable to get the smile off my face, and this con was no exception.
Stay tuned for Sunday with Jared and Jensen!
And follow us on twitter, facebook, tumblr and Instagram to win a copy of Fangasm Supernatural Fangirls or Fan Phenomena Supernatural signed by the cast! Pinned tweet on twitter with details! Giveaway runs through July 29!
–Lynn
Read more of our Supernatural con adventures and behind
the scenes on Supernatural in Fangasm Supernatural Fangirls –
available on amazon at the links on this page!
Reblogged this on Ana Fraser Lallybroch Blog.
Thank you. I was lucky enough to get to Vegas last year, and travelling from the UK, it might be another couple of years before I get to another one. Stuff like this gives me a regular fix though until I can!
Lynn, I love reading your summaries of the various cons. We met at a couple of them so I know how much you love the show, cast & cons. Because of health reasons, I may never make another con, but can enjoy from afar by reading your blogs. Keep up the great work. ,