Thursday, February 10, 2011

Retro: Kimmer

Retro: Kimmer

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RETRO:KIMMER VISITS DETROIT'S LEGENDARY MASONIC TEMPLE

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 05:21 PM PST


Rikki St James


Main Room of the Masonic Temple (History of Masonic)

As most of my readers already know I am friends with the incredibly beautiful (inside and out) Dee Gilbert. Dee is an buddinauthor and the widow of the spectacular vocalist Dave Gilbert.

Met Dee last year and we have collaborated on a few tribute pieces for Dave as he sadly left this earth in the 90's. You can read Dee's guest post In Remembrance of Dave Gilbert it is such a great story. My story on Dave is HERE

Ms Dee introduced me to Paul Buono who runs the Masonic Temple and Dee thought Paul and I would make a perfect fit to meet. And meet we did! Thanks DEE! xxook


Cool Masonic cage elevator.... ooh Phantom of the Opera!

Our first stop was this fabulous old freight elevator. I immediately stopped Paul, "hey let me shoot this cool car". Paul says, "OH GREAT we have like a 1000 rooms here and SHE is going to shoot EVERY ONE of them!!!!" Hahahahaha... Oh Heck no! We'd still be there!

No way was I shooting the entire Temple, but couldn't miss this great elevator. Everyone in the world has ridden that elevator! Everyone from Mick Jagger to Henry Mancini.... The Phantom of the Opera casts.... OMG


Rikki St James Center Stage at the Masonic Temple

Arrived at the Masonic in the afternoon and met Paul. Paul let me tell you runs in a gear that makes coffee nervous! YIKES is this guy speedy or what??? Well I fell in line behind him with The Motor City Bad Boys Rikki St. James and Glenn Dean behind me.


Motor City Bad Boys Rikki St James and Glenn Dean

After I was invited to the Masonic, I thought it would be so cool if some Bad Boy guitar players came along with me. All three of us have been there many times. None of us had stood on that stage. Paul would have taken us into every room but the main stage was where we wanted to be.


Rikki St James and Glenn Dean on the Masonic Main Stage

I wanted to shoot the Bad Boys on that huge stage. We had just come from Harmonie Park and had so much fun there! Then we arrived at Masonic...

What a dream birthday for Kimmer to hang out with such great guys as Rikki and Glenn and experience this incredible Detroit day with them. Thanks guys so much xxook

Some days it is just way cool to be Kimmer... This was one of them... We packed so much into this fabulous day. It was such a joy to see that building empty and with the lights up. Paul showed me how they handled the chandelier scene in Phantom of the Opera (my fav play) and also the boat scene which was pulled across the stage in the dark. Incredible!


Glenn Rikki "Santa" Paul and Steve at Masonic

It was far more difficult to shoot than I expected. Had these stupid high heeled boots on (dumb girl) and I kept wiping out (falling over) in the seats but luckily none of the guys noticed that I kept disappearing in the audience! LOL too funny. Popped back up like I planned it....

The Bad Boys were so busy playing around on the Masonic's legendary stage to notice me. Whew another embarrassing moment averted....


Detroit's Masonic Temple (wiki)

From The Masonic Temple Website

Known as a "hidden treasure" in downtown Detroit, the Masonic Temple boasts over 1000 rooms, including two complete auditoriums: the 4,300-seat Masonic Temple Theatre and the 1,600-seat Scottish Rite Theatre, as well as two large ballrooms and a 14th century style chapel that can play host to ceremonies, fundraisers, banquets, trade shows and other events.

Dedicated on November 25, 1926, the Masonic Temple is the hidden gem of Detroit, designed by George D. Mason and proudly remains the largest Masonic Temple in the world!

With over 1,000 rooms, this historic building is awed for its outstanding beauty and unparalleled architecture. It continues to serve for a variety of functions from theatrical performances to grand balls and numerous wedding ceremonies and receptions. Read More HERE



Read More on RK

Glenn Dean and Rikki St James Harmonie Park
Rikki St James: The Motor City Bad Boys
Retro: Kimmer Madhatter Love Fest

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