Kari Williams posted on November 28, 2011 00:00
As Black Friday madness falls into hibernation, Christmas spirit begins its month long domination. And before long, that spirit will wreak havoc over The Pageant when “A Very Ludo Christmas” returns.
Ludo’s Tim Convy gives the details on how the show got started, why a second show was added and how OPTION//CONTROL was chosen to open this year’s St. Louis show on Dec. 10.
InsideSTL: How did the idea of doing the “Very Ludo Christmas” show start?
Tim Convy: I would say, [it] started in 2003; I think that year we played the weekend of Thanksgiving and it was a good time. Our friends were all in college or just out of college. It just kind of turned into a party and we wanted to keep that going. The next year it sort of became a Christmas show. The first year it was at Mississippi Nights…[and] it’s kind of slowly evolved to what it is now.
InsideSTL: How has its success grown over the years?
TC: It’s just kind of gotten bigger and better. We haven’t done it for a little bit… [but it’s] bigger and more overwhelming. More people show up every time. Last time we sold out in advance. We keep trying to top ourselves… It’s very over the top… [and has] sincere things and ridiculous things…
InsideSTL: Why was a second show in Chicago added this year?
TC: We always talked about it. It’s just such an undertaking though to do [the Christmas show] at all, [let alone] do it in two places… [We were] in middle of tours and had been on the road so much that I don’t think we wanted to take it all on… [With more time off the road] it’s been a little bit easier to jump into everything. Chicago’s always been a special place, like a second home to us…and it just sort of made sense.
InsideSTL: Other than the name of the show, what makes it different from a traditional tour or show that you guys typically do?
TC: Just kind of the way we approach it, and certainly all the production that goes into it… You can get a picture taken with Santa. We’re serving cookies when you walk in. We have hot chocolate for people waiting in line outside…The show starts outside before… It’s kind of just like throwing a big Christmas party, but it’s more than just the 90 minutes we spend on stage, but you get that too.
InsideSTL: What is the atmosphere like at the Christmas show compared to regular shows?
TC: It’s just feels like a Christmas party. People are dressed up. It’s kind of that holiday spirit where everyone’s nice to each other… We’ve got snowmen and reindeer walking around in the crowd; it just sets the tone.
InsideSTL: How was OPTION//CONTROL chosen to open the show?
TC: We’ve known a lot of those guys for a long time… [from back when they were] Rushmore Academy. We’ve just been friends over the years and they’ve been doing a lot of cool stuff as OPTION//CONTROL. As soon as we booked this show we called them up.
InsideSTL: With having the snowmen and reindeer walking around in the crowd like you mentioned before, why is this show so over the top in that sense?
TC: I think that’s just kind of our natural tendency with everything. Everything we do is over the top. We spend a lot of time thinking as fans what we expect out of bands that we like and multiply that by 1,000. It’s just the nature of band…It’s what happens when four of us get together, ridiculous over the top with moments of heartfelt sincerity… Basically one guy gets an idea and everyone tries to top him and the next thing you know you’ve got a candy cane archway on stage and aunts and uncles dressed as elves.
InsideSTL: How did the idea for the Very Ludo Christmas song come about?
TC: We did it just to kind of promote the show that year. It felt like the show needed its own theme song… [and we’ve] performed it last couple times we played. It’s always a good time.
InsideSTL: And, is there anything else you’d like to add about the show in St. Louis, the show in Chicago or anything else I didn’t mention?
TC: We’re excited to be doing it again. Come get tickets in advance. Bring the whole family and get there early, there’s great bands.
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