amy grant part #1 - soundcheck
Let me say right off that there are a handful of embedded videos in this entry. I'm in the process of uploading the appropriate clips (there will end up being double the number posted on YouTube when all is said and done) so if you come across an < insert video clip > thing, check back Wednesday and there should actually be something to watch. All done. I'll do a separate picture post and concert post soon.
But I digress ...
We were escorted into the theatre a little after 4:30pm. There were around 30 or so people present and I claimed a front row seat, just to the right of center.
Pictures were allowed, the soundcheck was slated to last an hour and Amy wasn't slated to do a meet & greet. When all was said and done, I got over 200 pictures & video clips, the soundcheck lasted an hour and a half and I got to meet Amy.
Half of the time was spent on "Missing You." The band hadn't performed it live in a while so there was a lot for them to work out ... and watching it was fascinating. I didn't realize how much of a musician Amy really is. She'd sing instrumental parts to the band or play an example on her guitar. There were lots of stops and starts and repeating of segments. The singing was pretty much set, it was more the working out of the instrumental kinks in the non-singing sections of the song. The band members would play off each other and toss stuff back and forth until everyone found something they agreed on. A lot of the licks were determined on the spot.
Once the band felt comfortable with "Missing You," Amy asked if there was anything we wanted to hear. People tossed out several titles but she latched onto "The Water," which happens to be one of my favorites. It wasn't one they worked out enough to perform but it was lovely to hear live. What was funny about it, was that Amy really wasn't singing any of the lyrics except for the chorus. She was just kind of doing a "la-la-la" type thing with a few random words tossed in. When it was time for the chorus she'd totally belt it out.
Even though it was made very clear Amy wouldn't be doing a receiving line or meet & greet at the soundcheck, I made sure I prepared. As I was packing I grabbed my Greatest Hits | 1986 - 2004 CD because, not only is it good traveling music, but I adore the cover picture. I think it was fate that I grabbed that CD out of all the Amy ones I have.
"The Water" eventually led into "Come Be With Me," both from that Greatest Hits disc. So they're going along and Amy's question at the end of the follow clip led to - in my opinion - the best part of the soundcheck ...
So what do I do? I pull the booklet out of my purse, open it to the appropriate page, hold it in the air and say, "I have the lyrics right here if you want them." I'm pretty sure I said that twice because the band didn't quite catch on the first time I said it. Once it sank it, Amy looks at me and is like, "Oh, I can't read that, it's too small." However, guitar player Will bent down and grabbed it and started reading the lyrics to her instead.
Will eventually looked at me and motioned that he was gonna toss the booklet on the ground in front of him for the time being. Fine with me. Amy picked it up at one point and did the bad-eyes-hold-it-way-out-in-front thing before passing it over to backup singer Kim. (What I find completely ironic is that Amy had the booklet for the shortest amount of time, yet the picture I snapped of her holding it turned out the best.) Kim was following the lyrics on it while playing her bongo and tossed out a couple lines to Amy. Kim even flipped through it, presumably looking at the pictures and such inside. She's the one that gave it back to me once the lyrics were solidified.
I was completely amused the entire time. Seriously. How was it that I happened to bring the exact right thing with me ... and how was it that Amy Grant had it on stage with her? Seriously. Like the David Copperfield thing, it was another one of those times I wished I had something with me instead of being alone. The whole scene was just playing out so utterly cute on stage and all because of me. I like to think I'm the reason "Come Be With Me" ended up in the final setlist for the show.
The final song of the soundcheck was "Good For Me" because the sound guy needed something with more electric guitar. For whatever reason, Amy had her guitar tech fetch her very large, very colorful hula hoop that apparently weighs five pounds. At first she was just holding it while singing - she doesn't play guitar for that song - but during the instrumental section she totally started hula hooping. It was fantastic!
At this point we're almost a half hour over the expected finish time but Amy walked to the edge of the stage and started chatting. One guy mentioned he'd flown in from London just for the show. She talked to him for maybe a minute and he asked for a picture. Of course she obliged 'cause she's cool like that. Picture done, she asked if anyone else wanted anything signed. Uh, yeah. I spoke up right away with "You wanna sign my CD booklet since you used it?" The response - "Oh my gosh, yeah."
So Amy Grant signed my CD cover and I got my picture with her. Never in a million years did I think that'd ever happen to me. She's been my idol since elementary school and I was completely excited to be at the concert and soundcheck, let alone having her use my CD booklet. The autograph and picture were definitely icing on the cake.
Does anyone possess the mad Photoshop skills to possibly clean up that picture a little? Like tone down the glasses glare and such? If so, drop a comment and I'll send you a bigger version to work with. Thanks in advance.
But I digress ...
We were escorted into the theatre a little after 4:30pm. There were around 30 or so people present and I claimed a front row seat, just to the right of center.
Pictures were allowed, the soundcheck was slated to last an hour and Amy wasn't slated to do a meet & greet. When all was said and done, I got over 200 pictures & video clips, the soundcheck lasted an hour and a half and I got to meet Amy.
Half of the time was spent on "Missing You." The band hadn't performed it live in a while so there was a lot for them to work out ... and watching it was fascinating. I didn't realize how much of a musician Amy really is. She'd sing instrumental parts to the band or play an example on her guitar. There were lots of stops and starts and repeating of segments. The singing was pretty much set, it was more the working out of the instrumental kinks in the non-singing sections of the song. The band members would play off each other and toss stuff back and forth until everyone found something they agreed on. A lot of the licks were determined on the spot.
Once the band felt comfortable with "Missing You," Amy asked if there was anything we wanted to hear. People tossed out several titles but she latched onto "The Water," which happens to be one of my favorites. It wasn't one they worked out enough to perform but it was lovely to hear live. What was funny about it, was that Amy really wasn't singing any of the lyrics except for the chorus. She was just kind of doing a "la-la-la" type thing with a few random words tossed in. When it was time for the chorus she'd totally belt it out.
Click to viewEven though it was made very clear Amy wouldn't be doing a receiving line or meet & greet at the soundcheck, I made sure I prepared. As I was packing I grabbed my Greatest Hits | 1986 - 2004 CD because, not only is it good traveling music, but I adore the cover picture. I think it was fate that I grabbed that CD out of all the Amy ones I have.
"The Water" eventually led into "Come Be With Me," both from that Greatest Hits disc. So they're going along and Amy's question at the end of the follow clip led to - in my opinion - the best part of the soundcheck ...
So what do I do? I pull the booklet out of my purse, open it to the appropriate page, hold it in the air and say, "I have the lyrics right here if you want them." I'm pretty sure I said that twice because the band didn't quite catch on the first time I said it. Once it sank it, Amy looks at me and is like, "Oh, I can't read that, it's too small." However, guitar player Will bent down and grabbed it and started reading the lyrics to her instead.
Will eventually looked at me and motioned that he was gonna toss the booklet on the ground in front of him for the time being. Fine with me. Amy picked it up at one point and did the bad-eyes-hold-it-way-out-in-front thing before passing it over to backup singer Kim. (What I find completely ironic is that Amy had the booklet for the shortest amount of time, yet the picture I snapped of her holding it turned out the best.) Kim was following the lyrics on it while playing her bongo and tossed out a couple lines to Amy. Kim even flipped through it, presumably looking at the pictures and such inside. She's the one that gave it back to me once the lyrics were solidified.
I was completely amused the entire time. Seriously. How was it that I happened to bring the exact right thing with me ... and how was it that Amy Grant had it on stage with her? Seriously. Like the David Copperfield thing, it was another one of those times I wished I had something with me instead of being alone. The whole scene was just playing out so utterly cute on stage and all because of me. I like to think I'm the reason "Come Be With Me" ended up in the final setlist for the show.
The final song of the soundcheck was "Good For Me" because the sound guy needed something with more electric guitar. For whatever reason, Amy had her guitar tech fetch her very large, very colorful hula hoop that apparently weighs five pounds. At first she was just holding it while singing - she doesn't play guitar for that song - but during the instrumental section she totally started hula hooping. It was fantastic!
At this point we're almost a half hour over the expected finish time but Amy walked to the edge of the stage and started chatting. One guy mentioned he'd flown in from London just for the show. She talked to him for maybe a minute and he asked for a picture. Of course she obliged 'cause she's cool like that. Picture done, she asked if anyone else wanted anything signed. Uh, yeah. I spoke up right away with "You wanna sign my CD booklet since you used it?" The response - "Oh my gosh, yeah."
So Amy Grant signed my CD cover and I got my picture with her. Never in a million years did I think that'd ever happen to me. She's been my idol since elementary school and I was completely excited to be at the concert and soundcheck, let alone having her use my CD booklet. The autograph and picture were definitely icing on the cake.
Does anyone possess the mad Photoshop skills to possibly clean up that picture a little? Like tone down the glasses glare and such? If so, drop a comment and I'll send you a bigger version to work with. Thanks in advance.