Sarah Brightman in concert!
I went to see the amazing Sarah Brightman in concert on Wednesday night! :) Here are some photos and a short review of the show.
The first concert and only (until now!) concert I ever attended was Sarah Brightman's 2004 Harem tour. My mom and I went and it was absolutely sensational. I was thrilled to be able to see her again (in really decent seats, not very close but not way too far away!) on her Symphony World Tour on November 19 2008 (again with my mom!).
And what a show! First and foremost, Sarah's voice was just breathtaking. She truly could just sit on the stage in overalls or something and sing - she just has that fantastic stage presence, charm, and of course that voice! There was not an overall in sight, though, as Sarah had a fabulous wardrobe that included a dramatic red corsetted gown, red flamenco-inspired skirt, and even a crystal-encrusted tutu ensemble! :)
The opening of the show was epic. She came out on the stage to an instrumental in a black cape and veils covering her face, lit by a single spotlight, and as the song built in intensity her dancer girls removed the cape and veils to reveal the diva herself! Then it was as if the stage exploded in lights and ultra-dramatic sound as Sarah belted out "Fleurs du Mal." Absolutely stunning! I got chills when the whole thing began, it was so exciting.
The set of songs she performed were all so beautiful. I have to admit, I was rather disappointed with the excessive schmalz of Symphony (except for a few great songs, like "Fleurs du Mal" and "Let It Rain"), but in performing them live she breathed new life into even the songs that I didn't really like on my first listen to the album. And anyways, even a not-so-great Sarah Brightman song is always better than any Top 40 hit! ;)
I was particularly happy that she performed "Hijo De La Luna," "La Luna," "Anytime, Anywhere," "Deliver Me," and "You Take My Breath Away" - a song I don't believe she has ever performed live before, and which happens to be one of my favorites! I cried a bit during the lovely "First Of May," a Christmas song originally by The Bee Gees (yeah, seriously!), as it reminded me of time gone by. I'm too young to get nostalgic! ;) Although those songs were extra special to hear, because they're some of my absolute favorites, every song she sang sounded just gorgeous. Perhaps the strangest highlight of the evening, because it was such an out-there, creative risk for Sarah to take, was the "Red Riding Hood Rap"! Sporting a red jacket and "riding" a stationary bike, Sarah sang a niftily bizarre tune about how "it's all in my mind," and sang some "la la la"s to the tune of that song from The Nutcracker that I just can't remember the title of. ;) It was really weird. And I loved it! (I do love me some music that isn't afraid to be a little crazy!)
When Sarah addressed the audience, she was so gracious and thanked us for coming, saying she was happy to be back in D.C. :) She noted that she has enjoyed her wonderful 30-year career and that it wouldn't have been possible without us, the audience, so the show was created as a sort of celebration. She's just so sweet!
Now, as much as I loved seeing Sarah and hearing her beautiful voice, I'm afraid I was a little underwhelmed by the staging... The projections on the backdrop, while probably very impressive up close, were unfortunately sort of washed out by the bright spotlights. The projections at some points appeared to be a little bit cockeyed - like, they weren't centered or whatever. And the actual images in the projections... well, they reminded me of PowerPoint graphics and special effects! The 3-D environments were ambitious but fell flat. I think the curtains and lighting effects at the Harem concert were far more effective.
But as I said, Sarah could sing in any sort of setting and be phenomenal. My criticisms didn't take away from the experience - they were just afterthoughts. I wish the night could have gone on forever! :)
My mom took pictures during quite a few of the songs - we didn't get the opening of the show, as neither of us realized we could take pictures until we saw flashes of light coming from the audience during the second song! Here are the pics!
Click to see the bigger version!
Before the show!
An interlude
During intermission!
The end!My tour goodies! :)
The first concert and only (until now!) concert I ever attended was Sarah Brightman's 2004 Harem tour. My mom and I went and it was absolutely sensational. I was thrilled to be able to see her again (in really decent seats, not very close but not way too far away!) on her Symphony World Tour on November 19 2008 (again with my mom!).
And what a show! First and foremost, Sarah's voice was just breathtaking. She truly could just sit on the stage in overalls or something and sing - she just has that fantastic stage presence, charm, and of course that voice! There was not an overall in sight, though, as Sarah had a fabulous wardrobe that included a dramatic red corsetted gown, red flamenco-inspired skirt, and even a crystal-encrusted tutu ensemble! :)
The opening of the show was epic. She came out on the stage to an instrumental in a black cape and veils covering her face, lit by a single spotlight, and as the song built in intensity her dancer girls removed the cape and veils to reveal the diva herself! Then it was as if the stage exploded in lights and ultra-dramatic sound as Sarah belted out "Fleurs du Mal." Absolutely stunning! I got chills when the whole thing began, it was so exciting.
The set of songs she performed were all so beautiful. I have to admit, I was rather disappointed with the excessive schmalz of Symphony (except for a few great songs, like "Fleurs du Mal" and "Let It Rain"), but in performing them live she breathed new life into even the songs that I didn't really like on my first listen to the album. And anyways, even a not-so-great Sarah Brightman song is always better than any Top 40 hit! ;)
I was particularly happy that she performed "Hijo De La Luna," "La Luna," "Anytime, Anywhere," "Deliver Me," and "You Take My Breath Away" - a song I don't believe she has ever performed live before, and which happens to be one of my favorites! I cried a bit during the lovely "First Of May," a Christmas song originally by The Bee Gees (yeah, seriously!), as it reminded me of time gone by. I'm too young to get nostalgic! ;) Although those songs were extra special to hear, because they're some of my absolute favorites, every song she sang sounded just gorgeous. Perhaps the strangest highlight of the evening, because it was such an out-there, creative risk for Sarah to take, was the "Red Riding Hood Rap"! Sporting a red jacket and "riding" a stationary bike, Sarah sang a niftily bizarre tune about how "it's all in my mind," and sang some "la la la"s to the tune of that song from The Nutcracker that I just can't remember the title of. ;) It was really weird. And I loved it! (I do love me some music that isn't afraid to be a little crazy!)
When Sarah addressed the audience, she was so gracious and thanked us for coming, saying she was happy to be back in D.C. :) She noted that she has enjoyed her wonderful 30-year career and that it wouldn't have been possible without us, the audience, so the show was created as a sort of celebration. She's just so sweet!
Now, as much as I loved seeing Sarah and hearing her beautiful voice, I'm afraid I was a little underwhelmed by the staging... The projections on the backdrop, while probably very impressive up close, were unfortunately sort of washed out by the bright spotlights. The projections at some points appeared to be a little bit cockeyed - like, they weren't centered or whatever. And the actual images in the projections... well, they reminded me of PowerPoint graphics and special effects! The 3-D environments were ambitious but fell flat. I think the curtains and lighting effects at the Harem concert were far more effective.
But as I said, Sarah could sing in any sort of setting and be phenomenal. My criticisms didn't take away from the experience - they were just afterthoughts. I wish the night could have gone on forever! :)
My mom took pictures during quite a few of the songs - we didn't get the opening of the show, as neither of us realized we could take pictures until we saw flashes of light coming from the audience during the second song! Here are the pics!
Click to see the bigger version!
Before the show!
An interlude
During intermission!
The end!My tour goodies! :)