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Concert
Impressions
By
Mark (Team USA) |
I'll
leave the summary to Lourdes since she really was able to
capture it well. I wanted to basically share some of the
excitement that surrounds a concert with Charlotte. First
off, when I first arrived I was immediately taken back by
the great range of people that were in attendance. Families
with young Children, aspiring musicians, the social elite,
teens and senior citizens, if you can conceive the group
they were there to see Charlotte.
The
next thing that caught my attention when I first sat down
was just how enthusiastic many of the fans were in support
of Charlotte. The gracious lady I sat next to wasn't
the most die hard fan in the world but she was still very
excited and overjoyed at the prospect of seeing Charlotte
live in person. A quick chat with my neighbour revealed that
like many of Charlotte's fans classical music wasn't her fav
but she had a total respect for the talent Charlotte
injected into all her work.
After
a sterling introduction from the organisers of the concert
Charlotte took the stage and you could just hear the "oohs
and ahhs" from the crowd as they were taken back by
Charlotte's stunning looks. I've never been to Kravis Center
when it was packed to capacity so it was quite exciting to
hear how loud the clapping of a full concert hall can sound
like. Charlotte then burst into "Tonight" from
West Side Story and I think everyone knew from that point on
that this wasn't your ordinary concert.
I
went to the concert as a fan but also as an observer so I
spent a good deal of time trying to see how others in the
audience took in the event. The gentleman in front of me
couldn't stop shaking his head in disbelief and even though
he was old enough to be my grandfather, when Charlotte was
finished he showed the vigor of someone half his age when he
led the crowd to every standing ovation. That's really the
effect that Charlotte has on people and nearly everyone I
looked at during the concert had either a smile or stare
that reflected total disbelief at what they were hearing.
When Charlotte spoke to the crowd she had them in the palm
of her hand and she really could have said anything and
people would have either clapped or laughed in approval.
Charlotte's change in clothing also generated much
discussion and emotion and the lady next to me even
commented that this was just like a fashion show. When
Charlotte came out with her third outfit the entire crowd
let out a collective "ooh" and Charlotte paused
during her walk out to the mic to check if she was supposed
to come out because everyone was so mesmerized they nearly
forgot to clap.
The
end of the concert was really the high point emotionally as
Charlotte accepted the gift from Mrs. Stein, a stuffed Pink
Flamingo along with flowers. Mrs. Stein asked if Charlotte
could sing just one more song and she obliged with
"Danny Boy". After that was complete the crowd
just wouldn't sit nor stop clapping and Charlotte came back
to sing her double encore performance of "Bridge over
Troubled Waters" (In my opinion this is her best
now). I don't think anyone wanted to leave when she
was finished but that was the end for most.
Lourdes
and I were among the lucky ones who were directed to the
stage exit since Lourdes had a gift to present to
Charlotte. When we got back to the stage exit we found
about 10 other fans waiting next to the limo's that carry
Charlotte's team everywhere. Read Lourdes summary for
the full story but I wanted to mention how great it was to
meet other fans especially ones that were this dedicated
after the concert. I don't think anyone besides
Lourdes knew who I was until I introduced myself to
Charlotte but after that the remaining people came over to
say hi and amazingly enough they were viewers of the site.
Some of them I had met online and some of them I hadn't but
it's brilliant to meet people who have seen the site in
person.
As
we wished Charlotte goodbye the night was over but I know
everyone in attendance left with a greater understanding and
appreciation of Charlotte's music no matter how much they
had of both before. Lourdes and I have been working with
fans through our sites for over a year now and this whole
event still left us stunned and amazed. I've heard what I
though was "hype" from all the previous concert
events but I can say wholeheartedly that seeing Charlotte in
concert should be the ultimate destination for any Charlotte
fan; the point here is just go, no matter how hard or how
far you need to travel, do it and you'll never be the same
again. - Mark
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