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=Summary=
Courtesy
of Colleen |
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| Blaisdell
Center Arena |
Charlotte
Live in Honolulu
by
Colleen, dedicated viewer and fan I can't even remember the last time it was that I attended a major concert.
While growing up in Honolulu I attended many, but I've lived on Kauai now
for the past 23 years and there are almost no big-name concerts here. Many
major artists gave concerts in Honolulu each year, but never anyone I
considered worth spending the price of concert tickets, airfare, car, etc.
for. When I heard that Charlotte was giving a concert, however, I didn't
hesitate even a second. My daughter Jordan and I both enjoy her and
Jordan's never been to a live performance of any of her favorite artists.
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Because we hadn't heard of the concert until two weeks into the ticket
sales, there we were Saturday night sitting in the third row from the top of
the Blaisdell Arena at the 3 o'clock position. We have a friend who's an
usher on the lower level who could've gotten us better seats if there had
been any empty ones...but of course the whole bottom level was sold out and
packed. We sat watching the seats fill (5300 was the reported attendance),
wishing three people in the first row wouldn't show up, but of course anyone
would be crazy to miss this event! *LOL*
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"It wasn't the usual Honolulu Symphony concert: jumbo screens overhead, cameramen filming (one even in the orchestra), mood lights splayed across a large backdrop screen, mikes, amps, wires running everywhere, sound and video crews ensconced in the royal box."
"It wasn't the usual symphony crowd, either: A broad mix of young and old, jeans, muumuu and silk strolled Blaisdell Arena carrying wine and pasta or soda and hot dogs. More than 5,300 people (the Concert Hall only holds about 2,200) came to listen."
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Honolulu
Star-Bulletin on Charlotte's Concert |
Happy to say that once the program began, our stratospheric seats seemed
just fine--thanks to the two large screens on each side of the stage, to
our binoculars, and most importantly, to Charlotte's ability to reach every
seat in the house effectively.
The concert began about 20 minutes late. Here we call that "Hawaiian Time". The Honolulu Symphony, conducted by Samuel Wong, played the "West Side
Story Overture" and Charlotte appeared following that and sang
"Tonight". She
was lovely and took my daughter by surprise because she looked so different
with all of her hair (famous bangs included) pulled away from her face and
tied back. Wearing a sparkly fitted black halter with wide straps and black
pants, she charmed the audience with her bubbly enthusiasm, mentioning her
pleasure at being in Hawaii, her sunburnt nose, and warning us that she'll
soon be out SHOPPING among us!
Her second number was "Pie Jesu" and to be honest, I was so moved by her
singing this that I forgot to write it down in my notes. I've heard a
recording of it before, but in person it was magnificent. Perhaps
Charlotte even moved HERSELF because following that she began to introduce
the next song and forgot the line-up. Her third song was "If I Loved You"
and I was touched by the emotion she gave to it.
She left the stage while the orchestra played "Russian and Ludmilla
Overture" and returned in a blue backless gown (see her
Hollywood Bowl concert photos), charmingly pointing out to us that she had changed
costumes. She performed "The Water Is Wide", "My Lagan Love" and a very
powerful "La Pastorella".
Following the intermission and "La Cenerentola Overture", Charlotte appeared
in a pink appliqued halter top and matching long skirt with her hair still
pulled back but this time loose in the back. She gave a premier performance
of "Can't Help Loving that Man of Mine" from "Show Boat". Once again I was
struck by the way Charlotte is able to move so easily between bubbly
15-year-old into the persona of whichever song she sings. Following this
heartfelt declaration of love for a less than ideal mate, the 15-year-old
reported that she'd been hiking to Manoa Falls that very day and was looking
forward to going boogie boarding. Her next two songs were "Summertime" and
"A Bit of Earth".
Charlotte took her shoes off because her feet hurt as a result of her hike
that day. The timing was fitting because her next number was my favorite
"Bali Hai" from "South Pacific" which, incidentally, was filmed on Kauai.
"Bridge Over Troubled Waters" was prefaced by Charlotte's saying her being
only 15 may not qualify her to sing this song, but we were all glad she did
anyway! This was her last programmed number and she was presented with what
appeared to be a feather lei. I was amused to see that she chose to wear it
across her shoulders instead of in the usual dangling-around-the-neck
fashion.
Naturally she was called back for an encore and did "Papa Can You Hear Me"
from "Yentl". Following the enthusiastic ovation, she told the audience
that most artists would go off and come back on and make us clap even more,
but she wouldn't bother doing that and anyway her legs hurt. So she just
stayed and did her second encore, "Danny Boy".
It was a wonderful concert that we all enjoyed immensely. Hearing her sing
"live" really WAS three times better than listening to any recording. I am
especially happy I gave my daughter the opportunity to see Charlotte
perform in person. The only disappointment was not being able to give
Jordan a close-up view of Charlotte after the concert. Nevertheless, she's
at school today excitedly telling everyone she knows about her concert
experience. - Colleen
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