16th of December 2006 was just
perfect. Well, almost. Other than the lights shining directly at my face intermittently during the performance, it was just... breathtaking. I enjoyed every second of her music, of her sharing, of her voice. So much so that it prompted me to write an entry on a blog that's been old for a year.
This is how the concert proceeded:
* Silent Night
* Hark the Herald Angels Sing
* O Come O Come Emmanuel
* Be Thou My Vision
* Away in a Manger
* Angel in Disguise
* Beautiful Seed
* In the Bleak Mid-Winter
* What Child is This
*
Intermission* Hail Mary
* Angels We have Heard on High
* O Come All Ye Faithful
* Do You Hear What I Hear?
* The Answer
* On My Way
* Five Loaves and Two Fishes
* Joy to the World
* My Grown-up Christmas List (Encore)
* Have Yourself a Merry Merry Christmas (Encore)
I was a fan of her songs since quite some time ago. Going for this concert and seeing her in person has made me a bigger fan of hers than before. Her voice sounds pretty much like what you hear on her CDs - not everyone can do that, and it's a testament to her ability. I particularly like the lyrics of her songs... Everyone and anyone can relate to them, in a myriad of ways.
Ok, on to the concert itself. In between each song she'd share some stories with us, from her childhood memories of christmas, to her first (and disappointing) experience with snow, to how she thought how the central people of the Christmas story must've felt on that day. It was a very personal touch, and I was entertained throughout.
For the songs, she sang some songs from her latest album, befitting the coming Christmas, as well as some new songs, and old classics. Among the new songs, I liked Beautiful Seed and On My Way the most.
You know, sometimes we question what good can one person do. And sometimes, our negative selves just go down that slippery slope and stop trying, or we just feel lost and insignificant. Beautiful Seed was inspirational; I can't remember the exact lyrics, but they sang about how we're part of something bigger. Everyone has a gift, and maybe it might not be apparent yet, but we should always be discovering, always trying to search for ourselves. Then we could grow from a seed into something better.
On My Way talks about how on our journeys, we meet obstacles, or just get exhausted and question, "when will it end?" What's important, is that we're always trodding on, however weary or hindered we might be. "I'm tired, but I'm
on my way."
Then there were the Christmas hymns like Silent Night and O Come All Ye Faithful, all sung with her soothing vocals and accompanied by matching acoustics. I'd heard them all on her CD already, but hearing them sung live was just like the first time I heard them on her CD - refreshing, and amazing.
After the concert, she had an autograph session, and the queue snaked for quite a distance. Regardless, I was just as determined as the others in the queue to see her face to face and get my CD signed. (Danielle couldn't stay for too long though, and I'm guilty of not seeing her off. Sorry!) So, after more than 2 hours of queueing...
And with that, I journeyed home, a happy person, after a marvellous night of beautiful music.
