Proud

Our two newest GMC members are at center.

I have never been prouder of the guys in GMC than I am this morning.

Last evening’s concert (to be repeated tonight) was a triumph in many, many ways.  Three years of work on diction, expression, vowel unity, story-telling, and communication gelled on Friday night.  We added Christine Brewer to the mix; she was in splendid voice and happy spirits.  And we sang songs of hope, with little despair, giving a message that our friend Ken Haller compacted into “Love is hard work, but it’s worth it.”

Whether it’s love for others, of family and friends and pets and country, of one special other – this concert speaks of all of these loves, and speaks of them powerfully.

Me with President Chris before the concert last evening.

One of the great joys of this gig is seeing the guys’ faces as the applause is rolling, when we all know that we’ve scored.  We scored a lot last evening.  And the faces just got happier and happier.

That many of these songs are going to make it onto a new live-concert CD means that we will be able to relive these moments as many times as we wish.

In a concert full of wonderful moments, best moments for me on Friday:

• the build-up, key change, and final moments of Losing my mind
• Happy together
• Doug Bernier in Where the boys are
• that wave of applause that wouldn’t end after Casey’s solo
• the sudden realization half-way through Innegiamo that I was actually, truly conducting Christine Brewer in concert
• Christine’s obvious glee at the end of the Music Man excerpts
• goosebumps during You’ll Never Walk Alone
• I want to fly, hands-down my favorite single piece in three years of leading GMC

Tonight’s repeat performance commences at 8 p.m.  Full details are here.

Serenading with 'Where the boys are' at Sasha's on Shaw after the concert.

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