| GBS @ SOPAC |
| Britt collected the instruments and before I could wonder what a capella song was coming, Séan grabbed the mic and started on General Taylor. Wow! His high notes were higher than they’ve been in years, although he sttruggled with other notes a bit. And he held some notes really long, too, causing Alan to grin and shake his head in admiration. A few spots were a little rough but he’d already been singing for an hour. The audience sang along loudly. I was surprised to hear it, as it had disappeared for the last few shows I was at and was replaced by other Séan songs. He has to be tired of singing it! He been singing it almost every night for the past 15 years in GBS and for years before that. But the audience loved it. |
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| All of a sudden, Alan started talking about how this was the home of the New Jersey Devils and I was not surprised to learn that the next song was a hockey song – Helmethead. “He shoots! He scores!” Alan yelled into the mic. The audience loved it and Bob scored extra points for that one tonight. And I understand that there were a couple of said Devils in the audience tonight, too. Looks like Bob's gonna give Alan the business here! |
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| The next song should be the next Rock Anthem. Or at least GBS’s Rock Anthem. What a sound for this song! Is it possible to be better and more theatrical than on the album? This song, Dream To Live, is the song that gets me every time. “I live to dream and dream to live.” If there was a zone-out time for me in this show, this would have been it. I cannot say enough good things about this song, really! The vocals, the instruments and percussion all came together perfectly for this one and the audience got carried away too. I think everyone must have been singing by the end. It made me want more, more, more! |
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| Consequence Free began the Holy Triumverate of closing songs, songs that have been paired together for years now, leading to the end of the show. Had it been so long already? The time seemed all too short to me. I enjoyed Consequence Free, my anthem during the year 2003. But I knew it was the beginning of the end.
Mari Mac followed, a bit slow in the beginning. By the time the last verse was sung, however, it was up to speed. I guess you have to start slow to get faster, after all. For the first time in years, I was able to hear Séan’s vocals over the instrumentation. The sound tonight was superb! I have not heard better acoustics in a long time – years, even! As soon as Mari Mac ended, Kris’s computer system started the SOS Morse Code that is the intro to the song which might define GBS in history – Ordinary Day. |
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| Like a kid in a candy shop, Alan looks delighted with the reaction of the audience this evening during the audience-sing part of the show. He should be. He took an audience in an area they never played before and wound them up to the point where everyone was on their feet standing, singing, dancing, clamoring for more. I knew it was the end but the newbies wouldn't. No one spoiled it for them, either. |
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