This is the Moment, New York & Baltimore, Part 2

Saturday morning rolls around a little quicker than I’d like, but it’s time to hit the road again for the last leg of my personal Paul Bryom show tour.  This trip literally involved planes, trains, and automobiles since we took the train from NY to Baltimore. I’ve only been on a train a couple of times but it was kind of fun to see the scenery rolling by and know that I didn’t have to worry about anything until we arrived in Baltimore.  Steph is my only travel pal for this leg of the trip, but we are meeting another friend, Mary, when we get to Baltimore, so we’re all set. The trip took about 3 hours that provided Steph with a bit of a nap and me time to do my Hugh Jackman blog, and to catch up on the book I’m reading.  Not a bad use of time.  By the time we arrived and got a bite to eat, it was a rush to get ready. Knowing from the number of people that showed up at BB King’s the previous night, I knew we wanted to be at the venue early even if it meant waiting in line for a couple of hours.  

This rushing is important because after we got ready, drove to the venue, and parked the car, I happened to read a sign on the parking garage that said “do you have your ticket”, meaning the parking ticket. I read it out loud to make sure we had it. Steph thought I was asking about the show tickets and said “no I don’t have them”.  I said I was referring to the parking ticket because I have the show tickets and went to get them out of my purse.  Right at that moment my heart felt like it stopped! I had taken the tickets out of the envelope and laid them by my purse.  At that moment I realized I hadn’t put them in my purse.  We had gotten there very early, so Steph went to stand in line and Mary and I beat feet back to the hotel to get the tickets.  I felt like a complete moron!  Fortunately we had the time to make the extra trip so we managed to get to the hotel and back and still had to stand in line over an hour.  Steph had held us a place in line and of course had to tell everyone what happened. All the ladies in the line cheered when I showed up with the tickets, and we all had a good laugh.  One of the best things about going to shows is the time you spend in line with people you may not know, because by the end of the time you will have made some new friends, and this was no exception. By the time we were allowed in the venue we had some new tablemates, Peggy & Arlene.  I have to tell a really funny story about standing in line. Sometime before the doors opened, Paul crossed in front of us to go inside. I waved and he saw me and just shouted out “hi Pat”.  I certainly didn’t expect anything more than a wave if he even saw me, so I was taken a bit by surprise. The funny thing is that Peggy nearly went ballistic because Paul knew me by name. I kept telling her it was because I had met him so many times with Celtic Thunder and I had just seen him the week before in St Louis but she kept acting like I was a celebrity because he knew my name.  I kept assuring her that I was not all that special and that Paul often recognizes fans and speaks to them because he appreciates them so much. I told her if she stayed to get her CD signed he’d speak to her by name as well.  

The Soundstage, while in the same club mode as BB King’s, was a lot more bare bones. No grand piano, no fancy food, but again staff was very nice. My only disappointment was all the reserved tables in the center part of the room.  It seems after we bought our general admission tickets, there were some special ticketing options that included a reserved table and a few other amenities, so even though we were some of the 1^st people in the venue we ended up off to the side and a few table rows back. Not bad seats by any stretch but just a bit disappointing after standing in line for 2 hours.  However, that was not going to dampen our spirits or ruin the fun of the night.  So again we had our food and waited for the show to begin. 

Then comes the moment everyone has been waiting for and that I’ve been dreading. Paul steps out and I know this is the last of the shows I’m going to see on this tour. It’s bitter sweet because of that, but at the same time I was overwhelmed at the delivery of “This is the Moment”.  This was the third time I’ve heard this opening, and I was struck dumb. I didn’t think it could get any better, but that night it was the best I’d heard.  When he finished the crowd was on their feet clapping and cheering, and I had tears streaming down both cheeks.  I knew right then I was going to have raccoon eyes from the mascara. 

Every song Paul sang seemed that much more emotional and powerful, whether it was from Broadway, his Velvet CD, or the Irish songs of his heritage. At the same time, every story seemed more meaningful, and Paul himself seemed on the brink of losing control of his emotions at certain moments. Of course it may only have been in my imagination because I was feeling the emotion of it being my last show, and the fatigue of the 4 day road trip I’d been on.   

Looking back, the St Louis show was awesome because so many of my friends were there and included several more songs than the last two.  BB King’s had to be the coolest show because of the location and champagne availability.  But The Soundstage proved to be the best one I attended just for the pureness of the performance.  There was something electric about every song that had nothing to do with anything except Paul, and the whole place felt it. Everyone was mesmerized.  Thinking back on it I still get choked up.

For all my ramblings I’ve only mentioned a few songs, but want to include the set list from the last 2 shows along with a few comments on each. There were several songs sung in St Louis that were left out of later shows and the show itself was a more normal 2 hours.  Here we go:

First set:

1.       This Is the Moment – title song on CD, crowd stopper

2.       Bring Him Home – From Les Miserables – prefaced by story about 1^st theater gig and hair issues

3.       Rio Serenade – Written for him by Phil Coulter – according to Paul Phil’s been in the music business somewhere between 137 and 173 yrs – time changed by the show

4.       From A Distance – Paul’s father played this in the car as he drove Paul to school

5.       All By Myself – ultimate break up music – cheesy , so he sings it in Spanish – he loves cheese

6.       She

7.       Recuerdame – both songs from 1^st CT show – introduced with stories about the CT shows– riffs on Storm –  he always popped out of a hole in the wall to sing & popped back in – hilarious

Intermission – 15 minutes

Second set:

1.       Fantasia – from movie “The Mission” – sings it at lots of weddings – brings him to stories of singing as a child for toy money  and getting started in choir

2.       Ave Maria – talks about his love of singing in the church and the beautiful music then goes off on the “new wave” music played in church now with guitars and tambourines

3.       They All Laughed – from Velvet CD  -  Fred Astaire song  - feels like an old man lives inside him

4.       Carrickfergus – both Irish songs introduced with stories about the Irish people and how many people left Ireland to find work in all generations – very moving

5.       Danny Boy – Could hear a pin drop every time this was sung, and also a few sniffles

6.       My Land – on new CD – very stirring

7.       You Raise Me Up – encore song – Rocks the house

Again, at the end of this show the crowd is thunderous in its applause and Paul is visibly moved. Then one final bow and the show is over.  But then the after show begins again with Paul at the merchandise table signing and taking pictures with everyone that waited.  It is so amazing to see him work the crowd 1 person at a time.  I never saw him look up to see how many people are left in line, and he always gives his direct attention to the person in front of him, even though he has to be exhausted.  I was again at the end of the line with our new friends from the line and just as I told her, Peggy got to meet Paul and get her CD signed, and she couldn’t have been more thrilled.  It was so much fun to see a new fan meet him for the first time.  When I finally got to say hi to Paul he was so sweet. He even got up to give me a great hug before signing the things I still had for my friends. 

As I write this Paul is performing his final show on his first solo tour. It’s been brilliant from all reports, and from my vantage point I agree completely.  I’m sure Paul will be doing another tour in the future and when he does I’ll be there again to support him.  Hope you enjoy my ramblings.

Ciao for now

This is the Moment, New York & Baltimore, Part 1

BRAVO!!  Paul kids the audience after a standing ovation for his first song by taking a bow, thanking the crowd and heading off stage. Just like him, I could write that one word and this blog could be complete.  Although it won’t really end there, you know it could because that all that NEEDS to be said in this blog. The same could be said for Paul’s exit after the 1^st song.  Hearing “This Is The Moment” sung by Paul while watching his face, so full of joy, would be worth the price of admission if he didn’t sing another note. However, like most things, more is even better.  As far as this blog is concerned I feel compelled to write more than one word just for my own benefit if not for others.  So it follows that in the case of a Paul Byrom concert, more is certainly better.

Hearing Paul sing song after song, all the while peppering his audience with anecdotes both funny and poignant never gets old and I think I’m a good judge of that since I managed to attend 3 of his shows in the space of 12 days, 2 of which were back to back. Of course the stories are a bit more familiar, and the set list doesn’t change a great deal. However, the power and passion of Paul’s performance NEVER, and I do mean NEVER, becomes so familiar that you aren’t completely astounded by it even if you see it a hundred times.  In fact almost the opposite is true. The more you see him perform, the more you see what he brings to the stage time after time, regardless of how tired he is or how bad a day he might have had.  Paul sings with emotional abandon and that is why it doesn’t get old. Everything in his performance resonates with the passion he feels when he’s singing a song, especially after hearing why he chose to sing it at the show or why it’s on his album. You see, the whole show is a culmination of the influences in Paul’s life up to now, and that’s pretty heady stuff to share with a roomful of people, especially people that paid to come see you. 

So now let’s get to the actual performances that I’m here to talk about, B.B. King’s in New York, (yup, NEW YORK CITY, THE BIG APPLE), and the Soundstage in Baltimore.  Both of these venues were very much alike, and couldn’t have been more different from the Sheldon in St. Louis. Both are basically night clubs that serve food and beverages while the guy on stage sings.  Both cram twice the number of people into tables than they should reasonably hold and yet nobody complains. You see, we don’t really care how crowded we are for dinner, our main goal is to have the food gone so we can watch the show, and once the show starts nobody cares how close you’re sitting to your neighbor because you’re all focused only on the stage.  

Joining me for my adventure at BB King’s were my partners in crime, Steph, Jen, Keebs, and Barun. We met outside the club around 5pm and believe me it was such a rush to see Paul’s name up in lights on the marquee. I mean we’re talking 42^nd Street in New York City folks. That’s surreal.  This is a guy I’ve been a fan of for several years. A guy I’ve talked to personally on multiple occasions, and who I tweet back and forth to.  Really, how did this happen? Well I’ll tell you. It happened through hard work, persistence, and most of all TALENT!! That’s right, Paul Byrom has the goods and people are taking notice.  Ok, I know I digressed again, but it’s hard not to when I get to thinking about Paul.

Once we all got together we waited in the bar until the showroom opened. Fortunately for me and Steph the bar stocked one of our favorite brands of champagne so we knew we were set for the night. Of course our pocketbooks are a little worse for wear, but it was worth it.  As we were heading into the showroom we ran into a lady that was waiting for a friend and started chatting with it. We knew we would have more people put at our table and she seemed really nice so we invited her to be in our group. She was thrilled because she would have had seats much further back. We weren’t on the 1^st row of tables but we did have great seats and a great view of all the action. I have to say the food at BB King’s was excellent.  This is a New York establishment and it’s not cheap, but that’s ok if you’re getting quality food and we certainly did. The seating staff, the wait staff, and everyone else we encountered in the venue were top notch.  Finally we were all finished with our food just in time for the lights to go down and the music to commence. Just as in St Louis, Dave Cooke came on first with Paul following close behind, and without any introduction other than the notes from the piano, Paul launches into the title song “This Is The Moment” and you can see it truly is. Paul seemed completely at home in one of the coolest venues he’s played, that also happens to be in one of the coolest cities in the world, and of course the SOLD OUT crowd showed their appreciation.  

All night long, with every song and every story, Paul took everyone in attendance on an emotional journey through his songs. One of the funniest lines had to be when he remarked that he doubted Ave Maria had ever been heard in BB King’s before and I’m sure he’s correct.  The crowd was with him all night and he definitely fed off of it, and again there was always that interaction when someone would shout out from the audience. By the end of the night there wasn’t a single person in the room that wasn’t sold on Paul Byrom. I did manage to keep a set list this time and after a few comments on the Baltimore show I’m going to add that at the end with a few notes on at least some of them. 

Once the show was over, Paul again took to the merchandise table and signed and took pictures until everyone in the line was taken care of.  I’m nearly always near the end so I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Dominique since she had commented on my first blog. Dom is a very lovely person I really appreciated the time she took to chat with me. I’m guessing she’s not used to all the attention she’s getting now that Paul is on his own, but she’s handling it well, and Paul is a lucky man to have her in his life. I know it has to be such a relief to him to have her handling the merchandise and just being with him as he travels.  Finally, the line was almost at an end so I went upstairs to wait for the last few people to get through so I could get my picture from St Louis and another CD signed.  I forgot to mention earlier I had a pretty long list of merchandise to pick up for friends, and was now about the business of getting some of the items signed. Anyway while I was waiting a lady tripped on a barrier and fell right in front of the table. I thought Paul was going to have a heart attack and that was right after I did.  Fortunately she was ok, and after a few of us got her up, I managed to get a couple of things signed and another picture with Paul.  He was clearly tired, but gracious as always. I didn’t chat too much but did remind him I’d see him the next night in Baltimore.  Our little gang then made our way through Times Square to Junior’s for some late night cupcake desserts.  Steph, Jen, and I finally said our goodbyes to Keebs and Barun and headed to the hotel. We had to pack to catch a train to Baltimore the next day. 

More to come in part 2,

Ciao for now

Hugh Jackman – Back on Broadway

This weekend was originally supposed to be about Paul Byrom shows but once I found out Hugh Jackman was bringing his one man show to Broadway I knew I had to extend my NY weekend an extra day to take in this show.  I saw Hugh several years ago in Boy From Oz about the life of Peter Allen and it was a tour de force performance.  Jackman was so identified with the role that once his contract ran out the show closed.  No one else could possibly inhabit the role like Hugh did.  Most people know him from his role as Wolverine in the X-men movies, but Hugh originally got his start in show business as a song and dance man and was very accomplished in musical theater, so seeing him return to those roots and doing it on Broadway would certainly be a treat.

The night started out with a wild taxi ride through the congested streets of NY, but what else is new?  After 45 minutes we arrived at the theater 10 minutes before show time only to see a huge line outside the theater waiting to get in. Seriously, after all the years Broadway theaters have been running, they can’t open the doors in time to get people seated? Oh well, we found a much shorter line at the other door so in we went to find our seats.  The theater was quite small so our seats, while farther back in the orchestra,  were dead center and gave us a great view of what was to come.

Finally the lights dim and the orchestra strikes up. Yes, Hugh Jackman’s “one man show” comes complete with about a 20 piece band, 3 “dream girls” backup singers, and 3 more dancers.  You know right away this is going to be a bit more than a one man show.  The next thing you hear is Hugh’s unmistakable voice coming from the shadows and then he’s there, on stage, and loving it. There’s something amazing about watching a performer that is so confident in his ability to entertain that he will take the stage on his own.  Reminds me of a certain other singer I know.  :)

 

For the next hour, that seemed more like 30 minutes max, we were transported through time via a stream of Broadway show tunes accompanied by a number of video montages projected on a large screen high above the band.  Sometimes it was hard to know what to watch, Hugh live, or Hugh in clips. In between the singing and dancing Hugh tells some great stories of how he got certain roles, and he throws in a few topical one liners, playing off some of the more recent gaffs heard during the republican debates.  In fact he states they are the perfect thing to go to sleep to. (cue the drum roll on that one).  Hugh is surprisingly a pretty good comic and can deliver a one-liner with the best of them.  And of course he’s full of name dropping stories. One of my favorites he told was getting a call from Steven Spielberg to host the Oscars.  Initially he didn’t believe it was him & when he realized it was it got his attention.  The call lasted only a few minutes before he agreed to “give it a go” and ended the call. Shortly after his wife Deb came to bed & Hugh asked her what she thought about going to bed with the host of the Oscars, and she replied “is Billy Crystal here?”.  No one knows if this actually happened but it sure was funny. 

The second act opened with Hugh full on in his Peter Allen persona, complete with gold lame’ pants, shoes, and see through shirt.  He then proceeded to do a full set of Peter’s songs from Boy From Oz, dstarting with “Between the Moon & New York City” (you know, Arthurs’ theme), and ending with Tennefield Saddler.  This last song is not nearly as well known unless you are from Australia or saw the show but it tells the story in very poignant lyrics of Peter’s grandfather, father, and Peter’s own life. I’ve loved it since the first time I heard it and it was nice to hear Hugh sing all these songs again. I’m not certain the entire office was ready for the flamboyant part of this show, but most of us really appreciated it. Hugh is nothing if not exuberant in his characterizations on stage.

Next we were treated to Hugh & his “Dream Girls” singing & tap dancing their way through a series of movie musicals that Hugh said inspired his love of stage, the highlight being his tribute to Gene Kelly’s “Singing In The Rain”.  I’m not sure how a 6’2” guy can be that limber, but let me tell you he can high kick with anyone in the Rockettes.  He finished that segment with a beautiful rendition of “My Boy Bill” from Carousel, and I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the house. 

One of my favorite things about Hugh’s show was his unabashed openness about his love for his wife, family, and home country.  While the family lives in the states full time now, Hugh has not forgotten his roots and proudly put that on display as the show wound down.  Near the end the lights went very dim and Hugh began clicking a couple of wooden stick instruments together. Then out of nowhere, 2 native aboriginal men walked down both aisles playing the Didjeridu. What a haunting sound it was as it filled the theater. Next there was an aboriginal man and woman that came out alongside Hugh and sang a refrain in their native language.  It almost felt church like. Hugh introduced them as tribal elders and paid them respect as such.  Reading this you might think it was a downer, but in reality it was very uplifting as Hugh explained the efforts his country is making to right the wrongs done to the Aboriginal people for the last 200 years.

There were 2 final songs along with the traditional, and much deserved thank you, to the band and backup singers, and it was all over. But wait, the lights came back up and Hugh addressed the audience about the fund raising being done for Broadway Cares and proceeds to work the crowd into a frenzy by auctioning off not 1 but 2 of his personal tee-shirts worn during the show.  It may sound cheesy, but he raised $11,000 in the matter of 5 minutes. Not a bad day at all for a wonderful charity. I also want to throw in here that I talked to a man at the bar and he couldn’t sing Hugh’s praises enough & told me every Friday Hugh personally comes to all the theater employees and gives them show passes and other things as a thank you. Most stars would send someone to do something like that and it would be seen as very generous. However to take the time to do it personally makes a lot of impact on people.  He also comes out after every show and signs autographs, takes pictures, and chats with his fans. He never ducks out the back. That’s class!

I’m going to close by stealing a quote I read in the paper from a fan that pretty well summed up all of Hugh Jackman’s talent and appeal.  “He can be Wolverine, and he can sing and dance on Broadway, so if I was ever stranded on a desert island he’s who I’d want with me because he could protect me from all danger and keep me entertained for months on end”. I thought that was a perfect description.

Guess you can tell I loved the show, and highly recommend anyone to see him if they can.

Ciao for now

Pat

This Is The Moment, St Louis - Part 2

So now comes the part you’ve been waiting for.  The lights are down, the background music is starting, and the crowd is suddenly silent.  A door opens, and out comes Dave Cooke, a very familiar face to many of us, taking his seat at the grand piano gracing the stage.  The rest of the set is very simple; a tall chair, a couple bottles of water, and a mic stand.  The next time the door opened, out came Paul with a smile on his face a mile wide!  To say his reception was warm is an understatement.  The crowd was clearly in his corner.

Most entertainers start with a few songs to warm up the crowd and save their “big numbers” for the end. Of course Paul has a ton of big numbers, but I have to say I expected his CD title number would be at the end of the show.  Well with Paul you have to expect the unexpected and this show is no exception. He walked out, stood at the mic, and promptly belted out the title track from the album “This Is The Moment”, and what a moment it was.  All I can say is as many times as I’ve heard him sing live, and as many times as I’ve listened to his recordings (and that included the new CD on my 3 hr drive to St Louis), I’ve never heard him sing like he did that night.  He captured everyone in the theater, and put us all under a spell with that first song that lasted far longer than that evening.  I firmly believe the crowd was on its feet before he released the last note.  Of course Paul took advantage of our standing O and said “thanks and good night” and headed toward the door.  That got a good laugh from everyone and set the tone for the rest of the night.

From the get go, Paul took us on a journey through his life and the transportation was song and story because it seems he can’t sing a song without telling a bit of a story, which is what all the great entertainers throughout history have done.  If you doubt that just look at old recordings of variety shows, or shows recorded by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, and the like.  All of their shows included stories that created a connection between the performer and the audience. Without that personal connection, you might as well stay home and listen to the CD! 

His next song was preceded with a story of how he used to audition for different plays and one particular encounter he had when he landed the role of Lt. Cable in South Pacific. It seems that there was an issue with his hair, and he wasn’t referring to the hair on his head.  He then told all the women in the audience we were nuts for enduring the whole waxing thing.  This brought howls of laughter from everyone and then we were immediately brought back to the primary reason we were there and that was to hear him sing, and sing he did.  He performed the one song I really wanted to hear him sing and that was “Music of the Night” from POTO. All I can say is WOW!! Paul Byrom should be the Phantom, and I hope someday he gets that opportunity. His rendition left me speechless!   He also sang “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables and knocked that one out of the park as well. Actually about ½ the songs he sang had either my friend Kelly or me in tears because of the emotion he portrayed.

I’m not going to go through the whole set list or I’d be writing for days and besides I’m quite sure I can’t remember every song he sang much less the order it came in. I can tell you each song in his concert means something and he shares that meaning before he sings it.  Obviously he does a lot of songs from the new CD, but he also includes many that aren’t.  One song that I really enjoyed was “They All Laughed” from his Velvet CD. I love the song and he encouraged us to clap and/or sing along which we happily did.  He also sang “She” that was on the first CT DVD and tour.  His preface to that was that he used to sing it right after “the girl” ran off with another man (Ryan) and what a preposterous scenario that was.   At some point he sang “Rio Serenade” but had to tell us the story behind it.  It seems it was written for him by Phil Coulter for the new CD because Phil terms him the “ultimate lounge lizard”.  Again we had to laugh and Paul seemed to feed off that feeling.    When he finished he “apologized” for the cheese factor, but he always did like cheese.  I’m sure all my descriptions sound a be cheesy as well, and really, you had to be there to get the full affect of his stories, but believe me, most of us were in tears from the laughter as well as the songs. 

I’m only going to talk about a couple more songs that were particularly poignant.  "Danny Boy"of course and primarily because of the meaning Paul gave to it before he sang and the fact that it’s as meaningful to the Irish today as it was when it was first written.  The other is "Ave Maria". This was my mother’s favorite song and is has always hard for me to listen to since she passed away nearly 15 yrs ago. When Paul put it on his Christmas CD I was at once happy and sad.  Yes it’s hard to listen to but at the same time it brings back so many wonderful memories.  That said, I thought it would be very hard to listen to him sing it in person, but I was wrong.  Maybe it was the hilarious tangent he went off on about the changes in music you hear in Church these days, or maybe it was just because he sings it so beautifully.  Either way, it wasn’t hard at all to hear.  Yes, it made me tear up, and yes I’m tearing up just writing about it, but the over all feeling I had was one of joy because I know my mom could hear him sing it as well. She would have loved Paul’s music and I know for a fact she heard him sing that night.

As the night drew to a close, nobody in the room wanted it to end, including Paul. He joked that he was going to cancel his other dates and stay in St Louis, but of course we knew that couldn’t happen. However, he did promise to come back and play The Sheldon again. It’s a beautiful little theater and just perfect for an intimate evening with a performer of Paul’s caliber.  He sang one last song, and for the life of me right now I don’t remember what it was. Kind of sad on my part, but the whole event is almost a blur.  What I do know is he left the stage to a thunderous standing ovation only to return to do “1 more song”.  And then we got the song that first knocked my songs off when I heard him sing it in Waukeegan 4 years ago, “You Raise Me Up”. 

To be truthful when I saw that song in the CT program instead of “She” I was disappointed because I really wanted to hear “She” live.  What happened though was something a bit magical, especially in a production like Celtic Thunder.  Paul came out and started the song so softly you could hear a pin drop.  He built suspense with each phrase until the ending crescendo and every single person in the2500 person audience was on their feet.  He literally stopped the show and that doesn’t happen very often in shows of that nature. They are designed to keep moving. I remember Keith coming on to do a number and saying “how can I follow that”.  And every single time I heard Paul sing that song on the CT tour, the exact same thing happened, a standing ovation that stopped the show.  That is the power of Paul’s voice.

I know I kind of digressed, but it’s time to wrap this up for a bit but not without a little bit more about Paul’s storytelling.   Much of his opening conversation centered on his time with Celtic Thunder, what being in the group had done for him, and what lead him to decide to go back out on his own.  It was all so personal and genuine I could have just listened to him talk the whole night.  I really just felt like I was sitting in the kitchen with a friend.  As I said early on the stories were part of the journey he took us on through his life.  From a wee lad singing at weddings and funerals for toy money, to riding in the car to school with his father, to his older sister that was a 2^nd mum and her children who he sings to when he’s home,  and of course to his mum, Kathleen, who he clearly adores and credits with all his success.  This is the side of Paul that we’ve seen glimpses of over the years, but never this full out. He is sharing his life with us and I for one am grateful he made that choice last year.  He is singing with abandon, and the joy clearly shows on his face.  His songs light up the room and everyone in it.  This was a night the people at The Sheldon will never forget.

And to top it all off, Paul went upstairs after the show and signed merchandise, took pictures, and chatted with every single person that stayed.  I was near the end of the line with a 3 hour drive ahead and I wouldn’t have left for anything.  He stayed over an hour and never rushed anyone to get through quicker.  I watched him make new friends with people he had never met and I watched with amazement as he remembered people he had met before and made them feel so special.  That’s the way to treat your fans.  He truly appreciates each and every one of us, and that is why we will be fans for life.

If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed my recounting of Paul’s St Louis show. I’m a bit short on specifics about the songs, but I’m going to see him again in New York, and Baltimore and plan to at least keep track of the songs he sings.  The day after my show a friend said I was on “swanky overload”, and I have to agree she was right.  I think I’m still on that overload and hope I stay that way for a long time.

Thank you to all my friends that made this night one I’ll never forget!

Ciao for now,

Pat