Yup, I did a thing. Something I've actually avoided the past few years. I was getting a bit jealous of everyone enjoying the 35th anniversary Michael W. Smith tour, so I bought tickets a few weeks ago to go to the Christmas concert he always does with Amy Grant. The tickets are usually more expensive and while the set is pretty, there's not the kind of dancing around the stage/showmanship I like to see at a concert. I actually found and bought some buy two for the price of one tickets (but the fees racked up so it was still a higher price than I originally thought!). But then, a few days ago, we were offered two tickets for seats in a suite! So, I was able to find and transfer my e-tickets to another person free of charge. It was awesome to pay it forward and bless someone else. My friend, Jessica, who went with me, did help pay for the tickets I had bought, so it all worked out. Our suite was right in the middle of the arena, straight back from the stage, it was nice to not have to turn my head this time or sit at an angle. However, we were on the opposite end of the arena, so I spent a lot of time looking at the screens instead of the stage. Note to self: suites are great for comfort, not great for actually enjoying a concert up close, which is how I like to participate in them!
The suite was very comfy and peaceful! No long lines at the bathrooms or food vendors. We still had to go back down to the main concourse to look at merchandise of course. I know exactly what I wanted, and it was the "Hymns" collection on one cd instead of two that Cracker Barrel originally sold. We were very early and the whole place was much emptier than at all the previous concerts I've seen there recently. In fact, even when the concert was in full swing, it seemed very empty. They only used half of the floor for seats! I think it would have been better at a different venue. The suite was very nice/standard with cushier seats and food! So much food! The host people (who we didn't know) didn't show up until 5 minutes before the show started. I wasn't sure who paid for the food or who it was for, so we waited until others came and gave us the go ahead. It was perfect with fresh salad, fruit, hot dogs, sliders, mac and cheese, chicken, gravy or mashed potatoes, chips, popcorn, free pop cans, even wine! Of course we didn't drink the wine, and I didn't eat the cookies or mac and cheese. But our tummies were full regardless!
Gary and Leah ended up being invited to the concert as well, but they were in a suite above us! We didn't even get to see them! I reassured them that it was a sit down concert and they would actually enjoy it. I can't wait to hear their reactions! But yes, it was a concert that you sat down for the entire time. With a full orchestra, fancy dresses, and suits, yes, not crazy crowd surfing this time like For King and Country. And that was just fine for us two mamas with small kids because we got to breathe and take in some wonderful live Christmas music without being interrupted. It was definitely relaxing. Even the drive was easy! I got turned around once, but not too bad. I now know a new way of getting there that I will take next time. And that's about all she wrote. I will be spending a lot more money next time I want to see Michael W. Smith, especially if he comes up with spring leg of the 35th Anniversary tour (really, they should make that into a DVD anyway), so I'm going to start saving my pennies and dollars now.
The only downside is that just as the concert was finishing, my nose started to run! And now my throat hurts and I can barely breathe through my nose. I'm grateful that it isn't the stomach virus Keturah might have gotten (she's slept all day!), but it's going to make for a miserable week. Ugh. Onward to the next appointment or event! And thankfully, tomorrow is a stay home day so we can do some catching up on school work. Only Justin got some done today. I didn't even have a chance to check it. So tomorrow will be like a Monday for us if Keturah is feeling better. Good night!
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| Woah! Suite tickets and a free parking pass! Woot! Woot! |
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| Tonight's outfit! It's Christmas so I get to wear my soft velvety red jacket! I did leave my hair down for the whole night, too. That's my new black long sleeve shirt and I layered my necklaces. Not too bad.I still am not comfortable with how I look as a whole and always think I'm skinnier than I actually am. But I did wear sparkly flats! |
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| Don't know if this was a Balsam Hill tree or not, but they sponsor this mini concert series every year. |
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| Ah, the suite life! (of Zack and Cody if you are Nickelodeon fans, lol.) I did enjoy being in the center of the stage again. The side views we've had for most of the concerts the past few years have gotten a bit tiring. However, this was just too far away. I had to force myself to look at the stage and not the screens. And the seats were pretty sparse. Definitely not sold out like some of the shows we've been to. A little bit sad, actually, because these two used to pack out arenas and now they are just, well, older, plus this is a Christmas concert. It would have been better in a smaller theater setting. |
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| Pretty fancy! I've been in a suite before when I attended a women's conference here, but it was in the middle of one of the longer sides of the arena. We were in the Bank of America suite and the person who gave us the tickets was also there with some coworkers. |
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| This is how close I could get with my little phone camera. Sigh. Next time I upgrade my phone, I'm going to pay attention to the photo capability. I'm getting pretty frustrated with this one. But the trees and wreathes were beautiful. Plus, check out that orchestra! |
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| We were right above the house lights and sound. |
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| My friend Jessica and I. We both left sick kids at home and needed this peace and quiet! Thanks to the husbands who stayed home! |
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| The catered food! We didn't get into it until others arrived. But here are some cheeseburger bacon sliders with pretzel buns! I didn't eat the bun of course. |
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| Fried chicken and either gravy or mashed potatoes that I didn't try. |
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| Hot dogs and mac and cheese. |
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| Fruit and dip! |
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| Cookies! |
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| A beautiful salad! And there was popcorn and chips with dip, too! Wine and canned pop! |
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| I took the same amount of pictures and videos I think, although the view didn't change much. No fancy footwork or light displays. I reassured Gary and Leah that this was a sit down calm concert, refraining from saying that it was an "old person's concert." In all reality, it was something that their older generation would enjoy the most over what the kids and I have been enjoying. I was grateful that we got to sit down the whole time and just rest and listen. It's exactly what Jessica and I needed. And nothing, NOTHING, beats a real live orchestra! Especially when the music was developed with an orchestra in mind. A few of Michael's songs were instrumental ones that I have LOVED on his 4 Christmas albums. The other reason Gary and Leah would like it is that Michael loves the Christmas songs he grew up with, which are the same songs they grew up with. I love them, too. |
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| Blue suit and red dress. I think the blue suit comes out every year, lol. |
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| I'm grateful I got a few up close and clear shot via the screen. The set list has them singing one or two songs solo and then maybe one of them backing up the other and vice versa. So they both stay on the stage the whole time. Remember, Michael used to be Amy Grants keyboard player before he started his solo career. So they go way back and share the stage well. |
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| I felt a little rude eating my dinner while watching a live concert, but that's how it goes in the suite life. I guess people do eat snacks they buy on the main concourse, but I hardly ever eat myself. I used drink my pop for energy and then eat a granola bar on the way home. I even got to prop my feet up on the ledge! There's some short plexiglass windows there as well. |
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| Oh those hands! They are looking a little more wrinkled but still adept as ever at playing all those crazy fast melodies and spread out chords and multiple chord changes throughout the older songs that Michael likes to do. It takes some skill to play his sheet music sometimes. But I love it! |
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| Throwing snowballs during Jingle Bells! Oh and Michael brought his granddaugther Nora with him this weekend! How sweet! She was just on his Instagram stories with him and a bunch of the other 15 grandkids over Thanksgiving. I think that the oldest grandchild might be 12-15 yrs old at the most. That's what happens when a) you have your 5 kids barely 2 years apart b) they all get married around the same time and c) they have their kids in quick succession. Crazy! He even said it's the first year that no one is pregnant (that he knows of) in a long time! Lol! |
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| Mark Martel I guess is famous for singing the songs on the Bohemian Rhapsody movie. He's got a great voice, that's for sure, and can do the falsettos and high notes on the older songs that Michael and Amy have a harder time reaching now that they are older. He can play both piano and guitar. I've never heard of him before. |
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| I see you Stu G! (And Jim Daneker). You two were hiding behind Michael's piano on his right. Stu had a nice guitar solo and I know Jim had to do some programming (a lot less than usual because of the live orchestra) for the songs. The rest of the band I think was mainly Amy's people. It was the Carmel Orchestra (they always use a local orchestra) and I'm not sure where the 6 backup singers came from, locally or brought them with them, but they weren't Michael's current line up of backup singers. |
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| Check this out! A bathroom practically all to ourselves! I usually don't have to wait long anyways on the main concourse, but it was nice to have a quiet place to be. |
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| Lots of camera work so we could see the orchestra well. Pretty typical of what I see on TV specials. Although I did see a miscue when the cameras weren't switched and the current cameraman went to get another shot before he was turned off. Whoops. |
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| Them hands! |
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| Calm and quiet hallways between suites. I'm sure it's busier during bigger concerts and basketball games, but I enjoyed the peace and quiet for once. |
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| The sparkles on Amy's second dress of choice were radiant! My friend Jessica has a seizure disorder and she said it was hard to look that direction because of the sequins. Michael had on a black suit. |
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| I was a little surprised that it was a strapless ball gown. Good on her for being 59 (it was her birthday apparently) and being able to look great in a dress like that. |
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| Don't remember which song this was, but we did have a Christmas hymns sing along that was pretty sweet. |
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| Orchestra! Live orchestra! When you grow up playing at least some classical music, you learn to appreciate the orchestra. The skill to just pick up a piece of music so quickly and only probably practice them a few times in full with your fellow professional musicians makes me in awe of them. I wish I had that skill. |
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| I always love watching how quickly the tear down happens and how it happens. I always wanted to be a roadie, so it thrills me to no end when Benaiah has that opportunity sometimes. Then he can explain to me how it all works! Again, it's my love for logistics at play here! |
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| Aww! |
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| Here's some close ups that were taken by one of our newscasters that happened to be there from Channel 9. The Christian weatherman I follow on Twitter retweeted them, so credit goes to the Channel 9 WTHR team. |
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| I never get tired of how handsome he's always been. Yup, I said it. |
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| They may be 59 and 62 years old but they have aged well. |
"Silent Night"
[Verse 1]
Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
[Verse 2]
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing 'Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born
[Verse 3]
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
To sum up tonight's concert: "All is calm, all is bright....sleep in heavenly peace!"
The End
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