Colorado Children's Chorale at Vail

What do you say about the amazing kids who perform beautifully against the most gorgeous mountainous backdrop in the middle of summer?

Wow.

There was a performance in Vail Village before noon.  

We got to eat lunch in a serene setting with the birds chirping and the breeze keeping us cool.

Then it was off to the Amphitheater to watch the real performance, complete with additional singers and alums who came back for one last song.

I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.  It was beautiful.



George + Reba = Awesomeness

Last night Handsome and I had a terrific date night.  We got to the Pepsi Center around 6:00 and found our seats and the nearest concession stand.  We ordered juicy burgers, fries and Blue Moons.

After mowing our dinner, sipping our brewskis, the arena went dark at exactly 7:00.

Enter the opening act:  Lee Ann Womack

She's totally adorable and super high energy.  I don't know every song she sang, but I do know a couple.

Of course, "I Hope You Dance" which is such a terrific song with a great message:  Don't be a wallflower in life, get out there, dance!

But more recent is the song "Last Call" which I LOVE.  It's so sad, though, thinking about how some guys always call some girls when they're at the bar, and how they think that's okay.

Anyway.  She rocked.  Sang for 30-45 minutes.  Then she was done.  Bathroom time.  (Nightmare)

Then, the second act came on.  Who?  Ah, yes, the one and only:  REBA.

Reba is absolutely unbelievable.  She's smokin hot, has a voice that goes on and on and on, and she's been doin her thing for decades!  Singer, actress, author...  She is amazing.  Almost 2 million people "Like" Reba on Facebook!

She sang new songs, old songs, and a duet with Lee Ann Womack (Does He Love You? of course)

My favorites:  If I was a Boy, Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, Strange, Turn on the Radio, I'm a Survivor, Because of You and of course, the encore - Fancy.

She comes out in this awesome old time taxicab with this amazing red dress.  Wow.  I told Handsome that if the concert ended right then, I would've felt like I got my money's worth!  That lady is A-MAZ-ING!

And then?

Well.

You know.  There was a man by the name of King George.

I have seen George once before.  Handsome and I saw him right there in that Pepsi Center, before we got married.  A little fella by the name of Dierks Bentley opened for him that night.  Hubba.

On this Friday night, George sang all these songs that I knew.  It was so cool.  I heard All My Ex's live in Texas, Amarillo by Morning (one of my FAVORITES), Blue Clear Sky, Check Yes or No, Give it Away (Handsome LOVES this one), Honk if you honky tonk, How 'Bout Them Cowgirls, I Can Still Make Cheyenne (Another FAVORITE), Ocean Front Property, The Breath You Take, Fireman, Troubadour, Wrapped, and about a dozen more! 

He still looks and sounds as good as ever.  Mmmm mmmm.  Thanks y'all, you made my entire spring in one night.  Mwah!

We didn't start the fire

It was always burnin' since the world's been turnin'

What a great show. OK, we got to the Pepsi Center and saw the stage. There were no instruments on it. I poked Handsome in the ribs and said "Do you see the pianos?" He said no. I thought, where are they? Where is the drumset? I don't get it...

Then, as the show began, the stage top moved aside and TWO pianos came up from underneath with these hydraulic lifts. TWO drumsets came up and keyboards and guitarists all rose up from underneath the stage. It was really cool.

Elton John and Billy Joel have been playing the music scene for some 40 years. They could do this show in their sleep. The amazing thing is that they have the stamina and endurance to completely rock out for 3 and a half hours.

They started out playing together, but each would sing the other's songs. Then Billy Joel's piano and his band dropped down under the stage and Elton's band stayed up. He sang all his classics and some I'd never heard before while the giant screen behind him showed cool graphics and some of his old album cartoon covers. It was neat.

Then Elton's piano and his band were lowered and Billy Joel's piano and band rose up and he played a bunch of his classics. I felt like Billy Joel was more personable and he came off as someone who you'd enjoy having a beer with, given the chance. His piano rotated 180 degrees every so often, so you weren't getting the head view the whole time. He joked that he wasn't really Billy Joel, he was Billy Joel's father, poking fun at his balding head and grey facial hair.

Finally Elton and band rejoined the stage and the two icons rocked out for another 4 or 5 songs. I was so impressed. Good music really lasts through time and these legends know how to put on a show!

New song

[In the style of Zac Brown Band's Toes]

I got my ass in the hot tub
My toes in the snow
Ain't worried 'bout nothing
Up here in Steamboat
Life is good today
Yeah, life is good today!

WOW what a giveaway!

Shannon has masterfully blessed us with a super amazing giveaway regarding one of my favorite topics: MUSIC.

I absolutely love the Wow Hits CDs, I have them related to everything from Christian music to the 80's. They are awesome! Check out this link to witness for your own self!

http://www.wowonline.com/

The giveaway will bless the winner with a boxed set of each of the CDs featured on the brand new compilation WOW Hits 1 CD.

So hopefully the random generator will look kindly on me!

We Are Phamaly!

My very good friend Troy is almost famous. Actually, in some circles, he's more than famous. He's a star.

He is an actor in the Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League (Y? Because they ROCK!) Phamaly puts out these amazing theatrical shows. Handsome and I went to go see Troy and company in their latest show, Urinetown: The Musical.

Picture this: Theater in the round. A group of actors singing and dancing. Some of them blind. Others in wheelchairs. All are in perfect unison, perfect choreography. Enough to humble any actor and every audience member. It was great!

We saw Urinetown on "Industry Night", which is the night when all the other local theaters are dark. Which means, all the other famous actor stars come to see that show. It was like being in high school again, gasping and whispering and pointing at all the celebrities.

At that particular time, Denver was hosting the Pre-Broadway world opening of Disney's The Little Mermaid. I shook hands with King Triton and almost fainted. Yep, he is that good looking in person.

Phamaly is performing another show this summer: Sideshow. I am interested in how the play will be portrayed, but I've never seen Sideshow before. Just thinking about what the name conjures in my mind makes me a little uneasy, however. I would never want to support a group which places people who are different on exhibit. The actors in this league are totally amazing individuals who have dealt with a heckuva lot more obstacles in their daily lives than I ever will (God willing).

Ultimately, I am very excited to see the talent this group has to offer again and will definitely post a gushing completely non-biased review of the show afterward.

This Woman's Work

Remember this song? It was on the movie She's Having A Baby. It played during an intense emotional time when Kevin Bacon's character didn't know whether his wife (Elizabeth McGovern, could she be any cuter?) and unborn baby would make it. I have been in love with this song ever since.

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