I arrived at Benaroya Hall early to take some photos of the building...I had never been there before, let alone attend a symphony concert. I made sure to get the marquee to record the details of the special concert.
I was hoping to perhaps see John before the concert, but it didn't happen. After a nice dinner at Cheesecake Factory, I returned to the Hall for the pre-concert reception. There was a silent auction, but I didn't see anything that interested me. The concert was divided into two parts, with an intermission in between. I noted John would be performing in the second act with his songs 100 Years, Hope, Superman and World. As the auditorium slowly filled with attendees, the orchestra soon took their seats and warmed up. I recognized some of the notes...excerpts from Superman!
The lights dimmed as the show began. Messina walked out on stage, along with conductor Anthony Spain. Messina played piano along with the orchestra, performing pieces entitled Wonder and Arcano. In addition to light effects, the music was enhanced by a large overhead screen which projected images and action from the stage. In between songs, Messina would animatedly talk to the audience with cheerfulness and humor. It wasn't hard to like the guy. Next, Civil Twilight played their set...they were really good...with Messina backing them up on one song.
At the intermission, almost everyone went back out to the lobby. I hung around the auditorium, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of John. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find out one of John's Five For Fighting band members had made the trip. Greg Suran came out on stage and started warming up a bit with his acoustic guitar. I walked up to the front of the stage to exchange hellos with him...I'm pretty sure he remembered me from all our previous encounters. As people returned to their seats, I thought I recognized a familiar face...but, I wasn't quite sure if it was who I thought it was. I'm a fan of the Seattle indie-rock group Barcelona, and I thought the guy I was looking at was the lead singer. Not having actually attended a Barcelona show, and only relying on photos and videos of him, I wasn't 100% sure. As the second half of the concert was about to begin, I decided to try talking to the guy later.
After a brief introduction by Messina, John walked out on stage, and took a seat at the piano. He went right into 100 Years, which sounded just awesome with the orchestral accompaniment...oh, and Greg played his guitar, too.
Before his next song, Hope, John made note that the audience was dressed much nicer than a typical Five For Fighting show...people tend wear fancier attire at symphony events. As John sang, the orchestra played music arranged by Messina...it sounded great!
Up to this point, the audience had reacted enthusiastically to John's songs, and it was no different with Superman...I think everyone knew this one! John's final song of the night was World, made more special with beautiful portraits provided by world famous photographer...and Seattle's own... Art Wolfe. In addition, the wonderful vocals of the NW Chorale provided a fitting backup to the symphony and of course, John's fantastic performance. It was definitely my favorite moment of the night.
As John was leaving the stage...and before introducing the final act of the night, Vicci Martinez...Messina jokingly said that John would be famous one day. As we all know, John has already made a name for himself...who HASN'T heard Superman, 100 Years and his latest hit, Chances? Martinez performed the inspiring song, I Am Strong One More with a Children's Hospital beneficiary, young Joanita Nambassa. The concert ended with all the performers taking the stage for a rousing rendition of the Rolling Stone hit, You Can't Always Get What You Want. What a terrific way to end a most amazing evening!
While everyone was filing out of the auditorium, I didn't forget that guy I wanted to talk to. I spotted him chatting with some people, including one of the stage hands. Then, I noticed the jacket he was wearing. I had seen the Barcelona front man wearing that exact same jacket! It HAD to be him, but I couldn't for the life of me remember his name! Then, he started walking toward me and I asked politely if he played for Barcelona. He said yes...I knew it! After introducing himself and shaking my hand...his name is Brian Fennell...he asked my name. I told him, then went on to mention donating to Barcelona's Kickstarter campaign, which pleased Brian immensely. I added not only that, I was one of the $500 donors, which really excited him. Brian confirmed what I already knew...I was on the band's VIP list for life. I asked Brian if that really meant I could attend any Barcelona show in the U.S., and he said yes. He was curious how I heard about their music, especially considering I had never been to one of their concerts. I explained how I read a review of a Barcelona song, where it was described as sounding like a John Ondrasik tune. I had really liked what I heard, and after listening to other Barcelona songs and liking those, too, ended up buying their CD. Brian was very appreciative to hear that, and was even more so when I praised his music and expressed my faith in their talent. Before parting ways, Brian said he was looking forward to meeting me again at a future Barcelona show. Likewise for me! What a nice guy. Meeting Brian was an unexpected bonus to any otherwise spectacular night. I encourage you to check out Barcelona...they're awesome, and their new album will be coming out soon!
