HWI: Help me! (Katherine concert)

[nicola]

Ah! Please help me and before tonight!

I am going to see Katherine Jenkins tonight in Reading at the Hexagon Theatre. I have been to many concerts/shows and I have never waited anywhere to actually meet the performers, but I would really like to tonight. But I do not know the first thing about how to go about it.

Now, all of you at HWI are masters at it. I know you are! Give me advice please on where to go after the show, where to wait and what to say so I can get her autograph... pretty please! I'd love to meet the beautiful woman close up. I won't say much as I am too shy, just want her autograph mainly, and perhaps a picture...

I just hope and pray someone sees this and gives advice pretty soon... I know I have left it really late...

Nicola x x

[grant]

nicola said:

Ah! Please help me and in the next few hours!

I am going to see Katherine Jenkins tonight in Reading at the Hexagon Theatre. I have been to many concerts/shows and I have never waited anywhere to actually meet the performers, but I would really like to tonight. But I do not know the first thing about how to go about it.

Now, all of you at HWI are masters at it. I know you are! Give me advice please on where to go after the show, where to wait and what to say so I can get her autograph... pretty please! I'd love to meet the beautiful woman close up. I won't say much as I am too shy, just want her autograph mainly, and perhaps a picture...

I just hope and pray someone sees this and gives advice pretty soon... I know I have left it really late...

Nicola x x

Hi Nicola

I'm probably not the best person to help and maybe one of the "experts" will pick up your plea and give better advice, but for now here's my suggestion.

First, try and find someone before the show who may be able to tell you whether or not Katherine will be doing a meet and greet.

If that doesn't work, watch at the end for people who look as though they are hanging back for a purpose (that's how I first met Hayley!)

If all else fails, find the stage door and hover, you may have to wait a while, but she's got to come out sometime!

I've never met Katherine but I believe she is very approachable.

And Nicola, one final thing - just be yourself, say Hi and let Katherine take it from there!

Enjoy the concert

Love
Grant

[fusilier23]

Dear Nicola,

I am guessing the odds are that Katherine will probably be out in the foyer afterward signing CDs, since she has a new CD out and needs to promote it. She frequently announces such an event from the stage. If that's the case, just line up with the rest and wait your turn. But, just in case it's not, if you really are determined to meet her, take a quick look beforehand and know where the stage door is, then make for it afterward, there will probably be other folks doing the same. But, if the police or security men tell you that Katherine doesn't want anyone out there when she leaves, then comply, particularly if these are private security types (this is unlikely). You might also try to grab Brian Lane, her manager, and ask him what's going on, unfortunately I haven't got a picture of him or I'd post it.

Should you actually get before Katherine, just be pleasant, be yourself, and, especially if there are lots of other folks, be brief. Keep compliments sincere-sounding and also keep them to the subject of the performance, and don't mention anything odd or controversial. It was in the paper recently that she split up with her long-time bf, but do yourself a favor and don't mention that, even though you might want to tell her you are sorry as you might with an acquaintance, that's the last thing she wants to talk about now.

[nicola]

Thank you both for your advice! I'll follow them to a 't'. I don't really want to 'bother' her and keep a conversation since I wouldn't be able to hold one with her. Lol! But I would feel more comfortable with her more than others since I have heard just how accessible she is to her fans. She genuinely seems to be a nice person.

Wish me luck and thank you!

[postscript]

I understand how you feel Nicola. I was like that with Hayley. I had never in my life stood outside a stage door before (and I'm an amateur thespian not unused to performing in professional theatres!). There was simply something about Hayley that made me overcome my inhibitions. All it took was standing outside the stage door waiting for the artiste to appear. There will probably be others there too, which will give yo a clue. Just tag on to them.

However, i do not know how Kathryn Jenkins responds to her fans. Artistes are all individual and I will highlight this in a post i keep talking about which will be its own thread, shortly. Artistes are VERY individualistic in how they respond to people outside the stage door!!!!!

So I hope you will not be disappointed.

Peter S.

[postscript]

Better advice than I gave Grant!

Peter S.

[Richard]

Hello Nicola!

I can't really add anything useful to what's already been said, but I will tell you that I met Katherine Jenkins at the London Palladium, where she was supporting Hayley. Katherine came out from the stage door first and actually took the lead in the conversation, so she's not difficult to talk to.

Good luck, and please tell us how you get on.

Best Wishes,

Richard

[nicola]

Hi all,

Thanks for all of your advice! I did get to meet Katherine! I just waited at the Stage Door and she didn't leave us waiting for long. I bought another copy of her CD just in case it happened because I wanted to give my Auntie a signed CD too. So Katherine signed both, one of me, and one for Lorraine.

She was really lovely and patient with everyone. And I have to say, I know this sounds to cliche, but she was even more stunning close and up and personal than any photo of her and being far from on the stage. What a beautiful woman. I got a photograph too but it's now very late, and my Father and I don't want to mess with photos just yet! We travelled 100 miles to see her so now it's time for bed.

Thanks again,
Nic x

[fusilier23]

That's our Katherine, and I told her much the same thing when I met her, that I had seen many pictures of her that were all lovely, but seeing her in person was going to a whole other level.

[Dave]

Hi Nicola and everyone,

I haven't met Katherine although i've seen her in concert (supporting Hayley as it happens) and I agree that from everything I've read about her she is always helpful and considerate to her audiences and supporters. Your experience tonight simply confirms that and I'm glad our ever-helpful members were able to guide you towards that all-important meeting after the show.

I've added Katherine's name to the thread title and moved it into Katherine's sub-board which is, I think you will agree, where it now belongs! I'd love to hear your review of the concert some time, if you can spare the time.

Cheers, Dave

[nicola]

I agree the thread belongs here, but I feared people wouldn't see it in this sub-forum and I wanted it answered! Lol!

The actual concert was enjoyable. Katherine told jokes in between. One was about penguins and she started walking like a penguin which was really adorable (the joke wasn't funny but... the penguin imitation was!) Let's see if I remember the joke... she told it in a long winded way with dialogue and such but I won't.

A policeman is in his van watching the traffic when a white van comes along and is going all over the place. The policeman pulls him up and asks him to see the back of his van.
The man opens the backdoor and there are a load of penguins walking about (Katherine imitates this). The policeman asks 'What's going on here?'
The man answers 'I'm just taking them to the zoo; it won't happen again, officer.'
The policeman lets him on his way.
The next day the policeman is waiting in his car again watching traffic when the same van goes by in the same manner. He pulls the man up once again and asks to see what is in the back on his van. The man opens it up and the penguins are there again, but this time in sunglasses.
'I thought you took them to the zoo!' cried the policeman.
The man replied: 'That was yesterday, today I'm taking them to the beach.'

Katherine wore four costumes. The first two were okay, the two in the second half... WOWZER! The first one was a black and red number for her Carman sequence. That was eye candy! (and I told her so in other words when I met her. ) We couldn't take photo's unfortunately, but hopefully some official press will release a photo of her in that dress, it really was stunning. The last costume was dazzling (and huge)!

We were only in a theatre but the orchestra was a little too small. There only seemed to be about fifteen people in the orchestra. They were still very good, however. I particularly liked the harpist.

Katherine brought a guest star along with her. Someone she used to go to the Royal Academy of Music with. He is from Iceland and he has become big over there. She is bringing him along on her tour. He has a CD out in Feb 2007 in the UK and his name is Cortes. He was extremely nervous but he had a really powerful and wonderful voice. He sung six songs in total (mainly so Katherine could get changed). The audience gave him a luke-warm reception throughout most of his performances until he did 'Nessun Dorma' and 'Caruso' where he got more applause than the lady herself.

I really enjoyed the concert, being there, and hearing/watching Katherine. Just thought I'd make that clear before my next part. I understand she dreams of performing on the opera stage? I don't see it. Katherine, as beautiful as her voice is, leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe because I am spoilt with Sarah Brightman all the time who holds notes for twenty seconds at a time and who keeps her breath control so discreet you'd think she didn't need breath, but Katherine fell extremely short of both of this accounts. Katherine is like a cheetah, she can sing loudly and she can hit the mark very well but only for a very short period of time. I don't like the fact that she doesn't hold notes any longer than four seconds and that she even takes a breath in the middle of a note! She seems to be blowing up a air bed when she sings, she breathes that strongly, frequently and obviously. My father came with me and he doesn't listen to classical music at all, but he even picked up on all these things, he even went as far as calling her 'amatuerish'! I wouldn't call her that, she has her weaknesses but she has her strengths. But it's like I said, I'm used to other singers that don't really have weaknesses singing live. Having said that, those are her only problems, because her voice is remarkable and beautiful.

Her best performance was her Carman sequence. She obviously really enjoys doing it! (and why wouldn't anyone, in a dress like that!) When I heard 'Chanson Boheme' on her album I was really impressed but thought to myself 'she wouldn't carry that off live!' But she did, and very well!

Overall, a really lovely night with a lovely woman. She was charming and tentative to her audience (though, she took liberties! She wanted all of us to pose so she could take a photo of us all to give to her Mum! Lol!) She made the audience chuckle quite a bit. I don't know if it's the age difference to me and the rest of the audience (they were all over sixty, my Dad and I searched and searched, but in vain, for a young person in the audience; I think I was the only one!) but I didn't really laugh. Lol. I still found it all endearing, however.

I remarked to my Dad that it must be a first that he is the youngest in a social gathering. He didn't like that!

[Richard]

Thanks for your excellent report, Nicola!

I'm glad you had a good time, and I knew you would meet Katherine. I'm really looking forward to seeing the expression on your face in the photograph! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

I agree with your comments about Katherine's singing. Her voice does have a few weaknesses, and it's a bit too low for my taste, but overall she has quite a lush sound.

Best Wishes,

Richard

[grant]

Hi Nicola

Delighted that everything went to plan at Katherine's concert last night, and that you managed to meet her.

Hope you weren't too nervous - you didn't sound as though you were

Thanks also for the review - I've heard that joke before and agree, it isn't very funny!!

Grant

[roger]

Hi Nicola,

Thank you for your review and I am so pleased you were able to meet Katherine.

I have also noticed that she fails to hold on to notes. That is especially noticeable on television and, audibly, the effect is painful.

I have also heard the penguin joke before; quite recently too. I guess it is doing the rounds at the moment. Perhaps Katherine should stick to singing and leave the jokes to the comedians... but they don't make me laugh either!

Glad everything worked out for you.

Roger

[postscript]

Hi Nicola.

Delighted that, with or without our help :2fun: but perhaps with at least our encouragement, you did meet with Katherine.

I found your report of the concert most interesting. As has already been mentionmed here, you do have a perceptive eye for detail.

Peter S.