Hello everyone,
I wonder, wonder, wonder, if the concert did go ahead, but I don't think there's anyone from HWI who has gone to the concert to tell us. Right?
!!!WRONG!!!I attended!!
i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifIt has been a secret of mine all along, only Roger, Ross and Belinda knew about it, and boy do I have a story to tell...
Firstly, I initially wasn't going to go. I am going to be honest and tell everyone why, because there is nothing to hide. I didn't like the idea about me sitting among hundreds drinking alcohol. I am a person very much against drinking because I have unfortunately seen some tragic things happen around me and to people I know with alcohol. So all of my life, I have kept as far away from it as possible, and I love it.
I didn't expect this concert to be a 'picnic'. I initially thought there would be tables with alcohol (kind of like how the Golden Globes are - call me creative!
) but once I saw Ross and Belinda's photos, I immediately knew there was nothing in this concert that would make me uncomfortable. So I decided to go!
My golden tickets!
Getting to the venue - oh my gosh - what an adventure. I had been to South Auckland before, and remember seeing the Villa Maria sign on the highway. So, I thought me, my mom and my sister who also attended, would know the way very well. We were worst than wrong. We got lost in an industrial place, because the map that we had had a mistake on the exact road that the Villa Maria was. Can you believe that? They're just as bad as people who write lyrics in the CD booklets!
My mom was saying "we should not have come! I knew we should never have done this!". South Auckland is the 'high crime' rated place in Auckland, so I can understand her discomfort. But I was almost in tears. I told her to go back to the main road and go to a place to ask someone. We didn't need to do that. We spent about 20 minutes going up and down this road, looking for the road Villa Maria was on, but it was actually around the corner. So, we got there.
There were THOUSANDS!!! Probably five times more than the people who attended all the other concerts. Even Dave was surprised by the number who turned up. It was unbelievable. The whole time, I was thinking 'how on earth are they going to do signings with this many people??
The crowd was incredible....
We had a very distant view, and I can tell you now that despite the beautiful atmosphere, I really, really prefer indoor concerts. I think audiences have a fair distant between them and the performer, because a theater can only be so big. This place was massive, so I couldn't see Hayley's facial expressions or anything. Which was a real shame. But I look forward to more of her concerts later!
i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif
Me and mom with her cheesy smile...
i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifSo Dave came up first and said "this is In Tune With Nature. So at the end there will be mass nudity". My mom thought it was pretty tasteless, but hey....
Dave performed quite a few numbers, then Hayley joined him with her black floral dress, to duet Shouldn't You Ought To Be In Love, and Welcome Home, and another one, I can't remember the name.
Dave and Hayley
Then we had the interval, and then it was Fiona's turn. She was bear-foot! Boy is she FAN-TAS-TIC!!! Her pieces were beautiful, and she was so sweet as well. One of the most talented people I have seen on stage performing.
Fiona performing fantastically!
Then music (violin) started playing, and they announced to welcome Hayley. The music kept playing and Hayley walked onto stage not in her purple outfit, but the red dress she has worn to many events, including the NZ Music Awards. She sang Let Me Lie, which was my favorite for the eveing, and yes, I did film it.... shhhh.....
Singing Let Me Lie
Then she sang Shanendoah, then Summerfly, which was fantastic. She had a great time perfoming that!
Then May It Be which gave me goosebumps. I think she performed that so much nicer that the on on her album!! Then she sang Sonny on the keyboard (my mom's favorite song) and then she sang Who Painted the Moon Black, and thanked her NZ fans especially, saying she would not have gotten this far if it wasn't for us, which was followed by a huge applause. It got darker, and so did my photos, which was a shame.
It was just too far away to get good shots, but I took them anyway.
i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThen it was followed by Both Sides Now, and then Scarborough Fair, which she duetted with Dave. Then she did In Trutina, Sancta Lucia, Prayer, and then Hine e Hine with Dave. Then they sang Welcome Home, and she sang Down to the River to Pray as the encore.
Singing Hine e Hine with Dave
By the thought, I had walked closer to the stage, and it was great to see her in a better view. But I kept listening to her, and walked over to the tent and was the first in line with my sister. HUNDREDS followed afterwards, and you wouldn't believe the long lone. She might still be there now!!
Hayley singing Hine e Hine
So, I waited in line, and then Fiona came along, so I had her sign Hayley's book, and I took a photo with her. Such a lovely woman, she was. And I adored her to bits. I can't wait to see more of here later, I really can't!
Me and Fiona
Hayley and Dave took very long to come, and we were getting a little impatient, because it had started to drizzle a little, but it was good timing.
Hayley and Dave walked through, and Hayley looked over at me - and recognized me at once! Not that me and my headscarf are that hard to remember, mind you (
), but not only that, she knew my name, and thanked me for the bracelet, loved the gifts to bits, and then personally thanked my mom for making the bracelet. However, what was most exciting, and honorable, was when Hayley told me, "I carry it with me. I have it here, but it didn't match what I was wearing, but I carry it with me".
Me and Hayley!
That was by far the best part of the night. And then my sister got her autograph, and we got photos, and I also said hi to Dave and thanked him for a wonderful night.
My gifts to Hayley - a cellphone jewellery with her letter 'H', and memo pad that says 'A Note from Hayley', and a card with me and her, the last time we met.
As we headed to the car, I felt something moving in my headscarf, and a beatle had made his way into my scarf! I felt his little legs in my head. Urrghh!!
But I shook him out and he was gone. There were so many buugs flying everywhere.
So that's all from me at the moment, and I'll be sending more photos in!!
Love,
Dori
It was just too far away to get good shots, but I took them anyway. 
