Post by James on Nov 3, 2008 22:15:30 GMT
I had a fantastic evening yesterday and anyone who has not yet made a River of Dreams concert is in for a real treat.
I arrived in Lichfield slightly later than planned (sorry to miss you Grant, Joyce, Karsten and Paddy) but on finding the venue closed I enquired where the nearest Wetherspoons was, expecting the creature of habit that is Grant to be there.
However, I found the Wetherspoons bereft of HWI members and instead settled down to eat while I watched the drama of the Grand Prix unfold on the big screen.
Having seen Lewis Hamilton claim the crown (well done Lewis) at the last minute, I went back to the theatre which was now open and saw the other HWIers in reception and it transpired that there are two Wetherspoons in Lichfield and they had been eating in the other one!
I won’t say too much about the concert itself as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who is yet to go and I’m sure you’ve all seen the setlist from other reports.
I liked the venue which was small and fairly intimate. As Grant has already mentioned, we were in the front row a few seats apart and were sitting next to theatre regulars who certainly found out a lot about Hayley and HWI (mainly from Grant) before the show and during the interval.
It was great to Hear Hayley with a slightly different live set up – similar to the one-off itunes concert at Koko but with the addition of a guitarist. I enjoyed immensely seeing some songs that I had never seen live before like "Never Saw Blue" (beautifully arranged), "Wuthering Heights" and "Now Is The Hour" along with ones I had heard only rarely like "River of Dreams."
Raven performed a couple of very enjoyable and accessible sets, and I was pleased to realise that I recognised most if the pieces even if I couldn’t have told you their titles. I very much enjoyed being close enough to see the girls play their instruments (one of the big advantages of being near the front). They are a talented group and it will be interesting to hear their debut album (as recently recorded at Pinewood studios according to the programme). It was nice to see afterwards that they were just as friendly as all the other musicians that Hayley has worked with that I have met.
I do have one small criticism Grant - you have now photographed all the Ravens, don’t you think poor Andy and Al may be feeling left out? I know that Andy has checked out the forum before when looking for pictures to include on his own website! I’m sure Northamption will give you the chance to redress the balance.
Hayley also told us to watch Alan Titchmarsh on the day she is in Northampton. (Over to you to do the necessary Dave!)
Looking forward to the next one...
I arrived in Lichfield slightly later than planned (sorry to miss you Grant, Joyce, Karsten and Paddy) but on finding the venue closed I enquired where the nearest Wetherspoons was, expecting the creature of habit that is Grant to be there.
However, I found the Wetherspoons bereft of HWI members and instead settled down to eat while I watched the drama of the Grand Prix unfold on the big screen.
Having seen Lewis Hamilton claim the crown (well done Lewis) at the last minute, I went back to the theatre which was now open and saw the other HWIers in reception and it transpired that there are two Wetherspoons in Lichfield and they had been eating in the other one!
I won’t say too much about the concert itself as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who is yet to go and I’m sure you’ve all seen the setlist from other reports.
I liked the venue which was small and fairly intimate. As Grant has already mentioned, we were in the front row a few seats apart and were sitting next to theatre regulars who certainly found out a lot about Hayley and HWI (mainly from Grant) before the show and during the interval.
It was great to Hear Hayley with a slightly different live set up – similar to the one-off itunes concert at Koko but with the addition of a guitarist. I enjoyed immensely seeing some songs that I had never seen live before like "Never Saw Blue" (beautifully arranged), "Wuthering Heights" and "Now Is The Hour" along with ones I had heard only rarely like "River of Dreams."
Raven performed a couple of very enjoyable and accessible sets, and I was pleased to realise that I recognised most if the pieces even if I couldn’t have told you their titles. I very much enjoyed being close enough to see the girls play their instruments (one of the big advantages of being near the front). They are a talented group and it will be interesting to hear their debut album (as recently recorded at Pinewood studios according to the programme). It was nice to see afterwards that they were just as friendly as all the other musicians that Hayley has worked with that I have met.
I do have one small criticism Grant - you have now photographed all the Ravens, don’t you think poor Andy and Al may be feeling left out? I know that Andy has checked out the forum before when looking for pictures to include on his own website! I’m sure Northamption will give you the chance to redress the balance.
Hayley also told us to watch Alan Titchmarsh on the day she is in Northampton. (Over to you to do the necessary Dave!)
Looking forward to the next one...
