Llandudno Venue Cymru 24 Sep 2011

[I-H-F]

Fantastic coverage folks. I hope everyone had a great time in Llandudno.

Paul, thanks for uploading your recordings. They almost make me think I was there. Its been almost 2 years since I've had the pleasure of hearing Hayley sing live.

Thanks for keeping us up to speed!

[glenn]

I'm an American fan, just returned from holiday in the UK where I had the great pleasure of seeing Hayley perform and the great privilege of being able to talk to her afterward. I saw her at her performance in LLandudo, Wales with the Welsh Male Voice Choir. As such, I hoped she would be doing more than a few songs and I was not disappointed, as it was she did about ten songs. I was mesmerized by her performance of selectons from Paradiso (of which I believe I now own the only autographed copy in the US)--my expectations of her collaboration with Ennio Morricone were high, I was expecting no less than a masterwork, and they were entirely met. Listen to the CD and and you're guaranteed to fall in love in five minutes or less. Her greatness truly shines through. There are so many gems, it's hard to decide, I dont know if Whispers in a Dream or La Califfa is my favorite.

And in person she is truly self-effacing, when I use the "G-word" (Greateness) with her I don't know if she can fully accept and internalize that, to actually acknowledge the greatness she possesses. Maybe no more than modesty!

My view is that Hayley is a Talent for the Ages, here in our own time. Add on her charity work, and you and you have truly a force for good in the world, a Person for the Ages.

[Joe]

Hello Glen!

I had wondered whether or not you were able to attend! I am so pleased everything worked out for you.

Congrats on getting your CD autographed!!! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Best wishes,
Joe

[martindn]

Hi Glenn,

I take it you were impressed by Hayley then...

You got it in one.. I too was blown away the first time I encountered Hayley - a live performance more than seven years ago now. And she never changes and I hope she never does. She is the one singer I can never get enough of. I imagine you are the same.

But great as the CD is, she is even better live. There is something extra there, her presence, which marks her out as a great performer as well as a great singer. It is great that you have experienced that.

But once is never enough...

Martin D

[Richard]

Hello Glenn!

Thanks for your account of the concert, and I'm pleased you met Hayley after the show. I bet you can't wait to see her again now!

I moved your post and the two replies to this thread to keep all the coverage together. Unfortunately these posts no longer show up in the 50 most recent, so members and guests who follow the forum this way should CLICK HERE to see them.

Best wishes,

Richard

[postscript]

Oct 11, 2011 21:03:24 GMT martindn said:

Hi Glenn,

I take it you were impressed by Hayley then...

You got it in one.. I too was blown away the first time I encountered Hayley - a live performance more than seven years ago now. And she never changes and I hope she never does. She is the one singer I can never get enough of. I imagine you are the same.

But great as the CD is, she is even better live. There is something extra there, her presence, which marks her out as a great performer as well as a great singer. It is great that you have experienced that.

But once is never enough...

Martin D

Thank you Richard for transferring the posts and drawing the fact to our attention. Glad to hear from you Glenn. As Martindn says, not in any way to undermine the impact of your message, yours is a fairly 'usual' response! :2fun: I echo entirely what Martin says from my own experience. You just 'know' Hayley is someone very special and meeting with her is a wonderful experience.

Peter S.

[comet]

Hi Glenn,
You found us then,
At least five or six of the people who were waiting for Hayley after the concert are members here.

I remember you greeting Hayley after the concert, you were very complimentary.

[grant]

Hi Glenn

Good to hear from you and pleased you got to meet and speak to Hayley afterwards. I was one of the guys with cameras and also noticed you talking to Hayley at the stage door. It was a pity they were driving back to London the same night or we may have had a little longer to chat with her.

You are right about Hayley being modest - she is a very down to earth young lady and in that respect, hasn't changed at all in the time I've known her.

Best wishes
Grant

[glenn]

Just looking forward to next year! I live in California and as far as I know Hayley has no plans to tour the US, so I just have to hope I can mold my holiday plans to be in the UK or on the Continent for one of her shows next year. I've been able to do it each of the last two years, and I really hope to be able to do it again!

[comet]

A sort of review of the Venue Cymru Concert.

I'll start with a lyric by Cat Stevens :
"There are no words, I can use, Because the meaning still leaves for you to choose.."

This line has stuck with me since I first heard it in 1973 on The Foreigner Suite.
The right words are often hard to select, most words can be interpreted in many ways by different people.

There were about 1,500 people at the concert, I didn't see any empty seats.
There are also probably 1,500 different interpretations of what occurred before their eyes or in their own minds.

I can only give the account of one :
When I hear those first few notes sung by Hayley, who is not visible, still off stage left, in the darkness, her voice is coming through the PA speakers.
A sense of absolute calm descends on me, A lifting of all life's worries and burdens, they just flutter away like confetti on a strong breeze into the darkness.
Hayley walks onstage, bringing a serenity I have felt at almost all of her concerts,
(This is where the words themselves become inadequate or open to other interpretations )
The short white dress for some reason adds to an Aura of spirituality, of purity, of innocence, of holiness (In the original non religious sense of the word meaning different).
Hayley moves to her microphone stand, which is directly in front of me, ( Good guess and a bit of luck when booking the ticket, perfect seat )
I can hear her more clearly now, directly from her mouth as the PA speakers are about 30 feet above our heads and pointing out into the main body of the auditorium.
and there is not a whole lot of amplifying being done to Hayley's voice that we can hear from our position in front of the stage.
I am as close as one might be to the person opposite at a good sized dinner table (Majik, I am pleased) and I begin to remember why I take the trouble to travel to see this wonderful performer.

By the time Hayley is singing the first song from Paradiso, I am completely enchanted, under her spell, It is inescapable at this distance,
Most great gifts in life are not material ones, They are spiritual or imparted knowledge or wisdom.
Hayley gives a priceless gift that can never be repaid, she goes beyond a singer singing a song and you hearing it.
She reaches in to a place that is beyond logic, ( some call it the soul, or the spirit, A place that can't be defined or found in an autopsy.)
And you trust her there, It is not the lyrics, it is not the music, it is just the voice and it heals you, it takes away the pain that life heaps upon you along the way.
It's a bit like a Reiki massage or healing, I don't understand how or why it works or happens, I'm not even sure what happens,
and I don't think it is just me, many others just keep on going back to Hayley's concerts, Time after time. But I have yet to read a description that truly describes "why".

The last lines of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne seem to sum up the effect best for me :

And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

Written by Leonard Cohen, Stranger Music Inc. (BMI).

You never get the feeling you are being manipulated at a Hayley concert, Unlike some other performers, who patronise and manipulate to beat the band.
I am so close I can see every change of expression on her face, Every blink of her eyes, Every intake of breath,
While singing, her expression is always calm and serene, very relaxed looking, no deception or acting, Just like you see on the Live in New Zealand DVD.
Mostly, Hayley stares into the distance while she is singing, I sometimes wonder what is going on, or where she goes behind those eyes while she is singing.
her gestures and movements always gentle and soothing. The contact between thumb and finger, a sign of concentration, or is she ticking off the verses.
When the song is over, it is as if she clicks out of a trance and she usually smiles and acknowledges the applause with an almost inaudible "Thank you".

Hayley thanks the audience and the only way we can thank her is by our applause, It never seems quite adequate in return for the gift Hayley gives her listeners and fans.

[postscript]

Dear Comet and everyone.

A most moving and extraordinarily honest opening up to us all. Well done for the courage that it took to write, beautifully expressing what you acknowledge is so difficult to express. I empathised completely with you, as I have once sat where you did and I understand not only what you are writing but also what you found unable to write. I know precisely how you feel, for it never leaves you. It is an experience for all time. It is the effect of experiencing Hayley, live, close up.

Peter S.

[grant]

Thank you Comet

I think you have, somehow, managed to convey something of the reason why so many of us travel so many times to see Hayley perform.

It was actually Peter who said, many moons ago now, when I had but a few concerts behind me, that simply being in her presence was enough. I believe that to be true. Yet I cannot explain why and doubt I ever will

maybe angels really do exist.

Best wishes
Grant

[martindn]

Hi Comet,

Many times I have admired your writing and reviews. Often I have thought "I wish I could have written that - it sums up so perfectly the way that I feel". And your musical quotes are always from artists that I know and love, I think we have very similar musical tastes.

But this time you have surpassed youself. You have the knack of describing in words that which goes beyond words. It is a wonderful talent.

I absolutely agree about Suzanne, I'm a Cohen fan as you know, and I never thought of applying those lines to Hayley. Perhaps because the rest of the song is not Hayley, it is more a reminder to me of someone else I once knew, who ultimately betrayed me (don't ask). I think like me you love words and great lyrics, and Cohen is second to none in my opinion.

You had me thinking for a minute which Cat Stevens song that was. But I own that album too, I just haven't played it for a while. Another brilliant lyricist.

You might think the words are inadequate, and they are, I know how it feels to be in the front row at a Hayley concert, but you do a better job with them than just about anyone else. Keep up the good work.

Martin D

[comet]

Thanks Grant, Martin and Peter,

I had been writing that one in notebook since returning from the concert, editing and deleting various thoughts, including Angels.

Grant,
funny you should mention Angels,

Do you ever notice on chat shows when the TV host introduces someone who is in touch with Angels there is a distinct bout of nervous laughter from the audience.

Probably worth a thread of it's own.

[Jeff]

Awesome, Comet, awesome ! Then sings the angel indeed !