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Post by Graham on Oct 19, 2013 20:32:50 GMT
Hi Dave, I think this is what you're looking for    |
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Post by Bamafan on Oct 19, 2013 20:40:49 GMT
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Post by John H on Oct 19, 2013 20:47:22 GMT
Hi Dave, I think this is what you're looking for Thanks Graham - I wondered when that would surface I see we missed out on two possible encores - Ave Maria and I knew I loved you |
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Martin
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HWI Management Team
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Post by Martin on Oct 19, 2013 20:52:56 GMT
Thanks Martin - a priceless piece of history for posterity.  Martin |
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Post by Libby on Oct 19, 2013 22:05:50 GMT
Wow, thanks Martin! I really liked the way she sang it here. BTW, you put "Can't" in the title, but it's actually "Won't". |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Oct 19, 2013 22:39:08 GMT
Yes, thank you so much, Dave! Since one certain person said they weren't going to go into much detail on the songs she sang, I was thinking I was going to have to ask! So thank you very much, Dave! I'm very pleased to see I Know You By Heart on the list again! And BOTW! And also very surprised to see What You Never Know! Has she ever done that live before? Was "The Prayer" actually "Prayer", Dave? The Secret Garden song, rather than the David Foster one that's normally a duet? Hi Libby, What I think I did was think "Josh Groban" - not the right song of his, though!  I'm pretty sure you are right about "What You Never Know", I think it is the first time she's performed it and if I remember correctly, she said so at the time! Some one will soon put me right if not. Hi Dave, I think this is what you're looking for Thanks John, it is indeed!  I've updated my alphabetical list now at hwi.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Concert&thread=6674&page=13#160059 and will also post the details on our website. So that's 24 Hayley songs including one duet, and 4 Jonathan songs, including the duet. Yes, twenty-four! I'm fairly confident that this is the most songs and longest time that Hayley's ever performed in one concert - in fact in earlier years I don't think she would have dared to attempt this (or have been allowed to!). What's remarkable is that she seemed to take it all in her stride and was ready for more even at the end - we the audience made a classic mistake in assuming that the third encore would be the final one and gave her the standing ovation for it - but the band were still on stage and it looks like we could have had one or two more if we'd had the stamina to keep the applause going for longer!  All the above, together with the broadening range of her repertoire and the audience reaction to it, augurs well for Hayley's future in live music, I think. Hayley Westenra is now much much more than just another classical crossover singer. Cheers, Dave |
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Post by martindn on Oct 19, 2013 22:41:10 GMT
Gosh, you beat me to it! I was still editing it on Youtube to improve the quality when you spotted it. It is just a sampler, there is much more to come. And I'm not happy with the sound quality, the bass is booms too much, and I was planning at ask Dave if there is anything we can do about that.
And yes, I agree it should be"won't". Slip of the brain.
This is just one example of the quality we experienced last night. Awesome as I said.
Martin D
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Post by martindn on Oct 19, 2013 23:35:54 GMT
Anyway, I wrote a review. Here it is.
It was a fine morning. My wife Sue had come out of hospital only the day before, not expected to recover from her brain cancer you understand. So I was rather busy, with carers, doctors, nurses, friends all visiting. But my daughter lives here too, so thanks to her I was able to get away to see Hayley. She knows how much I have looked forward to this concert. Thank you Helen. You are the best.
I gave up waiting for Sue's GP (the one who misdiagnosed her as suffering from “stress”) to arrive about 12.45pm and set off down the M1.
No problems getting there, the route is simple, almost a straight road. But parking anywhere near the venue is a problem. I did manage to park a few hundred yards away, on a parking meter at £4.50 per hour, maximum stay 2 hours. Ouch! But this is London after all. And Islington too, which is probably one of the most motorist hostile parts of London.
Never mind. I got there! And parked at considerable expense, although the days parking in Socialist Islington actually cost less that last year in Tory Bournemouth. All politicians rip us off.
Anyway, back to the point. I walked up to the back entrance to the Union Chapel to find quite a crowd of fans there, most known to me through this forum. So I joined them, shook a few hands, met lots of old friends, and waited for Hayley to arrive.
In due course she did. He said hello to us, spent a few minutes, signed a few things including my Japanese copy of Hushabye, and hurried inside the building, promising to see us again after the concert.
We duly took our photos, which I'm sure will appear, then went off for food in the White Swan, the Wetherspoons pub which was very conveniently located.
I'm sure this was a special concert for Hayley, as it was for we who were present. The Union Chapel is a place she obviously loved, as did we all once we got inside. From the outside is is not particularly impressive. Inside it is beautiful. A bit like my own Christ Church.
I, after seeing my friends safely ensconced in the White Swan, went to move my car, since my initial parking ticket was about to expire. I had spoken to John C, who had heard that there were 4 hour parking slots on Highbury Crescent. If we could bag one of those, we would be OK until 6.30pm, after which parking is free. But actually the 4 hour parking had space for only four cars. All were occupied. So I drove around the block until 4.30pm, after which a 2 hour space would be OK. Even then the parking meter refused to accept my credit card. My debit card worked on the second attempt though.
So, I walked back to the White Swan, and had something to eat, although most of the other HWI folk had long since eaten. They had come on the train. No problems with parking. I was to have the last laugh though. See later.
Anyway, around 5pm we set off for the Chapel, and there was already a queue. Jonathans's fans had got there ahead of us. Are they more devoted than we Hayley fans? Quite probably.
Whilst we were queuing, a young lady came to us handing out flyers for another concert on 16th December. Some of us recognised her, soprano Rebecca Newman. When she came to our group she sang a few bars of O Mio Babbino Caro, quite beautifully. I was impressed, but in my present situation I will not make many of the concerts I already have tickets for, let alone book more – Hayley is an exception of course.
But then she is special.
Eventually, a few minutes after the advertised time of 7pm, the doors opened and the scramble for seats started, since they were unallocated. Actually they were hard wooden pews, which would perhaps have mattered for anyone other than Hayley. As always, I wanted a place where my camera would have a clear view of te stage, and I think I did quite well, sitting about 4 rows back, on the right hand side, among a group of HWI people.
And so the show began. First Hayley's band appeared, then the music started, quite clearly, Karenza on the violin playing the intro to “You Raise Me Up”. But until Hayley appeared, I could not align my camera, so I missed that one. Pity!
“Dream a Little Dream of Me” followed, and so the concert developed. It was immediately clear that Hayley's presence was more powerful than ever. The power, clarity, range and control of her voice that she exhibited were better than ever. If anyone thought that Hushabye indicated a diminishing of her vocal ability, that thought was dispelled within seconds. She is still Hayley, and she goes from strength to strength. I think we all fell in love with her again, even after such a long time since her last UK concert.
The applause told it's own story. I didn't do her justice in that respect, concerned as I was with operating my camera. You can't clap and record at the same time. I was attempting to video anything new, since before the show Hayley had said that the only thing that was objected to was flash photography, for obvious reasons. It must be hard to sing or play your instrument when blinded by flashing cameras. I never use flash anyway during performances, although I was told off by one of the Chapel staff for using flash before the performance started to try to get some photos of the inside of this magnificent building.
All too soon it was the interval. Hayley had already performed an incredible setlist. Stuff we hadn't heard for years. Stuff we had never heard her sing. And old favourites of course. All performed better than ever before. Hayley was on fine form. Jonathan too, had a set during the first half, and was well, Jonathan. He can be a bit over the top sometimes, but is very obviously a fine singer with a fine voice. He deserves a lot more recognition than he gets. I'm sure that is why Hayley invited him to take part in this show. And to be honest, they are fabulous together. I would like to have heard more than the one duet we actually got.
During the interval, by dint of moving up to the stage and taking a photograph, Grant managed to get information about the full setlist. “I Believe”. “Talk to Me”. I Know You By Heart.” the list goes on and on. All songs that we know Hayley performs brilliantly.
The second half started, and we were not disappointed. Song after song, all performed brilliantly. The songs that fans has suggested, after Hayley's tweets asking for requests, they were there. My own request for Bridge Over Troubled Water, yes it was there ( a few others requested this too I know).
Yes, this was a brilliant setlist. But two comments I think have to be made.
1. Anyone who thought Hayley was a classical performer might be disappointed. There was very little in this concert that could remotely be called classical.
2. If you thought this was promoting Hushabye – forget it. Only one song from the UK version of Hushbye, “Dream a Little Dream” and even that is debatable as a lullaby.
All too soon it came to an end. Somehow I had imagined that her finale would be Bridge Over Troubled Water. When she sang Wuthering Heights, she did not end the concert there, as she often does, although I half expected it. No, she stayed on stage, Bridge Over Troubled Water was her finale. Am I psychic?
Of course then there were the encores. She was not going to escape without those, and Hayley is known for her spectacular encores. This was no exception. `
A guitar was brought forward. Grant, sitting beside me was beside himself. Is she going to play the guitar? And yes, so it proved. The song was “Talk to Me”. We have heard Hayley sing this at the piano before, but she said she composed it with the guitar and was now reverting to the original.
To be honest it was stunning. Hayley is certainly a decent guitarist. Better than I ever was when I used to play guitar for sure. She seemed a bit nervous, after all this was the first time she had played guitar on stage in a concert. But she need not have worried, it was first class.
Then I Believe. Never, as far as I know, previously performed live, well certainly not in the west. Fantastic, always a favourite of mine.
The third one. She asked for suggestions, and finally settled on Songbird. Then she really did say goodnight, to a standing ovation by the entire audience. Thoroughly deserved in my opinion (OK, I was one of those who was standing and applauding). We just didn't want to let her go.
But go she did. Then there was the usual after concert stuff. We were warned she might be some time. We wondered if she would come into the auditorium to meet us, but by dint of questioning certain people who might know, we determined that we would have to wait at the stage door at the back of the chapel.
And wait we did. For nearly 2 hours, during which our numbers were decimated as those who had last trains to catch left to catch them.
Eventually Hayley's backing musicians appeared and left, followed by Arnaud sprinting for the tube. Then, it started to rain. Only Hayley it seems gets a car to take her home. She came out eventually, spent a few minutes with those of us who were left, signing things and exchanging pleasantries, before getting into her car. And that was it.
Driving home, at times the rain and spray were a problem. I noticed that a lot of important roads, like the M6 and A14, were closed in places, and even on my own route, the M1, we were restricted to a single lane a times. Is this what happens every night these days?
But over all this show was a fantastic experience, and is a strong candidate for the most enjoyable concert I have ever been too, and I have been to hundreds over more than half a century. Hayley, in a small intimate venue like this one is absolutely amazing. If you missed this one, you might have missed the concert experience of your life. I'm glad I went, despite my personal difficulties I would not have missed it for anything.
Martin D
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Oct 19, 2013 23:41:18 GMT
Gosh, you beat me to it! I was still editing it on Youtube to improve the quality when you spotted it. It is just a sampler, there is much more to come. And I'm not happy with the sound quality, the bass is booms too much, and I was planning at ask Dave if there is anything we can do about that. And yes, I agree it should be"won't". Slip of the brain. This is just one example of the quality we experienced last night. Awesome as I said. Martin D Hi Martin, Well we could lower the boomy bits (and bass) if you like, the best way to see if you think it will help is to listen to an example, so I've done one. The main problem seems to be when more of the band comes in, after a while. Anyway, let me know (I could cut more of the bass, or add a bit back if this is too much). WYNK audio (bassyness reduced from Youtube version)If you want me to do something with this, it might be better if I could get hold of the original audio (pre-Youtube upload). Oh... another photo I did.  Hayley reacts in good spirit to something someone in the audience said. Cheers, Dave |
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Jillian
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Post by Jillian on Oct 20, 2013 1:43:03 GMT
Excellent review, Martind!
Sounds like it was a special concert. Perhaps Hayley could do more like it next year! Goes to show that she doesn't necessarily need an album to promote to organise some concerts.
Cheers,
Jillian
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Jillian
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Post by Jillian on Oct 20, 2013 1:48:38 GMT
Gosh, you beat me to it! I was still editing it on Youtube to improve the quality when you spotted it. It is just a sampler, there is much more to come. And I'm not happy with the sound quality, the bass is booms too much, and I was planning at ask Dave if there is anything we can do about that. And yes, I agree it should be"won't". Slip of the brain. This is just one example of the quality we experienced last night. Awesome as I said. Martin D Hi Martin, Well we could lower the boomy bits (and bass) if you like, the best way to see if you think it will help is to listen to an example, so I've done one. The main problem seems to be when more of the band comes in, after a while. Anyway, let me know (I could cut more of the bass, or add a bit back if this is too much). WYNK audio (bassyness reduced from Youtube version)Cheers, Dave It was immediately clear that Hayley's presence was more powerful than ever. The power, clarity, range and control of her voice that she exhibited were better than ever. If anyone thought that Hushabye indicated a diminishing of her vocal ability, that thought was dispelled within seconds. She is still Hayley, and she goes from strength to strength. Martin D Wow, listening to What You Never Know really proves what you have say, Martind. That power, depth, clarity and passion to Hayley's voice that was killed off on Hushabye is certainly still live and well. I hope there's more videos like that. It's funny, for a while there this year I was starting to forget what it was about Hayley's voice that makes me love it so much and that video and these photos have completely reminded me again! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif Super jealous I couldn't have been there! Cheers, Jillian |
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Post by Simba on Oct 20, 2013 5:13:42 GMT
I have no words, when I read What you never know on the set list. I was like, that is such a gentle song from back those days, she can't sing it better than she did it back then, because I always had a problem with her singing pokarekare ana, hine hine live as I thought these days whilst making her sound more powerful and emotional, it lost all it's subtle qualities and softness. And What you never know could be one of her most 'light' songs, that I always wondered how Hayley would do it live without overdoing on the vibrato and the power.
But I knew I was wrong the moment Hayley sang "What", no kidding. She sounded better than ever. I'm starting to believe that this was her best gig ever, based on the photos and the happiness that surrounds it.
I think I must be the happiest person to hear her old, pure sound again (ofcourse developed to be much better), but this kind of singing is what I was missing in her recent live performances, and people were trying to convince me saying that the young hayley voice is gone, and that we have to accept the mature voice for these songs. But am I mind blown now!
I can't wait to hear Pokarekare ana and all the other songs actually! I believe especially off this concert.
I always wondered why Hayley never performs Summer Rain, my favorite song from her. I just convinced myself that it's go too much ethereal quality to produce live, but then she won it with What you never know. Next time she asks for requests we all go ask for Summer Rain! XD and Listen to the wind too.
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Joe
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Post by Joe on Oct 20, 2013 5:40:58 GMT
Thanks to all who shared their stories, photos, videos, and audio from Union Chapel - Richard, John H., Martin D., Marian and Dave. SO very appreciated i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThis was, without a shadow of a doubt, Hayley's BEST concert ever. She was on top form, totally at ease with her surroundings and singing the songs she loves. Well done. |
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Post by Libby on Oct 20, 2013 6:16:43 GMT
Yes, Summer Rain would be on my list too! But I'd be happy to hear her sing any of her songs, new or old, in person.
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Post by Bamafan on Oct 20, 2013 6:29:34 GMT
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