Christmas Presence - Wales Millennium Ctr 2006

[Joe]

Hello Mark,

Just wanted to add my thanks for a superb report from the Cardiff concert. Lots of wonderful memories for you and your family to share!

Best Wishes,
Joe

[Joe]

Hi John,

I really enjoyed these photos from Hayley's performance at the Welsh Millennium Centre from the 9th Dec. They are so clearly focused and vivid!

It must have been very emotional seeing Hayley and the children on stage.

I'm glad your wife and daughter shared this lovely performance with you, as Mark did with his family.

Best regards,
Joe

[Richard]

Thanks to Mark for the excellent review, and to John for the enchanting photographs of Hayley with the children. She does look slightly motherly, almost as if they were her own! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

It's a pity you weren't able to wait for Hayley after the show, but I'm sure there will be more opportunities to meet her next year when she starts promoting her new album.

Best Wishes from London,

Richard

[fusilier23]

Looks like a great show. Too bad it appears no one got to say hi to Hayley afterward, though sometimes peristence pays off, as Tim and I can testify to after Easton. At least it was an apology and not a brusque security guard telling you to clear the area or a lying flunky telling you she was already gone when she wasn't.

[thomas]

Hi all!

Thanks Mark for your report. It was a pleasure to meet you and your family! Hopefuly we can meet up next year again because I plan to continue my UK visits for Hayley concerts in the next year after my NZ visit in Feb/March 2007.

So here's my report:
The Friday ended late in Sheffield so it was Saturday morning already when I went to bed. I had a train schedule to leave Sheffield at 5a.m. in the morning to arrive in Cadiff at 10.27a.m. That would have been early enough to catch Hayley at the stage door I guess. But after a 24 hours day on Friday I prefered to sleep a little longer than just a couple of hours and so I took the train at 8.53a.m. and arrived in Cardiff at 13.30p.m. more or less. If Hayley appeared at the venue as early as in Sheffield that would have been too late to see her prior to the show but there was still time after the show I guessed. Unfortuneately I was wrong with that. So as I arrived at the venue I was taking a look at the stage door but I alredy saw the Range Rover in which Hayley left Sheffield the night before parking close to that door and so waiting would have been in vain. So I picked up my ticket at the box office and did a little sight seeing in Cardiff. I took the opportunity to buy my copy of the "All Angels" album then.
I appeared early back at the venue looking out for Mark who I finally found on his seat when I was looking out for mine. Mark entroduced me to his family and I had a little chat with him. After that I took my seat in the front row. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif Almost sitting on stage! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif A great view from there.
The first part of the concert was the same like in Sheffield. First there was the orchestra and the choir and later Hayley appeared to sing her carols as beautiful as she did in Sheffield. I couldn't get enough of that. And again the audience was asked to sing along with Hayley and that's what we did!!! I had my programme from Sheffield and shared it with my seat neighbour who had none. So there was one voice more "to raise the roof"! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif My seat neighbour first said that she didn't like to sing because she can't really good but I responded that I also can't sing but that shouldn't stop us from doing so. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif We were asked to sing along Hayley and that should be reason enough to do our best. At that point Hayley definitely recognised me from stage as she was standing almost in front of me, looking down and saw me singing sharing the lyrics with my neighbour. She gave me a big smile while she continued to sing. Hayley wouldn't have smiled at me if she'd also heard me singing. :rollin

In the interval I met up with Mark again and we planned to go straight to the stage door as soon as the concert is over.

The second part of the concert was a little different to Sheffield. Damian Wileman was missing but the programme was changed as Hayley now sang together with the children you can see in John's photo (sorry, John, that we missed you but nobody of us knew how you look like). Hayley really enjoyed singing to and with the children. The host in Cardiff also had to sing a little more. I had a feeling the host had to sing more than he liked to. Hayley always presenting her microphone to him with growing enthusiasm. She had a real blast. On one carol the choir sang louder than Hayley and the host who both stopped singing in the middle of the song a few times. It looked like a well planned chaos but it was really funny. All on stage enjoyed the concert as much as the audience did.
In the end it was time again to sing along to Hayley "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" and the concert was over again way too soon.
The quality of the photos I took in Cardiff are light years away from the quality we all know from Stuart and Steve but they are better than my photos from Sheffield. In Cardiff I sat a little closer and didn't have to zoom in too much which usually lowers the quality when light conditions aren't the best anyway and no flash light was allowed. I also didn't take too many fotos because the man with the TV camera was also in the front row on the other side filming us with his camera. Especially in the second part there was a real flash light shower from other photographers which obviously disturbed the camera man. He looked into the audience noticeably irritated several times.

After the concert Mark, his family and I waited at the stage door for Hayley without a sign from her for a long time. Then a staff member came out to apologise to us that Hayley attended a post performance function directly after the concert has ended. As it was cold so Mark and his family said good-bye and went to the hotel. I decided to wait a little longer. A few minutes after Mark and his family had left the staff member came out again asking if I really want to wait that long. The post performance function was suposed not to end before 1.30a.m. and it was 11p.m. at that time. I was quite shocked because I was so excited to meet up with Hayley twice in one weekend. It was cold, dark and I was freezing so I left as well without talking to Hayley again this year. I was disappointed that a wonderful weekend had come to such an end. But Hayley has her duties as well and we have to accept that. She can't always have time for us. I'm sure she spends as much time with us as she can share. I would have waited for Hayley longer if it was summer time and warmer as it was on Saturday. But it was too cold to freeze to ice for at least 2 1/2 hours.
Someone must have told the staff to apologise Hayley. So we didn't know anybody from the management I guess it could be Hayley who initiated the apology. Nobody from the staff knew us except her. She knew we were there because I remembered her about that one night before in Sheffield. She recognised me from stage when she stood almost in front of me and maybe she saw Mark as well as he was sitting with his family a little further in the back. Just a guess.

On Sunday I left the hotel and made my way back to London. In London I had a little time to visit the NZ War Memorial in Hyde Park Corner before I had to head to the airport. Photos of that will follow soon as well.
It was 8.30p.m. (German time) when I was back and a fantastic weekend has come to an end. I can't wait for the next concert.

Thomas

[grant]

That was a superb review Thomas!

Disappointing that you were not able to see Hayley again after the concert - I'm sure she would not have been too amused at being expected to attent until 1.30am!!

BUT how many people can say that they have been smiled at from the stage by our "Christmas Angel"?

See you next year.

Grant

[Dave]

johnpr98 said:

Hi All

I enjoyed the 'Christmas Presence' concert very much indeed, accompanied by my wife and daughter...
Please feel free to host them on your own server and relink them Dave.
John

Thanks very much indeed john, these photos give a very nice feel for how this concert looked - and i can imagine how good it sounded!

The stage set and "choreography" look very much more interersting than what i saw at Swansea and certainly, the stage is bigger and much more open and uncluttered at the front. It looks like the children were worked into this very well, too - I wish I'd been there to see it!

I've downloaded your photos now and I'll change the links on Tuesday. Thanks again for posting and letting us use them!

Cheers, Dave

[Joe]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for your report from Cardiff. I'm so glad that your seat was very close to the stage!

Cheers!
Joe

[Richard]

Thanks for your great report, Thomas!

I'm sorry you weren't able to meet Hayley in Cardiff, but I'm sure you will see her again next year.

Best Wishes from London,

Richard

[Mark]

Hi Thomas

Many thanks for your report. I am pleased that you got home to Germany safely and that you had such a good time at the concerts. It was a shame about not being able to meet Hayley after the show but you did get meet her in Sheffield, as did I in Telford the week before. Those memories will stay with me for a long long time !! At least she recognised and acknowledged you from the stage.

As you say, we can look forward to next years concerts now. I also look forward to meeting you again next year.

Best regards
Mark.

[postscript]

Hi All, Dave in particular.

The idea of a new Hayley concert DVD is excellent. Hayley Live in NZ will always stand the test of time, but sufficient water has passed under the bridge for a new one, perhaps helping further sales of the original for those 'new' people realising they want the accumulating 'set'!

So, three factors make it right:

• timing in relation to the last DVD and the accumulated exposure of CD-3 perhaps halfway to recording CD-4?
  
• A Christmas content makes it different while at a good sales time
  
• The St James' theatre ambience I think went a long way to making the first DVD so successful but with cameras providing teh close-upsa vast auditorium would be a good contrast
  

Peter S.

[postscript]

Superb set of pictures John, which I hope will stay availabe for awhile as I want to come back and study them, perhaps download a few for my own reminiscences of Hayley. Love the wooden chair closeness with the children.

Never mind where you were at, it makes a nice contrast to have wider format, overall stage picture framing to complement the other more usual close-ups. A point guys, dependent upon setting, but it is good to have the 'whole stage' version as well as the superb close-ups you manage.

Peter S.

Peter S.

[postscript]

Yes, it is disappointing when Hayley is not able to pay her fleeting moments but that is her life and career. Political correctness needs of courtesy to those who have hosted her etc have to come first. I am sure she is always very disappointed not to be able to be available.

Peter S.

[thomas]

Here I have a few Cardiff pictures I took from my seat. Hope ou like them despite the lower quality. I must say that I had one of the best seats that were available. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif















Thomas

[Martin]

Hi Thomas
Not said hello before - so HELLO!

Thanks for the photos - I assume you didn't use flash?

I am about to buy a digital camera (I am quite a novice on the subject) and wondered if pictures like this can be taken in average light conditions without flash using this technology? Don't worry if you are unable to answer as I am sure some of our photography experts will be able to advise.

Best wishes
Martin