We enjoyed our first Josh Groban concert, last night, at our gorgeous Bethel Woods. He's an incredible talent. His brilliant, powerhouse voice is frequently operatic, as several songs performed in Italian demonstrated rather well. He plays a mean piano and rhythmic drums. He's funny… very funny… and spontaneous. He's cute. And he's generous, in sharing the stage with fantabulous musicians. Watch for violinist Christian Hebel, a rising star in his own right and clearly a crowd-pleaser.
The biggest surprise of the night, though, took me back decades, as Josh began his Neil Diamond tribute. Whoa. Didn't expect that one! He sang ND's Play Me beautifully, bringing me back to a concert moment of a lifetime.
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| My "Play Me" Moment In Time |
Mr. D's stage-in-the-round stopped directly in front of little ole me, sitting in clear view in the fifth row. (link) He sang to me. Joe captured the expression that I'm positive was one of recognition. After all, how many times does an artist have to see a fanatic, before she begins to look familiar?? When the stage moved on, fans in seats surrounding us leaned in to say, "He SANG to you!" Countless ND concerts before and since have afforded us some incredible Beautiful Noise. I so hope he comes out again in 2015 to treat us to some deep cuts. Caroline can stay home, 'cause the die-hards are craving Coldwater Morning…ahem... If You Know What I Mean. I digress...
It was a great night that ended with an encore in honor of Robin Williams. The ever-bittersweet Smile took on new significance.
We look forward to a repeat. Music for the soul. An astonishing voice.
