Thursday, August 4, 2011

St. Louis Concert

Hi! This is Lexi's mom. I went to the St. Louis concert while she's at Band Camp. This is my inadequate report. :)




I have no words. For 2 hours tonight I was transported to Heaven. While I sat on a cloud, there were angels near me singing the most beautiful songs you'll ever hear. These angels welcomed us. Some were small and wide-eyed; some were tall and confident. Their voices never waivered as their harmonies echoed out.

Libera performed here last year, and tonight was even more magical. The soloists were all wonderful, and I noticed Matthew R-A did exceptionally well on all of his parts. The soloists who usually sing from a raised position in the back instead stood on a raised box to the left so they could see Mr. Prizeman. Te Lucis was sung by the 7 from the left dome balcony. There were no lights up there, so you could see their white robes but not their faces. Very nice echo effect!

The audience responded so well, especially to the speeches. They loved Kavana, Cassius and Moose. When Sam said he is 16 but had been in the choir since he was 8, there was an audible gasp of appreciation. :) And the audience let the sound reverberate throughout the cathedral before clapping.

There are now 2 songs that make me cry. "Glory To Thee" (because Eoghan is so earnest when he sings it, and the words are so meaningful), and, of course, "How Shall I Sing That Majesty?" Which brings us right back to the Heaven theme. And then I woke up from my dream. It was over. But not really.



There was a full Meet & Greet with tables and chairs and posters and programs and pens and sharpies and pictures! Oh, ye of little faith. Wherefore didst thou doubt. :)

All the boys were happy and talkative. I asked Tiarnan and Matthew Madine what was the best thing they've done so far in the States, and they both said, "the bah-nah-nah (banana) boat!" Turns out that was everyone's answer, well, that I asked anyway. I found myself pronouncing it "bah-nah-nah!" lol While staying on the lake at Madden's, they had a crazy boat driver who pulled them behind on a banana boat. He'd turn sharply and everyone on board would go flying off. And apparently the best part was when Ralph went flying, landed on Alex, and came up with a bloody nose! Only in a boys choir would it be great that your main soloist nearly broke his nose! :D

Oh, but Mini Ben (Big Benedict, Ben Philipp) said that his favorite thing is the heat. Wow! Really!?!?! Well you came to the right place then. And you're going to LOVE Texas! :)

Michael, one of the cute, little newbies, told me that he is 8 years old, but that he's not the youngest. He's second youngest. So there are at least two 8-year-olds! :)

I said to Ben Fairman, "You're Ben, right?" He smiled and nodded. "But," I said, "HE'S Ben," pointing to Ben Philipp next to him. "So what do we call YOU?" Ben F. said, "Nano Ben!" So there you go. He's Nano Ben.

Quote of the night goes to Cassius. I said I'd see him in Dallas, and he said, "When you come would you wear that beautiful dress so we can recognize you?" What?! lol Split second to regain my composure. I said with a smile, "Do I have to wear this one again?" And Cassius said, "You can wear another beautiful one." Oh my word! How did a kid so young get so charming already?!!

Kudos to the older boys, and some young ones, who don't autograph over their faces in the program. Except Ben P. (Big Benedict). He can sign however he likes. :) Tiarnan signed in green, Barney in red, Matthew R-A in magenta, and Cassius had a great, sweeping "Cass" in silver! Liam, Jakob, Daniel, Freddie and Josh have an artistic curve to their signatures. Kavana signs like he's the CEO of a corporation, and Eoghan writes "EMcC" smiley face. Isaac gave me cat ears on his head, but Thomas tops all with his treble clef-looking signature with 2 check marks and a sun surrounded by scalloping! Wow!

So here's my pictures. I think I'm missing a few boys. I was last in line, and they started to get up, so... Oh, Lexi, you should have been here. Your pictures are always better. Maybe there'll be a Meet & Greet in Frisco.










Matthew Madine & Tiarnan

I like this one, too, so I put up both. :)

Luke & Carlos

Jude, Eoghan & Matthew J.

Michael, Ralph, Sam, Dylan & Alex

Ben & Jakob

Kavana & Nano Ben

Matthew R-A, Henry & Freddie

Cassius, Daniel, Orlando & Matthew R-A

Barney, Josh, Liam & Sammy

Isaac, Nano Ben & Thomas

Signed program. :D

19 comments:

  1. hiii, if you get a chance to at the next concert, could you please ask matthew madine how old he is? it'd be nice to know :] thanks!

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  2. Great Review Lexi's Mom! Love the pictures of everyone. They look like they had a great time. And it's nice to see all the Newbies having fun with the older ones. GREAT!! Thanks that we can enjoy the pictures to!!

    Hope you had a great time!!
    Greetings,
    from the Netherlands (Lenneke)

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  3. Thank you very much for this report and the pictures

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  4. Great to see Nano Ben and the rest of the boys in such fine voice and doing well.

    Nano Ben's dad, Matt.

    PS Say hi from me if you speak again!!

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  5. Great review! Could it be possible to upload pictures of their autographs too? :)

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  6. Nice review, Lauren :). Lol! Cassius must have like your dress so much.

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  7. Thank you so much for the wonderful report, Lauren. Don't underestimate yourself, the pictures are perfect. We really appreciate your efforts, and you taking the time to share this. Thanks again, Heather

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  8. Is it me, or does Matthew Madine looks a lot like Pete Sampras during his junior days and Ben Philipp's hair resembling Sting during his Police days?

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  9. O WOW thats wonderful!!!!!!
    If only they had it in Chicago....:(
    and if only my dad would let me go to St. Louis...hahahahaha but i really love this, becasue this is the first concert where they had a meet adn greet and Cassius is soooo cute XDD
    and all the yuonger (and newbies) look soooo adorable, and so does the older boys lol :P
    and i love ur review, keep it up ;)
    PS did u record a video of it??

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  10. How else would you say banana?

    Did you ask Ben P about his hair?

    p.s. do we have a picture of you in your lovely dress ;)

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  11. Hello Mrs.
    It was fabulous review! and your picture is too great :) Thank you

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  12. Thank you, thank you, thank you Lauren for the wonderful pictures. You also transported me to Heaven while I was reading your blog. Some of these pictures are definitely gonna be on my office :) I'm also gonna re-upload the Madines to my blog. Hope you don't mind!

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  13. I knew you'd post a fabulous review. Love your little stories about the boys; very fun. It was so nice to meet you in Mpls and St. Paul!
    Tram

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  14. Hello! Thank you so much for this well-written review! We are grateful for your interviews with the boys, and for the pictures!

    So glad you had a wonderful time, have fun at the Texas concert!!

    Diane

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  15. This is a great review of the St. Louis event. It brings back memories for me of last year. Thanks for posting it!!

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  16. Regarding the emotions evoked by the music, I would have to admit that the songs that touch me the most are "The Fountain" and, as of this tour, "Glory to Thee". I found myself deeply moved by the words and music of both of these songs.

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  17. Thank you all for the compliments. You are too kind.

    Hello, Matt Fairman! Did I get to meet you in St. Louis? That was so nice of you to come all this way to see your son sing! He is just darling and sings with such expression. You should be very proud. :)

    Tram, it was so great meeting you as well. So glad you got to see 2 excellent concerts. Hope to see you again soon! :)

    Yorkie, Americans say "banana" with a nasal sound. It sounds just awful compared to you. :) I think I'll let Lexi ask Ben about his hair. And there is a picture somewhere of my dress. lol I think Zach took one. Don't know that I really want to see it though. :D

    ~Lauren

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  18. Hi Lauren,
    Thank you for your most beautiful post. Your words transported me right to a seat next to you! I wish I was there. I'm in Toronto and couldn't take the time off to attend any of the concerts. The pictures of the M&G were great! Libera didn't have any M&G's in the Spring Concert here. I love your post and GOSH! That Cass would make me blush too! These are the most amazing group of young boys. I feel so blessed to know their music and more blessed that their music touches every sense of my being! Keep up the good work Lauren & Lexi! I look forward to reading your blog often.
    Luv... -g- a Canadian Fan.

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  19. Thank you, g! Hope that we can all meet up at another Libera concert in Canada or the US. Thanks for reading. :) ~Lauren

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