Last night marked the first concert of tour, at Town Hall in Seattle, Washington. Below is a post from senior Bram Wayman reflecting on the experience.
Tonight, I had a rare and very special experience: I heard the Yale Glee Club in concert. It's not often that we get to hear ourselves sing from the audience's point of view. Once in a while, somebody gets sick, and has to sit out for a concert, but that doesn't leave one in much of a position to listen critically or enjoyably. In my case, airline trouble and delayed baggage left me with no concert attire, and also left me free to see the Glee Club as our audiences see us.
As anybody else in the group can attest, I couldn't stop smiling. I smiled through everything -- the happy pieces, the sad pieces, even the mistakes. At the risk of sounding like one of our parents, I was so proud to see all my friends on stage. After weeks of break and a single, grueling rehearsal, our concert was not just good -- it was strong. We made an impression, a positive and moving one. But I wasn't just smiling with pride. It was all part of the insane happiness of being a part of the Glee Club, getting to experience our music as a listener and still get to sing this program tomorrow. I had the best of both worlds.
Sitting out from this concert gave me a few valuable things to consider for tour. The first was the clichéd "silver lining," though in this case it was very real: without my baggage trouble, I would not have been able to hear the Glee Club. But this led to a wider point of view; during tour, making the best of bad situations often gives great, if unexpected, results. While preparing for the concert, somebody to whom I told my airline story said, "You seem to be taking this really well." She sounded surprised, but I just grinned wider -- I couldn't help it. Why not take it well? We gave a solid first concert which I was privileged to hear, and I couldn't wait to tell everyone how thrilled I was to be in the concert that evening. I can't wait to be on stage, and a part of it again.
Tonight, I had a rare and very special experience: I heard the Yale Glee Club in concert. It's not often that we get to hear ourselves sing from the audience's point of view. Once in a while, somebody gets sick, and has to sit out for a concert, but that doesn't leave one in much of a position to listen critically or enjoyably. In my case, airline trouble and delayed baggage left me with no concert attire, and also left me free to see the Glee Club as our audiences see us.
As anybody else in the group can attest, I couldn't stop smiling. I smiled through everything -- the happy pieces, the sad pieces, even the mistakes. At the risk of sounding like one of our parents, I was so proud to see all my friends on stage. After weeks of break and a single, grueling rehearsal, our concert was not just good -- it was strong. We made an impression, a positive and moving one. But I wasn't just smiling with pride. It was all part of the insane happiness of being a part of the Glee Club, getting to experience our music as a listener and still get to sing this program tomorrow. I had the best of both worlds.
Sitting out from this concert gave me a few valuable things to consider for tour. The first was the clichéd "silver lining," though in this case it was very real: without my baggage trouble, I would not have been able to hear the Glee Club. But this led to a wider point of view; during tour, making the best of bad situations often gives great, if unexpected, results. While preparing for the concert, somebody to whom I told my airline story said, "You seem to be taking this really well." She sounded surprised, but I just grinned wider -- I couldn't help it. Why not take it well? We gave a solid first concert which I was privileged to hear, and I couldn't wait to tell everyone how thrilled I was to be in the concert that evening. I can't wait to be on stage, and a part of it again.
-Bram Wayman SY '09