Hey everyone!
The concert last night was amazing! I had a marvelous time at the concert, and
I'm sure anyone who has yet to go will also have a wonderful time. I looked online
for reviews of the concert but had no luck. If I find any I will be sure to post
them.
 I
managed to take 280 pictures at the concert, of course with no flash. I'll be
sure to put some of them up  The
acoustics in Northrop were better than I remembered. Imagine listening to one
of Hayley's CD's with surround sound, multiply that by ten, and then see her
in front of you performing. You could see the passion she has for what she does
and couldn't help but watch.
As soon as the lights dimmed the music of 'She Moved Through the Fair' began
and there was no sight of Hayley. I waited, and it would seem she appeared out
of nowhere. Her very first note had my neighbors on the left stop talking and
give Hayley their undivided attention through the whole performance. At one point
the one sitting next to me asked, 'Do you know who this is? She's stunning!'
Of course I told her, and as a reminder wrote down her name and Odyssey's title,
along with this website and her official site. Maybe we'll see them join?
 I
have always enjoyed 'Never Saw Blue' and her performance was everything and more.
(This can be said for her entire performance.) Due to the basketball and hockey
games people were still being seated during the first two songs so there was
some extra noise and commotion, but by her next song things had settled down.
'Amazing Grace' seemed to finally grab most of the audience's attention especially
now there wasn't the distraction of the people being seated. It's a song that
most people know, and Hayley's version was fantastic.
I first heard 'The Mummer's Dance' a while ago and looked forward to Hayley's
rendition. I wasn't disappointed, and in fact, I enjoyed Hayley's version much
better than the other I heard. The minimal backing really helped (it didn't overtake
the singing as it did in the other version I heard).
 'May
it Be' came next. She gave a nice introduction to the song by referencing New
Zealand and the "Lord of the Rings' movies followed by an equally nice performance.
She certainly shows a love for her country and is very proud to be a Kiwi.
'Both Sides Now' was done a bit differently with a faster tempo, and a break
in the last part (where naturally people clapped thinking it was the end), but
then she and the band picked up again to finish the song. My neighbor to my left
actually started clapping enthusiastically at the break, but as soon as the music
began again she said, "oh!" and quit clapping until the end of the
song.
At one point, Hayley was starting to talk with the audience when someone yelled
something. She stopped, "Did someone say something?" Silence. "Oh,
maybe I'm hearing things" She chuckled, and went on. when I was talking
to Hayley at the intermission I told her she wasn't hearing things, that someone
did yell. She said she thought so, but sometimes she gets interference from other
radios. In Washington D.C there was a lot of interference from the police station
near by. She said, "I would hear this deep voice and I'd be like 'that's
not me!' "
 When
Hayley introduced the song 'From A Distance' I thought at first she was going
to talk about UNICEF because she talked about hope and the like, but she didn't.
The song was wonderful. It had a great message and I hope to hear it again. Possibly
on an album?
Pokarekare Ana was amazing, and from what I could tell there wasn't a whole lot
of movement/talking from the audience during this song. 'You Are Water' was a
nice choice for a closer. It kept the audience's attention even as they were
getting a tad antsy for the charming quartet.
As I mentioned before I was able to talk with Hayley during the intermission.
She sounded fine. I think it might have been the mic or the speakers that made
her seem hoarse. She mentioned that she expected to be more tired than she actually
is doing so many shows back to back. She said she's looking forward to her two
full days of break (and the warmer weather), though she said 'I'm not quite sure
what I'm going to do with myself!'
Hayley said that writing an update has been on the back of her mind for a while,
and she'll get around to writing it soon.
And finally, Hayley says "Hello!" to
everyone.
Caite
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