Oh What A Night! Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons ~ 8/5/15

When we heard they were coming to Grand Rapids we were hesitant about attending. How old is he anyway? But people who saw him recently attested to a quality performance so we bought in. And how right they were.

We gathered for dinner before the concert at Riverhouse in Ada ~ 8 Four Seasons fans who grew up with their music.

And then it was concert time. The band started appearing on stage: brass, guitars, drummer, and the new young versions of the Four Seasons. The audience went wild when a very small man walked out and the entire band started in on the "Grease" theme song. It was Frankie Valli, still hitting those high notes.

The new Four Seasons are amazing with their sweet voices, dancing moves, and Temptations-like choreography!

During "Swearin' to God," Frankie and the Seasons moved off the stage while the instrumentalists continued. After a few minutes they returned, and Frankie was in a different jacket.

Patter was a little stilted but we really didn't care because we were there for the music and to see this legend. He told a story about going to see Frank Sinatra as a kid and how he never saw so many women in one place throwing their underwear and hotel keys on the stage. Then he looked around ~ pause for hilarious effect.

At one point he said "we're going to slow it down a bit...because I need to." He then moved into a beautiful rendition of "My Eyes Adored You." At another time he said "we're going back to the 60's, 1460 ~ is that too far?" Not that funny but whatever. He went on to discuss a new CD recently produced that had the group singing other people's songs from the 60's. "Spanish Harlem", "Let It Be Me", and a medley of "My Girl" and "Groovin' " were ok but we wanted to hear Four Seasons music. And "Silence is Golden" was golden.

The classics were all performed: "Workin' My Way Back to You", "Beggin," "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" (his first solo hit), "Who Loves You" (lots of audience participation), "Oh What A Night", "Sherry," "Walk Like A Man", "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Bye Bye Baby," "Rag Doll," and "Let's Hang On," the last three being part of the wonderful encore!

The Seasons were introduced and had short solo parts during "Oh What A Night" and this classic piece came back to close out the show.

Frankie was shaking hands with the front row and we saw a ridiculous person try to hand him a pen and paper, while Frankie was singing and shaking hands. Right. He was brushed off with a shake of the head. During instrumental breaks, Frankie's long time musical director, Robby Robinson, could be seen giving him cues as to when to come in, but he never missed a beat. Frankie mentioned the 10 year anniversary of the smash hit musical, "Jersey Boys," which tells the story of the Four Seasons and the personal losses he experienced during his life. This man is a survivor and proved it here tonight at 81 years of age. And did I mention, he still hits those high notes?

8 MINUTE VIDEO CLIP

FASCINATING FRANKIE VALLI INTERVIEW ~ 2014 

Broadway Grand Rapids' "Once" ~ 11/9/14 (and Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ~ 10/5/14)

The only pictures I can get from these shows are the before and after, and sometimes I might snag a few from google images. Typical of a show, here are my before and after images from Joseph last month.

And I loved the show. It was highly entertaining and led by two American Idol alumni, Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo. I didn't remember the latter but did remember the former when he was sadly voted off (I quit watching the show when Simon left). Ace wasn't the most adept dancer today but he did have a powerful, athletic presence and his voice was certainly fine for the role. It was interesting to see him here in a great role as I was a big fan of his on Idol. Diana DeGarmo has a stunning voice and I discovered later that the two of them are married. They seem to be doing just fine post Idol :-)

Just one more note from the show has to mention Pharoah played by Ryan Williams. He was a scene stealer when on stage. In his first number he was obviously wearing a skin-tone sleeve on his upper arm to cover a tattoo. Later it slid off during one of his gyrations but why have it to begin with? Tattoos certainly go back to Ancient Egyptian times.

But back to today's show, different from any other I've seen. When the doors opened at 12:30pm, instead of a stage curtain, we were greeted by a working bar on the stage where everyone was invited to visit and imbibe. So of course, I did. $6.00 for about 2 ounces of wine - yikes! No pictures were allowed up there so this one was the best I could do back in my seat. There's a large bar in the center with a mirror behind it that gave us reflective views throughout the show. Other than the bar, there were chairs and instruments along the wall and that was the set.

About ten minutes to one, a stage manger started clearing the imbibers but still continued to allow audience members to stand in line for a drink. Suddenly a few musicians started playing center stage, awesome foot stamping, pounding on boards, Irish fiddling music. At 1pm the stage was cleared of audience members and a total of eleven musicians continued to entertain us until 1:10 when the house lights finally went down and "Girl" was introduced to "Guy" on stage.

This multi-talented cast also operated as stage hands and provided all of the musical accompaniment. (It was odd to see people seated in the section where the orchestra is normally located.) They all sang, most danced, and a fair number of them played more than one instrument. When they finished a scene, they would retreat to a chair against the wall where they might continue to accompany by instrument and/or voice. The most powerful moments occurred when they were singing en masse. I never heard a wrong note until the loan officer sang, but that was intentional :-)

During intermission, the stage bar again opened up for business and the performance hall volunteers wandered throughout the house asking people to turn their cell phones off. Apparently no emailing or texting was allowed today unless you left the hall. A little strange and unusual, and inconsistently applied.

Set in a Dublin bar, which we had all now been invited into, the show boasts authentic Irish accents that were sometimes difficult to understand as were the Czech accents of the "Girl" and her family. When the Czech family was supposedly speaking in Czech, subtitles were shown, which was a clever way to let the audience know that the Irish were not privy to this conversation. The choreography going on at most times was very effective, even when it was four people seated at tables making head and hand movements.

The musical was based on a 2006 movie and some of the same music is included. Much more is added (the movie is 88 minutes and this show is 135 minutes). There's also more humor in the show than the movie and the "Girl" is much quirkier. The performance and the entire cast were so great. Very notable was Stuart Ward as the "Guy," Dani de Wall as the "Girl," Cassidy Stirtz was a powerhouse musician/dancer/vocalist as Reza, and Evan Harrington was hilarious as Billy.

After the second curtain call, Evan Harrington announced that cast members would be in the lobby collecting for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Contributions, depending on the level, would get you some souvenirs. Who could resist?

Here I am with Stuart Ward, the "Guy" (disconcerting to hear his very English accent) and my cast-signed poster. Catch it if you can somewhere. I think this touring show is closing in January. And are you wondering about the title? The writer/director of the movie (John Carney) knew many talented artists who put off their careers because they weren't quite ready. "Once" they got this or that they'd pursue their goals. Cheers to following your dreams and to enjoying a good musical.

Falling Slowly by Ward & de Waal

2008 Academy Award Winner for Best Song 

Grand Rapids Symphony - 11/12/11

DeVos Performance Hall was inordinately crowded tonight, including a long line at the ticket counter and many more young people than are usually present at the Saturday evening concerts. We knew it was Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” that was to blame. Always a crowd pleaser, it didn’t disappoint tonight. 

Warming Up For Bartok

The evening began with “Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste” by Bartok. Music Director David Lockington gave a brief introduction of the Beethoven and Bartok works, neatly tying them together by movement and symphony set-up. He also amusingly gave us his preference for the pronunciation of “celeste” and why. 

Bela Bartok, 1881-1945

Although some audience members may prefer a music-only evening, we always appreciate Lockington’s comments regarding the music and its background. (We also prefer his now-gone long locks over his current businessman short haircut but that’s just us :)


Before the concert began, Lockington brought out retired principal cellist, Nancy Steltmann, to thank her for her years with the symphony. She was presented with a “time piece” (a large mantel clock) and then was given the opportunity to say a few words. Nancy started out by saying she thought she rambled too much during last night’s presentation, and then proceeded to ramble on. We did wonder why she hadn’t been honored at the Season opener in September if she retired in August. Maybe the clock wasn’t ready. 

The Waiting Time Piece

The evening started late and was further delayed by the clock presentation. After Bartok and the intermission, Beethoven’s Ninth was finally ready to begin at 9:15pm (and finished at 10:25pm). 


With what seemed like many new concert-goers, the increase in talking during the performance also annoyingly increased (even if you are whispering, people, we can hear you). We especially enjoyed (not) the man who conducted the Ninth Symphony along with Lockington.


Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable concert and the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus was most impressive. Because they do not perform until the 4th movement, we were amused at  closing eyes and nodding heads throughout the chorus. The soloists were spared that and stayed off stage until their time. The solo voices were gorgeous and blended beautifully, leaving us wishing for more.

Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827