Lyndall Freeman's Andre Rieu Concert - Adelaide
As I begin this, it's half past midnight and Rob and I have only just gotten home from the first of the Adelaide concerts, very tired by quite naturally upbeat and oh so happy, after a long day.
Our pre-concert dinner began at 5p.m., at the Directors Hotel, where 17 fans enjoyed a most delicious 3 course Thai banquet. Amongst our guests were 3 lovely ladies from Western Australia, who arrived in Adelaide Sunday afternoon. We had the pleasure of their company at our home that evening for a bbq dinner with another couple, dear friends we have made through past André functions.
With a great deal of construction being done around the Entertainment Centre, we carpooled, which made things a lot easier finding a carpark and we were at the theatre in a very short time, giving us plenty of time to hit the souvenir stand, before the start of the concert.
Rob and I had dreadful seats, 3 rows from the back, upstairs and at the side. My little 4' 10" height, made viewing difficult for me, as I couldn't see one screen because of the hand rails on either side of the aisle and the ceiling sound box blocked the other screen. I could see the Great One and the soloists on stage, but it was too far to see things like facial expressions. Personally, I was heartbroken, as I couldn't see FRANCO, because of the top of the harp. Thank goodness we have good seats tomorrow night, on the floor in A Reserve, or I would have been having withdrawal symptoms. The one good thing about our seats was that we had no-one behind us, so I was able to stand for a lot of the concert, sing, sway, clap etc and in fact make a fool of myself, whilst having one hell of a good time, with not too many around to take much notice and I didn't get anyone's way. I was thoroughly enjoying myself.
The concert was terrific. There is no secret about my love of Mirusia and unashamedly admit to tears throughout her rendition of "Memory" from "Cats". Unlike Sydney, we didn't have Dame Edna or Alan Jones (nor did Brisbane) and our concert was 1/2 hour shorter than Sydney, but regardless, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
I was a bit disappointed with the response of the audience. It wasn't a full house and there wasn't anywhere near as much audience participation as I would have expected. There were no standing ovations until well into the 2nd half, after Mirusia sang "I still call Australia home" and only a few struggled to their feet even then. Last year, our state gave André the most standing ovations of the tour.
Once the encore started, there was a bit more excitement, but there weren't very many fans up dancing or in the Mosh Pit. I can't wait until tomorrow night when we will be able to dance, something we weren't able to do tonight. Look out Mosh pit, the Freeman's are acomin'! As the encore continued, the more the excitement mounted and by the time The Great One waved his last goodbye, the stadium was beginning to rock.
I hope there is more enthusiasm tomorrow night and that we have a full house. Even though the crowd was subdued tonight, noone left unhappy. There were people around us who are now considering trying to get tickets for tomorrow night's show.
The photos I've attached show our group at the dinner table, the official group photo, the André shrine and finally, a shot of the balloons being released. You can see from that photo, just how far back we were, as that was taken with a x4 zoom lens.
The concert date for next year in Adelaide is October 19 and tickets go on sale on this Thursday.
Lyndall and Robert Freeman
Thank you Lyndall for sharing the story and photos of the Adelaide Concert and your fan dinner. I loved reading about it. I know your second concert was better. Hugs
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Thank you, Lyndall, for taking the time to share your photos & the details of your emotions before, during, & after, the concert.
While only a handfull of people will leave a comment here, I want to assure you that THOUSANDS of people will read your report & disappear into the night, leaving no trace of their presence.
Plzzzz, give us another detailed concert report, I enjoyed reading of your observations & feelings.
Sitting closer, will give you a grrrreat chance to get some up close photos of Andre & the JSO members
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Thank you Lyndall for a nice report and the photos of your experiences at the dinner and Adelaide concert.
You gave some nice details which are appreciated.
It takes a while for people to get involved at some concerts, who knows why. Sometimes I think that people just want to enjoy the concert, like, every minute of it...without movements.
For me, it's hard not to get involved at an André Rieu concert for sure, the excitement is flowing everywhere and I like to see people happy and the music is incredibly fun, I'm not a dancer, but I love the fun and the music!
André loves to see people getting involved and having fun, and most concert audiences are more than happy to cooperate.
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Loved your report Lyndall. what I like is that even though you had "nosebleed" seats, you seem to have managed to make the best of it. That's the spirit girl. You keep on dancing & being positive. I like that!
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