FOREVER  ANDRE CONCERT

Forever…that’s what I want…I want my FOREVER Andre concert…this concert will last forever in my heart…however…in thinking about it, it’s in my heart and soul now.

I sit here listening to the music of Andre Rieu and thinking of all the happiness that it brings to me each and every day of my life.  I listen to the music of Andre Rieu because I have not found any music that makes me as happy or gives me as much peace; I can always count on it.

Life seems to get in the way of everything that I do…chores, jobs, duties, the need for the necessities of life like food, clothing, entertainment…all a necessity, of course.  I know that most “chores” are necessary for an existence in trying to accomplish our goals or what we are told are our goals, and those goals that we have placed upon ourselves in our individual lives.  I am then led to other more important or more “quality” necessities like spiritual growth and learning to become ALL I can become, and although I list spiritual growth as a “necessity”, I feel we all strive for this naturally everyday in everything that we do.  I don’t want you the think I’m belittling spiritual growth in any way, but if it were not for music in my life, life would not be as fun and interesting, challenging or exciting and it does help me strive for better understanding of the spiritual side of life.      

When I first learned of Andre, I was on another quest in my life…I had other interests…. 

I believe that as individuals we are on a special quest in our own personal lives, to learn and grow as individuals, some taking longer than others at our own tasks, others, like me, wonder whether or not we will ever be able to say that we have or will accomplish what we have set out to do for ourselves in this lifetime.  Music seems to be the buffer in life that keeps me happy.  It’s an amazingly strong buffer…for me anyway. 

                                             Photo. . . . . . Deirdre Kruger

This is a long story to get to my point which is…“forever”…and I do believe we have forever to accomplish our goals for ourselves…some take longer than others, some shorter time periods, but none are lost…for God doesn’t lose anything, and we are all a part of God, or the God essence.    

Right now I’m listening to Il Silencio, it has nothing to do with any concert that I have seen of Andre’s because it’s never been played at one that I have been to, but it does inspire me greatly…why that is I don’t know, but it goes to my soul and brings out what I love…ALL that I love.  I know there are many special songs that do the same, we all have those songs that give us goose bumps and make us want the world to stop so that we can savoir the moment of that one very special song that takes us to forever-land.  

I have thought about my last concert every day since I attended it in December.  It doesn’t matter how long it takes to write about what’s in your heart, as long as you can actually sit down and write about it.  For, what’s in your heart will last forever. 

Andre Rieu, the man, the music, the fun, the high energy, and his concerts…will last forever in my heart.  I still remember the first Andre Rieu concert that I attended.  The happiness and excitement that I felt then was and is the same as the very last concert that I attended.

Also, the thing that I remember vividly at each concert, is the fact that time flies…you are in anticipation, then the concert is here, then it’s over…it’s over way too soon and you feel like shouting  “wait a minute!”… “It can’t be over already!”  “Please don’t leave, please give us some more”!  I do believe that I held up my ten fingers many times during the encores expressing how many more songs that I wish Andre and the JSO should play…he could go on forever and I would be happy.

Of course, he does give us more…he always gives us more…encores…yes, then I have more beautiful, wonderful, happy Andre Rieu songs to last a little longer.  But we will never have enough.  It doesn’t get any better than that. To never get enough of a good thing is priceless.  We don’t get many of those opportunities, and even though my concert did end eventually, it was in anticipation of the next glorious concert by Andre Rieu.

When reality sets in and you actually hear the song “Lullaby”…and the lights dim…I mean, really dim…and it’s really truly over you ask, “Do I have enough Andre music to last me until the next glorious time that I can see Andre Rieu in concert again?  The answer of course is no.

I went with a dear friend of mine who drove 3 ½ hours to get to my house, then together we drove another 3 hours to get to the concert.  We had a nice lunch overlooking the beautiful Seattle waterways then headed straight for the Key Arena. 

As with all the Andre concerts that I have attended, the rain was no where in sight…it was beautiful weather and the rain held off until way after the concert. 

The whole time I dream of my ‘forever’ Andre concert…

I took a pen and paper with me so that I could write down every little detail, so that I could write down all the songs and who sang them, so that I can write down happy moments and jokes, the fun, etc.  When I got to my seat I placed the pen and paper down and never picked it up again.  I was having too much fun, I wanted to enjoy the “real” moment, and if I spent my time writing things down, then my “real” moment would be lost forever.

I’m not giving you a lot of concert pictures although we took over 120 pictures, some good, most didn’t really turn out the way I dreamed they would…except in my mind…they all turned out wonderful there.  As a special surprise, my friend had a very nice one blown up so that I could put it up on my wall, which is where it is right now.

It’s easy to think back on the concert and see a general picture, it’s not so

easy to remember every little moment that made me happy, because there are too many to list…you know the moments, a special smile, a humorous moment that’s really a treasure, every special song as it was played, I’m sure that we all have those special moments.  I was impressed with all the songs sang, the Tenors were fantastic as always, Kimi was incredible as was Mirusia, as she always is, the JSO was fantastic as always!

I wish for every reel to be rerun over and over again, like Groundhog Day, the movie, every morning at 6 am he woke up and he got to do the whole day over again…and over and over again…until, one day, he woke up and it was a good world for him…everything that was wrong in his life was perfect as it can be. 

I think that we should be able to do an Andre Rieu concert over and over and over again…kind of like a “forever” concert…where eventually we would remember all the tiny little details and moments that made us all happy for 2 ½ hours…instead of the blurr that we encounter a day or two, three days…a week after the concert.  The difference with Groundhog Day and an Andre concert…is there is nothing to get “right”, at the concert; everything that I see and hear is perfect in every way. 

Andre, the JSO, and all the wonderful people who make the concerts fantastic, thank you so much for the happiness at my last concert, Seattle, 2010, December 6.

The last concert is the one that lasts FOREVER, because we never know when our next concert will be.  So, I fill my days with the music that I love, the music that’s in my heart and soul…Andre Rieu…until such time that I can attend another concert.

Yes, forever…this was my FOREVER concert, it will be in my heart forever like all the others. 

                                                           Photo. . . . Tess