Hmmmmmm where do I start………..WOW!!! That was a fantastic experience. Thank-you CMT Canada for including the audience & letting BR.com handle the ticket giveaway!!
We arrived at The Revival Nightclub in Toronto around 2:45, traffic was good so we were a bit early. The doors were open & we were the first to arrive. The lady at the door asked my name, I told her & she started searching the list while I got out my photo ID. She didn’t have my name HUH???
She asked what contest I had won, which was the CMT Contest but she didn’t know about it. She was very sweet & said “I guess you wouldn’t be here in the middle of the afternoon if you didn’t win because you wouldn’t know about it.” So she told us that the guest would be waiting in the lounge downstairs so we could go down while she went to find out what was going on. We went downstairs, checked our coats in & went into the lounge. It was very nicely done with a fireplace on one wall the bar beside it & across the room there were cozy booths set up with curtained partitions. They had placed extra chairs around the room for the guests to wait, all in all I think there were around 75 of us, Randy & I being the first to arrive. Apparently one of the radio stations had a contest too. We sat with a sister & brother, who had won their tickets from the BR.com contest & another lady who was alone. They had the doors to the upstairs open so we could hear the goings on. Well to our delight Jim started playing “All I Need”, the "solo" lady & I snuck up the stairs to get a good listen & to our surprise, a good look.
Jim was sitting in the room facing the door, beside him was the beautiful Anne Lindsay. They sang the whole song!! I was surprised we were the only 2 curious enough to venture up to the unexpected preview. The lady waved me over to show me Bazil sitting across the room from Anne then she came over with me & said something along the lines of “oh you can see Jim”. Ooohhh yeeahh I could see Jim!!
Anne Lindsay, to my surprise, recognized me from last week Lula’s show & gave a wave. When the song was finished they started doing whatever so we went back downstairs to finish our wait. Somewhere around 4:15 they came in to tell us they would be letting us up in about 20mins. so if we needed to use the washrooms to do so because once we were seated we were “stuck” there till it was over. The first group to go in were the winners of the radio station contest, of course we were all concerned that they were getting the choice seats.
Then they asked for the CMT winners. We all lined up but they took a group of 4 first. They then came in for a group of 5, that worked out great for the 5 us who had just spent a pleasant hour getting to know a little bit about each other & especially great for "solo" lady who then could sit with us instead of alone. Up we went. The room was set up so cozy it looked like a living room. The band members each had there own chair, lamp & rug. Jim had a side table with a lava lamp on it & there were lava lamps in different areas of the room. On the one side there were benches set up along the one wall behind Jim, Anne & Bob Packwood. Right across the room there from where we came in were chairs setup between & right behind Jim & Colin Cripp. Right in front of the bar they sat Bazil & Joel Anderson with his drums. They ask us to be careful for the wires & equipment & proceeded to lead us to the 5 chairs right between Jim & Colin ~ Whooaaaa!!~ They sat us & asked if we could keep it down because Jim was right behind us with the CMT crew giving an interview. Everyone was finished being seated so we all just waited while Jim finished up. There was a balcony over the entrance with a glass railing & that is where the radio contest winners were seated. They were good seats but I think the CMT winners were definitely the luckier ones.
The interview was over & Jim came around to his chair. As he was entering he stopped by the five of us for handshakes & hellos. He was teasing that we were probably going to be the hecklers so we did what we could to fulfill our title. He sat on his chair & made a comment about the chair being hard. I suggested that they should at least give him a cushion but he said he didn’t deserve it. The band took their places & then we got read the “riot’ act. A gentlemen from CMT had to read a legal “speech” for our permission to use our image, conversation etc, etc….. which we had to agree with to stay. As if we wouldn’t!! They started the show with “The Light That Guides You Home” I thought it was done to perfection. Between songs Jim talked to the guests around him. Jim made a comment that he thought us 5 must be the V.I.P. sections seating back there. We had to agree, they definitely were good seats!! When Jim was finished getting powered he suggested to the girl that she do our section because we were looking a little shiny.
The 2nd selection was “Married Again”. Jim sang the whole song solo. I guess Kathleen couldn’t join them. The small audience was really very quiet. We all clapped between the songs but everyone was so calm. Personally I was having trouble sitting still. Especially for that song, it is my dance around the livingroom song, so I hope some chair dancing wasn’t out order & if it was well to bad it’s too late now. After the song Jim wanted to take a poll to see how many thought that Heather Mills was lying about Paul throwing things at her, the Yes hands won but a lot of the people didn’t have an opinion. Maybe peeps were shy because of the cameras.
Colin Cripp kept an eye on our section & he was very entertaining. He’d turn too say something or to ask us what we thought, if everything sounded okay. He was a real treat!! The band then sang “All I Need”, lovely just lovely!! Jim decided to conduct polls between songs so he asked us about the (ahem) “charming” politician who referred to his ex-lover as a dog, owed the lady an apology. It must have been the first time Anne heard of it because she gasped & looked shocked to hear that. The vote was divided for that one but then most people didn’t vote again. Jim then asked what we thought about Madonna adopting the young boy. If the child was better off for it, most who voted agreed. Jim made some funny remarks about it. One remark he wouldn’t finish because he said the cameras were rolling. He said he didn’t mind us knowing that side of him but not everyone. Geez doesn’t he know you can’t start saying something to us ladies & then leave us hanging.
Jim started back with “5 Days In May” WooHoo!! It was awesome!! That song got the band off there chairs. Anne & Jim were up for Anne’s fiddle solo wow~wow~wow~ ! Then Colin & Jim got up for Colin’s solo, again wow~wow~wow!! After that wild one Jim moved over to the piano for “Pull Me Through” it was sooooo beautiful!! When Jim was finished he said he made a big mistake in it. None of us noticed.
Jim welcomed Oh Susannah to help out vocally with a couple of the songs. They sang “Falling” & “What She Said”, oh yeah!! That one is my favorite off the new CD & I was sooo hoping he would sing it. They really sounded great together. When Oh Susannah left they sang “Will I Be Waiting”. Then we were treated to another BR song “It Could Happen To You” Before this song Jim told Anne to feel free because he “didn’t want to have to come over there .” They left their chairs for that one too. And as far as chair dancing etiquette, there was none, at least for me!! To finish off they played the wild & wonderful “Stagger In”. Oops, part way through Jim stopped. He said it wasn’t right so they started again. Everyone was still bopping from “It Could Happen” & it went great!! Bazil was really getting into it, you go Baz!! Jim was sweating so he had to have powder again & Colin was curious as to why he was the only who had broke a sweat. So Jim took a quick assessment & noticed that Bazil & Joel also broke a sweat. Jim then pointed this out to Colin & apparently the powder lady who gave Bazil a quick facial powder.
They had to redo the first songs for whatever reason, I thought they sounded great, but hey I ain’t complaining!! Jim told the audience that we all agreed to stay as long as it took as part of that contract. Randy asked Jim if he would stay as long as we took also but Jim said he didn’t agree to that. Oh well we tried!! So we got another wonderful “The Light That Guides You Home”. After the song Jim turned to Colin & asked if that one was better, Colin nodded then turned to us & asked us if it was. I told him him it was good but they could do it again if they wanted. He is such a sweetheart he really added to my whole experience there. They all got ready and gave us another fun rendition of “Married Again”. When the song was over everyone gave them standing ovation. Jim got up & went around the room shaking everyone’s hand. Jim started heading out when he got swarmed by the crowd for autographs & pics. We got trapped in behind the crowd so we just waited around. Anne Lindsay came over to say hi & Colin came back to shake hands. Finally the crowd was asked to leave, so everyone started to exit. Then Jim sat down at the piano & started to play “Pull Me Through”. The lady flying solo was still at the back of the room alone so I asked the director if it was okay if we stayed & listened. He said no problem if we stood back by the door. So we ended the concert with a piano solo from Jim, it was beautiful!!
It was such a different experience. The band seemed more relaxed & laid back then at a concert setting. Jim was great during & between the songs, what an awesome entertainer. And Colin, well you all know what I think of Colin!! The whole band was really excellent! Maybe they’ll invite me to another party sometime!! (one can only hope)
Thanks Again CMT Canada & BR.com!!
Preview:
All I Need
Setlist:
The Light That Guides You Home
Married Again
All I Need
5 Days in May
With Oh Susannah:
Falling
What She Said ~*sigh*
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It Could Happen To You
Stagger In
Redos:
The Light That Guides You Home
Married Again
Not too shabby of a way to spend a Monday afternoon!!
"How the best things are won with sacrifice"