Thursday, December 7, 2023
Keith has been practicing for this concert for weeks. After Hours Big Band played as part of the Spring Lake Park concert series and he said it was going to be the hardest concert he had ever played. He had a LOT of high notes. He asked for a mic for his two feature pieces (TWO!) Let it Go to end the first half and In the Unknown to open the second half. During the sound check, he said he didn’t think his mic was on. They said it was.
It wasn’t on during the concert and that was so sad. It wasn’t like you couldn’t hear him at all, because he was playing the melody, but it was so sad. I should have texted Keith during intermission and said I didn’t think the mic was working, but I didn’t. Why? I don’t know. I couldn’t hear him very well, but I wasn’t sure I was supposed to hear him big and loud…then afterward other people had solos that were big and loud and I realized I should have heard him. He told me afterwards that he was purposely holding back to let the electronics do the hard work. Darn.
They had a singer, Reed Grimm, who was absolutely terrific. He was on American Idol (14th place in 2012) and he had LOTS of showmanship. He gave a plug for the show he is in next weekend that sounds terrific – so now we need to go to that.
The potd was taken during the sound check. They played to a full house!
Is Reed’s show – “Who Brought the Humbug”? – We saw that a couple years ago at the Cowles center and it was FABULOUS. He is the son of Colleen Raye, who is a friend of my friend Stacy (from USBank). Colleen and her sister perform often at the Phipps (they are doing a New Years show), and Colleen has occasionally had her (very talented) adult children performing with her. They are all exceptional!
Yes! It is the Humbug show. We are going Thursday night. I had no idea he was her son. She has performed with the Sheldon band and we have seen her at the Phipps. We have tickets to her New Year’s show this year. What a great connection!