It was a unique pleasure to attend Laura's concert at
the Turning Stone Casino Resort on September 20. I have not had the opportunity
to see her live for some time, so this was a treat!
Laura
looked very elegant in her long black jacket &
black slacks, white blouse and of course her glasses (Laura, you look
GREAT in those glasses -- very classy & cool!). Her set list included
all her hits like "Spanish Eddie", "The Lucky One", "Ti Amo", "Solitaire",
"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", "How Am I Supposed To Live Without
You", "Self Control", and of course "Gloria". I especially enjoyed her
stunningly emotional live rendition of her up and coming release "I Know
You By Heart." When she sang through this song, it was evident that she
was thinking of a "very special" person in her life, and that
the memories evoked by singing the song even broke her at one point close
to the end;
but the audience was so touched by that display of reality and emotion
in her. To me, that's one thing that makes Laura rise so high above all
other singers in her class; that she is willing to sing a song that hits
so many emotional buttons for her, and she's unafraid to express those
emotions onstage.
Another
thing that struck a good chord in me was the reaction of the audience.
I didn't really see anyone unaffected by Laura's
singing; everyone was into every song, and by the time "Gloria" came
around, everyone was standing, clapping, and dancing. And I saw first-hand
that night how Laura, as she said in her LauraBraniganOnline.com interview, "feeds" off the reactions of the audience, and that energy
bounces back to the audience... it all combines into a great experience
for everybody!
Finally, it was great to not only hear one song from Laura's upcoming
CD, but two: her double encore ended with "I Can See Again." Everyone
I talked to after the concert all agreed this song is destined to be
a major hit. This song seems to me to be along the lines of Gloria Estefan's
"Coming Out Of The Dark", like "I Can See Again" is an
emotional stepping back "into
the light" for Laura.
This
concert was a wonderful opportunity for me to see and hear Laura live
again, and to meet with her after the show, and to
get a hug and an autograph. It was also a pleasure for me to meet and
talk with some fans before, during, and after the show. Thanks to everyone
from
the casino, Laura's management team, her band, and from LauraBraniganOnline.com
for making this evening great! Chaim Weitzner
Detroit, MI |