Yanni Voices: My Concert Experience

 

My mind is still in some sort of musical bliss today after being able to experience Yanni Voices live in concert in Detroit, MI last night. Honestly, I have never been so moved by a concert. 

Let me start at the beginning. My mom and I arrived at the will call window to pick-up our tickets before the show. We were surprised and very excited to see that we would be sitting on the floor only 6 rows away from the stage. (Thank you One2One Network for your generosity.) We loved every second of the show and did not want it to end at all.

The vocalists were simply outstanding and breathtaking. I could not believe the purity and strength behind each voice. Each vocalist had something different to add to our experience and I loved every performance.

The musicians were simply out of this world. The talent each individual musician held was...well...unbelievable. There were solos scattered throughout the night from drummers, a guitarists, violinists, and more. I shook my head in awe at each one and I wish I could show you a clip of each one. (Can you tell I'm having a hard time finding the words to describe the concert? It was all too much to take in.)

I happen to be a big fan of Nathan Pacheco. His voice is phenomenal and it gave me goosebumps to hear it in person. Here's a video of my favorite "Nathan Pacheco song"; Adagio in C Minor.

My other favorite song of the night was from Leslie Mills. It's called "Before the Night Ends". She told me after the show that she really had to search herself for the lyrics to this song as she wrote it to a classic Yanni piece. What she created is beautiful, peaceful, and hopeful. 

There was a funny moment during the show that I just HAVE to share. During a quiet moment, Yanni was speaking about the next song to be performed. A girl in the audience yelled out "I love you, Yanni" to which he replied (lathered in his wonderful accent), "I love you too." He then continued to talk about the song when a man yelled out, "Yanni! I love you, Yanni!". The audience burst into laughter and Yanni politely replied, "This is the quiet part of the show." Of course, everyone really started laughing after that and I felt badly for poor Leslie who had to keep her composure and sing after everyone calmed down. 

Finally, I MUST, MUST share about the meet and greet after the show. Those who had passes were whisked away down the back stairways and hallways of the Palace of Auburn Hills and lead to the area where we were to wait. Moments later, the vocalists themselves came to talk with us, take pictures, and sign autographs. Each person was so gracious and giving of their time. 

Ender Thomas was the first of the vocalists I was able to talk to. He politely asked me if he could give me a hug and he signed my Cd cover for me. He also took time to greet my baby bump (so sweet). Leslie Mills was the next for me to meet. She asked about my blog and I asked her about songwriting. She was sweet and beautiful. I wished I had more time to spend speaking with her. I was able to meet Chloe next and share with her how much I enjoyed her performance. (She loves to dance). Finally, I met Nathan Pacheco. He shared with me how much he enjoyed seeing some parts of Michigan. I wondered where else he had traveled but had very limited time to speak to him since he was being rushed to his bus with the rest of the vocalists.

Here are some pictures of the night.

Here are all 4 vocalists performing their last song of the night.

 

I know..."Surprise!" Here, Ender and I are looking for a silver sharpie. We found one. :)

 

Ender Thomas and Leslie Mills

Chloe and Ender were singing "Happy Birthday" to this lucky lady. :)

 Nathan Pacheco

In short, if you have an opportunity to see Yanni Voices in concert, jump on it. You won't regret it at all. 

*Special shout out to Beth, Michelle, and Courtney. It was lovely to have met some local bloggers.

*I received complimentary tickets and backstage passes to this concert in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no other compensation. Thanks to One2One Network for the opportunity.*