How better to end a year than to travel to the city that gave forth the talent of Taylor Hicks and watch him perform on the Workplay stage! It was a night to remember for all who attended, not just in terms of Taylor Hicks, himself, but in terms of what the show was really all about – the music. It was chance to greet old friends met over the years of traveling. From opening acts to special guests, Taylor showed us his musical spirit and generosity, a rare opportunity to see him give to others their special moment to shine.
The opening act was a young man, Carson James, only 16 years old, has had struggles few of the Soul Patrol have known. While battling cancer this past summer and undergoing chemo, still managed to write music and be a typical teenager. It was his girlfriend’s 16th birthday and he dedicated a song to her as she stood near the stage among the many Taylor fans.
The highlight of the evening with Carson was Taylor Hicks taking the stage with him to sing “Superstition”. Carson wanted Taylor to play the harp, but Taylor was content to sing. I’ve seen lots of opening acts for Taylor, but seeing him perform with the opener was first. Carson was just glowing as the two of them teamed their voices to close out Carson’s performance. Here’s to recovery for Carson and long career for the talented young musician we have the opportunity to enjoy!
It was soon time for the leader of the Soul Patrol to take the stage before a sell-out crowd. Taylor Hicks came out in a dark brown shirt, jeans and dark boots. Ah, boots! Luckily, I had a table close to the action, ready to capture the evening with a tripod, video camera and trusty camera. So I think I will let the captures of the evening tell the story for you. But for me, there were highlights of the evening. The first highlight was Ruben Studdard taking the stage
with Taylor to sing “Woman’s Gotta Have It”, one of my favorite songs off “The Distance”. They did a wonderful job on this number! Ruben was my favorite on Season 3, so this was definitely a treat! The second highlight was seeing Clay Connor on the red guitar during “Scarlet Begonia”. Clay, a talented musician and songwriter in his own right, works right beside Taylor as security, personal assistant and stage manager. The third highlight was seeing Carson James comes back out to sing with Taylor during “Bulletproof”, the only top 40s song Taylor performs.
Until next year, when the Traveling Circus hits the road again, have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!
Pictures from the evening
The opening act was a young man, Carson James, only 16 years old, has had struggles few of the Soul Patrol have known. While battling cancer this past summer and undergoing chemo, still managed to write music and be a typical teenager. It was his girlfriend’s 16th birthday and he dedicated a song to her as she stood near the stage among the many Taylor fans.
The highlight of the evening with Carson was Taylor Hicks taking the stage with him to sing “Superstition”. Carson wanted Taylor to play the harp, but Taylor was content to sing. I’ve seen lots of opening acts for Taylor, but seeing him perform with the opener was first. Carson was just glowing as the two of them teamed their voices to close out Carson’s performance. Here’s to recovery for Carson and long career for the talented young musician we have the opportunity to enjoy!It was soon time for the leader of the Soul Patrol to take the stage before a sell-out crowd. Taylor Hicks came out in a dark brown shirt, jeans and dark boots. Ah, boots! Luckily, I had a table close to the action, ready to capture the evening with a tripod, video camera and trusty camera. So I think I will let the captures of the evening tell the story for you. But for me, there were highlights of the evening. The first highlight was Ruben Studdard taking the stage
with Taylor to sing “Woman’s Gotta Have It”, one of my favorite songs off “The Distance”. They did a wonderful job on this number! Ruben was my favorite on Season 3, so this was definitely a treat! The second highlight was seeing Clay Connor on the red guitar during “Scarlet Begonia”. Clay, a talented musician and songwriter in his own right, works right beside Taylor as security, personal assistant and stage manager. The third highlight was seeing Carson James comes back out to sing with Taylor during “Bulletproof”, the only top 40s song Taylor performs.Until next year, when the Traveling Circus hits the road again, have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!
Pictures from the evening
7 comments:
Great post today, Ragsqueen. I was so disappointed that I was unable to get to this show -- sadly, no vacation days left in 2010 -- but when I see that you're attending, I feel a little better because you being there is the next best thing!
Many thanks for all the video you so faithfully bring back for us to enjoy!
a/k/a chill417
Workplay is always special and Taylor seems to "pull out the stops" when he plays there.
How special that Ruben sang with Taylor. I wonder if Ruben has performed on the Workplay Stage during his "leaner" years ( no pun intended )?
The emotional moments generated by young Carson James ; the joyful memories jolted by seeing two former Idol winners together and the "location clicks" that the Soul Patrol were able to capture will be remembered for a long time.
Thanks for taking us along with you through those wonderful videos.
'Til next year.
cath
Yeah for the videos!! Good job on capturing all the songs (and in the set list order I assume). You were obviously sitting in a great spot as you didn't have any interference from people walking, etc. and you didn't miss a facial expression.
I was there but it's wonderful to be able to relive the events of the night over and over.
Another great year following our favorite AI winner. Thanks
WOW - Thank you for these treasures. What a wonderful way to re-live this night. I know you don't always video and I was so surprised to see the whole show! Yeah! It was a very special night.
Hey girl-Even though we were sitting beside each other, you got the best vids-
Thanks for all the efforts to get the whole show-
You got some great angles-
Wonderful media and review, RagsQueen. Thank you for sharing your good time with us! Happy holidays.
Once again, you have given us the very best of the Workplay evening. Your videos tell it all. It looked like a packed house!
It was awesome to see Carson perform with Taylor. No doubt, this will be a memory he will carry with him for many years to come. His enthusiasm and talent were wonderful to watch.
Thank you for all of the videos. I really appreciated watching them. I hope you have many travels in 2011!
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