ANDRE RIEU FAN SITE THE HARMONY PARLOR

Tampa, Florida April 26, 2008 ~ Andre’ Rieu Concert
"Andre Rieu In Wonderland"
By NAN from Tampa!

This would be my first Andre’ Rieu concert to attend to see this wonderful performer as well as the Johann Strauss Orchestra and soloists.

We have seen Andre’ on PBS, but never experienced seeing him in person. It was a beautiful evening in Tampa to attend a concert, especially an Andre’ Rieu concert. We had VIP seating so we were able to get in through these "special magical doors" to find our seats on the floor level. We were in row 20 and we were lucky to have isle seating. To the rear of us were two cameras and some sound equipment in a bull pin area. This rose my curiousity because I thought they were going to be doing some filming for PBS and I would be on television. Yes, we would be a star on television along with Andre’! Well after asking the usher, he said "yes, they were filming the production this evening" but he didn’t know if it was for PBS. I then went to the front stage, because I was curious to see if the flowers along the stage front were real. Upon checking this out, I heard these fans (ages 7 to 65 years old) in the background "screaming" are they real? Are they real? I turned around and looked at around 40 fans or so asking this question, and announced "No, but they sure feel like it" to me! They were satisfied with my answer and I guess they wanted me to look to see if the flowers were real instead of them. After I left the stage area, there were other fans attempting to see if the flowers were real too! One fan, around the age of 5 years old, attempted to put a real red rose in with the other flowers. His mom helped him accomplish this task. He was so cute.

Now, to find out about those video cameras, I went back to the bull pin area. By this time, I talked to a really nice Frenchman who was at camera number one. I slowly asked my question. He could not understand English fluently so he asked that I speak slowly. I asked if they were filming this for PBS. He said very nicely, "madam, the answer is no". He went on to explain that the cameras were used to show the stage performers on the television screens on each side of the stage. "Merci’, I said". After talking with him a while, he further announced that he had been doing the video for Andre’ since the Chicago concert. The Miami concert would be his last until he does it in May. He works out of Montreal, Canada. I found all of this very interesting and informative. I thought, finally, I got to say some words in French. (You probably have guessed it by now, I am very curious)

Now, it was getting close to 8:00 P.M….and I was getting excited as well as my guest. I had my digital camera ready. I knew I would not get any good photos from row 20, but I thought why not. Upon turning around, I saw at the right tunnel, (at the back of the floor seating) no other than the real "Andre" standing with quite a few of the Johann Strauss Orchestra musicians getting ready to march down the isle. I wanted to get Andre’s photo. So I went as close as I could, and a body guard said "You cannot be back here young lady". Well, I heard Andre’ say, "Let her take a photo"! So, I did. Now, I would not tell everyone to do this. The body guard did not look too happy, but it was fun and a great experience. The music began, and since I was on an isle seat, I was able to see a lot of the Johann Strauss orchestra musicians come marching down the isle along with Andre’ in the lead. They all said "hi to me" as I caught eye contact with each as they proceeded down the isle. This was a thrill. I was just so excited to see him and the musicians looking at me while marching down the isle. It was like they did in New York City….marching down the isles.

The evening was beautiful listening to all the great songs from Strauss to Broadway to John Phillip Sousa to Calypso. Andre’ was in great spirits, telling his lovely stories, along with one that was the "winking Beethoven" and the banner reading "If it ain’t Dutch, it ain’t much" written by a fan. The Scherezade 7 Veils piece was very beautifully done. You may have to correct me about this piece as I don’t know the title. Well, the "Platinum Tenors" were on the stage about three times during the performance. Of which, they did a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti which was very moving. Mirusia sang "Alva Maria" and brought down the house with this first solo performance. Her second song was "Memories" again was just beautiful. The new soloist, is "Donij" who did "Song of Vilja". She is from Maastricht and was recognized at the top of her class at a singing academy in Maastricht. Andre found this new talent. She has a beautiful voice just like Carmen. They both have two different styles of singing. You will appreciate each soloist for each of their talents. Andre’ kept enunciating our city’s name: "’TAM’ PA "and made some comical jokes. He does keep his humor alive and well. When Andre’ did his first concert in the United States, it was here in ‘TAM’ PA". I believe that was in 1988.

The show must go on. ….He did have some new songs and played some old numbers. Of course the "Blue Danube" was done! The Platin Tenors brought the house down with "This Land is Mine"! Andre did mention about "PEACE" around the world and that our children are the future. This was done beautifully and elegantly. It made you think what America was all about today. Besides all the beautiful music, you did get to see the audience just enjoying themselves whether they were as young as 5 years old or a mom and dad to teenagers to grandmothers and grandfathers. It truly was an experience to see how many people love his music and drove over 150 miles to see him.

In closing, of course, an Andre’ concert is not complete without all the balloons coming down from above! You heard a lot of popping from the audience. You do get to participate in Andre’s concerts. He had an audience participation in the middle part of his concert too. We had to "whistle" and "clap our hand" to the beat of the music! See if you can do that at the same time! We enjoyed the many encores, especially the patriotic ones. It brought tears of joy, melancholy, pride and sentiment to everyone.

Even though you did not have the skits like in the DVD of "Andre’ Rieu in Wonderland or hear Suzan Erens, Carmen and Carla perform, you will not miss a fantastic evening filled with wonderful musical performances by Andre’ and the Johann Strauss Orchestra and hear Mirusia and Donji sing along with the other talents in the concert. The Platin Tenors were there to captivate you with their memorable songs. Since the stage dimensions prevented more lavish productions like in the DVD, there were still beautiful backgrounds on the stage throughout the concert.

Since this was my first Andre’ concert, I will not forget this one! You will not be disappointed! On a last note, we met fans from all over central and east coast/west coast Florida that attended this concert, from Sarasota, Winter Haven, Orlando, Coco Beach and Fort Myers, Florida who all joined in and had a special night listening to the music we love. The audience was not disappointed in what they experienced this exceptional night.

After Andre’ left the stage along with the performers, we knew the concert was over and we headed for the "special magical doors"! Now we know why they called them magical because it was a "magical performance" of "Andre’ Rieu in Wonderland"! By the way, one of the ushers waved his "wand" and their appeared an elf who gave us a ride in a golf cart to our car after the concert was over. The elf told us that there were 8,000 people attending this magical performance in Tampa. It was more than an enriching performance with a perfect ending to a perfect day. Please don’t miss this concert if Andre’ is coming to your city in the future.