Hey everyone! I have some fun stuff to share, since I was able to catch WBR’s “I Stand” showcase earlier tonight! It was an incredible show, and as much as I’d love to write out the full review here, I’ve actually already done it elsewhere to allow for it’s super-long length

Idina’s “I Stand”/WBR Showcase Review.

Review contains details about Idina’s live performance, the set list, as well as some great anecdotes that I’m sure she wishes I wasn’t gonna share. Also included are details about after the show, when she was kind enough to come out and say hello to the small group of fans that were invited to come along! So be sure to read the review, and post your thoughts/reactions/questions here or on the LiveJournal page directly.

NOTE: Pictures (and more) will be added ASAP! I just need to get them back, and they’ll be put up immediately. Please check again tomorrow – I wanted to post the review before people got too impatient. Thanks everyone!

The recap is also duplicated below:

Hey Idina fans!

I wanted to write a review thorough enough (and detailed enough) so satisfy you loyal fans out there, so I tried to recount as much as possible. Hopefully it’s to your satisfaction. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any further questions. :)

The show itself took place Thursday evening, Jan. 10, 2008, at 7PM. This special showcase was meant to be Idina’s official “coming out” introduction for Warner Brothers Records, and many (if not ALL) the higher-ups and head honchos were there, including what must have been half the LA company! The venue was called S.I.R., located on the famous Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, and it was decked out in beautiful fuchsia lights on white curtains, purple orchids, and cream/green candles. The mood was definitely chill and fit Idina’s style perfectly. Small tables circled the outside, but most people stood in the center of the room, in front of the stage. All the fans (around 10 of them total were lucky enough to snag a spot on the guest list) stood at the front of the stage, cheering her on with the rest of WBR.

The show kicked off around 7:30PM (a little late, but who’s complaining?), and Idina’s band and back-up singers (2 of them) hit the stage, breaking into the opening chords of (1) ”Better to Have Loved”. Then Idina strode out, looking stunning and adorable and full of excitement! She wore an awesome, flow-y black dress with a goldish-brown belt and a funky gold wrap bracelet (for all you fashion nuts out there who might be interested), and she barely got through the first song before she kicked off her high-heeled boots to get more comfortable.

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Next, she went right into (2) ”Don’t Let Me Down”, which was totally rockin’ and she had a great time working the stage. The crowd was really into it, and cameras were snapping her picture like crazy. There was also some professional filming going on, so we very well might see some of that footage hitting the official website sometime in the near future.

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After the song, she took a moment to say “Hi” to the audience, expressing her deepest gratitude at them all showing up. Some thanks were sent out to [her album producer] Glen Ballard, who wasn’t in attendance, as well as her husband Taye, who was. He sat with his and her family and friends, enjoying every second. Idina had extra special thanks for Taye, since it’s their 5th wedding anniversary, totaling 12 years together. Of course, in typical Idina fashion, she told a quick anecdote about knowing he was “the one” because he was the first man she went to the bathroom in front of. When she was asked for the first time, “How did you know you were in love?”, she responded: “I took a shit… so romantic, huh?” Then she scolded herself for telling “farting stories” in front of everyone on her record label, but as a fan, I know it wouldn’t have been an Idina concert without a little nervous bathroom humor. (She’s going to be so pissed that I posted this online, but… you know what? I don’t care, because I know you all will love it.) :)

Anyways, moving on: After more thanks in Taye’s direction and to a few other important contributors, Idina pulled up the piano stool, kicked up her dress, and settled into (3) ”Where Do I Begin?” This song is just so beautiful, and it seems to have particular significance to her personally (as I’m sure all these tracks do.) But this one seems especially heartfelt, while still being intensely powerful (her belting out the chorus was enough to bring the roof down!) Another Idina-like incident happened during this song, when she flubbed the opening verse not once, but twice in a row. Of course, she was hardly phased and got it spot on during her third go-around. I think these moments really let the people in the audience – who aren’t as familiar with her – get a glimpse of her more raw and personal side that many of her fans have come to love and appreciate from past concerts.

Following the song was definitely one of the cutest moments, when Taye jumped onstage to give her a big hug and kiss. This garnered intense “aww”s from the audience, and I was lucky enough to snap a picture just at the right moment. :)

Quickly, she hopped into her “title track” (which she introduced with an excited grin), (4) ”I Stand”. BOY, is this song powerful live!! Standing right next to the speakers and sub-woofers definitely increased the intensity, as it is incredibly strong and commanding, even just the lyrics alone. With the band and Idina’s vocals added to that, it’s a winning combination. This is a title track Glen and Idina should be very proud of.

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Next, things wound down a bit when Idina took a seat at the keyboard in the center of the stage. She talked for a minute about writing songs with Glen, and Glen asking her specifically to write a quick, upbeat song, since so many of what they had were ballads. This request, of course, led to the opposite happening. Instead, Idina sat at the piano and tinkered out what was to become her first single, (5) ”Brave”, an incredibly beautiful ballad. After a few re-workings of the pedal, Idina began the song alone on the keyboard, playing until the rest of the band joined in and eventually took over. I really love this song, and it was a treat to hear live after listening to the leaked version so many times.

Then came the announcement that Idina was about to sing the last song of the night. I was a little disappointed that we wouldn’t hear more, but it’s hard to complain too much, since what she performed was outstanding. Grabbing the mic, Idina ripped right into (6) ”Gorgeous”, one of my personal favorites and definitely the most radio-friendly on the whole album (who wouldn’t want to jam to that while driving 70mph??) This is such a fun song, and her embellishments at the end are just to die for. Such power, and considering I was right next to the speakers and the bass was so loud, it says a lot that she overpowered all of it and shone through.

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As the song closed, ending the approx 40-45 min set, she waved goodbye to everyone, gave big thanks again, and bounced off-stage. The 10 of us (the fans) were asked to wait by the stage until Idina was done mingling with important people at the label. This lasted awhile, since there were so many people, but one fun thing DID happen while we waited (allow me to divert away from Idina for a moment…)

Not too many celebrities were there besides Taye, who was there for obvious reasons. But one person did catch the eye of quite a few people: Josh Groban! He came out to support his future Chess co-star and past fellow concert performer, and he is probably one of the nicest guys on the planet. He gladly took pictures with those who asked, and since I thought I may never get the chance again, I snuck in for one, too. I casually said, “I’m excited that you’re doing Chess in London”, and he immediately lit up, pointed to the stage and said, “Oh yeah, me too! We’re doing it together!” I confessed by sadness at not being able to go (to which he responded, “Aww, neither day? There are two performances!”) and we had a nice 30-second chat about Europe and the wonders of visiting there for the first time (which I told him I was going to do in June.) He wished me luck on my travels (highly recommending the EuroRail pass as a means of travel), and I wished him luck on his. He was so genuinely sweet, I nearly fainted from a sugar high! And it was so nice to see him come out and support our Idina. :)

Me and Josh Groban :)
As the crowd dwindled down, Idina was finally visible through the mass. She gave her hugs and kisses to the last of the WBR execs and headed our way. By this time, her main WBR manager, Promotions manager, and online promotions team were all waiting with us, and as she came over waving and smiling, one of her people pointed me out. Idina turned to me, giving me such a gracious smile and two of the biggest hugs I’ve ever received! She thanked me profusely for the work I was doing with Idina-Here, to which I could only say it was no trouble at all. While I chatted with her manager (and got a big hug from him too!), Idina went to every waiting fan, signed autographs, answered questions (i.e. “Have you ever watched a performance of Wicked since leaving the show?” Answer: “Yes, when [her good friend] Julia Murney was playing Elphaba in New York.”), and then finally, took pictures with anyone who wanted one. She was so happy and sincere that it was refreshing to see in person how kind she is to her fans.

Finally, she came back to me, giving another hug. I had a special request for her (which will be announced as a surprise another time, heehee – sorry for the tease!), so we sat on the edge of the stage and chatted for a little while. We talked about Chess (she hasn’t even begun to think about it, much less memorize songs, since there’s so much between now and then – like a possible tour!), how I wished she had sung more songs (apparently, so did she, but industry people, she’s been told, like to get IN and OUT, so she settled for 60% of the album’s tracklisting), Josh Groban being in the audience (she’s glad she didn’t know he was there, because it only would have made her more nervous), Idina-Here.com (and how she uses it to figure out what she’s doing that week: “What am I doing today? OH! Singing the National Anthem!”), what my plans were after college graduation, and other randomness that made me happy we had a couple moments to chat. After finishing my ‘special request’, taking a few pictures (all of her WBR reps seemed to pull out their cameras to take one of us), and a parting hug, we said goodbye and I assured her I’d be back whenever she did anything open to the public in Los Angeles.

Me and Idina (more are coming once I get them, ’cause this pic isn’t my fav of me)
And I honestly can’t wait! :D This night was truly amazing and I’m ecstatic that I got the chance to go. OH, and one more thing! I got a sneak-peak at a few pictures from the set of the “Brave” music video, which was shot this week. All I can say (actually, all I was TOLD) is that Idina sitting at a piano is involved. :) And a pretty gosh-darn gorgeous dress! I’m excited to see it, and I may be getting in some teaser screen-captures from the video itself to premiere on Idina-Here.com. So look for that, as well as more about my ‘special request’ from Idina.

TO VIEW MORE PICTURES, CLICK HERE

Hope it wasn’t too long a read. Any and all comments are welcome. :)