Solidarity: After the Storm
- Kris
- Jun 16, 2014
- 2 min read
Three years ago to the day, I stood in the far back of Irving Plaza and had my first bite of a live Darren Criss show, not really understanding the extent to which this man would be a part of my life for the next few years, his music as solid as any friend and his heart as important to me as my own. Despite being so far back in the standing room crowd that I could’ve turned around and greeted the bartenders, every part of me was emotionally attached to that stage, especially when he started singing “Not Alone” which, at the time, was still so visibly the gauze that kept me together.
Since then, we’ve watched the song grow from the intimately sweet piano song he self-recorded to this giant anthem accompanied by a full orchestra and a chorus of voices that reaffirm that we are not on our own in times of strife.
Fast-forward to June 15, 2014 at the Kennedy Center, where mid-show Darren sang “Not Alone” as a celebration of the resilience of the people of the Philippines and the generosity of our communities in aiding the efforts to rebuild after the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan. The arrangement filled the concert hall with sweeping strings, a percussive heartbeat, and the swell of the choir's harmonies around Darren's vocals.
Remembering how “Not Alone” had become almost corporeal in the way I always reached out for it, I felt honored to witness it build within the walls of the Kennedy Center and unite the people of the Philippines, America and the World.
Also united by the benefit were the performing arts - from opera to musical theater to pop and even ballet. The chills that ran up my back while Lea Salonga belted the conclusion of her "On My Own / I Dreamed a Dream" medley joined the goose bumps on my arms from the lamenting wail of Philippe Quint’s violin as we remembered the victims of the typhoon and the lives lost. The exuberance of Lea and Darren’s duet on “A Whole New World” matched equally with that of the duet later in the evening between Darren and apl.de.ap with “Where Is the Love" while Lou Diamond Phillipes pranced around on stage.
Both joyful and solemn, After the Storm: A Benefit Concert for the Philippines was an eclectic program that brought people from all walks of life and performing arts from across musical styles together under one roof with the overarching notion that we are never alone, just as Darren assures in his song. I know it's biased to say that Darren's performance was the highlight of the show (even though it actually was for me), but I also know it to be true that the song, at the least, most captured the intricacies of what the night was really about, both the sorrow and the hope.
Edited May 2016 from post published June 16, 2014 via Wordpress
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