A Summer Symphony

I was the girl who contorted Italian around her English-oriented tongue, the girl who insisted her future wedding song would be "You Raise Me Up" sung live, but imagined the musician and her groom to be one and the same.

I was the girl who spent $75 on an AWAKE concert sweatshirt using the money I'd gotten from my dad as a reward for my good grades. Seven years later I still wear that sweatshirt even with the fuzz on the lettering and the rips on the sleeves, revealing the pink underneath.

Every morning I wake up in my bed and am graced with the lithograph from the concert hanging on the opposite wall - an image from the Awake tour, number 616/1000. Josh is mid-stride as he steps down into an beautiful room from an open window. The sun seeps through, reflective of the light that pervades the songs included on Awake, and he is refreshed and moved into action by its touch.

His music has always been that inspiration for me.

From carrying around my mom's Josh Groban CD (the self-titled debut album) and claiming it as my own, to blasting his discography archived in my iPod as I drive through my hometown, letting the sweeping violins drown out the throb of bass from the car nearby, Josh Groban and his music has been an important part of my life.

There have been a bunch of albums and tours and specials and guest appearances since the Awake Tour, and I was only just able to see him perform again, this time for the Summer Symphony Tour which came near my area for two days. The trip to Wolf Trap National Park in Vienna, VA was only about an hour and a twenty, but we made some maneuvering to avoid 495 around DC (lesson learned the hard way) - longer drive, but much less sitting in traffic.

The Filene Center is absolutely stunning, wooden and rustic against an orange sun set, nothing a picture can truly capture. For my birthday back in July, my mom covered the cost of my ticket and bought me a lager while we waited for the center to open. In the meantime, we also perused the program and enjoyed sitting out in the lawn. I also spent another $75 on merchandise (actually more, but let's ignore that).

Soon after everyone was seated the show began. There was no opening act, but the Wolf Trap Orchestra was tuning on stage before Josh came out. An orchestra tuning is one of my favorite sounds, despite how the chaos of how the notes may clash. It's about the anticipation, not the actual sound.

During his performance, Josh explained that he wanted to take advantage of the full orchestra, so he included songs that utilized the flourish of strings and swelling instrumentals. Many of these were language heavy - "Alejate," "Caruso," "Voce Existe Em Mim" and more.

He also performed "Falling Slowly" from the musical Once, which he'd arranged as a solo for his latest album All That Echoes, showing off his range and turning me into a puddle of goo. With his admiration for musical theater, he also teased an upcoming theater-inspired album and performed a Sondheim medley that included "Not While I'm Around" from Sweeney Todd, and "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods, both songs melding together seamlessly.

He sang songs he'd covered on his albums: "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)" written by Don McLean, "Play Me" by Neil Diamond, and "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever) by Stevie Wonder.

Then there was "You Raise Me Up" which closed the set and a simple arrangement of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" which he dedicated to Robin Williams.

After the show, we ran into the violinist who was promoting his website and work right outside of the women's restroom. I walked away with a promotional card, a picture, and a button that says "I <3 Christian Hebel." He was really sweet to talk to and an absolutely amazing musician. In the middle of the set, Josh walked away for an instrumental transition between songs. Christian Hebel performed one of his own compositions that led into a powerful cover of "Dream On." Josh then joined in on the drums before the music transitioned into "Voce Existe Em Mim." Here is a video of this medley, taken by a fan at a performance last year.

Hearing that Josh might show, we waited by the "stage door" - really it was the exit by the tour buses. After maybe half an hour or longer, Josh came out to sign a few things, but they were short for time so he was rushed along rather quickly. I was one of the lucky ones, and Josh scribbled his signature onto my program from Wolf Trap. I had to be pretty pushy though; I probably sounded like one of those gulls from Finding Nemo: Mine! Mine! Except it was "Josh! Josh!" I forgive myself for my crazy fangirling though, because that little scribble of ink meant the world to me, the perfect gift to wrap up what was an unforgettable show.

Edited June 2016 from post originally published August 23, 2014 via Wordpress

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