Masters of Harmony

The Masters Raised the Roof of the New Fox Performing Arts Center

February 27, 2010

Gary Ewald, Mar 2, 2010

For most of us, the performance is the payoff for all the time spent practicing, the time away from home and family, and all the other sacrifices made on behalf of this hobby. Each of us loves to sing for the sake of singing (and ringing), but when we carry that song across the footlights and touch the hearts of our audience, our passion is fulfilled.

Last Saturday night at the Fox, I had the pleasure of sitting on the audience side of the footlights. In fact, I was in Row 1 where I had an all-new perspective and appreciation of the show. I was so close I could count dental fillings as the quartets sang. That seat is not the best way to appreciate overall choreography or hear the chorus blend, but it sure did give me a close-up appreciation of the passion and feeling pouring off that stage and out into the audience. As I looked up at one of the quartets doing a particularly touching ballad, at least two of the four lads had wet eyes . . . if not wet cheeks. As I looked to the left and right, the couples on either side definitely had the wet cheek thing going on. I think I could recap the quality and impact of the entire show as simple as that.

After the initial gasps at the outset of “Harmony,” the rest was simply a roller coaster ride of emotion. Much of this audience was new to us and our musical style. Lots of folks said they really didn’t know what to expect when they bought tickets, but it was worth the price of admission just to see the newly reconstructed Fox Theatre. In the same breath they couldn’t say enough about their wonderful experience throughout the evening. As Bill Rosica said of the show, “We weren’t just a hit, we were a home run.” If you talked to anyone from the audience after the show, I’m sure you would concur with Bill. The quartets and chorus were their usual glorious selves. Enough said!

You will agree that this turned out to be a transitional event for us. We have moved up a notch in terms of our association with highly recognized names in show business. Our entire ticket sales were through Ticketmaster without the need to solicit friends and neighbors. We had representation in high quality print material, saturation radio on KTIE, and gigantic billboards on the interstate freeways. What’s exciting is that the theatre management is already talking in terms of next year!

In short, the facility was new and wonderful; the show was great and well-received. It was a delight to watch the new Fox building come alive and the project come together over the past two years. In only the fourth performance at the Fox, you all did yourselves, the city, and a historic theatre tradition proud.