La Luna World Tour
March 10, 2001
Winnipeg Arena Theatre Bowl
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
CONCERT REVIEW
This was our second encounter with Sarah Brightman's La Luna World Tour Show, so we had a reasonable idea what we would experience on this night. But knowing how diverse Sarah can be at performing her music, and the fact that she does alter her programme somewhat from concert to concert, meant that it would be another unique and incredible happening! Couple that with the fact that at the first concert we were in the balcony right at the back, and now so close in fifth row center, our whole perspective on the show would be quite different.
The arena was in complete darkness as the show started and Sarah sang the opening strains of La Lune. We waited anxiously for her to emerge from this abyss. When she reached the main verse of the song the spotlight suddenly found her at center stage in a long skirt with a long slit on one side, and black boots. There was a string section to her right, and the other musicians were to her left. A staircase up to a second level split the two sections in half. As the song moved seamlessly into Winter in July, Sarah was joined by dancers flanking her on either side. This ethereal pop song contains a very strong meaning and lots of rhythm. It was well performed, and included some very elegant dancing during the non-vocal parts. She then sang the traditional folk song Scarborough Fair, which I'm certain was familiar to everyone in attendance. And Sarah performed it so very beautifully that by the time this set concluded she had captured everyone's heart. An incredibly warm sunny smile graced us at the end of this song, and would continue to do so throughout the performance. These three selections were all taken from her new superb album La Luna.
At the conclusion of this set Sarah thanked the audience for coming to the show, and told everyone that she would be performing a variety of music not only from La Luna, but also from some of her previous albums. She then sang the Queen song Who Wants To Live Forever (Time To Say Goodbye), poised at center stage with what seemed like wind blowing against her. This is an absolutely gorgeous song, very ethereal, and it was extremely well performed. The oohs in this song sent the usual chills up my spine. The focus then shifted back to La Luna for the next four selections. The latin-tinged Hijo de la Luna was next, starting off and finishing with Sarah sitting on the staircase. She sings this song so elegantly with her sweet little pixie voice. She then changed into a big wire hoop skirt and moved into the very dark and mysterious Figlio Perduto, as the moon ascended into the night sky. This music is from the awesome seventh symphony of Ludwig Van Beethoven, and the vocals were absolutely fantastic! The album's title track La Luna was next, sung beautifully to the music of Antonin Dvorak. Sarah's amazing and incredible voice shifts dominated this song, and I believe it really wowed the audience! All I could say was "what a voice!" The final piece in this La Luna set was the stunning song La Califfa, whose music was penned by Ennio Morricone. This is my personal favourite on the album, and it brought tears to my eyes as usual. This song in particular I find really showcases Sarah's gorgeous crystalline voice!
There was another costume change into a very sparkly dress for the very lovely Pie Jesu from Lloyd Webber's Requiem. The stage set was very cathedral like, effectively produced by a superb lighting scheme. Sarah's incredible vocals were once again front and center as she sang this song so exquisitely. The final piece in the first half was Puccini's Turandot aria Nessun Dorma (Eden), and Sarah had long red cloths draped from her shoulders where she was perched atop the stairs, down to the stage below. There was a halo of stars around her head. How appropriate that was... the "Angel of Music". She proved once again just how incredibly talented she is as she tackled a very difficult piece of music with apparent ease. She hit and held that high note at the end of the aria without a quiver in her voice. Simply amazing!
The second half of the show began with Siren (Dive), which featured Sarah suspended high in the air and behind a sheer curtain with special lighting to simulate being underwater. The curtains opened as this song then flowed seamlessly into Deliver Me (Eden), with acrobatic dancers suspended on either side of her, and a large globe on the stage below. This is a very spiritual and soulful song, amazingly delivered from soaring heights above the stage. Next was the ethereal He Doesn't See Me (La Luna), so beautifully sung by Sarah. The pop standard A Whiter Shade Of Pale (La Luna) came after that, and it featured Sarah dressed in a white gown-like outfit. The song was launched with white sparklers shooting down from above the entire width of the stage for several seconds. The Gibb brothers penned First of May (Fly II) was featured next on the programme, complete with snow falling out of what seemed like nowhere.
The show then moved into a Phantom of the Opera set, featuring Twisted Everyway, and then the instrumental Phantom of the Opera Suite, very skillfully played by the musicians, with the effective use of the fog machine, and a big flash of light that blinded you for a second. Sarah then sang the short song Little Lotti, and moved right into Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, my favourite from the Phantom of the Opera. This song touched my soul once again, as it usually does, sung in such incredibly moving fashion. She concluded the Phantom set with one of her favourites, The Music of the Night. Sarah sings these songs with an obvious emotional attachment that she has for music that was crafted specifically for her voice.
At the conclusion of the Phantom set, Sarah again thanked everyone for coming and announced her final piece, Time To Say Goodbye (Time To Say Goodbye EP). This threw me off a bit, as this piece of music is usually the last encore piece, and signals the end of her concert. This to me is her signature piece, and it is such an incredibly beautiful song that you can't help but love it! Sarah sings a slightly different version of it than we are accustomed to, which again shows how diversified and talented this lady really is.
After a long standing ovation and plenty of cheering, Sarah emerges to perform some encores. She starts off with A Question of Honour (Fly), whose opening and closing is taken from one of my favourites, Catalani's opera aria La Wally. She sings from the top of the stairs, and just before the song transforms into the main part of A Question of Honour, she is launched into the air suspended only by wires to perform this upbeat song, and she also performs a somersault while floating up there. The song then concludes by transforming back into La Wally, as she descends gracefully down to the main stage for this reprise. She hits that high note in this song like no one else can, sending chills up my spine once again. Towards the conclusion of this piece cannons shoot thousands of bits of blue and white tissue paper into the air, which come floating down upon us. After another standing ovation and plenty of cheering, Sarah emerges for her final encore piece, sitting on a ball at the front of the stage to sing Henry Mancini's beautiful Moon River (La Luna), which she delivers so exquisitely and emotionally that it brings tears to my eyes. When the song concludes, Sarah again flashes that warm sunny smile, and gives a little sort of nod to the audience, and then turns her head and does this once again as she strides offstage. Yet another long standing ovation and plenty of cheering says farewell to Sarah, and ends an absolutely superb concert!
This was another absolutely amazing concert! It was similar in some ways to the previous one we had experienced, but at the same time it was quite different. And being so close to the stage had certainly made it a totally different type of experience. It was obvious that the audience was totally thrilled and captivated by Sarah's performance, and they certainly had received top-notch entertainment! For an arena the sound was very good, at least from where we were. My preference would have been the concert hall, but its size would have necessitated two shows to accommodate all of Sarah's loyal fans. The lighting and special effects were very effectively used, and the accompanying musicians and choir were excellent. For myself just to hear Sarah sing is a real treat, but the extras make it a complete experience for your ears and your eyes! And what can you say about that stunning voice and warm infectious smile! It is quite evident to me that Sarah Brightman is a real "star', very warm and sincere, and such a very beautiful person from the inside out. She performs with a real passion and flair for music, and the results are absolutely stunning! I am certain that this remarkable performance showed our city what I have known all along, that Sarah is truly THE GREATEST!
Bravo Sarah!! We Love You!!
Thank you so much for bringing us the greatest show on earth!!
So you would never imagine that after such an awesome show, the best was yet to come! But it did indeed transpire, as we were soon about to meet the 'star' of the show backstage! Find out more.
Here is the list of songs performed at the concert.
