Hello again everyone! Firstly, huge apologies for it being so long since my last post, i've been incredibly busy the past few months from going on holiday in September, to working alot since being home and been busy seeing friends. I've finally got a few hours free to write up a new post and I thought, what better post to do than to tell you all about my fabulous evening seeing the wonderful Collabro boys on their UK Home Tour at the London Palladium - hope you enjoy!!
On Thursday 16th November, myself and my friend Dani (among many others obviously) went to see Collabro headline a sold out show at the Palladium - right in the heart of London's West End. For anyone who knows me well enough, you'll know how much I adore those boys and this was actually my 3rd time seeing them this tour - i'd previously been to Southend and Guildford and had amazing evenings at all 3.
Anyway, getting on with the post. We got down to the venue early and met up with a few friends, managed to see the boys before they went in before going to get pre-show food before heading back inside to get ready for our VIP M&G. We checked in, had our m&g, which, as always, was an absolute pleasure, then headed back into the foyer before doors re-opened for the show.
Onto the exciting part - the show!! First up is Philippa Hanna who is the support act on the tour, she supported the boys on their first tour back in 2015 so it's AMAZING to see her back again! Philippa's style of music is more country inspired by her faith, her songs are inspirational and really come from the heart. She openly speaks about her troubles and battles she's faced in life that have led her to being the artist she is today and it really does make me believe there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and if you keep striving for what you want, one day, you can achieve that. Opening up the show Philippa performed one of her own songs 'Happy in my Skin' which, just as the title suggests, is a song about wanting to be comfortable in your own skin and being happy in yourself. She also took us through some other of her original songs including 'Speed of Light', 'Raggedy Doll', 'Arrow', and my personal favourite - 'I Am Amazing'. This song is truly inspiring and makes me feel that I am who I am for a reason and I should accept that, no matter how difficult that may be for me. I absolutely adore this incredible lady and I highly recommend anyone who doesn't yet know of her, check her out - I guarantee you won't be disappointed!
Around 8.00, Collabro come on and open with 'This is the Moment' from Jekyll and Hyde, following this they perform 'Send in the Clowns' and two songs great for Disney fans - 'Beauty and The Beast' and 'Journey to the Past'. I'm not gonna lie, I got a tiny bit emotional during the opening, simply because it was amazing to see them shining on a West End stage and looking so happy. After a few more songs, the boys introduce their special guest - Carly Paoli, perform 'Over The Rainbow' with her before leaving the stage for Carly to perform 2 of her own songs from her debut album. Carly is absolutely stunning and has a beautiful voice and i'm sure she has a bright future ahead of her.
Once the boys re-appear they take us through more songs including a Les Mis medley including Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, I Dreamed A Dream and Bring Him Home - now I LOVE Les Mis and I may have shed a tear or two (okay, alot) during this - apologies to anyone who had to see me ball my eyes out! We also get some more upbeat songs like Don't Rain on my Parade before the interval. The second half kicked off with the boys performing Bui Doi from Miss Saigon followed by a Lion King mashup of Circle of Life and He Lives in You performed with a fantastic children's choir. Moving away from the musical theatre for a moment, they perform a fab version of Mumford & Son's song 'I Will Wait' before Carly comes back for 2 more songs.
Going back up-tempo, the boys perform Frank Sinatra's 'That's Life' which definitely had me dancing in my seat a bit (I secretly wanted to stand up and dance but didn't want to be the only one doing so!) After this, the boys talk to the audience about the first ever original song 'Lighthouse' and how they released it recently as a charity single with all proceeds going to the charity Save The Children - this comes after Michael was unfortunately caught up in Hurricane Irma whilst on holiday in September. This song definitely tugs at the heart strings whenever I listen to it, they always dedicate this to their fans and it's truly a beautiful song for everyone to check out. Back to musical theatre but keeping with the emotional theme, they perform 2 songs from Wicked - For Good, which they dedicate to eachother and (finally) Defying Gravity - I can't tell you how much i've been longing to hear them sing that for the past 3 years and they NAILED it - incredible! Finally they perform Somewhere from West Side Story with Carly again before ending the set with the song that started their incredible journey - Stars from Les Mis. Then, much to everyones delight, we get treated to a Jersey Boys medley which is AMAZING and has the whole audience up on their feet dancing along. It's here we get to see them having so much fun singing and dancing before changing into the iconic red Jersey Boys jackets and coming back to sing 'Oh What A Night' to end the show. If i'm honest, the title of that song really sums up the evening - oh what a night indeed! Incredible from start to finish, I smiled, laughed, cried, danced and sang my heart out. I couldn't be prouder of these boys and i'm so thankful I was there to witness a truly special night. Thank you boys for being the stars you are and here's to an incredible future!!
Thank you so much to anyone taking the time to read this, hope you enjoyed this one and let me know your thoughts. Sorry again i've taken so long to post but hopefully i'll be posting again soon!
Beki x
