Concert in Arundel - 15 May 2010

Murkskis · Post by **Murkskis** » 14 years ago

Yorkie wrote: It was rather strange to see mini Ben, Josh and others looking straight at us as they walked past the window. I did at one point in the concert feel mini Ben was looking right at me (they were formed up in groups but standing at a diagonal to the audience) but he was probably looking at RP who was an arms length away.

One thing that I'm not sure if anybody has mentioned but they were looked in that church practicing for a LONG time - over two hours if I remember correctly. We could faintly hear the songs through the locked doors.

I'm not sure how normal that is but the opinion around me was that it was unusually long. Perhaps RP wasn't happy with how things were going so he kept them rehearsing in the hope they would be perfect or maybe they hadn't been together for a while and needed a work out.

Does make you wonder if such a long practice had an affect on any of the boys voices though.

Oh and one of the little speeches thanked fans from traveling from Japan, Sweden, France, USA, Latvia & Croyden (presumably a personal joke for his family) - but no mention of Yorkshire. I was right put out by that I was. I mean I had to wash mi flat cap, leave t'whippets with neighbour, close t'pigeon loft and stock up wi pork pies for t'trek to civilization.

Yes, we were out of the virtual world and I'm glad it was noticed!
Enjoyable moments can come up totally unexpected

Mini Ben thanked the fans in his speech- that was so nice

I suppose they will mention Yorkshire in the next concert, Yorkie- you just need to appear there !

JoelinMkt · Post by **JoelinMkt** » 14 years ago

Yorkie wrote:Oh and one of the little speeches thanked fans from traveling from Japan, Sweden, France, USA, Latvia & Croyden (presumably a personal joke for his family) - but no mention of Yorkshire. I was right put out by that I was. I mean I had to wash mi flat cap, leave t'whippets with neighbour, close t'pigeon loft and stock up wi pork pies for t'trek to civilization.

Indeed, and yet over and above the "snub" the gentleman from Yorkshire gave them a rave review.

You're a good man my friend...

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

JoelinMkt wrote: Indeed, and yet over and above the "snub" the gentleman from Yorkshire gave them a rave review.

You're a good man my friend...

Nah, if only you knew the truth about Yorkie the man! The thing is I didn't expect it to be perfect and it wasn't. I started the discussion about if RP had messed up by allowing all his main kids to reach the point of voice change at around the same time without blooding new, younger talent. I think we all agreed that this would be a year of transition for the group - a difficult year even.

As dani said we know they can (and will) do better but lets not forget they are boys and young men, not professionals (and by the way did you read about the Whitney Houston concerts here in London? By all accounts she stank and those ticket prices were a damn site more than £15).

I really appreciate what these boys sacrifice so I'm not going to say anything other than I had a great time, I enjoyed the show, I particularly enjoyed meeting my fellow Dreamers and I will have no hesitation in going to the next concert if it is within a reasonable distance/cost.

The interesting thing is I can't believe that our show was vastly different from those in Japan, Korea or the Philippines so I was wondering why Arundel got some bad reviews but the fans in Asia were so positive. Is that a culture difference do you think?

hynks · Post by **hynks** » 14 years ago

carina_gino20 wrote:The pictures are in! http://libera-passion.exprimetoi.net/co ... 5.htm#4543

I believe Matthew Madine is the one behind Jakob and yes! he is a dead ringer for Josh. Has to be a brother.

The new boys are so cute and adorable. I hope we get more pictures including those new boys at the back.

Hello, it is with pleasure that I share the photos on the French forum. I'll try to post little by little, given their size.
By cons, please do not spread the pictures anywhere. Thank you in advance

I am Bullehynka French forum.
If you put the photo on Facebook, thank you to say where it came from and especially the author, because I noticed that the group photo that I made has already been included under the group name Leadbeater Stefan .. .

Here is a picture in which there are few better newbies :

phlibera · Post by **phlibera** » 14 years ago

My Reaction to Yorkie's Trilogy

Part 1.

Three Japanese fans? Hmmm... Interesting. Last month in Manila, I saw three Japanese fans as well who had their program signed at the autograph signing sessions after the concerts. I wonder if these three in Arundel are the same fans.

Part 2.

This setup, I wonder if it has something to do with the concert being produced by Ben Crawley. He was tagged as the concert producer in the program (scans of which are shared generously by Fan_de_LoK without watermarks).

Part 3.

Few missed notes. There lies the danger of having one singer do the high notes in most of the songs. Something similar happened in Manila last month, in the evening show. Stefan was visibly upset with it, but he kept his cool. I really like his voice throughout the concert, and his friendly smile and handshakes after the concerts. I'm in the opinion that Libera is lucky to have him at this time. I'm almost certain he was asked if he was up for the role he would take in the set list and it probably involved a lot more hours of practice than the usual and he took it and worked hard on it.

Time. In Manila, I clearly saw (and heard) Alex and Ralph sing the verses together with Josh. I have no idea how this could be vague in Arundel. I mean it's easy to distinguish if it was just Josh or if it was more than just Josh. Probably something to do with the sound system in Arundel then (that or it's a different arrangement).

Mini Ben. When I read the reports about "Secret" being dropped in favor of "Bayan Ko" (both songs have solos by Ben), the first thing that came to my mind was that he could soon stop singing treble solos (even if his voice wasn't completely broken yet) to give way to newer members.

Mysterium. The change in choreography may have something to do with Ben Crawley producing this concert. Or it may not. But I'm in favor of keeping it different each time.

Part 4.

Mini Ben's speech. Another proof that he delivers his speech the way he wants it was what happened in Manila last month. His speeches, though similar in essence, were delivered differently in the afternoon than in the evening shows. The evening one was noticeably longer, and he momentarily forgot the title of their last song ("How Shall I Sing That Majesty?") where the audience in front graciously whispered to him the title, and then he added "Maraming, maraming salamat. Mabuhay." ("Thank you very much. Mabuhay.") There was only another one who delivered his speech differently in the evening than in the afternoon, but he wasn't Libera. It was former Sec. Roberto de Ocampo.

Tom's Ave Virgo. I'm glad you asked Ben and I'm glad he answered you. When EMI first released a preview of this track, a lot of people said it couldn't be Tom. And later when the solo was known to be by Tom, a lot of people believed it was recorded for "New Dawn". I argued that it couldn't have been recorded for "New Dawn" because he had low notes that reminded me of "You Were There", but only more mature. I'm really in the opinion that the only reason he didn't sing a solo in last year's Philippine concerts was because of the choice of the producer rather than his voice totally breaking (at that time).

EPILOGUE.

Tom Cully and Ben Philipp have one of the more distinct and instantly recognizable voices of the current (and come to think of it also the past) iteration of Libera. It will be very hard to fill their shoes because it will take more than skills to have a distinct voice, signature voice. You have to be born with it. Think Karen Carpenter and Sarah McLachlan.

Perhaps they're still in a transition stage. But it's really hard (for me at least) to gauge the quality of a certain set of 20 something combination of voices compared to another (slightly different) set of 20 or so voices. How do you rate one set of voices from the other set? It's very subjective. I believe it all boils down to preference. In later posting, Yorkie wondered how can the Asian reviews be positive and the Arundel one more mixed. I don't believe it's a culture thing. Probably something to do more with technical differences available in different venues coupled with certain audience's preference. With Stefan, Ralph, Daniel, Alex, Jakob, Alfie, and other soloists, the current Libera has more than enough brilliant voices to go around. It's all a matter of preference. Those waiting for the next Tom, Josh, Liam, Ed, and Ben to surface before attending their next concert or buying their album will be in for a long wait, possibly forever.

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

Something else I just remembered (this could go on for days) - were there 37 kids or 36?

The programmes were sold to us by two ladies who appeared through the double doors some time after 18.00 - I think I should know who they were but can't honestly put a name to them (Somebody will now tell me 'Yorkie you idiot it was Barbara Geraghty & Eleanor Lewis' but how was I know that? I was still recovering from the shock of buying a dozen beers at Southern prices?).

It was quite funny really because they appeared in to a huge throng of people who were just a wall of humanity - and nobody was going to budge an inch in case they lost there place in the queue. I tell you, I wouldn't want to wait for a bus in Paris - I don't think I'd ever get onboard!

Anyway the dear ladies elbowed their way through the throng looking somewhat distressed by it all and I had in my hands the programme which Patrick has scanned for you all. The first thing I did was count the names and remark on the surprise of being 36 (and of course the new Madine).

You will see earlier posts state that there were 37 boys and this is because 37 was the number stated by one of the boys (Freddie if I had to name one) in his little speech. Now I've counted every way way I know how but I still only get 36 names; have I lost it completely?

Also, who is the mystery boy from the Peace cover????? None of the new names seem to fit as easily as Mine's did. I was expecting a North African or Middle Eastern name based on looks but none seem to match.

I think I saw the mystery boy there but can anybody else confirm he was?

chix · Post by **chix** » 14 years ago

At Yorkie: I agree with Phlibera that this boy looks like the "mystery" boy from Peace booklet.

phlibera wrote: This one looked like the unnamed member in the Peace booklet picture:

JoelinMkt · Post by **JoelinMkt** » 14 years ago

Yorkie wrote:The interesting thing is I can't believe that our show was vastly different from those in Japan, Korea or the Philippines so I was wondering why Arundel got some bad reviews but the fans in Asia were so positive. Is that a culture difference do you think?

Culture would certainly play a role in the judgement but I would believe it also attributable to experience and seasoning in seeing LIBERA perform. Audiences closer to home would have more experience in hearing LIBERA perform than would those further away.

There are certain challenges LIBERA face that result in varied reviews: the transient composition of LIBERA, the fact that they tend to perform certain songs consistently and the fact that their support have committed all of LIBERA's carefully mastered albums to memory.

When LIBERA face an audience where a significant number of attendees have either previously attended one or more of their concerts or own copies of each of their albums there will be an inevitable comparison either with what has previously heard live or what is recorded on a mastered album (where there are no mistakes) and what was most recently performed in concert. Such a "seasoned" audience would be a tough one having preconditioned notions of how songs should be delivered by performers and received by the audience. They would be more sensitive to missed notes, changes in tempo and errors in movement.

Yorkie wrote:I really appreciate what these boys sacrifice so I'm not going to say anything other than I had a great time, I enjoyed the show, I particularly enjoyed meeting my fellow Dreamers and I will have no hesitation in going to the next concert if it is within a reasonable distance/cost.

I am with you here.

The group is in transition and there is much promise to come as the younger ones acquire experience and become more familiar with their voices.

I will also have no hesitation in going to their next concert if it is within relatively reasonable distance/cost and will not require significant time off work.

carina_gino20 · Post by **carina_gino20** » 14 years ago

hynks wrote: Hello, it is with pleasure that I share the photos on the French forum. I'll try to post little by little, given their size.
By cons, please do not spread the pictures anywhere. Thank you in advance I am Bullehynka French forum.
If you put the photo on Facebook, thank you to say where it came from and especially the author, because I noticed that the group photo that I made has already been included under the group name Leadbeater Stefan .. .

Here is a picture in which there are few better newbies :

Hi, hynks, rest assured that I have never and will never repost your pics anywhere, especially without giving proper credit. As you have noticed, I only put the URL to the thread so that members who would like to see it can view it from there.

Thanks a lot for sharing the photos. I hope there's more.

carina_gino20 · Post by **carina_gino20** » 14 years ago

Yorkie wrote: Also, who is the mystery boy from the Peace cover????? None of the new names seem to fit as easily as Mine's did. I was expecting a North African or Middle Eastern name based on looks but none seem to match.

My guess is he's Thomas Delgado-Little.

dani · Post by **dani** » 14 years ago

I think the reason why we are so critical is because choirs have such a strong history in this country . Japan and so on Libera is just a novelty and dont understand the history behind such choirs. And we expect a certain level and for a lot of die hard fans on Saturday we did not get what we expected. That does not make our opinions any less valid and does not mean we dont love the boys as much as the girls in Japan.

phlibera · Post by **phlibera** » 14 years ago

dani wrote:Japan and so on Libera is just a novelty and dont understand the history behind such choirs.

That maybe true, but it's also possible that the Asian tour were staged more successfully considering the venues in Asia were designed and equipped for concerts more than the cathedral in Arundel.

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

phlibera wrote:My Reaction to Yorkie's Trilogy

Part 1.

Three Japanese fans? Hmmm... Interesting. Last month in Manila, I saw three Japanese fans as well who had their program signed at the autograph signing sessions after the concerts. I wonder if these three in Arundel are the same fans.

I don't think they mentioned being in the Philippines - one of the girls was working in London and her two friends were staying with her for their short trip

phlibera wrote:Part 2.

This setup, I wonder if it has something to do with the concert being produced by Ben Crawley. He was tagged as the concert producer in the program (scans of which are shared generously by Fan_de_LoK without watermarks).

Not sure about that. Ben wasn't around the stage as far as I can remember. Robert certainly conducted and had his keyboard (it was interesting to see Robert cue Stefan for his 'Salvas' during Salva Me. It might have been down to space thinking about it. Robert would normally be to the right and Steven on the left but with the four girls on string instruments sat on the left of the stage perhaps Steven needed the space on the right of the stage for all his stuff.

phlibera wrote: Part 3.

Few missed notes. There lies the danger of having one singer do the high notes in most of the songs. Something similar happened in Manila last month, in the evening show. Stefan was visibly upset with it, but he kept his cool. I really like his voice throughout the concert, and his friendly smile and handshakes after the concerts. I'm in the opinion that Libera is lucky to have him at this time. I'm almost certain he was asked if he was up for the role he would take in the set list and it probably involved a lot more hours of practice than the usual and he took it and worked hard on it.

Yes, agree but I prefer the effect of just having one voice - that is what makes Libera thrilling to hear. Stefan has been with the group for three years so he has obviously been itching for the chance to get to the front!

Time. In Manila, I clearly saw (and heard) Alex and Ralph sing the verses together with Josh. I have no idea how this could be vague in Arundel. I mean it's easy to distinguish if it was just Josh or if it was more than just Josh. Probably something to do with the sound system in Arundel then (that or it's a different arrangement).

Yes! it was Alex and Ralph here too - they definitely sang on the track. Of course Josh's part could have been recorded and Josh mimed it but........why? Just drop the song if nobody could sing it. No, I just don't think Libera would do that because the danger of being found out could be devastating to them

Mini Ben. When I read the reports about "Secret" being dropped in favor of "Bayan Ko" (both songs have solos by Ben), the first thing that came to my mind was that he could soon stop singing treble solos (even if his voice wasn't completely broken yet) to give way to newer members.

I think Ben would go on until he was 80 if his voice would let him! No, it won't be stepping down to allow new talent through but old mother nature that brings about the end to the last member of the 'YouTube' generation of Liberans

Mysterium. The change in choreography may have something to do with Ben Crawley producing this concert. Or it may not. But I'm in favor of keeping it different each time.

Well obviously we disagree on that one and as it has been scientifically proven that I'm always right, you must be wrong! Trust me, if you'd seen the version they did last year you wouldn't be arguing the point (I'd insert a smile or wink here but the damn thing will only post at the end of the existing thread).

phlibera wrote:Part 4.

Mini Ben's speech. Another proof that he delivers his speech the way he wants it was what happened in Manila last month. His speeches, though similar in essence, were delivered differently in the afternoon than in the evening shows. The evening one was noticeably longer, and he momentarily forgot the title of their last song ("How Shall I Sing That Majesty?") where the audience in front graciously whispered to him the title, and then he added "Maraming, maraming salamat. Mabuhay." ("Thank you very much. Mabuhay.") There was only another one who delivered his speech differently in the evening than in the afternoon, but he wasn't Libera. It was former Sec. Roberto de Ocampo.

He hammed it up hugely - he did have something prepared but he quickly wandered off script and started to get muddled!

Tom's Ave Virgo. I'm glad you asked Ben and I'm glad he answered you. When EMI first released a preview of this track, a lot of people said it couldn't be Tom. And later when the solo was known to be by Tom, a lot of people believed it was recorded for "New Dawn". I argued that it couldn't have been recorded for "New Dawn" because he had low notes that reminded me of "You Were There", but only more mature. I'm really in the opinion that the only reason he didn't sing a solo in last year's Philippine concerts was because of the choice of the producer rather than his voice totally breaking (at that time).

I was surprised by that answer because I was in the 'it must have been recorded for New Dawn' camp. I wanted to ask RP but he wasn't around so I thought Ben would be a good alternative. He was very nice about it too and he was the first member of Libera I've ever spoken to.

phlibera wrote:EPILOGUE.

Tom Cully and Ben Philipp have one of the more distinct and instantly recognizable voices of the current (and come to think of it also the past) iteration of Libera. It will be very hard to fill their shoes because it will take more than skills to have a distinct voice, signature voice. You have to be born with it. Think Karen Carpenter and Sarah McLachlan.

Perhaps they're still in a transition stage. But it's really hard (for me at least) to gauge the quality of a certain set of 20 something combination of voices compared to another (slightly different) set of 20 or so voices. How do you rate one set of voices from the other set? It's very subjective. I believe it all boils down to preference. In later posting, Yorkie wondered how can the Asian reviews be positive and the Arundel one more mixed. I don't believe it's a culture thing. Probably something to do more with technical differences available in different venues coupled with certain audience's preference. With Stefan, Ralph, Daniel, Alex, Jakob, Alfie, and other soloists, the current Libera has more than enough brilliant voices to go around. It's all a matter of preference. Those waiting for the next Tom, Josh, Liam, Ed, and Ben to surface before attending their next concert or buying their album will be in for a long wait, possibly forever.

Oh I agree and perhaps that is the advantage I have - I've always said my favourite albums (and by extension Libera singers) are the old ones. That means I'm not in mourning when each boy leaves. But don't worry, there are some good voices in this crop that are quite probably the equal of Tom and Josh and Liam and Ben and Ed.

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

dani wrote:I think the reason why we are so critical is because choirs have such a strong history in this country . Japan and so on Libera is just a novelty and dont understand the history behind such choirs. And we expect a certain level and for a lot of die hard fans on Saturday we did not get what we expected. That does not make our opinions any less valid and does not mean we dont love the boys as much as the girls in Japan.

Ahh, I didn't mean to imply that any one group were better fans than others so sorry if it came across that way. What I was trying to say was I didn't think the Far East performances would be more polished than Arundel but nobody mentioned it (and I have no problem with you putting forward your thoughts on the concert dani) and I wondered why.

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

chix wrote:At Yorkie: I agree with Phlibera that this boy looks like the "mystery" boy from Peace booklet.

phlibera wrote: This one looked like the unnamed member in the Peace booklet picture:

Well, I'm terrible at this sort of thing (much to the amusement of Patrick who took great delight in testing me on it) but I'm comparing that photo to the album cover and I'm not 100% convinced it is the same lad.