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Post by Bingo on Sept 14, 2012 11:54:35 GMT -8
Although there've been "prep" dates in England and Australia, the full North American tour kicks off tonight, in Manchester, NH For anyone going to one of the dates, here's the rehearsal photo Carrie posted today, to help identify the band (I don't know if the co-ordinating black costume look is significant for the opening): /photo/1/largeFrom left to right: Shawn Tubbs (guitar) Jonathan Hamby (keyboards) Jamelle Fraley (vocals) Jimmy Herman (fiddle/mandolin/vocals) Carrie Underwood (lead vocals) Mark Childers (bass/musical director) Chad Jeffers (banjo/steel) Ed Eason (guitar) Garrett Goodwin (percussion) This has been a stable line-up for a few years now. The main doubt concerned Jamie, who was announced as leaving, after she and her husband wrote and produced a big Asian girl-band hit. She even had a farewell dinner. However, she's since appeared at the Opry, and is in the tour rehearsals - so hopefully she's staying. She's popular with fans, and her ethereal echoing vocals are a big element in some of the new songs. (Some of the band have been tweeting about how they're packing to be away from friends and family for a matter of months - it reminded me of why Natalie is reluctant to take on one of these marathon commitments at this stage of her life.)
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Post by Bingo on Sept 14, 2012 15:11:19 GMT -8
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Post by Bingo on Sept 14, 2012 16:59:03 GMT -8
I thought some of you might like to know that Jamie has posted to confirm she's staying:
"Hey guys, First of all, let me say how incredible all of you Carrie fans are. Your kind words & support have been overwhelming. Thank you!!! I'm so sorry I've been silent for the last couple weeks…I know some of you have been wondering what I have been up to. Let me just say, life is crazy and amazing and unpredictable! Some things have changed and I'm actually going to be sticking around on the Blown Away tour for a while. :-) I can't stress enough how amazing you all have been to me & I'm looking forward to seeing you all this fall at one of our shows. Headed to the stage in a few minutes for the first one...so excited! Love you all so much!!!"
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Post by Bingo on Sept 14, 2012 18:18:15 GMT -8
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Post by Bingo on Sept 15, 2012 14:44:37 GMT -8
Coming back fresh to the above picture (which was a backdrop to one of Carrie's concert sets last night) a second day, I do see a definite similarity in the art work. It's threefold: the silhouette effect, the woodland setting, and Carrie's caricature figure echoing the caricature image of the two women in the Hounds' publicity. For comparison, this is the CYH picture currently shown in the background of their website's front page: www.courtyardhounds.com/sites/cyhounds/themes/cyhounds6/images/bg-home.jpgThe apparent similarity intrigues me - but, as I'm a fan of both, I may already be pre-conditioned to seeing more likeness than is really there. Carrie has used a lot of complex symbolism in relation to "Blown Away", which, (avoiding possible deeper allegories) has, primarily, a survival from abuse theme. If there is any deliberate echo of the CYH in that concert backdrop, I would guess that the possible inspiration could be the songs "Ain't No Son" and "Phoebe", which both deal with issues known to be important to her (ANS had radio airplay; Phoebe has only appeared on the web, but Carrie is known to seek out songs on YouTube)
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Post by xxys000 on Sept 16, 2012 9:38:34 GMT -8
Thanks for all the info Bingo. I follow Carrie on twitter so I saw the photo of her and the band....but I didn't know all of their names and roles!
It seems like she's gone for a big production for this tour... I know the fans have already started mentioning an Entertainer of the Year award.
I hope she will come back for a proper European tour next year sometime. I went to see her in London and I think it was the best concert I've ever been to so I would certainly like to see her again!
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Ross
Teen Chick
Posts: 699
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Post by Ross on Sept 17, 2012 4:38:26 GMT -8
seems to be a lot of men.
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Post by Bingo on Sept 17, 2012 12:57:24 GMT -8
I'd like to see more female instrumentalists - but that's an issue that seems to affect much of the industry. Female musicians have made a stronger impact on Bluegrass though.
Carrie's band seems pretty stable. Mark and Ed have been with her from the start, and all the other guys since at least 2008.
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Post by Bingo on Oct 18, 2012 18:59:29 GMT -8
As well as her main concert at the Staples Center, Carrie appears to have played one or twof other invitation dates in Los Angeles, one in a private house in Laurel Canyon, where this picture was taken http://instagram.com/p/Q8mehLGsEh The poster says the house belonged to a "Hollywood hotshot *", and the event was described as a "benefit"; the only other picture I've seen is from someone from the Klein Epstein Parker clothing store, who was thanking her for "being a rebel and following her heart". The Chicks were no strangers to this sort of private do, and the Court Yard Hounds seem to have revived the idea. I'm afraid my bank account is unlikely to stretch to such guests though! * Edit: it seems the house belonged to Brian Loucks, who appears to be an artist managing agent.
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Ross
Teen Chick
Posts: 699
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Post by Ross on Oct 19, 2012 4:37:18 GMT -8
they have zoom on cameras so it doesn't show how close they where, got pic all the same.
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Post by Bingo on Oct 19, 2012 4:53:02 GMT -8
Another picture of the house concert: http://instagram.com/p/Q6NBGYgwpW After the flash and thunder of the Staples concert, this intimate setting must have come as a pleasant change. Mark Childers guitar can just be seen behind her. Usually, in these smaller settings, four of them play. One detail that fans may not know is that when Carrie acknowledged her musical debt to the Bakersfield Sound, she said that her mother, Carole, had been born there (though she left as a child)
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Post by xxys000 on Oct 19, 2012 8:33:12 GMT -8
If I start saving now I might be able to pay for a concert by 3096....maybe
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Post by Bingo on Oct 20, 2012 15:58:37 GMT -8
This video may interest some of you. It's a speeded up film of the crew building the stage for one of the concerts. It shows the large number of people involved in the construction - and gives a hint of the outlay involved in putting on these expensive major circuit events. Many of Carrie's concerts are still only medium-sized when compared to the largest arena tours, but she spends a lot of time planning stage design and logistics with her team. She and the band have to be ready to adjust the scale of their performances to different venues (note, for example, the small scale event pictured in the earlier post, which took place within a couple of days of this)
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Post by Bingo on Nov 8, 2012 11:16:44 GMT -8
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Ross
Teen Chick
Posts: 699
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Post by Ross on Nov 8, 2012 14:23:47 GMT -8
i downloaded her vh1 unplugged set the other day, very good indeed.
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Post by Bingo on Nov 9, 2012 19:46:59 GMT -8
I've just heard that Carrie is donating all the proceeds from her Atlantic City concert to help the recovery effort after Sandy
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Post by drizzletown on Nov 10, 2012 10:12:54 GMT -8
Yep. Totally. Except that it doesn't have that little bit of the "dark side" feel. (the hounds etc)
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Post by Bingo on Nov 12, 2012 18:08:29 GMT -8
The close up session in California still involved a microphone and sound gear - but on Saturday, at the Rocking Horse Saloon in Hartford CT, Carrie and her four piece ensemble performed an acoustic session with no microphone or amplification at all. Singing at this level without a microphone is pretty unusual - Carrie said it reminded her of her early days.
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Post by Bingo on Nov 19, 2012 8:19:34 GMT -8
During the equal marriage rights controversy a few months ago, one of the more desperate protestors claimed that Mike Fisher's habit of holding his wife's handbag while she went on stage was evidence that they were "confused" about gender roles. As in this picture, they keep this going as a running joke: sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/318941_10151377509563268_46540914_n.jpg(If anyone is curious about the third woman recently singing on stage with Carrie and Jamie in "Two Black Cadillacs", her name is Andrea Thomas, and she has stood in as a temporary backing vocalist with the band once before)
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Post by Bingo on Nov 30, 2012 5:55:31 GMT -8
Good news for Irish fans: Carrie will add two dates to her "Blown Away" tour, making her first appearances there:
Dublin, Olympia Theatre, on March 14 next year Belfast, Waterfront Hall, the following day.
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Post by xxys000 on Nov 30, 2012 8:44:59 GMT -8
Good news for Irish fans: Carrie will add two dates to her "Blown Away" tour, making her first appearances there: Dublin, Olympia Theatre, on March 14 next year Belfast, Waterfront Hall, the following day. Just saw that this morning...it's a pity this Irish fan is in Spain until June. But I think I might come to visit the family that weekend and maybe take in the concert since I'll be in Dublin anyway ; ) ;D I had assumed she wouldn't make a trip across the pond until she finishes the second leg of her US tour in May. I was surprised to see that she's playing these dates....but very happy! The Olympia Theatre in Dublin is a super venue. It's such an intimate venue...I think 1200 capacity for standing concerts. Even the tiered seating gives you a great view of the stage. I saw her in London last year and I think it's the best concert I've ever been to - there's no way I'm missing the chance to see her at this venue ;D
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Post by Bingo on Nov 30, 2012 15:05:23 GMT -8
Although I wasn't able to see the London concert, Carrie and the band are often at their best in more intimate settings, so the Olympia theatre sounds great. Also, the interview she did (in London) with a journalist from the North of Ireland was one of the best from her previous visit, so these additions to the tour sound a good choice. It seems more UK dates around the same time are also likely - details may be available next week. In other news, Carrie has been cast to play Maria von Trapp in a live three hour NBC broadcast of the Sound of Music (probably to be broadcast around Christmas 2013). This will be a version of the Broadway musical (which originally starred Mary Martin) - not a remake of the Julie Andrews film, as some comments have assumed. (The Andrews film version apparently differed quite a bit from the stage musical) blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2012/11/30/carrie-underwood-to-star-in-nbcs-the-sound-of-music/I'm afraid Broadway musicals are not my scene - but this is an important opportunity for her. This is a version of the title song which she performed on another TV show three years ago
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Post by erik on Dec 1, 2012 9:53:14 GMT -8
Quote by Bingo:
Fortunately for Carrie, there is precedence for this: Reba doing ANNIE GET YOUR GUN; and Linda having done THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE (although that was basically an operetta).
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Post by Bingo on Dec 1, 2012 10:22:02 GMT -8
Another singer with a remarkable stylistic range is Rhiannon Giddens (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops). Having a father from the Mountain/Bluegrass tradition, and a mother from African-American Piedmont musical traditions has given her a wide understanding of Southern Roots music (of which she's a notable revivalist and preservationist. What is less known is that she also sings operetta and, in local society productions, full opera.
In Carrie's case, when rumours of a stage role circulated, many of us hoped that she would portray the young Dolly Parton (something that Dolly had said she hoped for). I personally think that might have been better - but there's no denying "The Sound of Music" is an iconic role, with a wider potential audience. As well as an opportunity, it's also a challenge - vocally, she's gifted in being able to handle many styles, and should cope well with the singing, but she's only previously had one significant acting role, is known to be rather shy, and will have an audience who already have preconceptions about the role (and, in some cases, about her)
It's delighted the fan base - but, for my part, Broadway musicals are something I've never really got into.
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Post by Bingo on Dec 1, 2012 17:31:51 GMT -8
As this is a very new departure for Carrie (who has admitted it's "outside her comfort zone"), I'm pleased to see she's getting support from the theatrical community.
Fed Bronson, author of a book on the movie version of "Sound of Music", has posted this message: "More than approve. It is truly perfect casting. The actors from the movie are all thrilled, particularly Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich) and Heather Menzies (Louisa). Everyone I spoke to in the last 24 hours told me they thought you would be the perfect Maria. There are very few people who could take on this iconic role. This was meant to be. So happy, thrilled and excited for you."
And Kym Kareth, who played Gretl, tweeted: "Truly believe she will be breathtaking."
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