Friday the 18th at 2:00 I met Teran at Carnegie Hall and we hung out waiting for the rehearsal to start. At 2:30ish they started and Sandi came walking in with her tea in hand, looking fabulous! Loved, loved, loved her outfit. The rehearsal went on and eventually she went up on stage and sang some. She and Don did the prayer completely and wow! Just beautiful. We were told in the beginning not to clap during the rehearsal but The Prayer and Jesus, O What A Wonderful Child, well, couldn't help but clap. It was just amazing. Really cool to see the way they did the rehearsal and the place was packed for that. I didn't know what to expect, but that wasn't it. I thought it would be a very small crowd, but it wasn't.
Went home and changed and then headed back to the 8:00 performance. We had 5th row seats, on the inside isle, really perfect seats! The concert was just fabu. Sandi was the guest artist, so she came out after the NY Pops did a few numbers. The New York Youth Choir was there as well and they did the backup for Sandi and OMG, they did a great job. I loved the whole show, I just wish that it was a bit more of Sandi, but I'll take what I got! :-) During intermission we were invited to a champagne and chocolate reception. It was nice, until we saw Ellen Wheeler in line getting a drink. The killer of GL and we have to run into her on such a fun night! UGH!! BUT, we let that go and enjoyed the rest of the show and what a great end to the show. Sandi was just spot on.
After the show was over we were taken backstage where we met Sandi. She was everything I wanted her to be. She was sweet and genuine and tried to engage us in conversation, but alas, peeps jumped in! I know everyone wants to spend time with her, but hello, this is me! LOL We did get some pictures and she signed my CD. We were then kind of taken over by other people and then we hung back a minute and I got Anna's, Sandi's daughter, attention and she got Sandi to sign Teran's CD too.
Teran and I then jumped in a cab and headed to the Laurie Beechman Theater. They were doing a thing called the After Party, a tribute to Sandi Patty. This was just the icing on the cake for me and I think Teran too. We got there and were waiting in line and well, just no seats to be had, but Teran and I being of the same fan-mind were not leaving until Sandi left. Sandi and her entourage showed up and then some in front of us were not willing to wait, so eventually, we got in the room. Very much on the edge of the room at first and then a table. The evening was just beyond explanation.
As most of you know, I love the gay man, yes I do, can't help it, they are just fabulous, no apologies for it, I love 'em! Well, this room was full of gay men and a little bit of variety stuck in for good measure. We weren't the only women there, but we women were out numbered for sure. Well, the whole night was people getting up and singing Sandi's songs and just representing the Sandi Patty love! OMG, it was AWESOME! The people that sang were so good and really did a great job on her songs. Sandi herself got up and sang and mentioned that she had been on the phone with her friend Liza! Well, if the room didn't already love her, they just FLOVE her now! She sang Sandi with an I/Patty with a Y, a version of Liza's song. It brought the house down. She then sang The Stage is Bear, a song she co-wrote with Gloria Gaither. The guy that was hosting the show, Brandon, well, he is one HUGE Sandi Patty fan. Had all her music, videos, articles and such. He had a few bits he did with showing her pictures and talking about how you could tell when she switched to a guy stylists and hair dresser, 'cause her pictures way improved! LOL, he also asked her if she knew she was a gay icon. She said she felt the love. He said, now, for those that want to know, the reason she didn't say yes was because if this ends up on youtube she doesn't want the WOF banning her! LOL, we rolled, as did Sandi. He explained to her and the audience how she became a gay icon. she was just first, amazing at what she did and her voice is just unmatched, but then she had some personal struggles and she fought her way back. Some people tried to keep her down, but she fought back and just came out on the other side stronger, better, and absolutely fabulous looking! That makes her an official gay icon! LOL, he was really good and as a fan that gets it, it was awesome to see his dream happening for him.
One of his friends, who used to be in Wicked, came up and sang Bethlehem Morning. She nailed it! When she was done I think it was Sandi that wanted her to sing again, something from Wicked. Brandon was like, only if you sing with her, so she did!!! Sandi went up and sang For Good with her and it was awesome! The girl was so in awe of it, she was just shaking and she's sang in front of Broadway audiences! It was just perfect.
Each person that sang, as they came down the stairs, Sandi greeted them with a big hug and just thanked them. It was just beyond amazing! Each person had a Sandi story to share and how she had touched their lives and reached them with her songs and music when others couldn't. Brandon talked about being gay and being a preacher's kid and trying to come to terms with all of that and he saving grace was Sandi's music and her songs about the journey and not being preachy and just loving through song. the girl that sang with her said that when she was 9 they gave her Bethlehem Morning to sing and well, it's a really hard song for a 9 year old. She said she didn't nail it, but she did well enough that someone told her parents they should invest in lessons for her. She did take lessons, loved to sing and eventually ended up on Broadway, all because of that song. It was just beyond amazing to see how many people were touched by her songs and her life.
At one point, one of the guys, who was a musical director, I think, got up and he played a song of hers on the piano. Brandon came up and asked him to play some hymns. He played Do Lord, Victory In Jesus, He Lives and one more and the WHOLE room was singing and just worshiping! Yep, you heard it right, a room full of gay men, having church, in a club setting in NYC and Sandi Patty in attendance! It was for sure one of the most awesome nights of my life. Where else but in NYC can you have people in a club, drinking and singing to the Lord with Sandi Patty?! LOL, it was a night I will not soon forget and I already loved Sandi, but now, she's gone up like 8000 notches with me.
I got home that night/morning at 3am! I wasn't tired at all and could have stayed for hours more, but Sandi left, as did we. :-)
Saturday I stayed home and then decided to order a cheap seat and go back and see her at Carnegie again! I'm SO glad I went. The first half I was in my cheap seat and the show, of course, was great. Well, because of the blizzard, there was so many empty seats down front, so at intermission I went down, talked to one of the guys I met Friday night and well, just stayed in the second row! LOL, yep, I so did. It's great being Wilford's child and just acting like him sometimes, I just acted like I own the place and was supposed to be there. It worked, I stayed and yes, I made sure Sandi saw me and acknowledged me!
All in all, this was just an awesomely awesome weekend!
Went home and changed and then headed back to the 8:00 performance. We had 5th row seats, on the inside isle, really perfect seats! The concert was just fabu. Sandi was the guest artist, so she came out after the NY Pops did a few numbers. The New York Youth Choir was there as well and they did the backup for Sandi and OMG, they did a great job. I loved the whole show, I just wish that it was a bit more of Sandi, but I'll take what I got! :-) During intermission we were invited to a champagne and chocolate reception. It was nice, until we saw Ellen Wheeler in line getting a drink. The killer of GL and we have to run into her on such a fun night! UGH!! BUT, we let that go and enjoyed the rest of the show and what a great end to the show. Sandi was just spot on.
After the show was over we were taken backstage where we met Sandi. She was everything I wanted her to be. She was sweet and genuine and tried to engage us in conversation, but alas, peeps jumped in! I know everyone wants to spend time with her, but hello, this is me! LOL We did get some pictures and she signed my CD. We were then kind of taken over by other people and then we hung back a minute and I got Anna's, Sandi's daughter, attention and she got Sandi to sign Teran's CD too.
Teran and I then jumped in a cab and headed to the Laurie Beechman Theater. They were doing a thing called the After Party, a tribute to Sandi Patty. This was just the icing on the cake for me and I think Teran too. We got there and were waiting in line and well, just no seats to be had, but Teran and I being of the same fan-mind were not leaving until Sandi left. Sandi and her entourage showed up and then some in front of us were not willing to wait, so eventually, we got in the room. Very much on the edge of the room at first and then a table. The evening was just beyond explanation.
As most of you know, I love the gay man, yes I do, can't help it, they are just fabulous, no apologies for it, I love 'em! Well, this room was full of gay men and a little bit of variety stuck in for good measure. We weren't the only women there, but we women were out numbered for sure. Well, the whole night was people getting up and singing Sandi's songs and just representing the Sandi Patty love! OMG, it was AWESOME! The people that sang were so good and really did a great job on her songs. Sandi herself got up and sang and mentioned that she had been on the phone with her friend Liza! Well, if the room didn't already love her, they just FLOVE her now! She sang Sandi with an I/Patty with a Y, a version of Liza's song. It brought the house down. She then sang The Stage is Bear, a song she co-wrote with Gloria Gaither. The guy that was hosting the show, Brandon, well, he is one HUGE Sandi Patty fan. Had all her music, videos, articles and such. He had a few bits he did with showing her pictures and talking about how you could tell when she switched to a guy stylists and hair dresser, 'cause her pictures way improved! LOL, he also asked her if she knew she was a gay icon. She said she felt the love. He said, now, for those that want to know, the reason she didn't say yes was because if this ends up on youtube she doesn't want the WOF banning her! LOL, we rolled, as did Sandi. He explained to her and the audience how she became a gay icon. she was just first, amazing at what she did and her voice is just unmatched, but then she had some personal struggles and she fought her way back. Some people tried to keep her down, but she fought back and just came out on the other side stronger, better, and absolutely fabulous looking! That makes her an official gay icon! LOL, he was really good and as a fan that gets it, it was awesome to see his dream happening for him.
One of his friends, who used to be in Wicked, came up and sang Bethlehem Morning. She nailed it! When she was done I think it was Sandi that wanted her to sing again, something from Wicked. Brandon was like, only if you sing with her, so she did!!! Sandi went up and sang For Good with her and it was awesome! The girl was so in awe of it, she was just shaking and she's sang in front of Broadway audiences! It was just perfect.
Each person that sang, as they came down the stairs, Sandi greeted them with a big hug and just thanked them. It was just beyond amazing! Each person had a Sandi story to share and how she had touched their lives and reached them with her songs and music when others couldn't. Brandon talked about being gay and being a preacher's kid and trying to come to terms with all of that and he saving grace was Sandi's music and her songs about the journey and not being preachy and just loving through song. the girl that sang with her said that when she was 9 they gave her Bethlehem Morning to sing and well, it's a really hard song for a 9 year old. She said she didn't nail it, but she did well enough that someone told her parents they should invest in lessons for her. She did take lessons, loved to sing and eventually ended up on Broadway, all because of that song. It was just beyond amazing to see how many people were touched by her songs and her life.
At one point, one of the guys, who was a musical director, I think, got up and he played a song of hers on the piano. Brandon came up and asked him to play some hymns. He played Do Lord, Victory In Jesus, He Lives and one more and the WHOLE room was singing and just worshiping! Yep, you heard it right, a room full of gay men, having church, in a club setting in NYC and Sandi Patty in attendance! It was for sure one of the most awesome nights of my life. Where else but in NYC can you have people in a club, drinking and singing to the Lord with Sandi Patty?! LOL, it was a night I will not soon forget and I already loved Sandi, but now, she's gone up like 8000 notches with me.
I got home that night/morning at 3am! I wasn't tired at all and could have stayed for hours more, but Sandi left, as did we. :-)
Saturday I stayed home and then decided to order a cheap seat and go back and see her at Carnegie again! I'm SO glad I went. The first half I was in my cheap seat and the show, of course, was great. Well, because of the blizzard, there was so many empty seats down front, so at intermission I went down, talked to one of the guys I met Friday night and well, just stayed in the second row! LOL, yep, I so did. It's great being Wilford's child and just acting like him sometimes, I just acted like I own the place and was supposed to be there. It worked, I stayed and yes, I made sure Sandi saw me and acknowledged me!
All in all, this was just an awesomely awesome weekend!
