Michael Bernard Fitzgerald made a really great record and to celebrate, he put on a huge concert at the Jack Singer to debut the new songs. This show consisted of 130 singers (mostly from Bishop Carroll and the Young Canadians), 15 string players, a 10-person spin class from YYC Cycle, dancers, and the core band of drums, percussion, backup singers, bass, two guitars, and keyboard. In short, this show was big.
We kicked things off with two nights of rehearsals just before the show in the basement of the concert hall - one for the choir and one for the strings. Standing in the midst of everything I couldn't help but just soak in all the energy. With a show like this, you really feel a sense of community and everyone shares the excitement of seeing it all come together (or hoping that it will all come together). Dress rehearsal took place all afternoon the day of, and then a beautiful family-style dinner put together by Native Tongues and Village Brewery just before showtime set the mood for the rest of the night.
While I'm shooting shows, I'm always so focused on making sure I'm in the right place and getting the right shots that the whole night goes by in a flash. However, this time I made sure to stop and keep some memories for myself. Hearing the choir swell in the beautiful space during the buildup of "I Will", seeing the complete joy on everyone's faces as they jammed to "Last Train to Georgia", jumping on stage to dance and shoot during "Brand New Spaces" .... these are things I never want to forget.
You can read Michael's great recap from the show here. I am so proud of this guy, so grateful to be his friend, and so excited for this record to be shared with everybody. 'I Wanna Make It With You' will be released on March 11, 2016.
