Review / Comments ::

I was thrilled to hear that Jim Brickman was coming to my hometown on his Christmas Romance holiday concert tour. I was even more ecstatic when my parents asked if I wanted to go! My response: "Jim is one of my all-time favorites. Of course I want to go!"

This concert was going to be my first visit to the historic Coronado Theater since it was restored a number of years ago, and my first concert where I knew almost every piece of music from the artist. In the days leading up to December 7th, I was continually queuing up a random playlist of Jim's music on my iPod as to be prepared to hear some of my favorites live!

Accompanying Jim on the tour were three amazingly talented artists:
Victoria Shaw, Jake Simpson, and David Klinkenberg...

Victoria, as the female vocalist, provided divine talent to many of the songs. According to the concert program, she has collaborated with Jim on a number of songs including: "Hear Me," "I'm Amazed," "To Hear You Say You Love Me," "Never Alone" and their #1 song "Sending You A Little Christmas". While original versions of some songs may have had a different female vocalist, Victoria did a truly outstanding job performing along with Jim, Jake, and David.

Jake, as the core male vocalist, brought an almost Pop / R&B flare to a number of songs. You may have seen him on CBS-TV's Star Search, or on Oprah Winfrey's 20th anniversary show, where he sang "Isn't She Lovely" with his idol, Stevie Wonder. His exuberant energy livened up every song he participated in.

Last but not least, David, the "fiddler", brought breath-taking musical inspiration to every song from the moment he walked on the stage. There was hardly a time when he wasn't smiling or moving to the music. It was clear that he loves playing the fiddle, and that he was enjoying every minute on stage with Jim and the others. He has an astonishing gift, and it showed when David opened up the second part of the show with a solo performance of "Jesus Loves Me", from his Sophomore album "Fiddle-Levity", that was modified for the holiday tour. The stunning, no stunning doesn't do it justice... the phenomenal performance received the highest and loudest applause of the show up to that point, only being out done by a standing ovation when all four were on the stage and performed an amazing piece. So, you can see that David wowed the crowd, and rightfully so.

Live shows often give insight into the true meaning of songs, and can enlighten us as to how the artist(s) feel about aspects of their musical career and work. This breathtaking show was no exception. Jim often took a brief moment after a song to talk to the audience, many times making the crowd laugh. We learned about how Victoria met David at an airport security checkpoint when she saw his fiddle case, and how they happened to be on the same flight, and just happened to end up sitting next to each other! The audience also had an opportunity to fill out an informational card requesting a holiday song.

This holiday song request segment, during the second act, was probably the funniest part of the show. Victoria was in charge of randomly picking cards from the heaping stack of replies. In defense of Victoria, if you are not from around here it is easy to mispronounce the cities in our area. She enjoyed the name of a woman named "Peaches", misread "Loves Park" as "Lovers Park", and couldn't believe that there was a place called "Normal" for which Jim reminded her that "Normal, IL" is a stop on their tour.

I can't write about the concert without writing about Jim. I've never seen Jim perform, even though he has performed for some TV concerts. Jim is very physical when he plays the piano. He even came out and said that after a song. He told us that he has always been physical with his non-piano-peddle leg moving around with the music and his dramatic endings. He found out about this "physical" movement after he saw his PBS performance, and just couldn't believe that no one told him that he performed like that. Jim performed every song flawlessly (well, I did catch one minor slip, though it could have been the piano for all I know).

It was amazing how some of Jim's songs, especially "Simple Things" was turned into a Christmas song! After the show, I was able to buy and get CDs signed by Jake and David. They said that the modified "Simple Things" wasn't simple at all, since they all knew the regular words, and adding the Christmas twist to it, took some time to remember.

As a VIP member of Jim's fan club, I was able to meet Jim briefly after the over 2 hour show. Victoria, Jake, and David were all available in the lobby signing autographs, posing for photos, and answering questions.

I saw two colleagues of mine from the high school I teach at, and talked to another that was also at the show. They all really enjoyed it. I told them, and a number of my friends that in my humble opinion, it was nothing less than spectacular!

I actually thought that David stole the show, as the best performer. You just gasped, didn't you? I still love Jim's music, and the piano still tops my favorite musical instrument list, but the fiddle is now number two! Maybe I got lost in David's performances because I already knew Jim's music... I do know that his enthusiastic energy and the divine music coming from his fiddle when he was on stage was awe-inspiring, easily making his performance(s) top the show.

While future tours may have different accompanying artists, I have to recommend that you see Jim in concert if you have the opportunity to do so. Also, the music from Victoria, Jake, and David are without question, "must have" additions to any music fan's library.

Music can invoke many emotions; I've laughed, cried, and have been inspired by many talented artists and musicians over the years. This concert rekindled my passion for music.

To Jim, Victoria, Jake, and David: You are all blessed with extraordinary gifts. Thank you for sharing them with the world, and my hometown on this Christmas Romance holiday tour. The concert was absolutely phenomenal! Your music and talent has touched my soul, and will forever be a part of my life. I'm eternally grateful that I was able to enjoy your performance with those I love, and to meet you after the show.

God bless.

Joshua

Related Streams-of-Time Review(s) ::

Simple Things [ Joshua | 06-2003 ]

No Words [ Joshua | 08-2003 ]

Angels [ Joshua | 06-2003 ]

Look for future reviews of more of Jim's music, as well as Jake's and David's.

Related Web Links ::

Coronado Theater

Jim's Official Site:  http://www.jimbrickman.com/

Victoria's Official Site:  http://www.victoriashaw.com/

David's Official Site:  http://www.davidklinkenberg.com/

Photos Copyright Information ::

© 2006 JimBrickman.com
The photos used were included in the concert program,
and downloaded from JimBrickman.com

Review Date ::

Reviewed: December 11th 2006
Last Updated: 01/01/2008

<< Return to Joshua's Music Review Index