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Laurie and I just walked over to the arena from the Young Singers
Foundation reception, at which we presented the FIRST donation from
SING, in the amount of $1390. If all of the pledges come in this
week, our grand total will be.... are you ready?????

$2075!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Or more!)

WOW! Thank you, thank you, thank you.... and now we have a goal for
next year - to beat this year's total!

The arena is filling slowly for the 2002 Showcase. There is a stage
extension built out into the audience a bit, probably for the
featured act - Reba McIntyre... well, sort of. It's blocking our
view of the risers a bit, but it will be much better tomorrow. Once
again, the HQ staff has taken good care of us. Tonight Jane can even
wander around a bit to get a better angle for her photos. She will
be pretty much tied to the table during contest, though.

Mike Maino introduces Jeannie Froelich, Queen of Harmony with City
Lights (1993), who introduces Janie Macchiaroli, international board
members. There's a theme here - they're both wearing black and
white. Janie's is zebra patterned! Then they introduce Judy
McGovern, who comes out in the Bjork's "swan" outfit from an Oscar
show a couple of years ago. Jeannie scolds Judy for not being
"uptown" enough...not New York enough. Judy thought she said "Bjork"
enough. This is not a one occasion dress - great for a swan song...
groan! When you wear a dress like this, no one looks at your fat
ankles. Many puns follow.

a cappella Gold: wearing their blue velvet gowns, they open with
"Play that Barbershop Chord." Susan has a new hairdo - short and
cute. Bette "catches his eye" literally and tucks it away in her
gown... Next up is the lovely swing tune, "If I Had You" - those
chords are so pretty... and they make it look so easy. But then,
they only have seven gold medals between them. Kim says she knows
nothing about Nashville but knows a lot about men... the whole
quartet knows a lot about men - they've had nine husbands... She
coughs and says, "Oh, boy... I need water" and Mike runs on stage and
brings her a bottle of water and, on bended knee, kisses her hand...
*Real* men prefer the more zaftig, well-rounded woman... "I'm Just A
Rennaisance Woman in a Diet Coke World." The other three are shocked
by what they see on the Sistine ceiling. Someday, you need to see
Susan chirp!! Uh-oh, now she's doing "AFLAC" and the audience is in
hysterics. This song gets better every time they do it and they
crack each other up, too. Appropriate for this venue, they launch
into "The Memphis Blues." They'll be a little late getting to New
Zealand 'cause they have to take a boat to get all their luggage
there. "Embracable You." They are so smooth - they seem like one
voice. The always since "Since You've been Gone" comes next. Men
aren't the same as they used to be... maybe they just wear out! They
have to leave - go back to the hotel and get some CD's to sell.
"It's a Pity to Say Good Night."

The three emcees have a slingshot and are going to shoot a T-shirt
into the audience... well, they thought they would. Judy says,
"Duck!" Now she's doing "AFLAC" but it doesn't help, they can't get
it off the stage! Mike comes out to pull the slingshot and it goes
into about the fifth row of VIP seating and two ladies are fighting
over it!! The second shot goes way back into the floor seating! The
third goes into the first riser on the side... now the other side is
clamoring for one, but the free ticket (good for two admissions to
next year's Showcase) was in that last one. Janie asks if we'd like
see the swan launched! San Diego is taking the risers as they
continue this distraction. Finally, they're launching one up behind
our table. RATS - it went way past us. With a promise to launch
more and one last AFLAC, they get us ready for San Diego... Janie
introduces them as they chorus hisses and stomps to get the energy up
- we're ready!

San Diego Chorus, Region 21 - directed by Kim Hulbert
Stage Attire: Purple fringed dresses with gold accents
"Saint and Sinners" - Connie Noble comes out for a solo which we
cannot hear, unfortunately, but this is one fabulous number! Might
be called "I Am the Preacher Man" - a real revival! Kim may have
sinned once... the chorus yells, "ONCE???!!" "I'm in the Soul-Saving
Army." The choreography is very athletic and energetic! Connie
takes over directing duties for "The Man that Got Away." Susan Lamb
is directing now - "Brother Love's Travelin' Salvation Show."
Finally, we have been saved by the music! They finish with "Great
Day" and this choreography has to be seen to be believed. I mean,
they're carrying people around up there! What a performance.

The emcees are back in western attire. Janie wants to redeem herself
and tries the slingshot again... it makes it all the way to the first
row.

Judy gets to introduce the men... Allen, Ken, Dan and Rick,
performing as the Bluegrass Student Union. They were 22-24 years of
age when they won gold in 1978 and are one of the best known
barbershop quartets in history. They tried to kidnap her over in the
Rennaisance hotel... she was on the elevator with them, in her lovely
swan outfit, and they looked her up and down and Ken said, "Get her!"

Bluegrass Student Union - black tuxes (gee, it's easy to describe
men's stage attire!)
"Do the Sandman" - solid jazz chords!! Great to be in Nashville
where Ken doesn't have an accent. We're here to sing and you're here
to listen - sure hope you don't get finished before we do. "Jukebox
Saturday Night" goes into an audience participation number, "Minnie
the Moocher." Rick didn't say he wanted us to clap, he said he
wanted us to put our hands together. The audience tried really hard
to keep up with the scat singing, but it got to be too much for us.
Sometimes you can't hardly tell, but they ARE a barbershop quartet...
but they have a fifth part for us to sing. We do better with that
note! Rick's bull needed a visit from the vet to be able to
"entertain" again... she gave him something from a little vial...
what was it? Well, says Rick, it tasted a little like peppermint.
He then start pawing the ground with his hoof. But that wasn't
really true... just a lot of bull. "All the Things You Are" features
Allen on a solo. "Slap That Bass" highlights Rick's fine bass
voice... the happiest men "all are basses." Allen used to take the
lead note at the end of this country song 'cause Ken couldn't sing
it... well, now he can't sing the tenor note either, but they'll do
the song anyway, "The Auctioneer." We decline the offer to sing
along this time! Ken surprises us by taking the bass note at the
end!!! A standing ovation!

Intermission

The band consists of two guitars, a fiddle, a keyboard, autoharp and
drums. They start off with a lively tune to warm us up. Don't
expect me to know the names of all of these songs - not my genre!
Very enjoyable, though. The second number starts off in the dark
with a male clog-type dancer, whose white shoes tap out the beat.
"Get on Up and Come on Down and Take Trip to Magic Town." A male and
female due sing with two dancers in the back. The Grand Old Opry was
founded in 1925. Gospel was the foundation and it still is a big
part of country music. "Peace in the Valley" "Will the Circle Be
Unbroken" "I'll Fly Away"

Wynona and Naomi Judd! (Also don't expect me to spell their names
correctly, but I'll try!) "Girl's Night Out"

They invite "Miss Carole" up on the stage (Carole Kirkpatrick - our
international president). They bring up Barbara (?) and Gary (Diane
Huber's husband). There's one thing in country music that everyone
can relate to - so if they can't do it, they'll be the only ones ever
in the world... he proceeds to yodel! Carole says, "My turn?" Then,
"In that pitch?" Then she does it!!
Gary's turn. He does it too!! (Lower in pitch!!) Barbara keeps
trying to start and he stops her - finally she does her turn. Now
the three are going to do it like their spouses!! Carole is GOOD!
All do it together! In harmony, yet! Well, sort of - what great
sports they are!!

The male singer proceeds to finish the yodel song, but I don't know
the name of it... and I haven't caught his name yet, either. Oh,
well - I guess I am much more skilled at reporting barbershop!

From Grinder Switch, Tennessee... Miss Minnie Pearl! Price tag on
her hat and all! Her stories are too long to do justice with my slow
fingers... about her country relatives. One of the many reasons
y'all should come to international and enjoy the Showcase yourself!

Reba McIntyre!! "Why Haven't I Heard From You"

Some of the hits of the big stars of country... George Strait.
"Write this Down" ?? "Tonight, the Heartache's on Me" ?? Charlie
Daniels... "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"

What a show! Once again, worth ticket even if you didn't know the
proceeds were going to support the Young Singers Foundation.

So long for tonight - we'll be sending the quartet reports as soon as
the contest ends tomorrow night, but it may be pretty late.

The photo link for this year is:

http://www.sweetadelines.net/files/nashvillesing

Be patient! Photos will be showing up.

--
Marti Lovejoy for the SING Reporting Team
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SweetAdelinesScores/messages
Life Member, Reg 10, TX, USA (30 years so far)
LovejoyMar @ att.net <--remove spaces