Say what you will about Josh Groban, but the man can sing. An angelic voice if ever I’ve heard one and that’s at the best of times. Put an ageless Christmas carol into his capable hands, though, and it’s like you’re floating on a cloud through the heavens.
When my husband and I sat down on Saturday evening to watch Josh’s first-ever full-length Christmas concert—surrounded solely by the soft glow of our sparkly Christmas tree—we were slightly apprehensive but hopeful. All we wanted this season was a simple, low-key, old-fashioned, choir-like “sing-along” of classic, timeless tunes and a beautiful voice to make them sing. A 21st century version of those lovely carolers the world used to see walking door to door sweetly singing the best chestnuts of old. You wouldn’t think this would be so hard to find these days given the vast array of holiday albums and what seems like everyone’s overwhelming passion and desire for these charming classics. Anything to get us out of this century and back to the “good old days.” But apparently not everyone got the memo.
As I mentioned in previous posts, my husband and I purchased livestreams for three Christmas concerts this season: Josh, Andrea Bocelli, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Believe you me when I say this—and I feel horrible for doing so—but son of a nutcracker were the latter two awful!! Nothing like we expected and absolutely nothing like what we wanted from a Christmas show.
Bocelli performed from the Teatro Regio di Parma opera house in Italy, a beautiful age-old venue that somehow got lost in the weird, almost creepy vibe of the show. It wasn’t even decorated for Christmas! No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t make heads or tails of this “performance.” Nothing to do with Andrea, of course, who sounded gorgeous and operatic and perfect as usual. I’m always in awe of how he can hold a deep note for what seems an eternity and then slowly and seamlessly release it upon the air with barely an intake of breath. You see no movement—head, chest, mouth—at all when he does that, and it never fails to impress the hell out of me. I doubt many singers can lay claim to that. He is pure talent, pure beauty, pure heaven when he sings. But his “Believe In Christmas” livestream was so, so strange.
To describe the show as “otherworldly” wouldn’t be a stretch, and maybe that’s what they were going for, but they failed miserably. The macabre-style costumes and dancing and balletic body-twisting just did not belong (some of the performers were even shirtless!). They detracted from the venue’s vintage classiness and the truly otherworldly beauty that is Andrea Bocelli. It got to the point where I couldn’t even hear Andrea sing anymore because I was so caught up in the overall weirdness of the show. The one sweet moment of the entire performance was his version of “Hallelujah,” which he sang alongside his 8-year-old daughter, Virginia. Adorable! Honestly, though, other than the actual singing, I didn’t enjoy this concert at all.
Then we had the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO). Well, what a total disappointment. Too much singing (and not good singing, either), not enough orchestra, and definitely not enough “traditional” Christmasy songs. Granted, I appreciate they have a unique take on Christmas classics and that’s one of the things I love about them. Their “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo” piece is one of my absolute faves! I just love how they rock that song. (Thankfully, they did perform this on Friday night, but they left out their other gem, “Christmas Canon,” and that was a huge letdown.)
It’s not like I’m a newbie to the TSO. I was lucky enough to see them live many, many moons ago (we’re talking around 2000) and they brought down the house! Which is why I was so excited to see the advertisement for their livestream holiday show. Not this time, though. I don’t know, maybe they’re simply the type of band you need to see live (although arguably this case could be made for every performer), to feel the music and the super-cool vibe they embody. The livestream felt so muted—more a showcase for the singers than the orchestra. I don’t remember so much singing when I saw them in concert … Whatever the reason, it wasn’t what we were looking for to get us into the holiday spirit. And it wasn’t just us, either, before anyone thinks I’m being too critical and biased (you know, in favor of Josh, which I am NOT—I’m the first one to admit when Josh isn’t on his game). In fact, my brother and his wife shared our sentiments; hopefully they won’t mind that I’m speaking for them here, ha ha. Just sayin’.
Anyway, as the TSO concert ended and we hung our heads in disappointment, my husband commented that he hoped Josh—our last of the three Christmas livestreams—wouldn’t let us down, too. Admittedly, even I felt a little nervous at that point and Josh had never let me down before. Pfff, we never should have doubted; forget spades, Josh delivered in sugarplums, baby! Right off the bat, you felt like you’d entered a magical wonderland of Christmas. You could see it, feel it, smell it. Let me just … set this scene for you:
–Christmas trees and wreaths decked out in twinkling white lights and red, gold, and green ornaments.
–Frosted, yellow-tinted candles aglow all around, including atop the gorgeous white piano—white!! I’ve never seen Josh perform with a white piano before, but it was perfectly Christmas! (In a funny bit, Josh named this piano his “luck dragon” and began calling it Falcore, you know, from The Never-Ending Story! Hilarious.)
–Garland, evergreen, and holly and ivy scattered across the floor and draped from the lovely, almost Broadway-ish chandeliers, some of which were also set alight with candles.
–A golden harp perched gracefully next to the piano! A harp, people! Another instrument I’ve never seen at a Josh show, but an awesome accompaniment to Josh’s rendition of “Ave Maria.”
–And in the middle of it all: the Voice, looking dapper in a black turtleneck underneath a festive midnight blue suit. So classy. Ya gotta love Josh for always dressing to impress.
The only thing missing was snow! Honestly, whomever decorated his set did a spectacular job. I want to say it shouted Christmas from all the rooftops in the world but that sounds far too “crass” for how beautiful and impeccable it looked. So, let’s say it softly whispered Christmas in the most poetic of ways. Yes, I like that better. Josh was a little goofy at times—OK, every time he spoke (LOL); perhaps the chaos of this year is finally getting to him, which he all but admitted—but whenever he began to sing … love, love! And as for his set list, he sang all the classic carols from Noël, every song better than the last (here’s the order in which he sang them):
–Believe
–Little Drummer Boy
–Christmas Time Is Here
–I’ll Be Home For Christmas (he dedicated this song to soldiers overseas—as he does on Noël—and even went so far as to edit in brand-new excerpts from various soldiers wishing their loved ones a long-distance Merry Christmas; it was very touching and nearly brought me to tears)
–Silent Night
–The Christmas Song
–Medley: I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas, Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, and The Chipmunks’ Christmas Don’t Be Late (Josh had a little fun with this medley—he even sang in his chipmunk voice!)
–Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
–It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
–Ave Maria
–Celebrate Me Home (the only song not on Noël)
–White Christmas
–O Holy Night (hands down, my favorite Christmas carol and my favorite version of the song)
–Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
It doesn’t get any more traditional than that, friends. Truly, it was the consummate Christmas concert. The ambience; the carols; the music; the brilliant, albeit small, orchestra (all masked up, I should add); and above all that beautiful, angelic Voice. It hit every holiday note and then some, stirring up all the feels and dishing out all the holiday spirit my husband and I so desperately needed … at this time of the year … in 2020. We enjoyed it so much we even watched it a second time the following night while we wrapped our children’s Christmas presents. Two “date” nights in a row for us—can you imagine?! And both serenaded by Josh. 😊 (I watched it a third time yesterday, too, before they turned off livestream access forever last night. Sigh.) All I can say is: Thank goodness we saved the best for last!
You know, Josh has never done a full-length holiday concert before and while I’ve always found that upsetting, I’m so glad he waited because there was no more perfect time than now to bring people together (livestream or not) all around the world at the most wonderful time of year. A time when most of us are willing to set aside differences and share in the season and spirit of Christmas, or whichever holiday you happen to celebrate. I just wish we could all carry that feeling within our hearts forever and make this world a better place again. That seems like a pipe dream right now, but I won’t ever lose hope.
I’m not sure I’ll have time to post again before Christmas, so I wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year filled with love, happiness, and peace. Stay safe and healthy out there, friends!