Saturday night, my mother and I went to see Linda Eder at the State Theatre. I first heard Eder's music in high school from a Broadway CD, Jeckel & Hyde. She had such a clear, powerful voice that I got hooked. So when I heard she was passing through Minneapolis this December, I thought it worth while to check her out LIVE. Well, yes, she is a gifted performer. Eder plays to the audience, sucking a song for all it's worth, but...I guess I'd skip her Christmas show. Anyone can sing 'Silent Night' or 'Here comes Santa Claus' but why would they want to? And who wants to hear that?
Orginally from Brianerd Minnesota (I didn't know that until Saturday - and spelling?) Linda Eder has connections and heart strings woven into the Twin Cities. As a result, a Minnesota choir joined her on stage this weekend and it was absolutely disasterous. This choir was from some western suburb and had the word 'gospel' in their name but they were uneven, tone deaf and literally wretched. What an awful way to ruin a beautiful concert. Eder's band was a perfect fit but the choir oozed into the crevice of any song they were allowed to sing. I couldn't get out of the theatre fast enough. The sad part about my post is that I'm not being very fair. Why should an amateur choir be held up to the same standards of a professional entertainer? They shouldn't...unless of course the audience forked up $50 per person for a ticket price. A local 'hobby' choir just shouldn't have been invited or allowed to perform with a Broadway/Recording artist. Not a good fit.
I am glad I went to see the show as I've wanted to hear Eder live for quite a while, but maybe I'll post some requests for a solo show on her message board...
