Written by Brenda Lorenz and a special thank you to Cartersville’s – The Daily Tribune photographer Randy Parker
GLOWBAND “GRAND” AT THE GRAND THEATRE
Immaculate, flawless, rich, pure â thatâs the remarkable Glowband! Their âExperience the Eaglesâ show at The Grand Theatre in Cartersville Saturday night was a huge success selling 505 of 511 tickets! If you were there, you were also treated to some of your favorite classic rock hits from their Southern Rock Revue show and even a few songs from their âMovinâ & Groovinâ Songs of the 60sâ. You just donât get this kind of live, on-stage, perfected mixture of hits unless itâs Glowband.
The eight world-class performers of Glowband are: Robert Taylor, (Music Director, Violin, Guitar, Vocals), Tim Tice, (Lead Vocalist), Lisa Manuli (Lead Vocalist), Jewel Lucien (Lead Vocalist), David Shaver (Keyboards, guitar, backup vocals), Michael Ahmann (Bass, Guitar, Drums), Curbe Dreher (Guitar, Bass, Keys), and Michael Shealy (Drums). They each have a vibrant gift they bring to the stage every single time. The choir of voices unified in harmony absolutely take you to church! The instrumental prowess is nothing short of masterful!
As they took the stage Saturday evening one by one, the classy vibrancy of the red boots and red shirts was an indication of the red hot show they were about to present. Eliciting three standing ovations throughout the evening and ending the night with yet another one after the final song, âLife in the Fast Laneâ, this was a testament to the connection that Glowband always makes with their audience.
From the moment of the first note of the first song, âHeartache Tonightâ, that theatre was alive! Strangers became friends as the crowd instantly connected with the band and with each other. Other songs in their expansive Eagles repertoire Saturday night included, âI Canât Tell You Whyâ, âOne Of These Nightsâ, âTequila Sunriseâ, and the most iconic Eagles hit of all, âHotel Californiaâ. Itâs always fun to see the reaction of people when they hear the beginning of certain songs â memories of back in the day â which is why these are, as Glowband calls them, songs that live forever.
As Jewel prepared for, âTake It To The Limitâ, she reminded the audience that sometimes you have to do just that. âPush to do something better and get stronger.â It was obvious that this wasnât just words she thought would sound good, but words that meant something to her and to all of Glowband â something the whole band seems to do every show. As they started the song, a couple near me took to an out-of-the-way spot and shared the moment in a dance. All of this gave this Eagles classic hit a whole new feel. THIS is the epitome of Glowband. They have a way of taking these mega hit songs that everyone knows and loves, performing them with style, grace, and excitement â while putting that Glowband touch on them.
âAlready Goneâ, âPeaceful Easy Feelingâ, and âWitchy Womanâ were also huge crowd pleasers. This particular song needed no introduction, (as many didnât) but was just mentioned, and explained by Tim, as being one of the main reasons they put this band together in the first place. A brief pause â no instrumental intro â for a couple seconds all was quiet as the audience anticipated what was coming â then – the chill-inducing harmonies that literally exploded off that stage was all you needed to immediately identify this one. Yep, â7 Bridges Roadâ. Impeccable!
Two of their âSouthern Rock Revueâ selections were, âThe Southâs Gonna Do It Againâ, and âThe Devil Went Down To Georgiaâ. I thought the smoke alarms might go off because Iâm pretty sure Robert had that fiddle smoking! âHold on Looselyâ, âJessicaâ and âWhipping Postâ were a few of the others. I mentioned before that there were three standing ovations throughout the evening. âWhipping Postâ was one! What a performance this was! One for the ages!
You know how, no matter what concert you may be at, some guy starts yelling, âFREEBIRD!â usually in jest â well â guess what? Just before intermission, âFreebirdâ it was! Out came the âlightersâ â but in this case it was cell phone lights â swaying back and forth â hands in the air! Another one for the ages!
Eloquent, bold, breathtaking. So focused, yet they have so much fun and are so engaging at the same time. After playing together for 11 years, Glowband has a cohesive bond with each other, much like a family â and it shows! This was such an appropriate venue for such a class act â a âgrandâ performance at The Grand!